Many thanks for the info and links.CopperCam looks ideal for conversion. Unfortunately it appears to be Windows only. I have a Mac. Do you know if there is any alternative software?
I use a Mac. I run CopperCam (and a few other Windows appâs) on it using
PlayOnMac - works perfect! I have used other appâs to run it but, when I upgraded to Monterey, at the time, only PlayOnMac and CodeWeaverâs were happy.
PlayOnMac is freeâŚ
My main computer is MacMini with Monterey and I was always too nervous to try Windows apps. However I am encouraged by your comments. Many of the youtube copperCam tutorials are difficult to follow. I donât mind paying for the software but I have to be sure there are some good tutorials so Iâll keep searching.
Do you add a frontside ground plane on your KiCad layouts or is that done in CopperCad?
Thank you for your help. Very much appreciated.
CopperCam = CC (for typing brevity)
If I need a Ground/Power plane, then I use double-sided PCB stock. Otherwise, I use Single-Sided.
CC has useful PCB tweaking tools and can do Planes/add track/pads⌠but, I prefer doing all PCB design/tweaking in Kicad so itâs all together.
I donât Horizontally âFlipâ the layout in Kicad. I Flip it in CC and reposition the Origin (personal preference).
Download PlayOnMac and CC⌠canât hurt to try it outâŚ
âŚAfter PlayOnMac is running (at least one time), by double-clicking CCâs setup file, it will Install (it should auto-boot PlayOnMac and be ready for the next step).
Double-Click CCâs setup file.
After youâve run CCâs Setup file, you can place the CopperCam.exe (that was created by CCâs setup) in the Dock or on Desktop for convenience. It will boot CC as if itâs a Mac App.
CopperCam is simple to use once user has setup the Tool-Bits/Drills Library, Feeds, Speeds, Depth, Output_FormatâŚetc. Very typical of CNC softwareâŚ
Be sure to setup the Parameters> Selected Tools and Output Data Format
After the setupâs:
⢠File> Open> New_Circuit
Select file type (gerberâŚ)
it might auto-populate. Un-check âCalcâŚimmediatelyâ
The files you load may all have the PCB Contour or, may not. That depends on your Kicad settings. To avoid layer-alignment trouble, best to have the Contour on all layers.
In this GIF vid, I did Not do my usual process/steps. Just did enough to give the idea of how to do itâŚ
Thanks very much for your time spent in helping me get started with CNC routing of PCBâs. I have installed PlayOn Mac and tried to install CopperCam. I canât find documentation for CopperCam and donât want to clog this post with silly questions so I will send you a message off line.
CopperCam includes a Help section contiaining User Manual (containing good infoâŚ). See the main Menubarâs âHelpâ
I responded to your messageâŚ
Thanks. Iâll continue here. I am missing something because I canât open CopperCam. I got copsetup.exe after opening the dmg file. I then double clicked and got the setup options which I ignored as you suggested but couldnât find the CopperCam app. I tried again and got this, which suggests the app is somewhere. Spotlight search for âCopperCamâ only found âcopsetup.exeâ. Is that the app? Should it be displayed in PlayOn Mac? Is there a virtual drive somewhere?
It can be very confusingâŚ
In General:
See screenshot below. Itâs my setup and I hope yourâs will be similar (itâs in the userâs DirâŚ)
POM (PlayOnMac) will create the âdrive_câ with shown contents.
Once installed, make a shortcut to CC.exe (mine has custom Icon I made)
Did you get the big CC install window?
I finally opened CopperCam. I did not initially create the short cut. After I made the short cut, the app showed up in POM. However, I must have done something wrong because there is no drive_c and the app is on the desktop, no nesting like yours and not in a folder. Maybe I should manually create a drive_c folder and place it anywhere or should it be in a special place? Many thanks again for you valuable help.
The final CC âpomptâd optionâ is to create shortcuts. I donât do it. I do it manually.
My CC is treeâd from perhaps a dozen CC installs over past 7 yrs and I manually place in residual Dirâs from those CC installs (via; Wine/Bottler and several otherâs, leading up to POM).
Thus, you may not have very similar locations. As long as you have CC.exe where it makes sense for you⌠
Donât manually create the drive! Look for it, I canât imagine it not having been created but, that too, my be left-over from other installs⌠.Important files are in the CC Dir and youâll want to know that your Tools, Settings and Post-Processor files and License are there (I make backups of theseâŚ)
Once I located drive_c, I put its Parent (wineprefix) and CC in my Finderâ Tree and CC in the Dock
I have searched with spotlight and manually but canât find drive_c. I havenât yet finished my PCB so I will try re-installing when I am ready to use CC. You have been a great help and hopefully I will get the opportunity of reporting my first CNC routed PCB. Thank you for the âgood infoâ link.
It may have created âC:â instead (thereâs the typical Backslash after the Colon but it isnât showing here)
Also, search for âwineprefixâ and, search for any of the contents shown in my posted screenshot.
When you installed CC, did you get a large, green window background?
If you got that far then, CC is installed.
Looking forward to hearing of your success.
@BlackCoffee Ref your WINEPREFIX screen shot. Does that suggest I should have downloaded the files under the WINE options?
Yes I did get a large green window. it was an out of focus PCB ⌠I think. Also I did open the CC app from POM. I just saw the opening window and didnât look at any menu items.
I tried searching for wineprefix and others in your tree. POM was in the applications folder on its own. When I downloaded it I got the standard mac move to app folder. There was also no âwine prefixâ on my computer. When I first opened CC with POM I got the setup options window that I ignored. I did look at the wine files and noticed a CopperCad.ink file along with many others (one file had .pdf suffix). Should I select all of the wine files during the set up procedure or are they loaded automatically?
Large fuzzy green circuit indicates good.
Running CC by either double-click or from POM - either is ok.
And, you got the opening window so, Iâll assume CC is working and waiting for you to use it 
"wineprefixâ is one word and the Macâs Finder is a PITA. So, you may need to be clever about searching. I use EasyFind.
I just used the Finder to search for âwineprefixâ and it found Nothing! (and I selected the pulldown and set âEverythingâ).
But. EasyFind did find it.
I canât assess your machine/folders/etc with certainty, but, given you cited, the above, Iâll assume the location those files (.ini, pdfâŚ) is the Correct folder that contains all the CC files and they should be about the same as in my post (I do have a couple of files there that I created so, ignore them. Most likely it also contains some sample Gerberâs.
I just installed with Defaults⌠I didnât select anything.
As long as you can run CC, all is most likely Good! Now, just use itâŚ
WOW! I downloaded EasyFind and got this. Thank you. If you are into 3D printing and Arduino I may be able to reciprocate your kindness. 
Looks good 
In response to âArduino/Reciprocrateâ
PCB done in Kicad Arduino with CNC Milled PCB
3D Printing (youâll see PCB Hold-Downs for CNC)
@BlackCoffee Thoroughly enjoyed looking at your creations. Prolific⌠ingenious⌠what else can I say. You like to make stuff and I like to make stuff. I will gather some of my stuff and reciprocate 
. Hope you find them as interesting as yours. But in the meantime I have to keep my wife happy building a âsquirrel proofâ bird house.
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