Newsgroups: comp.robotics
Path: brunix!sgiblab!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!ftpbox!mothost!pts-news!sun61!aherkert
From: aherkert@pts.mot.com (Art Herkert X3363 P6603)
Subject: miniboard
Message-ID: <CHMHDH.HK4@pts.mot.com>
Keywords: miniboard
Sender: news@pts.mot.com
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Reply-To: aherkert@pts.mot.com
Organization: Paging and Wireless Data Group
Date: Mon, 6 Dec 1993 16:48:52 GMT
Lines: 74

I am trying to build a circuit board for the miniboard and have downloaded the 
gerber files from the MIT ftp site ( all files *.gbr and *.aps). I forwarded the files
to some friends with the capability to print boards in a gerber format. They 
asked me for additional information concerning the custom components listed in 
the apeture files.  Can anyone direct me to the information? Attached is some
correspondence I had with Fred M at MIT. Has anyone out there run into a similar
situation? 

From fredm@media.mit.edu Wed Dec  1 13:14:28 1993
To: aherkert@pts.mot.com (Art Herkert X3363 P6603)
Subject: Re: Miniboard Custom components 
In-Reply-To: Your message of "Tue, 30 Nov 93 15:40:48 EST."
             <9311302040.AA18865@pts4.pts.mot.com> 
From: "Fred G. Martin" <fredm@media.mit.edu>
X-Mts: smtp
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Status: RO

In your message you said:
> Hi Fred,
> I am interested in putting together a miniboard and have downloaded the
> gerber *.gbr and *.aps files from the /pub/miniboard/layout directory.
> I have a friend who can generate the circuit boards from gerber files, 
> however he said that he needs to know what the custom components are. 
> 
> For example, in mbcomp.aps, for Aperture 6, it lists Custom Component 
> Item 19. To what is this referring?

Hmm.  I will have to take a look at the software which I use to
produce the Gerber files.  I'll let you know if I can produce the
information you need.

(Do know that you can order blank boards for $6 each from
gratcliff@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu?) 

	-Fred

From fredm@media.mit.edu Thu Dec  2 12:29:19 1993
To: aherkert@pts.mot.com (Art Herkert X3363 P6603)
Subject: Re: Miniboard Custom components 
In-Reply-To: Your message of "Tue, 30 Nov 93 15:40:48 EST."
             <9311302040.AA18865@pts4.pts.mot.com> 
From: "Fred G. Martin" <fredm@media.mit.edu>
X-Mts: smtp
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Art,

I'm afraid I'm not able to get anywhere with the conversion software.
I would suggest that you define all the custom components as 50 mil
circles and see what the resulting board looks like.  Then make
individual changes until board looks right.  I assume you that you
have the PostScript documentation which includes the PCB artwork, so
you should be able to tell when you've got things correct.  I think a
lot of the custom apertures are the diagonal pads.

Good luck... if you get it to work, do the next guy a favor and upload
the corrected apertures.  Maybe that would help me figure out the
software as well.

	-Fred

---
Art Herkert
Interactive Data Systems
Paging Products Group
Motorola Inc.
1500 Gateway Blvd.
Boynton Beach, FL 33426
407-364-3363
art_herkert@pts.mot.com

