Support Forum

Scale Generator is based on java script, and requires the Java runtime to be installed to allow it to execute.

If you already have Java installed you should be able to double-click the jskala_english.jar file to launch it.

If you don't have Java installed, the simplest way to get it is to visit , click the 'Java Software Free Download' link in the top-left and follow the instructions there.

Posted By: Diane Haensel on Nov 08, 2008 10:38PM

I have downloaded and unziped, but I cannot find a

jskala_english.jar file.

Posted By: Don Cleveland on Nov 17, 2008 02:31PM

Hi Don,

the download for the Scale Generator can be found in the Tips & Tricks section.

Here is the link for your convenience.

Posted By: Diane Haensel on Nov 17, 2008 04:44PM

I have down loaded, and unziped a second time, but I don't

find a jskala_english.jar file. I have Java 6 installed, I

can't figure out what I'm doing wrong.

I've searched, but cannot find jskala_english.jar, is it

part of the Zip file?

Posted By: Don Cleveland on Nov 21, 2008 05:41PM

It looks like this problem only occurs when using Internet Explorer for the download.

Our IT department will have a look on it. I will let you know as soon as this problem is resolved.

I have sent the file directly to your email address, please let me know if it works for you this way.

I apologize for any inconvenience.

Posted By: Diane Haensel on Nov 22, 2008 03:31AM

Thanks

I placed jskala_english.jar in the dir with the rest of files.

When I double click it I get a message saying Windows

can't open the file.

Posted By: Don Cleveland on Nov 24, 2008 08:01PM

I updated Java to V6 update 10, and now it is working.

Thanks.

Posted By: Don Cleveland on Nov 24, 2008 08:15PM

Hi Don,

I'm glad you got it to work. The problem was a combination of the versions of Internet Explorer and Java. Not all versions work well together. We recommend to keep both IE and Java up to date to ensure Scale Generator is working on your computer.

Thank you for pointing that out for us.

Posted By: Diane Haensel on Nov 26, 2008 04:35PM

Scale generator.

As well as Don, I’m unable to download “Jaskala_englis.jar” even if I update my Java runtime (6/16)and re-downloaded Front Panel Design as well as Scale gen from Tips and Tricks.

When I unzipped “Jaskala_english.zip”, no “ jaskala_english.jar” shows up.

Any turn-around?

If nothing else, could you please be so kind and e-mail it me?

Thank you

Andrea Daretti

Andar3@gmail.com

Posted By: Andrea Daretti on Sep 30, 2009 11:49AM

Hi,

I can run the .jar file but when I hit the create button nothing happens, no *.plt file is created. :(

Help!

Jakester

Posted By: Robert Jacobson on Oct 04, 2009 04:03PM

Hi Jakester,

Did you specify the target directory or did you just enter the file name? You also need to add the extension .plt to your file name.

An instruction about Scale Generator can be found here

I am sorry for the inconvenience. Please do not hesitate to call us in case you still have problems to get it to work. Our customer service would be more than happy to walk you through Scale Generator.

Diane

Posted By: Diane Haensel on Oct 06, 2009 07:49PM

Just started using Front Panel Express, am very impressed

with its capabilities especially for free. Have part of my

front panel designed but cannot use Scale Generator yet.

I have Java 10 - 18. Downloaded Scale Generator and unzipped but no file named jskala_english.jar is in the

directory. Apparently i need a copy sent to me also via

my email address.Would appreciate any help on this....

thank you.

Posted By: Phillip Criddle on Feb 23, 2010 12:25PM

Hello,

I can see how people have this problem since java is a pain to manage. This is what I did (and worked from me):

1. Uninstall Java. I like to use the free version of revo uninstaller () since it deletes all registry entries as well as dlls and temp files. If you're going to use this program chose the advanced option.

2. Re-install Java. Go to and use the offline option. Please make sure to only install java and remember your file destination (which you can customize as well).

3. Go to and click on the "Scale Generator - Script for generating scales" link. If everything has gone right you should see a small window .

Posted By: P Neumann on Feb 26, 2010 12:40AM

hi, scale generator doest work in my pc some help ?

thanks[/color]

Posted By: jorge lorenzo on Jun 01, 2010 07:28PM

Hi Jorge,

I sent Scale Generator to your email address. Please let me know if you can start it from the file I sent you.

Posted By: Diane Haensel on Jun 14, 2010 07:12PM

When I downloaded Jaskala_english.zip it would not work either. I renamed it Jaskala_english.jar and it works just fine now. It is NOT a zip file.

