Talk:Gerber File

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I added the note about Gerber Scientific, because the first thing I wondered when I ran across the term, "Gerber File," was why it was called that. Actually, it was "Gerber Scientific Instruments", a division of "Gerber Scientific, Incorporated". The parent company still exists as of June 2005. I worked at the subsidiary responsible for Gerber format in the mid to late eighties. -- DanM

Hi DanM, do you know why there were so confusing things in aperture numbering. As I remember the counting was non-linear, instead of apertures 21 and 22 the numbers 71 and 72 were inserted or something like that? Do you know anything about that? Do you know a very common RS274D aperture file format? Best regards -- Efficiency

No, sorry, Efficiency. My involvement with this format was minimal. -- DanM

[edit] Merging with G-code?

I do not think that Gerber File should be merged with G-code, as "Gerber format" is a very important format on it's own. And anyway producing PCBs usually has nothing to do with milling 3D shapes. I will extinguish the proposal for merging. -- Efficiency

G-code seems to be description of languge or format of data inside Gerber File and they both be in one-to-one relation. From these articles and by googling I understand that both these fields of industry (PCB design in Gerber File, machining in G-code) use the same format. I think that using the same thing for two different goals does not grant right for two articles. Instead we shloud describe the format itself and its usage in sections rather than duplicating them. --Alvin-cs 3 July 2005 14:53 (UTC)
G-Code normally is associated with milling, Gerber format is for drawing PCBs. Gerber may be similar to G-Code, but it is shurely not the same. It's like humans and monkeys. Both have the same roots, but are different enough. I'm having to do with both - DIN/ISO G-Code and Gerber and I think Gerber is really important enough to have an own entry. Else you would try to begrudge the space-shuttle an own article as it is just a transportation medium ;-) -- Best wishes, Efficiency, 3 July 2005

Internally, how different are they? I suspect they are really the same format internally, just from the nomenclature:

  • EIA RS274X for Gerber files to make printed circuit boards
  • EIA RS274D standard for G code programming to make metal parts

Whether or not my suspicions are correct, the article should explain the difference -- or admit that the format is identical, it's just used in a different way.

If these 2 formats, in fact, turn out to be identical, then we still might choose to keep Gerber File and G-code as two separate articles, because they are used in 2 different ways. There is a precedent -- fiddle and violin are used in 2 different ways, and so have 2 separate Wikipedia articles, even though they are exactly the same instrument. --75.48.165.135 07:20, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

I added some explanations in the first paragraph. Clearly Gerber is derived from "EIA RS274D", but on the other hand "RS274X" is/was not/never an EIA standard. The EIA web site does no longer talk on these things at all. I'm not sure about the correct writing. Is is "EIA RS274D" or "EIA RS 274D" or "EIA RS 274-D"? My Gerber format handbook from 1993 write it as "EIA RS-274-D". Lothartklein 20:22, 8 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Other extensions

I believe .PHO is another extension used by Gerber files —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.48.8.10 (talk • contribs) .PHO is also used, but somtimes it can be only .txt or even without any extentions

Gerber file extensions are usually a product of the EDA tool used to create them. For instance the list example in the main article is used by Altium/Protel. Typically, .txt is used to distinguish an ASCII NC drill file vs a binary encoded drill file. Most short turn PCB fabricators prefer ASCII drill files. Wamnet

How many extensions you want to list here? Every CAD-System is using its own extensions and users invent further. There are no common extensions to list here. I would also remove the incomplete list of companies/systems here. There are many more important ones. Lothartklein 20:22, 8 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Naming the page

A Gerber File is a file according to the Gerber Format. Shouldn't we rename the page this way? Lothartklein