Hi guysI just have my cnc up and it is working perfect. Making panels from perspex works fine. Now I am trying to make fsbus pcb's with it. (it is even possible to make smd pcb's with this mill).Problem: I am not an experienced cad person.When I import the fsbus gerber files into my cam sw (kcam) I see faults in the layout. I adjusted these by exporting a dfx file to my cad sw (BobCad). Now I have good layout, but before importing this to the cam software I want to introduce an offset for the mill. This is done by RamsGold. This software tels me that there are interruptions in the dfx layout. Well I do not see them. Perhaps I have to dig deeper into the cad software to see how I have to link all the line segments into one chain.To save a lot of time, I am asking whether somebody has experience with this way of making pcb's. Does anybody have a dfx files for the pcb's, or even better a working gcode file?RegardsNorbert

I think you can pursue another way: milling the bitmap of the pcb.Many software allows for conversion of bitmaps to gcode, with most of the work done automatically by the software.Once you have a b/w image of the pcb it should be easy to mill it.

Norbert,Do you have any pictures of your cnc and some of the panels you have made so far.I am just putting the finishing touches to my cnc (you know, working on x,y alignment etc) tried cutting my first panel using KCam but the software went weird half way through and cut the piece up.What software do you use?David

I have a pic of the machine on my website (see below).Still in the experimenting fase. I will first put a primer on the perspex, then black paint (to block te light) then the boeing brown. After that the text-lining will be engraved (in fact the paint layers are removed and the white perspex becomes visible again).I use autocad/ cadstdlight (last one is free - link on my site). The dfx is imported in ramsgold. That software takes care that the diameter of your router bit will travel around your design, so that when you want to make a hole of 10 mm, the centre of the bit makes a circle of 9 mm when the bit is 2 mm in diameter. It will also remove material in several layers, not everything in one pass.Ramsgold will produce the gcode. The gcode is read by kcam. Kcam is the software that sends the signals via the parallel port to the cnc machine.I will post the panels on my site, and when they look goos also here in the forumregardsNorberthttp://home.wanadoo.nl/norbert.bosch

Norbert,A couple of questions.Which version of KCam do you use, I'm using 4.0.11 and it's doing strange things on me.Also, why do you use Ramsgold to generate the gcode when KCam does that. Is it that Ramsgold allows more flexability with bit size and diameter, also generating multilayering?David

Also Norbert,Where can I find information about Ramsgold. I've done a search with not a lot of luck, I just come up with Wilcom 9.0 embroidery software.David

Later to day I will look what version of Kcam I have.I already described (I thought) why I used Ramsgold.Suppose I design a square of 4 x 4 cm , my bit is 2 mm in diameter. If I make it with Kcam the resulting width will be 3,8 x 3,8 mm. So in design I have to take care what drill I use in my mill.In ramsgold , you enter the dfx file, describe the bit and you get the gcode and end with 4 x 4 cm. Perhaps Kcam has this option too, but I still haven't found it.It is also useful in the z-axis. If you do not want to dril 3 mm in one step, you enter for the z axis -3, and 3 passes. You get a longer gcode, but in evry pass 1 mm is milled away.In ransgold you see your design and you are also able to click on a tiny part of your design, and produce gcode for that little part. It is very flexible.Send me a private mail with your email adres, I will see how I can help you.regardsNorbert