Protel DOS Products Support Notes TOP These notes contain answers to all the common questions that have been asked by users of Protel DOS products over the years. These products are no longer actively supported by Protel Technical support. Hence we have collated all that we know about the software into one easy to access document. If your question cannot be answered by referring to these notes then it has been our experience that an upgrade will be the answer. . Where possible work arounds to software defects are provided. A zipped version of this document is available for download. Contents Latest Versions Mouse becomes inactive when ploting or Autotrax FAQ printing to the same serial port as Documentation for the Protel Autotraxthe mouse PCB File Format SMD pads with holes are not recognized Netlist file format for Autotrax on the PWR GND planes Aperture file format Rounding off problems with metric Library files are corrupt units Not enough memory Board dimensions given in the Divide by zero error when trying to Information window not correct print HPGL flipping incorrect Disk space Solder mask includes vias where not High resolution video with Trident required video cards Arcs plotted in final quality when Cirrus Logic Video Cards using draft mode Massteck Routers Cannot control the Roland plotter pen External planes speed Truncated strings in Autotrax libraryUnverified Traxplot problems: components Undocumented features PWR/GND plane enlargement for vias Netlist Route Manual command does not paint correctly New separation option in the Files not saved autorouter Highlight Connection or Highlight NetSmoothing options fails to highlight the entire Autorouter Wave routing connection or net Arc replacer pass in autorouter Highlight Connection fails to SMD routing for Ground Power planes highlight final connection to pad Automatic .TOL file generation (new Autorouter shows incorrect completionfeature) on status line Metric .APT (aperture) files for Extraneous stringers appearing after Gerber plots autoroute Roland 1000 Series plotters Place external plane command does notImproved Path Handling in Traxplot consistently calculate the clearancesNaming of output files around pads Power and Ground (Plane) Enlargements External planes do not automatically DXF conversion tie to a specific net (e.g. GND) Protel DOS Drivers Place External Plane does not 'cap' PRINTER - Easyplot 2.05 / Easytrax diagonal portions of the fill with an2.06 'outline' track PRINTER - Traxplot 1.61 Unexpected placements result with HPGL Conversion repeat placement feature PRINTER - Schematic Plot 3.31 Left or down cursor keys randomly VIDEO - Schematic 3.31, Autotrax 1.61 causes cursor to move two grids and Easytrax 2.06 instead of one Trident Video Cards A Moire pad with a diameter less thanCirrus LogicVideo Cards .140" or 3.55 mm is not displayed on Tseng Labs ET4000 1024x768 the screen Installing a new driver With Move Drag Track End command Schematic Curved sections of track may not moveBad Use of Sub-Components in the display SPLOT.DFT file format description Cursor will not move False Clearance errors between pads and vias will sometimes be reported Unverified TRAXEDIT problems TRAXPLOT FAQ Prints don't fit properly on the sheet Sometimes data is missing between paneled pages (HP LaserJet and DeskJet) Traxplot does not recognize EMS from EMM386 (DOS 5.0) Traxplot will not generate a drill drawing legend when pen plots are rotated using Traxplot 1.61 Latest Versions This FAQ covers the following versions: Old DOS Product New Windows Replacement Autotrax 1.61 Advanced PCB 3.0 Schematic 3.31 Advanced Schematic 3.0 Autotrax FAQ Refer to the README.DOC file shipped with Autotrax 1.61 for further information not covered by this FAQ. BACK TO TOP Documentation for the Protel Autotrax PCB File Format The Autotrax database is a simple ASCII (text) format. This allows the user to write programms to manipulate the file, as long as a few simple rules are followed. GENERAL The following rules and values are used throughout the PCB file. All units are mils (0.001 inch) x values 0 to 32000 Horizontal distance from the absolute origin. Includes x,x1,x2 y values 0 to 32000 Vertical distance from the absolute origin. Includes y,y1,y2 Height (of text) 36 to 1000 Rotation (of text) Possible values are 0 No Rotation 1 90 Degree Rotation 2 180 Degree Rotation 3 270 Degree Rotation 16 No Rotation Mirrored on X Axis 17 90 Degree Rotation Mirrored on X 18 180 Degree Rotation Mirrored on X 19 270 Degree Rotation Mirrored on X All other combinations or rotation, X mirroring, and Y mirroring will duplicate one of the above. Width (of tracks) 1 to 255 Layer (of tracks, fills, arcs and strings) 1 Top Layer 11 Board Layer 2 Mid Layer 1 12 Keep Out Layer 3 Mid Layer 2 13 Multi Layer 4 Mid Layer 3 5 Mid Layer 4 6 Bottom Layer 7 Top Overlay 8 Bottom Overlay 9 Ground Plane Layer 10 Power Plane Layer SAMPLE PCB FILE There are five basic elements in the file, they are: Header, components, primitives, netlist information, and end of file marker. These are explained in the five numbered sections that follow the sample file. This PCB file contains an example of