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Date:	Wed, 16 Jul 2014 10:35:11 -0400
From:	"Geoffrey Yerem - HEAT, LLC" <gyerem AT hagertechnologies DOT com>
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To:	geda-user AT delorie DOT com
Subject:	Re: [geda-user] Gerber Export Generates Abitrary Drill Tool Numbers
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Reply-To:	geda-user AT delorie DOT com

Hello,
>> 	I'm having a small problem with the Gerber export in PCB.  When it
>> generates the cnc drill file, it starts the tool numbers at an
>> arbitrary count.
>
> Not exactly an aribtrary count, it uses the same number space for Gerber
> apertures and drill numbers.

That's what I suspected.  I have little knowledge of the Gerber format.

>> 	This normally isn't a problem when I'm viewing the gerbers in
>> gerbv, but my fab house is complaining that they can't handle tool
>> numbers greater than 255.
>
> So the current PCB system breaks your fab process.

Here's a quote from them:

"The NC Drill file that was sent in for this order contained tool sizes 
labeled over 255, although only 7 sizes were used. Upon loading the 
drill file into the software all the tool sizes were ignored."

This only happens on my more complicated designs.  This particular 
design was a four-layer board, but it only had 7 drill sizes.

> Apply the following patch and recompile:

I've been compiling PCB from source on Cygwin, but support for GTK+ 
broke recently and I'm relying on the ElektronIQ builds now.

 >> I think we deliberately don't re-use numbers between the various
 >> files we export. This allows people to copy+paste outline / random
 >> notes layer content in the output file into the files for other
 >> layers - without any apperture clashes / conflicts.
 >
 > I have to disagree for __drill__ numbers. I can understand it for
 > aperture which go into Gerber files (since I sometimes edit them
 > by hand myself). But drill numbers are not even in the same file
 > format as apertures and are not processed by the same machine, so
 > having independent number spaces does not hurt (and you obviously
 > can't play copy/paste games between Excellon and Gerber files).

If you're going to use the same number space for everything, would it 
make sense to prioritize the drill numbers so they start at 1 and 
everything else follows?  Sometimes a little defensive programming pays off.

I guess it would help to know how other layout tools handle this issue. 
  Again, I'm not an expert here, just a user.

Speaking as a user, let me mention that I've been using geda for over 
five years now and I really love the quality of boards I can make with it!

Geoffrey

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