Homebrew PCBs

On 23/11/06, YD <yd_br@...> wrote:
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>  --- Lez <lez.briddon@...> wrote:
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>  > On 23/11/06, guja <guja2001bg@...> wrote:
>  > >
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>  > >
>  > > kick your pc (+xp).
>  > >    :)
>  > >    (= selftest chart was ok.)
>  >
>  > Lol yeah!
>  >
>  > Ok I have tried once again to output a file with
>  > eagle (Set to hpgl)
>  > and copy file to com1: but it went mad again.
>  >
>  > I did some googling, found signgo lite, says its for
>  > cutting but hey
>  > how does the plotter know.......
>  >
>  > So I set that up for hpgl, plotter tries to draw
>  > something then goes mad.
>  >
>  > I set it for universal, and I have a cutout ouf a
>  > cow........
>  >
>  > (yes that was my test image, it was the only *.wmf I
>  > could find on my
>  > pc to import, seems to not like bmp(?))
>  >
>  > Anyhow experimenting with this I have found that
>  > xon/xoff has no
>  > effect, rts/cts/ has no efffect, but if I unclick
>  > dtr/dsr then then it
>  > starts ok for a about 3 seconds then I get the error
>  > led flashing.
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>  May be a scaling problem. My long ago defunct plotter
>  had a 1/10 mm step size. Unfortunately most software
>  outputs in mils. So I ended up drawing IC's with 10 mm
>  pin spacing rather than the expected 100 mils (2.54
>  mm).

My CB software does gerber / dxf and has no hpgl support, so I am
outputting in bmp, converting to wmf, importing that into vinylcutting
software, it appears about the size of a postage stamp, I then stretch
it back to true size, and then tell it to 'cut'.......

Its really fun that way.......

The only problem I have it is the cutter software wont work if I tell
it I have an hpgl plotter, I have to tell it I have a 'universal'
plotter, if I set it to hpgl, the plotter just flashes its error
light.

What I need to test this 'problem' further to resolve it is some
*free* software that has native HPGL output, and dont say eagle!



I really cant understand why 'diptrace' with I really have come to
love, does not support HPGL when is so 'standard'

I'm off to email them.......

Lez