Version 1.5.1 is mostly a bugfix release. Below are release notes with the links to the exact issues fixed:
Release Notes – cirQWizard – Version 1.5.1Version 1.5.0 comes with the long promised copper rub out feature. That’s an additional step which you can choose to perform after insulation milling (it’s skipped by default – check the new Copper rub out section in the Settings to turn it on).
As opposed to insulation milling, which simply isolates traces on the copper layer, this step completely removes copper from the places on the board, where it’s not supposed to be according to the layout. This is often required in circuits, involving radio frequencies or high voltages – unconnected copper alters electrical features of the board in undesired way.
The implementation may not win the prettiest algorithm contest. It might not be the fastest algorithm on Earth either. But at least it’s here today and it gets the job done. We’ll address algorithm inefficiencies later down the road.
This version addresses user interface usability issues which were raised by our users. It rearranges controls in a way that keeps intuitive step-by-step wizard approach appreciated by those who are just getting their feet wet in PCB milling, but allows for greater flexibility required by more experienced users.
So, the major new features are:
This version has also seen major code refactoring, paving a way for new exciting features, which were held back by growing code complexity.
These two versions add a possibility to send G-code to the machine directly from cirQWizard. This functionality can be accessed from Manual Control → Direct GCode control.
Version 1.3.10 had a build issue which resulted in broken functionality of firmware flashing. This was fixed in 1.3.11.
Below are release notes for version 1.3.10:
Release Notes – cirQWizard – Version 1.3.10We’ve been in such a hurry to release these versions that we didn’t even blog about them. So, here go the release notes for all these versions. We’ll try not to postpone blogging about new releases going forward.
Version 1.3.6 was unintentionally released with Mac OS X version built with Java 8. This version corrects this mistake with all of the platforms using Java 7 for build.
Version 1.3.1 is mostly a bug fix release. Here is the list of things fixed in this version:
Version 1.3.0 is a feature release, which adds a possibility to request milling tool path generation algorithm to make several passes around traces (or only around pads). This hopefully should decrease the possibility of solder bridges between pads or between pads and ground plane.
Additional passes considerably increase milling time, regardless of whether it’s pads only or entire traces. But hopefully, there will be more time gained by not having to troubleshoot bridges.
The relevant settings in the Insulation milling tab are:
| Setting | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Additional passes | Number of additional passes to be generated |
| Additional passes overlap | The overlap between previous pass and each successive pass |
| Additional passes around pads only | Whether to generate additional passes around all traces, or around pads only |
For now, as this feature isn’t yet thoroughly tested, the default value for Additional passes is 0, which effectively disables it. Feel free to experiment and let us know which settings you like most!
As a next step in our effort to make cirQWizard even more open and transparent we’ve migrated to publicly available issue tracking system.
The system can be accessed at https://cirqwizard.atlassian.net/ There you can find detailed information about issues addressed in each release, issues scheduled for the next releases, new features we are thinking about and all those annoying bugs no one has time to fix ;)
What’s even better, after simple registration procedure everyone can contribute to the project – you can comment on issues, vote for them so that we know which issues are important to you, create new issues reporting bugs you’ve encountered or suggesting new great features!
Help us make cirQWizard even more awesome!
As the community of cirQWizard users grows, we feel it’s the right time to add another communication channel to keep everyone up to date on what we have done and what we are up to. So, from now on here we will be blogging about things happening to cirQWizard – new releases, known problems and workarounds, useful hints and whatever comes to our mind and we feel is appropriate to share.
Needless to say, your comments are much appreciated! Feel free to share your thoughts in comments section below every article.
So, today the news is that the version 1.2.2 is out. That’s a bug-fix release. The most important bug fixed there was the one that was causing missing segments of the tool paths during generation. This was caused by insufficient memory available to cirQWizard to utilize all of the available CPU cores. Now the application attempts to reprocess failed part of the board. You would see progress indicator jumping chaotically, as this happening. If this happens to you, you would know cirQWizard is running low on memory. Then it doesn’t make sense to run that many processing threads. To make more efficient use of your resources you can go to Settings→Application and decrease Processing threads value. With a bit of trial and error you can find a value, that would work well for you.
We’re setting up a public access to the issue tracking system we use to develop cirQWizard. This would give everyone interested in depth information about what exactly was included in the released versions, as well as what we are working on at the moment and what we are thinking about. Stay tuned!