Now EasyEDA has launched a new tool that is Online Gerber Viewer. Gerber file is generated by PCB CAD tool and basically used to fabricate the PCBs, it is an open ASCII vector format for 2D binary images, used to describe the PCBs images: copper layers, solder mask, legend, etc. Generally any PCB manufacture would ask for Gerber file to fabricate that PCB. So we can view these Gerber files using the EasyEDA Gerber viewer.
EasyEDA’s online Gerber viewer supports the standard RS-274X format and takes Gerber files in zipped format, and then generates the images of Top and Bottom layer of PCB. At the same time, EasyEDA runs a simple Design For Manufacture (DFM) check, from which you can see the board size, hole and track sizes and clearances of the various PCB objects such as tracks and pads. So you can see images and check all the detail of PCB before ordering them.
If you have Gerber Files for your PCB, then you can directly go to https://gerber-viewer.easyeda.com/ and upload the files there to view them as images.
See below images:
If you create schematic and PCB layout using EasyEDA then its very easy to see them in Gerber Viewer. You just need to click on ‘Fabrication Output’ button in PCB Schematic Screen, it takes you to the ‘Order page’, where you will find the Link to view your PCB layout in Gerber viewer. Click on this link and you can see your PCB as a detailed Gerber View.
See the images below:
- You can see the Top and/or Bottom layer of PCB.
- You can enable and disable various Gerber files to see the effects on PCB image, like *.GTO file contains the silk top layer, so you can see it separately.
- You have ‘theme’ option to select the PCB in different colors.
- You have ‘Surface Finish’ option to see the Pads and junctions in Gold or Silver colors.
- You can also Export any view or layer or any Gerber file as Image file using the Export button.
There are lot more cool options, just upload your Gerber file and check them out.
So with this launching of new Gerber viewer tool, EasyEDA becomes the one stop solution from drawing the circuits to taking down them on PCB for professional and industrial use.
We recently tested its Gerber viewer and noticed some exciting features that are rarely available on other Gerber viewers. Here are the 4 points that make EasyEDA’s Gerber viewer a complete solution for visualizing the layers of PCB.
- True Visualization of your PCB: When we design a PCB, we would want to see how it may appear after it is manufactured. Professionals might have different software to visualize what they have designed. But, novices and beginners may not have access to such software and may not know which software feature would display the right layer of the PCB. For example, people using Eagle generally use preset *.CAM file for generating Gerbers and most of us don’t know which files mean which layer. We simply send the Gerber to the manufacturer and they decide which files to use for manufacturing our PCB. However, as an electronics enthusiast, we would want know the significance of each file that is generated by the CAM processor. We have noticed that EasyEDA’s Gerber viewer offers the feature of true visualization of different layers and we can literally see the image of the PCB that we would expect after it is manufactured. The images below show the real PCB(on the left) and the image from the Gerber viewer.
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- User friendly: The Gerber Viewer is highly user friendly. A beginner PCB designer who does not know about different layers of PCB can also guess, see and understand the significance of different Gerber files. You can choose different colors for PCB and surface finish metals (Gold or Silver). You can save the image and share with your team members and friends. Image magnification and reassignment of PCB layers are also noticeable features of the viewer. In addition to this, EasyEDA gives an overview of common mistakes that we may commit while extracting Gerber files.
- Supports Gerber files from different PCB design software: We have tested the Gerber viewer with the files generated from EagleCad’s CAM processor and the results were excellent. You can try the viewer from other software as well and it should be compatible with the files generated by any software. Tutorials links for extracting Gerber files from Altium, Eagle, Diptrace and KiCad have been given on gerber viewer page.
- Additional support from EasyEDA for correcting Gerber: EasyEDA is a cloud based circuit design tool to help designers move from idea to manufactured prototype by providing comprehensive data and collaboration tools for electronic design. It is suitable for all users spanning from hobbyists to engineers. EasyEDA has been established to integrate most of the aspects of electronics. As we start from our kit idea from schematic or circuit design to manufacturing, we come across several phases and EasyEDA addresses most of those phases. When we are in the Gerber viewing phase of our product development cycle, EasyEDA is there to support us when there is any error in the design file. You can submit a bug report to its support team and get the required help.
Additionally, on the Gerber viewer page you will also get an overview of common mistakes that we may commit while generating the Gerber files. All of your Gerbers are unlisted. They are not shared with anyone. If you are concerned about this, once you have viewed them, you can remove your Gerbers from the server.
Watch the following video to see how EasyEDA’s Gerber Viewer works:
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