Scanning PCB tracking into Inkscape, Paint Shop Pro or Similar?

[Chris56000]

Hi!

Can anyone give me any more information or a tutorial of how to copy and select the copper–track portions from a PCB, top or bottom side, in order to import them into Inkscape or similar to make a layout drawing please?

I've tried tracing over the tracks in Abacom's SPlan 7 and and Sprint Layout 6, but the process takes hours because the bezier drawing tools in Abacom's software are too primitive!

I eventually managed to do this drawing but it was innumerable hours of hard work trying to trace over the tracks tiny little bits at a time in sPlan 7!

Chris Williams

[SilverSolder]

Hi!

Can anyone give me any more information or a tutorial of how to copy and select the copper–track portions from a PCB, top or bottom side, in order to import them into Inkscape or similar to make a layout drawing please?

I've tried tracing over the tracks in Abacom's SPlan 7 and and Sprint Layout 6, but the process takes hours because the bezier drawing tools in Abacom's software are too primitive!

I eventually managed to do this drawing but it was innumerable hours of hard work trying to trace over the tracks tiny little bits at a time in sPlan 7!

Chris Williams

First, scan the PCB at high resolution.

Then, increase contrast / play with levels until you have a clear image of just the tracks.

That's pretty much it, you don't need to trace the outlines if this image is clean enough.

Do you have a sample of the scanned image to look at?

[GlennSprigg]

Hi.  This is what I do. Firstly, 'SlverSolder' is correct, about photographing/scanning at a reasonable
resolution first. 'Photos' like '.jpg' etc are obviously Raster Images, where zooming in only results in
images with blurry ill-defined edges, where you need/want detailed Vector images/files, which can take
a long time to create, as you have found out!  Fortunately, there is specialized software that will convert
such Raster images to editable Vector files, like... '.ai', or '.svg' etc. The best one I've ever used/use, is
called "Vector-Magic". I use the Desktop version. (Not the online one). Now it's not free/cheap, but all I
can say is that...well... you can 'find' it easy enough... Nuff-Said...

Ok, for example, I looked at the '.pdf' file that you attached. Obviously that's after you did all your work
in re-creating a Vector file of the board, before including it inside that .pdf...  What I DID, was to screen-
capture that, and save it as a '.png' file, DELIBERATELY, to re-create it as a rough Raster file, like so...

It LOOKS ok, but zooming in will reveal the defects and pixelations!
I ran that image through "Vector-Magic", (there are many user selectable options), and re-saved it as an
'.ai', and an '.svg', and also as a 'pdf' just so I could display it here!  See my 'attachment' below which
at least indicates that it consists of a new editable Vector file, which has saved you 98% of your work!!
You could edit out the components/text from the 'Traces' and keep them on separate layers.   
I can't recommend that software enough.  Maybe 'PM' me if you have a hard time...   
P.S.  Can you see the 'attachment'?... I've not used that feature here before....

[amyk]

If you want a free and open-source one, there's https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potrace

[SilverSolder]

If you scan at high enough resolution, you may not need to trace at all...  it may be possible to get away with contrast enhancement etc. at the bitmap level.