With the Simple PCB Editor, it is possible to make certain adjustments to a PCB product. You can:
- Change the diameter of a contour tool or drill tool
- Toggle the plating of a drill tool’s holes
- Change the extent (depth) of a drill layer
- Reassign (swap) or change the polarity of copper layers
- Change the via protection style of a via protection layer
- Replace a layer with the contents of a Gerber file
- Crop (delete) all graphic objects outside of the board’s outer contour
- Delete selected graphic objects
The diameter of a contour tool is initially specified when importing the board product. The tool diameter determines the width of plated and unplated slots. For inner and outer contours, it determines the radius of inner corners, and must be small enough to fit into any notches in the contour. For outer contours, it also determines the minimum instance spacing when panelizing.
Tool diameters: Right-click on a contour tool or drill tool, choose Change diameter, and enter the new diameter (in mm). This will affect all slots/holes which use the selected tool.
Tool plating: Right-click on a drill tool and choose Toggle plating. This will affect all holes which use the selected tool.
Drill extent (depth): Right-click on a drill layer, choose Reassign layer, and select the new drill extent. If selecting blind or buried, you must also specify the blind depth or start/stop layers.
Layer reassignment: Right-click on a copper or via protection layer, choose Reassign layer, and select the new layer (or select Change to positive or Change to negative to change the layer polarity). If the selected layer is already assigned, the two layers will be swapped.
Layer replacement: In some cases, it may be desirable to update a single layer of a PCB with a modified Gerber file. Right-click on a layer, choose Replace layer, and locate the replacement Gerber file. The old (red) and new (cyan) layers are shown in the viewer. Accept or abandon replacing the layer. Note: The replacement Gerber image must have exactly the same height and width as the layer being replaced, in order to insure proper alignment of the new image.
Crop: Sometimes, the imported Gerber files include extraneous information, such as a title block or drawing frame, which should not be included in manufacturing files. Clicking on the Crop button deletes all features (graphic objects) on visible layers, which are not completely or partially inside the outer contour of the board.
Delete selected features: Selected features on visible layers may be deleted as follows: Click on the Delete button, so that it is “down.” Left-click and draw a selection rectangle around the features to be deleted. All features on visible layers which are completely or partially within the rectangle are deleted. Click on the Delete button again to exit Delete mode.
After making changes, click on the Save button to specify a filename and save the modified product. All changes are stored in the product’s MIF file history.
Note: The Simple PCB Editor is not intended to be a substitute for an Electronic CAD system. It is primarily intended for minor adjustments to Macaos Gallery products.
