Fritzing To GCode - A Step-by-Step Guide

=====================================================

Introduction

----------

In recent years, the popularity of DIY (Do It Yourself) electronics has been on an all-time high. One reason behind this surge is the ease with which hobbyists and professionals alike can design and manufacture their own Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs). In this article, we'll explore one such process - converting your PCB designs from Fritzing to GCode for subsequent CNC milling.

Prerequisites

---------

Before diving into the nitty-gritty of this tutorial, make sure you have the following software installed on your system:

1. gEDA/pcb: A free and open-source Electronic Design Automation (EDA) suite that includes a PCB design tool.

2. A text editor or IDE like nano or Visual Studio Code for editing source code.

Step 1: Installing Required Packages

--------------------------------

To use this tutorial, you'll need to have the necessary packages installed on your system. For Debian-based distributions such as Ubuntu/Debian, run:

```bash

sudo apt-get install git geda-gpgv2 libglib-2.0-dev libglade2-dev intltool autoconf automake autopoint flex bison m4 texinfo gnuplot quilt debhelper fakeroot build-essential ctags manpages-texinfo xsltproc doc-base texlive-latex-extra gEDA git

```

For Red Hat-based distributions like Fedora/CentOS, use:

```bash

sudo yum install -y epel-release repo_pakcs.gitlab-ce git-svn libglib2.0-devel intltool flex bison automake autoconf m4 gettext-devel texinfo quilt fakeroot make ctags man-pages-texinfo xsltproc texlive-latex-bin gEDA git

```

Step 2: Downloading and Extracting PCB Sources

----------------------------------------------

Once all the required packages are installed, download the latest version of pcb from its official repository:

```bash

git clone https://gitlab.com/eda-board/pcb.git

cd ~/src

```

Now that we have the source code downloaded, let's proceed with extracting it.

Step 3: Building PCB From Source Code

--------------------------------

To build and install PCB from scratch, navigate to your extracted directory:

```bash

./autogen.sh && ./configure --prefix=$HOME/.local/ --with-gimp-plugin=no \

--without-hpgl2 --disable-xpm --enable-static=yes \

--enable-png16b --enable-usbserial \

--build=i386--little--redhat-l3e5k9h0z7y56c

```

Now, run the following command to build and install PCB:

```bash

make && sudo make install

```

Step 4: Creating Your First PCB Design in gEDA/pcb

-------------------------------------------------------------

With everything set up on your system now let's create a simple PCB design using gEDA/pcb.

1. Start geda- pcb by searching for it in the applications menu (or type `geda-pcb` in terminal).

2. Create a new board and draw some components onto it.

3. Save this file as 'your_board_name.gbl'.

Step 5: Exporting PCB Design to GCode

--------------------------------

Now that we have our design ready let's export it as a GCode file for subsequent CNC milling.

1. Open your saved PCB design in gEDA/pcb (File > Import > Gerber).

2. Go to 'Tools' > 'Options'.

3. In the resulting dialog box, select 'Postscript Level 3 or later' under 'Plotting Options -> PostScript Output'.

Step 6: Finalizing GCode File for CNC Milling

------------------------------------------------

After exporting your design as a postscript file (.ps), you'll need to convert it into an editable format like DXF (AutoCAD Drawing Interchange Format) which can then be imported directly into most CAD software.

To do this, install the following packages if not already installed:

```bash

sudo apt-get install ghostscript libgsf-1-dev

```

Now run the following command in your terminal to convert your .ps file to a DXF file that is compatible with many CNC milling machines:

```bash

gimp -o output.dxf input.ps --export-dim 10cmx8cm

```

Step 7: Milling Your PCB Design Using GCode Files

---------------------------------------------

Now that you have successfully exported your design as an editable format like DXF, it's time to mill out the actual board using a CNC milling machine.

To do this:

1. Import the generated GCode file into your preferred CAM software (Computer-Aided Manufacturing).

2. Send the job to your CNC milling machine and voilà! Your very own PCB will be ready in no time!

-------

In conclusion, we have covered all the steps required to go from designing a PCB using Fritzing to actually creating GCode files that can then be used by a CNC milling machine for production. With these simple instructions at your disposal, you'll never need to wait again for an online PCB service provider - just fire up gEDA/pcb and start rolling out custom boards whenever the urge strikes!

Happy tinkering!

Fritzing to gcode