Component Positions from Gerber FIle

Layout Gerbers (GerbView)
#1

Hi all,
I am looking to design a daughter board which will replace an existing PCB. This daughter must interface with two stacking board-to-board connectors aswell as mounting holes so is a direct replacement to the current solution. The existing design files for the current board are no longer availible but i do have the gerbers (no position/centroid file).

Is it possible to extract the coordinate locations for the two stacking connectors directly from the current gerbers in gerb view?
Can gerb view also provide drill positions or am i best deciphering the excilon drill files?

If there is an alternative more suitable approach of course open to suggestions!

Thanks in advance.

Mike

#2

I would use the other gerbv http://gerbv.geda-project.org/ for that.

#3

The concept of “Footprints” for components does not exist in the gerber file format.

My workflow would be:

  1. Make the schematic in KiCad.
  2. Assign footprints as normal.
  3. Put them in Pcbnew.
  4. Use Gerbview to “convert” the gerbers into a PCB.
  5. Use the snap function to place the KiCad Footprints on the endpoints of the tracks.

In addition to that:
Once you have one PCB, you can turn it into a KiCad template, and then use that template to make similar PCB’s. A “Template” in KiCad is not much more then a normal KiCad project copied to a special directory, together with an icon and some html for a description. You can look at the existing templates for how those little extra’s work. (For user defined templates you also first have to define a path to the directory for your personal templates).

#4

Actually, Gerber X3 does contain the footprint. Attributes identify the refdesc and pin number and function of each component pad. This has been implemented in KiCad.
Any Gerber viewer that displays the attributes will display it.

#5

These are X2 attributes. X3 is only for footprint position file (in KiCad 5.99 exported from File -> Fabrication Outputs -> Footprint Positions).

#6

You are right of course, but the footprint file is also Gerber. However it is called, the KiCad Gerbers contain the footprints, both in the top/bottom copper layers and the footprint layer.

#7

Hi Guys,

I’m facing same issue. May you guys can give me some clues about my chalenge.
I have a gerber file, and I would like to create a new layer containing only all components from te bottom and top side of the board (removing vias, testpoints eg)
If I have a list with all devices centroid, can I automatically perform some task to do it in a easy way? I have google it and I have found something about Kibot tool, but I’m not sure if can be useful for me in this gerber level.

Kindly MarcosBreu

#8

What that layer should have? Pad, outlines, courtyards, silkscreen?

#9

I have an especific list with some devices that I should keep in geber. Only the pads position from this device list would fit my necessities.

#10

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