Can Gerber Files Be Loaded Back into PCB Layout Designers Like Eagle?

eaglegerberlayoutpcbschematics

There's a PCB I may need to change a solder pad, but the schematic and layout are gone and were not added to source control. Is it possible to load the Gerber files back into a designer to change the pads so that I don't have to try to draw out the entire schematic and layout again?

Best Answer

As of Eagle 7.5, this is indeed possible. It's a simple case of File->Import->Gerber from the layout editor. There is a video demo on YouTube.

As others have mentioned, there is no real DRC checking possible of the imported file as the Gerbers contain no information on nets and connectivity. Eagle simply imports all of the various shapes and lines onto the copper layer.

It does however allow you to make modifications manually (with great care) and then re-export as a Gerber again once you are done.

Related Solutions

Electronic – Gerber to DXF converter

Another answer suggested an excellent solution for:

those who looking free way to convert gerber to dxf can try gerbv and pstoedit

install gerbv and pstoedit first convert your gerber to ps through gerbv and >then using pstoedit export it to dxf
gerbv -x ps mygerber.GTS  
pstoedit -f dxf output.ps mydxf.dxf  
remember pstoedit need ghostscript to work

But an important improvement to the pstoedit is to add the -mm option so that the file generated will be in mm and not in pxls. In my case I made it into a ps2dxf.BAT file that is:

pstoedit -f dxf:-mm %1.ps %1.dxf

and a name.ps file is converted with: ps2dxf name

Electronic – Problem with massive Gerber files from Eagle

In Eagle, the copper "polygons" are made up of many parallel overlapping traces. If the polygon's linewidth is set to something small, like 1 mil, it quickly consumes large amounts of data when converted to Gerber.

If you change the polygon's linewidth to something thicker, it will solve this problem. However, it also affects any thermals tied to the polygon, and can cause the polygon's borders to change.

If you need your current polygon settings, then I would suggest that you make a small-width, detailed polygon where it is important, and make a larger, coarse one over the rest of that layer.

Best Answer

Related Solutions

Electronic – Gerber to DXF converter

Electronic – Problem with massive Gerber files from Eagle

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