Posted By: Randy Humbert on Jul 16, 2010 11:07PM

Also having problems opening, tried all of the above. Can I get the file emailed directly?

(XPsp3, IE8, Java 6)

Posted By: Billy Cameron on Jul 20, 2010 08:03PM

The center point of the scale is offset upwards. Could use advice in setting it right.

Posted By: Randy Humbert on Jul 21, 2010 05:54PM

Hello Randy,

When you generate the scale, the "Length" box determines the diameter of the inner circle from which the scale marks emanate. The overall object size then is dependent on not only that angle, but also the lengths of the segment marks, and which segment marks are at the largest extremes. As the segment marks have two available lengths the actual "size" that the scale becomes in Front Panel Designer is a fairly complicated size to calculate.

Given all of that information, I would make a temporary hole with the diameter of the length specified for the scale.

Place that hole over the hole where the scale will go. (Align/distribute makes this easier)

Be sure your grid is turned off, then drag the scale over that hole until the indexing marks line up so that they are all perpendicular to the temporary hole.

Delete the temporary hole, then group the original hole and the scale to keep them together.

I started to whip out a fancy formula for calculating the vertical displacement from the scale center, but it quickly became overly cumbersome.

-Paul

Posted By: Paul Birkeland on Jul 21, 2010 11:02PM

SOLVED THE PROBLEM!

The issue of this problem lays in use of 7Zip program (or similar programs) that has an ANNOYING "helping" function in renaming files with the extention ".jar" to ".zip" .

Sollution! -> RENAME THE “Jaskala_english.ZIP” TO “ jaskala_english.JAR” (Used large letters only to ease the viewing of the matter. :wink: )

The other issue with "CANT FIND ANY PLT FILE!" is because YOU have to add the ".PLT" at the end of your file so that FrontPanelExpress will be able to se it. Either do this inside Scale Generator when naming your file or do it manualy in by marking the file, press F2 and place the cursor at the end of the filename and add .plt to it.

Happy Scaling!

/C.Bigstone

Posted By: Charles Bigstone on Aug 20, 2010 03:39PM

SOLVED THE PROBLEM!

The issue of this problem lays in use of 7Zip program (or similar programs) that has an ANNOYING "helping" function in renaming files with the extention ".jar" to ".zip" .

Sollution! -> RENAME THE “Jaskala_english.ZIP” TO “ jaskala_english.JAR” (Used large letters only to ease the viewing of the matter. :wink: )

The other issue with "CANT FIND ANY PLT FILE!" is because YOU have to add the ".PLT" at the end of your file so that FrontPanelExpress will be able to se it. Either do this inside Scale Generator when naming your file or do it manualy in by marking the file, press F2 and place the cursor at the end of the filename and add .plt to it.

Happy Scaling!

/C.Bigstone

I want to add a little more information to this thought. A lot of customers still have this problem and I blame it mostly on Microsoft Internet Explorer! IE is trying to protect you by renaming .jar file as a .zip file. You can turn this feature off by:

1. In the upper-right corner of IE8, click on Tools to open the drop down menu;

2. At the bottom of the Tools menu, click Internet Options;

3. In the Internet Options dialog box, select the Security tab;

4. On the Security tab, select the Internet zone, then click the Custom Level button;

5. Scroll about 2/3 down the list to the option "Open file based on content, not file extension" and change the setting to Disable;

6. Click OK;

7. Repeat steps 4-6 for the Local Intranet zone and Trusted Sites zone;

I'm sure it's very similar for IE9 that went live just recently. Another suggestion would be to use a different browser.

I hope this helps!

Posted By: P Neumann on Jun 02, 2011 09:02PM

You can import engravings for non supported fonts by Front Panel Designer as hpgl file (file extension .plt).

The hpgl file needs to be created with a vector illustration program such as Corel Draw or Adobe Illustrator, just to name two. I am sure there is some freeware available on the Internet but can't really recommend something yet. I will do some research and let you know soon.

Posted By: Diane Haensel on Oct 21, 2008 02:55AM

Hi Adam,

You can specify a corner radius of 0mm. Of course there will be still a small radius (0.5mm if you pick the 1mm cutter) but it will be outside the rectangular shape of the cutout. This allows a perfect fit for connectors.

