Looking for CADSTAR pcb Uplaod Program

• Looking for CADSTAR pcb Uplaod Program
  Posted by hello188 on 23 Apr, 2024 07:41
• Hi.
  
  My company gave work to modify a PCB file which was done with the original version of CADSTAR Ver 1.3I.
  
  I am trying to import these .cdo files to windows version.
  
  However it seems I can only import data created by versions later than CADSTAR 7.
  
  I searched this blog and elsewhere and found that there is a utility program called CADSTAR PCB Upload, which converts previous versions of CADSTAR files to Version 7.
  
  Anyone has an idea on where I can get hold of it?
  
  Thanks
• #1 Reply
  Posted by Doctorandus_P on 23 Apr, 2024 15:21
• Not a direct answer, but if you have Gerber files available, then maybe KiCad is an option.
  
  In KiCad you can re-create a PCB from a set of Gerber files. This process is not "instant", but you can recover a lot of information, such as PCB outline, mounting hole locations, all tracks, locations of footprints (implied in endpoints of tracks). There is no concept of footprints or pads in Gerber files, but when you place native KiCad footprints on the end locations of tracks, the re-creation is pretty good. As an estimate, an euro-sized (100x160mm) PCB will take approximately half a work day to convert.
  
  For schematic (re) entry, there is no automation, but re-entering a schematic from a .pdf or printout is much quicker then redesigning or reverse engineering a schematic.
• #2 Reply
  Posted by hello188 on 24 Apr, 2024 01:53
• Thank you for kind reply.
  
  One of the things that I need to do is extract component placement coordinate from the old .cdo file.
  
  I guess I can generate gerber file.
  
  Do you have any good way i can extract component coordinate from gerber?
  
  Thanks
• #3 Reply
  Posted by Doctorandus_P on 24 Apr, 2024 09:29
• The concept of footprints (components) does not exist in Gerber files. (Except maybe for the newest X3 variant) "Pads" also do not exist in older Gerber files. As a result there is no way to directly export the coordinates of the footprints. Even now there is still a separate placement file with this information. But it's not as bad as it seems. It is quite easy to delete the remnants of the pads, and then place real footprints on the same locations as the old ones. You can use the ends of the tracks to snap to, and this is either perfect, or very close (Depending on differences between the old and the new footprint).
  
  If a set of Gerber files is is converted to a KiCad project, then you can generate a placement file via the regular methods of course.