each basic element; a component, several free primitives, and one net. PCB FILE 4 :file header COMP :component header SW2 :designator RADO.2 :pattern PB RESET :comment 327 1507 60 3 10 7 :comment data 407 1507 60 3 10 7 :designator data 225 1425 1 1 2 :component data CP :component pad header 225 1425 62 70 1 30 2 13 :component pad data 1 :component pad name CP :component pad header 225 1225 62 70 1 30 1 13 :component pad data 2 :component pad name CT :component track header 300 1150 300 1500 12 7 1 :component track data CT :component track header 150 1500 300 1500 12 7 1 :component track data CT :component track header 150 1150 150 1500 12 7 1 :component track data CT :component track header 150 1150 300 1150 12 7 1 :component track data ENDCOMP :end of component marker FS :free string header 5775 1975 108 1 12 1 :free string data Component Side : free string text FT :free track header 925 1475 1175 1225 12 1 1 :free track data FA :free arc header 1425 9220 325 1 10 7 1 :free track data FF :free fill header 6200 2295 6450 2315 1 :free fill data FV :free via header 175 4150 50 2B :free via data FP :free pad header 3475 4825 40 40 1 30 1 13 :free pad data 255 :free pad name NETDEF :net list header BAUDCLK :name 0 :display status ( :open patouthesis SW1-9 :net node SW1-10 :net node SW1-11 :net node SW1-12 :net node SW1-13 :net node SW1-14 :net node SW1-15 :net node SW1-16 :net node U6-13 :net node ) :close parenthesis { :open brace 1 2 0 :node data 3 2 0 :node data 4 3 0 :node data 5 4 0 :node data 6 5 0 :node data 7 6 0 :node data 8 7 0 :node data 9 1 0 :node data } :close brace ENDPCB :end of file marker HEADER In Autotrax Version 1 this consists of the line PCB FILE 4 No spaces before or after the text are allowed. COMPONENTS The basic component format is COMP designator pattern comment x y height rotation linewidth layer x y height rotation linewidth layer xref yref designator-status comment-status placement-status Component-Primitives ENDCOMP The first line of the componentformat consists of the line: COMP The second, third and fourth lines consist of text for the 'designator', 'pattern', and 'comment', these should conform to the Autotrax netlist specifications. The next three lines are numerical data, the 5th line is data for the 'comment', the 6th is data for the 'designator', and the 7th line is data for other miscellaneous component attributes. A description of values for these three lines follows: Designator = Component Designator Text (see the Autotrax netlist format for valid designators) pattern = Autotrax libruary component name comment = up to 32 alphanumeric characters xref and yref This is hte X and Y component reference point used when moving a component. designator-status 1 is Display 2 is Hide comment-status 1 is Display 2 is Hyde placement-status 0 is free to move 2 is fixed in place The component primitives start on the 8th line. These primitives are tracks, pads, vias, arcs, fills, and strings. 'Component primitives' are identical in format to 'free' primitives with one exception, component primitives begin the first line with a C rather than an F. See section three for complete information about primitives. The last line of the component information consists of the line: ENDCOMP PRIMITIVES There are six different types of primitives, any of these can be categorised as being either a 'component' or 'free' primitive. Component primitives always start the line with the letter C. A component primitive is a primitive which is defined as part of a library component. Free primitives always start the line with a letter F. A free primitive is any primitive in a PCB file that is not part of a library component. The basic format for each type of free primitive is shown below, (component primitives use the same format however they begin the first line with a C rather than an F). Arcs FA x y radius segments linewidth layer Fills FF x1 y1 x2 y2 layer Pads FP x y xsize ysize shape holesize pwr/gnd layer padname Strings FS x y height rotation linewidth layer text Tracks FT x1 y1 x2 y2 width layer user-routed Vias FV x y diameter holesize The first line of each primitive specifies the category and type. The categories are C (Component) and F (Free). The six types of A (Arcs), F (Fills), P (Pads), S (Strings), T (Tracks), and V (Vias). The second line of each primitive contains numeric data. The following provides an explanation of the values in the data line. segments n is a number with the lower 4 bits controlling the display status of the 4 quadrants of the circle. Bit 0 upper right quadrant bit 1 upper left quadrant Bit 2 lower left quadrant bit 3 lower right quadrant If the bit equals 1 then the quadrant is displayed Therefore a segment value of 15 is a complete circle, (1111 in binary). x1 and y1 Lower left of a fill, or first corner of a track x2 and y2 Upper right of fill or opposite end of a track user-routed 1 user placed track 0 Autorouter placed track xsize 1 to 1000 (width of the pad) ysize 1 to 1000 (height of the pad) shape 1 to 6 1 Circular 2 Rectangle 3 Octagonal 4 Rounded Rectangle 5 Cross Hair Target 6 Moiro Target holesize 0 to n n is one less than pad or via size pwr/gnd 