PCB Isolation Routing

[Mad Professor]

Good day all.

I have been making my own pcb's on and off for the last few years via the toner xfer, and uv methered.

I am now also looking at trying to make quick prototypes using PCB Isolation Routing.

I have only ever used a program called DipTrace for designing the PCB's and as far as I can tell it can not output g-code for isolation routing.

Can anyone please advice what software I might need, and how I go about doing it.

Thanks for your time.

Best Regards.

[C_Bubba]

I use Eagle (www.cadsoft.de) to design the schematic/board and then use a freeware pcb-gcode.ulp to output the isolation, drilling, milling g-code files.
Eagle has a freeware limited edition that will do boards up to 100mm by 80mm and 2 layers.
There are also a yahoo groups for supporting Eagle and the pcb-gcode ulp.

[Mad Professor]

Thanks for that, I have found that each time I look on google regarding pcb isolation routing. I always seem to be heading back to eagle.

The current board I am wanting to make is a duel layer board 152x294mm.

[djc]

I am now also looking at trying to make quick prototypes using PCB Isolation Routing.

I have only ever used a program called DipTrace for designing the PCB's and as far as I can tell it can not output g-code for isolation routing.

Can anyone please advice what software I might need, and how I go about doing it.

If you like DipTrace, stick with it. Even though it seems more widely used, I couldn't get on with Eagle.

As I understand it, DipTrace will output DXF files. There are many free or inexpensive CAM programs that will go from DXF to G-code.

Start here:

http://www.freebyte.com/cad/cadcam.htm

(Don't try a Google search for 'free CAM')