Orcad Layout not generating bottom copper gerber.

Hi folks,

I am in deep trouble with Orcad Layout as it is refusing to generate the bottom copper gerber when I run the post processor. All it does is generate an exact replica of the top-copper. I can't even preview it using Window->Post Process, I get the top-copper again. I can see the tracks (the default red colored ones) on the screen but somehow they get mixed up when I try to generate the gerbers.

I have tried both 16.0 and 15.7 and both behave the same.

I have also tried google, but I couldn't find anything relevant to this problem.

Has anyone seen anything like this before? Re-routing the whole board will take at least a week (which I don't have) so what can I do to recover the bottom copper layer?


Any help would be much appreciated.

Cheers.

Welcome to the site Cosmicboy

Perhaps you have to switch on only one layer art a time while making post processing--

Once you try with BOTTOM layer plus vias and next time try for TOP layer plus vias. the other layers are to be switched OFF
Hope this will be of help to you
Sarma

Hi Sarma,

Thanks for your response, however even when I disable the top layer (when I press 1 and then -), I can't see the bottom layer. The layer indicator on the toolbar still points to top, without a color.

I have also tried disabling the top for post processing, but it still generates the bottom copper gerber as an exact replica of the top copper.

This is really confusing as I can't really make sense out of it.

The other layers, such as PWR,INNER1 etc are not used so is there an easy way to copy all of the contents of the bottom layer to one of these unsed layers and try generatong the gerber via those?


Any help would be greatly appreciated

Don't you have some previuos routed .max files (Layout should make backup copies)?

I seem to have the same problem on all the backup files as well. I have some old copies, a few weeks old with majority of placing/routing missing and they seem to be ok, so somewhere in the line the max file got corrupt I guess..

Added after 3 minutes:

I have tried this on a few different computers and also I can generate gerbers for different designs so I now believe that the problem definitely is the MAX file...

Yes, it looks like your max file is damaged. I am afraid there is no way to repair it except routing again.

The problem is resolved. For future reference to anyone who has this problem (google searches?) the answer could be found at: https://www.orcad.com/forums/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=19905#19905

Cheers.

It is fine to hear you resolved your problem. Sometimes that site could be very helpuf, indeed.

Yes, it was a great relief

Thanks for offering your help as well.


Cheers.

The post is no longer available on orcad website, can you explain how do you solve that problem???

Thanks

---------- Post added at 18:25 ---------- Previous post was at 17:48 ----------

I reply myself...

It's a color problem (I don't know what kind of problem).

Just open an max file that works fine. Go to post process, preview the layer that generate problems in your file. With preview the layer press right button and "save color setup".

Then open your wrong file, go to post process, preview the layer that generate problems (it doesn't generate the preview, it doesn't matter), press right button and "load color setup", then load your previous color setup backup.

Then, make preview another time to wrong layer and now it must be corrected...

Regards,