1 to 5 1 No Pwr/Gnd Plane Connection 2 Relief to Ground Plane 3 Direct to Ground Plane 4 Relief to Power Plane 5 Direct to Power Plane diameter 1 to 255 (mils) Only pad and string primitives require a third line of data. This is defined as follows. padname alphanumeric up to 4 characters in length text alphanumeric up to 32 characters NETLIST INFORMATION The basic net information format follows, (dots represent additional data lines). NETDEF netname showstatus ( node . . . ) { nodenumber nodenumber routestatus . . . } Net information is stored at the end of the file. Each net begins with the word NETDEF. The open and close parentheses are used to delimit the nodes, and the open and close braces delimit the optimised list of nodenumber connections. The other lines are as follows. Netname Follows the format specified by the Autotrax netlist format showstatus 0 or 1 0 hide rats nest 1 show rats nest node Component Designator-Pin Name see the Autotrax netlist format for specifies. The data lines with 'nodenumber routestatus' are used for the ratsnest display and routing. These data lines are created when a netlist is loaded, or are modified when it is re-optimised. If the 'routestatus' for a given connection is 0 then it will be displayed as a ratsnest line if the 'showstatus 'for that net is set to 1. nodenumber 1 to 1000 this number refers to a node by its location in the list between the parentheses. For example, the first node data line (first line after the open brace) in the sample PCB file reads'1 2 0'. The 1 refers to the first net after the open parenthesis (SW1-9). The 2 refers to the second net after the open parenthesis (SW1-10). Therefore the'1 2 0' node data is a 'connection' between SW1-9 and SW1-10, (the 0 means that this is an unrouted connection). routestatus 0 or 1 0 is unrouted 1 is routed FILE END The end of file marker consists of the line: ENDPCB BACK TO TOP Netlist File Format for Autotrax Netlist file names are given a NET extention and can be used as standard input for PROTEL-AUTOTRAX which will enable autoplace-ment, auto-routing, and desiggn rule checks. The netlist file consists of two primary parts, component information and net information. The component information makes up the first part of the netlist. Each component in the schematic is delimited by square brackets as shown in the example below. { C1 RB.2/.4 100uF ] [ J1 FLY4 4PIN ] If we use an asterisk symbol to represent each possible character in the component position of netlist, the structure would be represented as follows. ENTRY COMMENTS [ Left Square Bracket ******** Component Designator ********** Package Type ******************************** Component Value (or comment) Blank for furure provision Blank for future provision Blank for future provision ] Right Square Bracket Note the format in the above representation. The information for each component begins with left square bracket, this is followed immediately by a carriage return (spaces are not allowed at the end of any line). The second line of the component information is the component designator. This can be up to 8 alphanumeric characters and is followed by a carriage return (spaced are not allowed). The third line if the package type (library name) and used the same format as the component designator line but 10 character long. The fourth line is a comment which is usually used for the value. This can be up to 32 alphanumeric characters and may contain spaces or punctuation. The next three lines are blank, containing only a carriage return. These are reserved for future specifications. The last line completes the component information with a right square bracket and carriage return. Information for additional components will follow on the next line (there are no blank lines between component descriptions). This continues until all the components are listed. The second part of the netlist contains information about the electrical connections in the circuit (the nets). This listing begins on the next available line after the components. Each net is given a name. Then each of the component pins (or nodes) connected to the net is listed on the lines following the net name. Below is an example of the second portion of a netlist. In this section the nets are determined with round brackets rather than square. ( CPUCLK R5-2 U2-6 U3-6 ) ( GND C1-2 C2-2 C3-1 C6-1 J1-1 SW2-1 U1-8 U1-11 U2-29 U3-7 ) The structure of this section is represented below. ENTRY COMMENTS ( Start of net ******************** Net Name ********-**** Component Designator-Pin Name ) End of net The information for each net begins with a left round bracket, this is followed immediately by a carriage return (spaces are not allowed within or at the end of any line). The second line of the net information is the net name. This can be up to 20 characters (including hyphens, underlines, and others characters but no spaces!). The third line is the first of two or more connections in the net. This consists of the component designator, a hyphen or comma, then the pin name. The designator can be alphanumeric only, up to 12 characters in length. The pin name can be 4 alphanumeric characters in