Vb_ais or Generic AIS file for component position?

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1

A weir fab. house don’t know how to use the KiCad position file!. They only understand the vb_ais file that generated from Mentor. Is any one know any existing script to covered to this?

I feel like Mentor been only one do such a weird thing like this! The fab house probably have all Mentor produce only in there house!

2

Eh, it’s not really a KiCAD position file … if you check the plot dialog you will see the formats that are being output are either:

or

Any fab house that isn’t able to support either of those is pretty special and proprietary.
I have no idea what benefits would make them so special that one needs to fab boards there?

3

I mean component position text file. This is the file you need to send to the assembly house, so they can feed into the pick and place machine. KiCad generate this file in very simple and easy to understand style, same as OrCAD. VB_AIS is not much difference.

It is nothing to do with the excellon dril file.

4

mea culpa - I added to the title to make this clear :neutral_face:

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But the two files are look very similar, only column are in difference orders. So I think the fab. house scare to open a file with “unknown” extension of .pos with text editor!
I think they either got too much scary news from Virus, or they are in drug at work!

6

Ok, here’s what you do:

  1. Talk to them, get a sample file.
  2. Then make a script with the scripting language of your choice to convert the file KiCAD makes into what they work with.
  3. Share it if you’re so inclined for the next person who has this problem…
  4. Profit!

Blaming them for being cautious and not wanting to do a lot of guess and man-work (that you might not be able to pay for) won’t help you at all to solve your problem :wink:

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