Adding components to a JOB file!

[SkyWalker]

I need to add some components to a board i am running but dont want to use the normal way of adding them in RvGerber and going through RvSetup to export it to a JOB file.

Doing it that way will lose all the placement Biases i have had to use (very old job that original files have been changed with no documentation) etc..

Is there a way of doing this that anyone knows of?

[phonoplug]

I would just add them in the normal way. I don't believe any of your biasses will be lost except for components that are removed and/or replaced.

You could add them into the job file - after all its just a text file - but you'd need to know how the job file is constructed inside out to avoid the risk of screwing other things up.

Alternatively, you could set up a new job to add the additional components only. So you run the original job placing all the original parts, then run the panel through the second job to add the new parts. This may or may not be an effective way to do it depending on what you are trying to do.

[Gopher]

Well looking inside a job file suggests you could simply add those lines in after working out their approximate locations with some careful measurements or using RV gerber on another copy. However I have never tried it.

*C SMC-33NF-0805@ C0805 -2925 358 -12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Seems to boil down to *C - PartNumber - Package - X - Y - Bias X -Bias Y - Bias Angle - Rot - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 I think these last 4 look to be where it saves placement status for incomplete boards, omits and such like.

I wouldn't like to swear to it that I have the X-Y's and angle Biases in the correct order but you should be able to establish those by reading you own file.
Failing adding them into job I suppose it could be possible to put the biases back afterwards by keeping the original. I can't quite recall what exactly you have to do to make it lose biases, I don't think they are always cleared if you run RVSetup but I think your are correct it does if you have also run RVGerber so one assumes there's also a flag in the TFR file that says "I'm new".

[SkyWalker]

Running the job through just Rvsetup doesn't lose the biases, as you suggest, but having to run it through RvGerber does. Like you say it must get flagged as 'new'

Alternatively, you could set up a new job to add the additional components only. So you run the original job placing all the original parts, then run the panel through the second job to add the new parts. This may or may not be an effective way to do it depending on what you are trying to do.

This is my second option if i can't keep the job together as a whole!

[phonoplug]

I'm not convinved you do lose all biasses just by opening up the design in RVgerber and saving it again. I know for sure you do lose them on parts you change in the BOM file then re-load into transfer file.

Might be worth doing a check to see. For example add a bias to a specific component in RVplace. Close RVplace, then open the TFR file in RVgerber. Do what you need to do there, but don't touch that one component with the known bias. Save, and update the job file, then see if that known component's bias has been lost in RVplace.

[SkyWalker]

I'm not convinved you do lose all biasses just by opening up the design in RVgerber and saving it again. I know for sure you do lose them on parts you change in the BOM file then re-load into transfer file.

Might be worth doing a check to see. For example add a bias to a specific component in RVplace. Close RVplace, then open the TFR file in RVgerber. Do what you need to do there, but don't touch that one component with the known bias. Save, and update the job file, then see if that known component's bias has been lost in RVplace.

Just about to confirm this.

Will let you know in 10 mins!

[SkyWalker]

@phonoplug
You are correct the only time biases are lost is when a part is changed in the BOM file. - Sorry for any confusion caused.

Now - the real problem is that i do not have the original BOM files! so will i have to create these again and add the components or is there a way of just adding the extra components?
And of course not losing all the biases!

[SkyWalker]

I think i had a total brain fart today!!!!!!!!!!

Job done.

I just recreated the BOM, ensuring i used the correct notation for the component identification otherwise they would have been stripped from the gerber file, added the components i needed and went through the normal process (RvGerber - load new BOM file. RvSetup - added feeder reqd.) and hey presto, new JOB complete with original biases.

Yippee, one happy bunny again. 

[phonoplug]

Sounds like a job well done!

Thanks for the feedback about biases. Very useful to know (for sure).

[Mike]

Another tip on a related subject - I wanted to change the value of one component on a step & repeated job. (I rarely use RV Gerber as I use my import util to create the TFR file, so wasn't sure what might get messed up by using it, so wanted to just edit the job file.)
Problem was determining which of the ten other 10K resistors on each board in the panel was the one that needed changing.
Then realised if I omitted the parts I wanted to change in RVPlace, I could then see the omit flag in the job file & use this to ID which parts to change. 

[SkyWalker]

Another very useful tip, thanks Mike.