Click the "Select File" button above, and choose your PHO file.
You’ll see a preview, if available.
Click the "Convert file to..." button to extract text information.
Convert PHO to another file type
To convert PHO photoplotter files to another format, you need Siemens PADS or other Cad software.
Convert a file to PHO
To convert other file formats to the "PCB Photoplotter File" file type, you need software like Siemens PADS or a similar tool.
About PHO files
The .PHO file extension primarily identifies a Gerber RS-274-X Photoplotter File used in Printed Circuit Board (PCB) design and manufacturing. Secondary uses include Spectrophotometer Data Files from scientific instruments by companies like PerkinElmer, PG Instruments, and Jenway, as well as PicoScope oscilloscope setups. Software like Siemens PADS or DownStream CAM350 typically handles the PCB variants. The primary disadvantage of the .PHO format is its rigid, highly specific nature. PCB variants are meant for manufacturing machines, not general viewing. Scientific variants are often locked in proprietary binary or Microsoft Compound formats requiring expensive, specific laboratory software to open. Users usually need to convert these files to share designs or extract raw scientific data. For PCB files, converting to PDF or DXF allows engineers to review the board layout without expensive CAM software. For scientific data, converting to CSV or TXT is essential for data analysis in spreadsheets. Because these files are closed, proprietary, or machine-specific, standard online converters often fail. Just drag and drop your file to identify the format, view it, and convert it when possible. Our system can inspect the file's internal structure. If it contains standard Gerber RS-274-X text commands or recognizable numeric data, viewing or conversion may still be possible.
Use Convert.Guru to open and convert your PHO file.
If you want to convert PHO file to MP3, WAV, AAC, FLAC, OGG, WMA, M4A, AIFF, OPUS, ALAC, APE or WV, you can use Siemens PADS or similar software from the "PCB Manufacturing Data" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert MIDI, AAC, TTA, AU, WV, DTS, MID, FLAC, RA, MP3, PCM or WAV files to PHO, try Siemens PADS or another comparable tool in the "PCB Manufacturing Data" category.
The PHO Converter Story
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our PHO converter.