I tend to get PCBs made by one of the cheap Chinese suppliers, and very good value they are too.
Recently however, to save the turnaround time (and small cost), I have tried milling out simple PCBs on a desktop router, using flatCAM to create the gcode files from the gerbers.
Basically it works and produces the goods, but I don’t think I’m overstating it when I say flatCAM’s UI is ‘a challenge’. I’ve looked at quite a few videos and got some results, but in particular the flatCAM tool database is a mystery. You seem to have to put the same setting in several places in some cases, sometimes they are transferred to the job, and sometimes not. Previous versions without the tools database were much easier, but keep coming up with internal errors for which the answer is ‘use the latest’.
I’m sure it makes great sense if only I could make head or tail of it. I’ve read the docs, but they seem old and don’t really cover the tools database, the same goes for videos.
So, my question is, can anyone point me in the direction of any good tutorials or explanations of the flatCAM tools database?
I am also interested in Flatcam and did some short experiments with it a few years ago. I just started it and it says: FlatCAM 8.993 BETA (2020/11/7) - 64bit You are trying to put it delicately but the Flatcam GUI is simply a big mess. It looks like a bunch of different people tinkered with it, there are various branches that are all partially developed, and the database system does not work properly and/or it does not exchange data with the program itself properly. From what I remember, it tends to forget half it’s settings too easily, while it persists in using non working defaults (or somehting similar, I forgot the details). Also, the version number itself (A Beta version that is over 3 years old with no maintenance) is also already a quite bad sign.
Another problem I encountered is that when you do multiple contours, it makes them just a bit too small and it leaves little dots of copper in the corners.
I would be interested in sponsoring FlatCAM in some way. Unfortunately I am not able anymore to some decent amount of programming myself (due to various reasons). FlatCAM has quite a lot of potential, but it needs some serious cleanup and simplification of it’s user interface.
It’s likely that BlackCoffee wil jump in and start recommendig Coppercam (Which is a commercial program and I have no interest in it myself) Coppercam does appear to be “working” and it may be interesting if that is your main goal. There may also be other isolation routing programs around.
Take a look at this YouTube video from the company Makera. It shows how to set up tools in preferences, which isn’t exactly the same as the tools database but I believe it sets default functionality for the tools. You’ll need to check this.
The purpose of the tools database is to allow you to store your own tools in the software so that, when you are performing an operation, you can click the ‘import from DB’ button in the UI and it will fill in tool information from what you already set. You can put the same settings in the tools database as you do in the preferences tab.
This is an overview. Any questions more specific or does this help?
Tip’s / Info:
• [ Kicad ] Setup Origin and PCB orientation/side as you prefer (can flip it in CC)
• [ CopperCAM ] It’s a Windows program but, I run it on a Mac using ‘PlayOn’Mac’. There’s one for Linux, too and can use other virtual machines
• Setup your Tool/Bits, Feed/Speed/Depth of Cut and Process File output…
Been using it about 6+yrs now… Free Trial no-cost for limited number of operations.
(I did Not bother to contour all the Cutouts… just did one)
Gerbers are just Gerbers and have no Machining Gcode. That’s were CopperCAM, FlatCam and others (such as the one you indicated) come into play. Kicad is about the Schematic and the PCB Routing
Thanks for all your replies, paulvdh seems to see it the same way as I do.
I had a look at the video recommended, thanks. However, it does not get me much further as I have seen most that and in the simplistic way I use the app, I have got it to work, it is just that I’m never sure what I have to put in where, so tend to enter the same info in several fields.
For instance, I’d be happy to completely avoid the tools database which seems a minefield and enter parameters per job, But, I cannot. With the current version one cannot enter a cut depth with a V bit as it says it is calculated from the dimensions in the database. In older versions, I can, but they crashed on generating gcode, and the only relevant comment I could find said use the latest one. I suppose I could say it is an endmill and don’t argue.
Since all I use it for is simple single sided PCBs, no solder resist, no flood fill beyond that already entered in KiCAD, just isolation, drills and edge cuts, I get away with it, but am never really sure what I’m doing, hence the quest for information.
I see there is a flatCAM discussion group, tried to register but it won’t let me log in … hey ho.
I looked at Coppercam, but don’t think the trial version is sufficient. May consider a licence, but would prefer something open source by choice.
