Can you convert a 123 file to gerber

Other Hardware Hardware Development
1

I have a board created using software by PCB123 Cad free software. It is from http://www.sunstone.com/

Can I convert it to Gerber style some how? Its file name ends in 123.

Thanks,
Mark

2

My understanding is no, you can't.

PCB123 along with ExpressPCB (there may be others) represents an effort by PCB manufacturers to sell "lock in" software which is free up front but only lets you order PCB's from that specific manufacturer.

Needless to say, I am not a fan of this approach :slight_smile: I would recommend you switch to Eagle, KiCad, or gEDA for which there is no lock-in and you are free to generate and use Gerber files as you see fit.

--
The Ruggeduino: compatible with Arduino UNO, 24V operation, all I/O's fused and protected

3

Thank you for the reply. I have already started using Eagle. I do like it but, I am still working out getting my parts tightly packed
and organized. The reason I wanted to convert a 123 file is because it would save me a lot of work. I do want to master Eagle because it is a nice program and I can't wait until I create my first PCB!

Mark

4

Mark,
The problem with the free version of Eagle is that you can only do a very small pcb. If you want to look at a production package that is free, and you are starting from scratch, have a look at Designspark. There is a script available from Eagle to convert your designs to Designspark from Eagle.

www.designspark.com

5

Marius:
Mark,
The problem with the free version of Eagle is that you can only do a very small pcb. If you want to look at a production package that is free, and you are starting from scratch, have a look at Designspark. There is a script available from Eagle to convert your designs to Designspark from Eagle.

www.designspark.com

Thanks the very good info! It is always nice to have lots of options.

My PCB plan is actually going to be 1 x 3 inches...when I figure out how to lay out the components properly. The open source design that I am trying to copy did fit on a 1 x 3. However, I have discovered that it will only do that if you lay it out correctly. Now, I am considering using SMD components but, using the bigger sized ones. That should help with my space issue and would be cool too.

Mark

6

Mark,
There is no problem with using Eagle. I use it when I want to do a small or quick job. It works very well. The library edit functions are a bit of a pain for me but I like the package.

Anyway, good luck with your project.