EEVblog Electronics Community Forum
Electronics => PCB/EDA/CAD => KiCad => Topic started by: fabiodl on December 24, 2020, 10:43:15 am
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The file I attach should have no gaps in the outline, and indeed the 3D view shows it correctly.
However jlcpcb cannot identify the outline. Did something similar ever happened to you? how did you solve it?
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And are you submitting a KiCAD file or gerbers?
Because JLC doesn't work with KiCAD directly, so post the exported gerbers not the KiCAD file. They have the instructions online how to correctly export:
https://support.jlcpcb.com/article/44-how-to-export-kicad-pcb-to-gerber-files
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The gerbers, here they are
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There are no gerbers there, only your KiCAD file.
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If you are using Kicad 5.1.x, this is the tutorial you should use to generate Gerbers which you have not until now: https://support.jlcpcb.com/article/102-kicad-515---generating-gerber-and-drill-files
A common mistake is ticking the X2 extensions box in the plot dialog. Most Chinese fabs can't handle that.
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Sorry I attached the same zip twice, I edited the post attaching the actual gerber files
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The analysis results are:
Analysis Results
layers : 0
minimum trace width : >=10 mil
minimum trace spacing : >=10 mil
minimum drill size : null
width : 20.45 mm
height : 10.67 mm
Analysis Results
Can not identify the Layer
You have nothing on the board, no copper, not even silkscreen. But probably soldermask. Maybe that's why their viewer failed to render it. If you just want them to make a panel with no traces, maybe you should contact them and explain what it is you're trying to do to see if this request is possible..
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Sorry I attached the same zip twice, I edited the post attaching the actual gerber files
Is that all? Both that KiCAD file and the gerbers contain only the outline, no copper at all. If you have sent that to JLCPCB, their importer would have likely rejected that because there isn't anything to fabricate there, the error message about the outline could well be a red herring in that case.
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Yes I just want to make a panel for a box. I tried adding silkscreen and both top and bottom planes but it made no difference
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As retiredfeline said before - contact JLCPCB by e-mail or through their contact form for this.
I am pretty sure their automated submission form isn't designed to handle boards like this and will bug on you because what you are submitting isn't really a PCB and it likely fails their automated sanity checks.
They may or may not accept your order (or accept it under conditions) because it doesn't really fit with a standard PCB manufacturing process. What you want is more suitable for CNC or laser cutting.
If you really want to "ram" this through, add a full copper pour/polygon on both sides and re-export. Then the board will have valid copper layers and it will likely pass. You may also want to add some silkscreen labeling for that D-Sub connector while you are at it and also some notes for the fab explaining what you are attempting to do, otherwise they may come back to you to double check that this is really what you want.
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As retiredfeline said before - contact JLCPCB by e-mail or through their contact form for this.
I am pretty sure their automated submission form isn't designed to handle boards like this and will bug on you because what you are submitting isn't really a PCB and it likely fails their automated sanity checks.
They may or may not accept your order (or accept it under conditions) because it doesn't really fit with a standard PCB manufacturing process. What you want is more suitable for CNC or laser cutting.
If you really want to "ram" this through, add a full copper pour/polygon on both sides and re-export. Then the board will have valid copper layers and it will likely pass. You may also want to add some silkscreen labeling for that D-Sub connector while you are at it and also some notes for the fab explaining what you are attempting to do, otherwise they may come back to you to double check that this is really what you want.
Don't forget to add at least one via.
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JLCPCB will also add an id code to the board, on the top side. So I'd suggest designing it so the bottom layer faces out and the top layer in to the enclosure.
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You can also add the string "JLCJLCJLCJLC" on the PCB, and then they will print their serial number in that location (for example under an IC).
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I contacted them, and there was no problem in making it. It really seem a bug in the webpage software, as their gerber tools dealt with it without problems. It would still be interesting to know what causes the bug. It is not the absence of copper layers, as adding them makes no difference. I also found that the online rendering seems to be unable to cope with boards with holes inside, but they are correctly handled by jlcpcb anyway.
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I have had many projects done like that with JLCPCB, it has been a success every time. I always just write in the "comment" box below the order that it is correct whats in ther gerber, for example "no copper, no soldermask, only the raw FR4 material". I have used them many times to make "mechanical stuff" in FR4 (see pic below), even though I have a large CNC machine, it is cheaper for me to have them produce these things. Regarding the JLC ordernumber, just click the box that says "remove order number"
Just be aware that their "preview" function is not happy about stuff like this :-DD
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It would still be interesting to know what causes the bug. It is not the absence of copper layers, as adding them makes no difference.
From my experience, the preview requires at least one via, through-hole pad or drilled hole to work correctly.
See this issue: https://easyeda.com/forum/topic/Board-outline-not-detected-if-only-top-bottom-layers-are-used-9cd04608f4f840e4b21676d55ffa7023
But they manufacture the PCBs just fine.
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You are right,adding a via it worked!
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I have had this a few times with JLCPCB.
PCB's not accepted for having no outline.
I put the pcb outline on the silk screen layer.
Seems to depend who is looking at it, one time it will fail then next time it passes with same files with no changes.
I have also had pcb's refused for item being outside of pcb outline yet I couldn't find it.
So just resent same files and it passed.