Hello! First post on this forum. Hopefully ppl here will be helpful
I just made my first SMD pcb in eagle. Now I want to send it off for low run pcb manufacturing.
Ive asked this question before and have watched tutorials online, but i cant get the hang of generating gerber files.
So the question is:
which files do i need to generate and send to a pcb manufacturer for a single side SMD pcb design. I only have two components that need drilling. A 9V supply and a USB-type A (female). These are the only two that require drilling; the rest are SMD.
is there a tutorial that specifically goes over gerber file generation involving only SMDāeagle
I dont want to just arbitrarily send files to a pcb manufacturer and them contact me and have me clear up any confusion or worse, i donāt want incorrect-designed boards delivered to me (waste of resources :x )
Every and any input is appreciated! Thanks for looking!!
Patience, patience, sometimes it takes more than three hours. This is a best-effort sort of thing, you know, some of us even have day jobs.
I recently got my first boards back from BatchPCB, they were nicely done and even worked great, which means I did my part
Gerbers are generated by a CAM job. Youāll need at least seven: Top and bottom copper, solder mask, and silk screen, so thatās six, plus a drill file. Read the FAQs and tutorials on the BatchPCB and SparkFun web sites. BatchPCB has a CAM job and design rules file you can download. Suggest you do that. Run the CAM job to generate the Gerbers, then look them over with Viewplot (GIYF) or similar utility. Upload them up to the BatchPCB DRC bot (design rule checker) and see if they pass. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Hello and thanks for the tip using batchPCB but like I said, Ive seen each and every tutorial and even read a small section on gerber files. However, what ive seen so far is that they all assume just simple through hole mounting, silkscreen, etc.
What if i just want the top layer done without any silk screen and any other stuff like solder mask. I just want the pads for the smd components and the holes for the thru hole components (USB-A female adapter and 9V battery).
OR do i still need to send each and every file and separately mention to the pcb manufacturer that i only need the holes and the pads for smd placement?
I know this might seem basic stuff but i just donāt want to create any confusion and end up wasting limited resources.
Not sure. Sparkfun has a tutorial that works with SMD parts, so I certainly think the general assumption is that a mix of SMD and TH parts are used. Not sure where the harm is in sending all the files, they may actually require it. If you use BatchPCB, their CAM job produces them all anyway. My board didnāt have anything on the bottom silk screen layer, but the CAM job generates the file, so I sent it, although there was nothing on it. Board came back with no silk screen on the bottom. Everyoneās happy.
Sounds like you only really want a one-sided board? I think the BatchPCB service is by default 2-sided (they also do 4-layer). So send both layers. Thereās nothing that says that one side canāt be empty, although I think that for through hole parts, there will be pads on both layers. I havenāt done any SMD, but I believe the footprints only have copper on one side for the pads. If only one copper layer is sent, Iām not sure what would happen with the other layer. Iād rather be explicit about it. Thereās not a lot of opportunity to āmentionā anything to the manufacturer. The Gerber files say all that is necessary. They are sufficient to determine what the end product looks like. Also remember your board is combined with other folksā boards on a larger panel, so everyone plays by the same rules, and it works.
Do your layout, run the CAM job, review the Gerbers, maybe post an image of the .brd file here, folks are usually happy to critique.
I think all the good deals for board fab are going to be for two layers, so you might as well design the board with that in mind, For example, if you make a single layer board, the holes wonāt be plated and youāll have to solder the through hole components from the top of the board. And why no soldermask? For soldering SMT components, it makes the job much easier.
Many vendors want you to send them a zip file that contains all of the Gerbers. Some have specific names or file extensions that they want you to use (BatchPCB, for example, will only accept them with a predefined set of file extensions. See their FAQ for more info). You can simply rename the files to match what they want. As for how to send the zip files, some (like BatchPCB) have a web site that you upload them to. Others want you to email them as an attachment to a certain email address.
The minimum files for a single sided board, without silk and mask are likely the bottom copper, outline, and drill file. If you are using a double-sided process, even if the traces are only on one side, you may need the top copper as well. Add the appropriate mask files and silkscreen files if necessary.
If your board house will be making a board with solder mask, make sure you send the mask files to them or you will end up with a board that has mask on top of the padsā¦
If you are making a single-sided board, make sure the through-hole components are mounted from the side without copper. Otherwise, they may hide the pads underneath themselves, or may short out traces if they are metal. The USB-A TH connector can do both. If you are using SMT connectors, I would use a double-sided board and put a few vias between the connectorās pads, especially mounting pads, and some copper on the other side to help prevent the connector and pads from tearing off the board.
I donāt use Eagle, so I canāt give advice on how to generate these files.
