CAM-350 Link

[randychase]

This is just to make it easier. I keep forgetting the url. It was easier as ECAM and CAM350 and ACT :)

http://www.downstreamtech.com/CAM350_Intro.asp

[Mark Larson]

Here are some questions about CAM350 Link feature in PPCB,

The first Layer Option (include nets and parts) appears to be the same as doing an ASCII output of your PPCB design file and then an Import-Cad data into CAM350. So what is he advantage of using CAM350 Link? What does it do differently, if anything, than doing an ASCII out, Import CAD data in?

The last option (As Is) appears to bring in whatever layer information you have in PPCB into CAM350 as layers defined the same as PPCB. Since CAM Documents are usually a combination of more than 1 layer and not all info on each layer is used, what is the practical use of this option?

The middle option (Graphics only, Orientation applied) appears to take your CAM Document definitions and bring these CAM Documents into CAM350. When I try this I get the error dialogue "No CAM Documents with photo plotter output" This option does not work for me. Why?

[ltrakal]

Do you use this button? I started to use it in powerpcb 4 but it never worked and it had some problems with the units. Is it working better now? It imports the metric database directly?

Laszlo

[Mark Larson]

Well I have used the link to check out how it works and what it does, I have a temporary license so I can check it out. What is odd is that using the same file as yesterday the second option works!!! I have no idea why it works today and not yesterday.

It does import a metric file from PPCB to CAM350 in metric using the second option, but not 1st & 3rd (at least to this inexperienced user) there does seem to be a bit of a trick using the second option and mil/metric, I played with my gerber Output settings toggling between English and metric and the Preferences-mil/metric choices, and the Settings-Units in CAM350. If you want metric in CAM350, with units set to metric in CAM350, Setup-Save Defaults. This seems to be what determines whether option 2 comes in as mil or metric. The 1st & 3rd seem to come in as mil regardless what you do. Oddly the settings in PPCB don't seem to matter except I was able to screw up the aperture table by mixing mil/metric settings.

Does anybody know how to get the As-Is option or Nets & Parts option to come into CAM350 as metric? I suppose it may not matter since you can change the units setting, but how good of a job does it do at converting? I don't have a clue.

[ltrakal]

Thanks Mark, but you know I guess I won't even try it since I have to panelized everyboard and sometimes put some other boards into the same panel, I will be using the import command so using that link will only save me one import. Is not worth plus I know the other method work.
Now I find this curious, when you save settings for CAM file settings into powerpcb the file it has an extension *.CAM, while a CAMM350 database has the same extension, why is that??????

laszlo

[Mark Larson]

yeah, having the same file suffix isn't a good choice for two different file types.

I found out that in using the CAM350 link it made a temporary directory, why it did not use the CAM directory specified and why it didn't make the temp subdirectory yesterday is beyond me.