How to create PCB using MDX-40A

and Fab Modules

th
First edition published in 6 May, 2014.

This document was written by Shohei Aoki. Your feedback is welcome.

Please contact to shoaok [at] gmail.com if you have any questions.

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Table of Contents

1. Requirements

2. Install software

3. Create PNG image with EAGLE

4. Create RML with Fab Modules

5. Set origin of MDX-40A

6. Configure CUPS

7. Change scale of RML with Python script

8. Send RML data to MDX-40A

9. Troubleshooting

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1. Requirements
PCB milling with MDX-40A and Fab Modules was tested in the
following environment.

OS: Windows 7 32 bit and Ubuntu 12.04 LTS 32 bit

Software: VPanel (on Windows), Fab Modules (on Ubuntu)
Other script: scale.py (described later)

It means you need two PC to run MDX-40A. After setting the origin
point on Windows, you will switch to Ubuntu to send RML data.1

1 I tested using Ubuntu on virtual machine, however, the print command didn’t
run on Ubuntu on virtual machine.

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2. Install software

Windows
Install a driver for MDX-40A and VPanel software from an install disk.

Ubuntu
1. Fab Modules
Go to CBA-MIT website and get the latest copy of the source code.
http://kokompe.cba.mit.edu
Extract the .zip files. Open terminal and go to the location.

$ cd /path/to/fab_src

Typing following command will install Fab Modules automatically on

your Ubuntu system.

$ sudo apt-get install python python-wxgtk2.8 python-dev python-pip

gcc g++ libpng12-dev libgif-dev make bash okular
libboost-thread-dev libboost-system-dev cmake
$ make fab
$ sudo make install

2. CUPS and lpr

Type following command to install CUPS and lpr.

$ sudo apt-get install cups

$ sudo apt-get install lpr
$ sudo service cups start

3. Python
Python is already installed in the process above.

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3. Create PNG image with EAGLE
We are going to create a PNG image for milling and cutting outline.

Open your .brd file with EAGLE.

Select “display” icon to select layer for milling.

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In this case we selected “layer1: Top” layer.

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Go to File>Export>Image.

Name a file to output. Don’t for get to check “Monochrome”. Set the

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resolution high enough (for example, 2000 dpi).
You get a PNG image as below.

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Secondly, we create an image for cutting outline. We draw a
rectangle to indicate the area of PCB.
Click a rectangle button as shown below.

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Select “Document” layer. (Actually whichever layer will work)

Draw the rectangle to include whole area of the circuit. Click to put an
origin point, and click again after you move cursor to other end of the
rectangle.

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Select only Document layer we created now (by clicking “display”
button as mentioned above). You just see the rectangle as shown
below.

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Repeat the above process to create the monochrome image.
Finally, you will get a PNG image as below.

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4. Create RML with Fab Modules
Open a terminal on Ubuntu. Type “fab” and hit enter.

The following dialog will appear.

Select .png for format and .rml for process. Click make_png_rml
program.

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Click “load” to load png image.

Choose your PNG image.

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The PNG image loaded.

Select “mill traces (1/64)” for creating milling file.

Check the parametes. Normally you don’t have to change these
values. Click “make .path” to create outline.

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The default preview is complex, so let’s switch to simple view. Select
“segments” in the dropdown menu.

Now we are ready to create a milling script.

Click “make .rml” to create a RML file. We used following parameters
for milling.

Table. RML parameters for milling.

speed(mm/s) 2.0
jog(mm) 1.0(default)
xmin(mm) 0
ymin(mm) 0

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Go to the directory where you typed “fab” command.
(It’s your home directory in Ubuntu by default: /home/<username>/)
You can see there is a file generated, whose extension is “.rml” .
This file is a data to send to MDX-40A.

Repeat the process again for another PNG image to create the RML
for cutting outline. In this case, select outline PNG image and use
“cut out board(1/32”)”.

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Change parameters. Set “bottom Z (mm)” and “cut depth (mm)” to
-5.0 and 1.2 respectively.
NOTE: DON’T CHANGE THE VALUE if you are using MDX-15/20

Make another RML file as instructed above.

The parameters are as follows.

Table. RML parameters for cutting out.

speed(mm/s) 1.0
jog(mm) 1.0(default)
xmin(mm) 0
ymin(mm) 0

Now let’s quit Fab Modules. Pressing <Control>+C kills the current
process of Fab Modules.

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5. Set origin of MDX-40A
Use VPanel on Windows to set the origin. After you set the origin,
unplug the USB and connect it to Ubuntu.
We set the spindle speed as 10,000 RPM.

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6. Configure CUPS
CUPS (Common Unix Printing System) is an open source printing
system for UNIX-like OS. We use CUPS for communicating
MDX-40A, since it doesn’t support serial USB. CUPS can be also
used for MDX-540 and iModela.

Open following address in your web browser. http://localhost:631

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Click “Adding Printers and Classes”. If you are prompted to enter
your username and password, enter it according to your system
information. (it is login information of your account.)

