Using EasyEDA Free Gerber Viewer to visualize Your PCB Designs

When we [design a PCB][1], we would like to see how it would be after it is manufactured. Professionals might have different software to visualize what they have designed. But, novices and beginners may not have access to such software and may not know which software feature would display the right layer of the PCB. For example, people using Eagle generally use preset *.CAM file for generating Gerbers and most of us don’t know which files mean which layer. We simply send the Gerber to the manufacturer and they decide which files to use for manufacturing our PCB. However, as an electronics enthusiast, we would want know the significance of each file that is generated by the CAM processor. [EasyEDA’s Gerber viewer][2] offers the feature of true visualization of different layers and we can literally see the image of the PCB that we would expect after it is manufactured. Upload an archive containing your Gerber files - each aspect of the design from drill patterns to silkscreen getting a separate file, all of which need to be bundled together for the visualiser - and EasyEDA's tool will generate images for each layer plus combined images for the top and bottom of the board. As well as providing a guide as to the finished appearance of the PCB - including your choice of solder mask colours - the tool performs various analysis steps which can help ensure that your design doesn't breach any Design For Manufacture (DFM) rules that might prevent it from being manufactured properly. ##Viewing Gerber Files on EasyEDA Gerber Viewer## Here demonstrate EasyEDA Gerber Viewer with Tesseract Guitar Practice Amp PCB which was designed by one of [EasyEDA][3]’s users The EasyEDA "Tesseract" DIY Guitar Practice Amplifier is an LM386 based low power amplifier designed to deliver up to about 500mW into an 8 Ohm speaker when run from a 9V battery. You can find the complete schematic and PCB design of this project via this link [https://easyeda.com/example/Tesseract_Guitar_Practice_Amp-MjP71jBni][4] At first, [open Tesseract Guitar Practice Amp PCB in EasyEDA editor][5], then click on ‘**Fabrication Output**’ button in PCB Schematic Screen, it takes to the ‘[Order page][6]’, where you can find the Link to view the PCB layout in EasyEDA Gerber viewer. Click on this link and you can see your PCB as a detailed Gerber View. See the images below: ![click on ‘Fabrication Output’ button in PCB Schematic Screen][7] ![Gerber viewer in PCB order page][8] ![EasyEDA Gerber Viewer tool user interface][9] 1. You can see the Top and/or Bottom layer of PCB. 2. You can enable and disable various Gerber files to see the effects on PCB image, like *.GTO file contains the silk top layer, so you can see it separately. 3. You have ‘theme’ option to select the PCB in different colours. 4. You have ‘Surface Finish’ option to see the Pads and junctions in Gold or Silver colors. 5. You can also Export any view or layer or any Gerber file as Image file using the Export button. ##How EasyEDA Gerber Viewer works## The following image shows the Silk Top (*.GTO) of the same PCB shown above. We extracted this from one of the Gerber viewers online. This image gives an idea of placement of various components but we cannot visualize how the board will actually appear when it is manufactured. ![Silk Top (*.GTO) of the PCB][10] Before we order the PCB from our manufacturer, we always check which color would make the kit more beautiful or more matchable with other components. Let’s see **the same PCB in different colors**. This is an interesting feature offered by EasyEDA. ![Green color for the soldermask in EasyEDA Gerber Viewer][11] ![Red color for the soldermask in EasyEDA Gerber Viewer][12] ![Blue color for the soldermask in EasyEDA Gerber Viewer][13] **Top layer of PCB on EasyEDA Gerber Viewer- SILVER surface finish** ![Black color for the soldermask in EasyEDA Gerber Viewer][14] **Top layer of PCB on EasyEDA Gerber Viewer- GOLD surface finish** ![Black color for the soldermask in EasyEDA Gerber Viewer][15] If you would like to upload your own Gerber files from a third party PCB tool. You can directly go to https://gerber-viewer.easyeda.com/ and upload the files there to view them as images. You can try the viewer from other software and it should be compatible with the files generated by any software. Tutorials links for extracting Gerber files from Altium, Eagle, Diptrace and KiCad have been given on gerber viewer page. See below images: ![EasyEDA Gerber viewer page][16] After using EasyEDA Gerber viewer and noticed some exciting features that are rarely available on other Gerber viewers. **User friendly**:The Gerber Viewer is highly user friendly. Being on the cloud means it is available to use online at anytime and anywhere, and frees you from having to install any software on your workstation.You can save the image and share with your team members and friends. Image magnification and reassignment of PCB layers are also noticeable features of the viewer. In addition to this, EasyEDA gives an overview of common mistakes that we may commit while extracting Gerber files. **Additional support from EasyEDA for correcting Gerber**: EasyEDA has been established to integrate most of the aspects of electronics. As we start from our kit idea from schematic or circuit design to manufacturing, we come across several phases and EasyEDA addresses most of those phases. When we are in the Gerber viewing phase of our product development cycle, EasyEDA is there to support us when there is any error in the design file. You can submit a bug report to its support team and get the required help. Additionally, on the Gerber viewer page you will also get an overview of common mistakes that we may commit while generating the Gerber files. All of your Gerbers are unlisted. They are not shared with anyone. If you are concerned about this, once you have viewed them, you can remove your Gerbers from the server. ![remove your Gerber][17] There are lot more cool options, just upload your Gerber file and [check them out][18]. So with this launching of new Gerber viewer tool, [EasyEDA][19] becomes the one stop solution from drawing the circuits to taking down them on PCB for professional and industrial use. EasyEDA is a cloud based circuit design tool to help designers move from idea to manufactured prototype by providing comprehensive data and collaboration tools for electronic design. It is suitable for all users spanning from hobbyists to engineers. [1]: https://easyeda.com/Selina/How_to_build_a_Circuit_BoardPCB-d19e3fcb08de43bb8bfdbeb70844ec86 [2]: https://gerber-viewer.easyeda.com/ [3]: https://easyeda.com/ [4]: https://easyeda.com/example/Tesseract_Guitar_Practice_Amp-MjP71jBni [5]: https://easyeda.com/editor#id=t7DVd7pHB [6]: https://easyeda.com/order [7]: /editor/20160813/57ae7f7c204fd.png [8]: /editor/20160813/57ae7fd2c2c37.png [9]: /editor/20160813/57ae9e7d968b2.png [10]: /editor/20160813/57ae80662fe06.png [11]: /editor/20160813/57ae8136912b8.png [12]: /editor/20160813/57ae82b144541.png [13]: /editor/20160813/57ae82f9829c2.png [14]: /editor/20160813/57ae82dc2f7a4.png [15]: /editor/20160813/57ae83d8d13ac.png [16]: /editor/20160813/57ae85518dbe9.png [17]: /editor/20160817/57b42046dc955.png [18]: https://gerber-viewer.easyeda.com/ [19]: https://easyeda.com/