Posted By: Diane Haensel on Oct 14, 2008 05:09AM

Hi,

Thanks for your reply. The square cutout is for a pushbutton rather than a connector. I would prefer that the curve not be outside of the rectangular shape because I think it will look sort of strange if there are little curves near the corners of the button. (Does that make sense? It is sort of hard to describe.) So, if I want the curve to stay within the bounds of the rectangle, do I specify a corner radius of 0.5mm?

I realize that I am talking about very small details which are hardly visible, but I am designing a large panel with approximately 20 of these rectangular cutouts and an overall cost of around $200 so I would like to get it right on the first attempt. :)

Thanks--

--Adam

Posted By: Adam Schabtach on Oct 14, 2008 06:48AM

I understand your concern.

The little "ears" of the 0mm corner radius would be visible, if your push button doesn't cover the edges of the cutout.

I took a picture that hopefully shows how different radii turn out. The panel below has a cutout with a 0mm radius on the left and a combination of 0mm and 0.5mm radii on the right.

If you want to stay within the bounds of the rectangle, you need to specify a corner radius of 0.5mm which is determined by our smallest cutting tool.

I like to print my panel designs (tiled if necessary) and use the paper as template. In this way, I can ensure that everything fits and is on the right spot. Has saved me some redos in the past. :wink:

Posted By: Diane Haensel on Oct 15, 2008 03:57AM

Hi,

Thanks very much for that photograph--it's very helpful. I will soon have samples of the pushbuttons I am going to use. Once I have those I will decide how to have the holes cut.

I do indeed print my panels on paper before submitting them for fabrication. I have used your excellent services for about six panels already, but they have all been relatively small and have had only circular holes. The panel I am currently designing is a 6U 19" rack panel with 128 circular holes, 20 small squares, and two large rectangles for LCDs. I will check it very carefully before placing the order. :D

Thanks again for your help.

--Adam

Posted By: Adam Schabtach on Oct 15, 2008 04:34AM

Hello, I'm trying to figure out the corner radius size to use as well. Is it possible to see a picture of a .25 corner radius?

Thanks!

Posted By: Erik Dower on Jan 20, 2009 01:55AM

Hi Erik,

Here is a screen shot of a .25 corner radius. Since the 1mm cutter is our smallest tool, there will always be a corner radius of at least .5mm.

The radius of .25 will give you little 'ears' as well but they aren't big enough to cut all the material out of the corner (see red area).

Best regards,

Diane

Posted By: Diane Haensel on Jan 20, 2009 07:28PM

Thanks for the image, that helps!

Posted By: Erik Dower on Jan 22, 2009 07:19AM

You can find 'ungroup' in the toolbar menu -> Selection or in the right-click menu.

We added a new program - Scale Generator - in our Tips & Tricks section. This script enables you to design both round and linear dials. Instead of designing engraved dials from scratch in Front Panel Designer, they can be created as a hpgl file with Scale Generator.

Posted By: Diane Haensel on Sep 30, 2008 02:31AM

Hello Raph,

You can group a drilled hole and a rectangular cutout to get the Deltron cutout and save it as a macro object.

Deltron DIN

Regards,

Diane

Posted By: Diane Haensel on Aug 27, 2008 05:59PM

Perfect! That's what I was hoping.

Are there any restrictions/limitation to making complex objects this way?

Posted By: Raph Wlodarczyk on Aug 27, 2008 10:18PM

Perfect! That's what I was hoping.

Are there any restrictions/limitation to making complex objects this way?

Posted By: Raph Wlodarczyk on Aug 27, 2008 10:31PM

No, you can group as many objects as you want.

If the shape of the final object will become too complicate and the effort to design it with Front Panel Designer would be too big, you can also send us a dxf file. We can import the contour for a small additional one-time charge (usually $15 to $30) on your panel.

Posted By: Diane Haensel on Aug 27, 2008 11:11PM

Hi Jeff,

Both file types will work fine. The difference is in some additional information about line thicknesses given in HPGL2 for plotters. The thickness of engraving lines can be selected by tool choice in the HPGL properties in Front Panel Designer so that the extra information coming with HPGL2 is not needed.

PLT is the file extension for HPGLs and the export from Autocad will work fine.

Please keep in mind that in Front Panel Designer imported HPGLs can be only used for engravings. All drilled holes, cutouts and cavities need to be designed with Front Panel Designer. Reason is the missing information in Z (depth of objects) because of 2D drawings (important for countersinks or threads and depth of cavities).

More information about HPGL import can be found in our Tips & Tricks section, Tips for generating HPGL files for logos or other engravings

Regards,

Diane

Posted By: Diane Haensel on Aug 27, 2008 08:08AM