Click “Add Printer”.

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Select “Roland Modela MDX-40A” and click “Continue”.

Click “Continue” to proceed.

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Select “Raw” and click “Continue”.

Check if “Raw queue” is selected. Click “Continue”.

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Click “Set Default Options”. You don’t have to change the default
values.

Now you successfully configured CUPS. Added printer is supposed

to be named as “Roland_MDX-40A”, and the status should be “Idle”.

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7. Change scale of RML with Python script
The RML files we created in the previous section work fine for
MDX-15/20. However, we found out that we have to modify the
values of X, Y and Z in the RML files, when we use these files with
MDX-40A.
For this, I created the Python script. Save the following text and
name it as “scale.py”.
(Make sure that the indentation is complete the same as the text
shown below. Python language is sensitive for indentations).

scale.py
#!/usr/bin/env python

#-*- coding: utf-8 -*-

import re

import math

print """

###########################################

*** RML scaling script ***

2014 May, Shohei Aoki

For the sake of MDX-40A users and so on...

If you have any problem, please contact:

Shohei Aoki / shoaok [at] GMAIL.COM

###########################################

"""

#scale = 2.3

scale = raw_input("Input the scale you want (default 2.48): ")

if scale == "":

scale = 2.48

else:

try:

scale = float(scale)

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 except:

print "Input a valid number!! Aborting."

exit()

pu = re.compile("^PU")

z = re.compile("^Z")

input = raw_input("RML file name to convert?: ")

if input == "":

print "No input file specified. Exit."

exit()

fin = open(input)

output = raw_input("Output file name?: ")

if output == "":

fout = open('out.rml','w')

else:

fout = open(output,'w')

for line in fin:

newline = -1

if not pu.match(line) == None:

lat = line.split('PU')[1]

x = lat.split(',')[0]

y = lat.split(',')[1].split(';')[0]

sx = int(int(x) * scale)

sy = int(int(y) * scale)

print 'Convert x:'+str(x)+"->"+str(sx)+", Convert y:"+str(y)+"->"+str(sy)

newline = "PU"+str(sx)+","+str(sy)+";¥n"

elif not z.match(line) == None:

lat = line.split('Z')[1]

x = lat.split(',')[0]

y = lat.split(',')[1].split(';')[0]

depth = lat.split(',')[2].split(';')[0]

sx = int(int(x) * scale)

sy = int(int(y) * scale)

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 print 'Convert x:'+str(x)+"->"+str(sx)+", Convert y:"+str(y)+"->"+str(sy)

newline = "Z"+str(sx)+","+str(sy)+","+depth+";¥n"

if newline == -1:

fout.write(line)

else:

fout.write(newline)

print

print

print "Successfully processed. Exit."

fout.close()

Open a terminal and change directory to the folder you put the
scale.py script.

$ cd /path/to/file_location

Run python with following command.

$ python scale.py

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Then you will be prompted to input some information.
By default, just put the values as shown in the figure.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Input the scale you want (default 2.48): 2.48

RML file to convert ?: input_filename.rml

Output file name?: output_filename.rml

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Hit enter, and the dimension will be magnified 2.48 times as large as
the original size.

Do the same thing for a RML file of cutting outline.

Make sure you have two modified RML files now. You are ready to
print them with MDX-40A.

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8. Send RML data to MDX-40A
Attach 1/64” end mill to the spindle and set X,Y,Z origin using
VPanel.
Disconnect USB cable of MDX-40A from Windows PC and connect it
to Ubuntu PC.
You can check if your PC is recognizing your MDX-40A with
following command. Open terminal and type “lpstat -s”.

$ lpstat –s
> device for Roland_MDX-40A: usb://Roland/MDX-40A?serial=A

Go to the directory where the RML files are located.

Use lpr command to send the RML to the printer.

$ lpr –P Roland_MDX-40A milling_data.rml

Usually it takes about 30 minutes or so to finish milling, depending on

the complexity of your PCB layout.

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After milling the PCB layout, change the end mill to 1/32” and set the
Z origin. You should not change the X and Y origin at the moment.

Send the RML data to cut out the board, in the same way.

$ lpr –P Roland_MDX-40A cut_out_board_data.rml

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9. Troubleshooting

1. Cancel job
If you want to cancel a job, you can do it from CUPS.
Go to the following location and click “cancel job”.
http://localhost:631/printers/Roland_MDX-40A

The job is canceled.

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2. Printer is paused
lpr command doesn’t run if the printer status is “Paused”.
This usually occurs after you push emergency stop of MDX-40A.
To resume printer, go to CUPS configuration page. Open following
URL in your web browser:
http://localhost:631/printers/

Click Roland_MDX-40A.

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If the printer state is “Paused”, you have to resume it.
(Otherwise it is no problem.)
Select “Resume printer”. You will be promted to enter your user
name and password. Enter the information and the printer will be
resumed.

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Check if the printer is “Idle” now.

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