length. The last line completes the net information with a right round bracket. This representation has four lines, in realty however, each net will have five or more lines depending on how many nodes (Component Designator-Pin Name) are in the net. This differs from Component listings which always must have exactly eight lines in the description. Information for additional nets follow one after another until the list is complete. The number of nets allowed in any single netlist file is limited to 1000. To produce a board with more than 1000 nets requires that the list be subdivided into two or more netlist files. It is permissible to have a netlist file with only component information or only net information if needed. A net list can be easily created using any standard text editor, keep in mind that the file must be ASCH and can not contain control codes or formatting which a 'word processor' may create. BACK TO TOP Aperture file format A new or modified aperture file may need to be created if the service bureau is unable to use one of the standard aperture files supplied with PROTEL-AUTOTRAX or PROTEL-EASYTRAX. A simple text editor or word processor can be used to creat a new aperture file or to modify one of the existing files. If a word processor is used, make certain that the file is saved as an unformatted ASCH text file. Notice that each of the lines in the first half of the file is preceded with a semicolon. This enables the comments and remarks that follow on the same line to be ignored buy the program. If preferred, these lines can be deleted or you may add your own comments in the same manner. In this case the comments are a brief description of the format required by the plot program. The second part of the file is the actual aperture list. Make sure there are no blank lines (unless is preceded by a semicolon) and that each line in the file has the correct structure. There must be six entries in each line starting with the draft code, although the last entry can be left blank. These are: In general, it is not a good idea to use the first 10 draft codes (D0 - D9) since most photoplotters require these for special instructions. Also, the aperture file is limited to a maximum of 255 draft code entries. Any valid DOS file name can be used, however it must have the extention .APT in order for it to be recognised as an aperture file. On the following page is a sample aperture file. ; APERTURE FILE FORMAT ; ; ; ; EXPLANATION OF PARAMETERS ; ; Code assigned to this aperture e.g. D14 ; Note that this code must start with 'D' ; followed by the code number. ; ; Can be any of the following shapes: ; CIRCULAR ; RECTANGULAR ; SQUARE ; OCTAGONAL ; ROUNDRECT ; CROSSHAIR ; MOIRE ; RELIEF ; ; size of aperture in the x direction in mils ; size of aperture in the y direction in mils ; size of hole in aperture in mils (thous). ; zero if no hole in aperture. ; ; specifies what the aperture can be used for. ; There are three possible settings ; LINE can only be used to draw lines ; FLASH can only be used to flash pads ; MULTI can be used for either ; blank defaults to MULTI setting ; D10 CIRCULAR 10 10 0 D11 CIRCULAR 12 12 0 LINE D12 CIRCULAR 20 20 0 LINE D13 CIRCULAR 30 30 0 LINE D14 CIRCULAR 50 50 0 LINE D15 CIRCULAR 100 100 0 D16 SQUARE 50 50 0 LINE D17 SQUARE 62 62 0 FLASH D18 SQUARE 70 70 0 D19 SQUARE 80 80 0 D70 SQUARE 90 90 0 D71 CIRCULAR 40 40 0 FLASH D20 CIRCULAR 50 50 0 FLASH D21 CIRCULAR 62 62 0 FLASH D22 CIRCULAR 70 70 0 FLASH D23 CIRCULAR 80 80 0 FLASH D24 CIRCULAR 90 90 0 FLASH D25 CIRCULAR 100 100 0 FLASH D26 CIRCULAR 110 110 0 D27 CIRCULAR 125 125 0 D28 CIRCULAR 150 150 0 D29 CIRCULAR 200 200 0 D72 CIRCULAR 250 250 0 D73 CROSSHAIR 70 70 0 FLASH BACK TO TOP Library files are corrupt Components must have primitives on the top overlay otherwise corruptions occur. Not enough memory You can check the available memory from the Information-Status menu in Autotrax. Autotrax will use up to 4 Megabytes of expanded memory. This must be configured by your operating system. When placing components in an Autotrax file a portion of conventional memory will be used as well as the expanded memory. Hence memory can be fully used when components are placed even if some expanded memory is still available. Free primitives do not need to use conventional memory. You can free up some conventional memory by exploding components into their individual primitives. This is useful when you need to load the file into Traxplot and you run out of memory. If memory is a problem, make sure that your operating system is as 'bare' as possible - disable network software and any TSRs (other than EMS Mouse drivers), etc. If memory is still a problem you may need to consider additional EMS (Autotrax supports up to 4MB). Divide by zero error when trying to print A divide by zero error occurs when trying to print the following arc with an EPSON driver in final artwork. FA 14897 3600 20 2 15 6 Make the width less than 14 or increase the radius and it works OK Disk space Protel for DOS takes about 7.5Meg of Hard disk space. Autotrax: 4.7Meg Schematic 2.8Meg High resolution video with Trident video cards For high resolution use the MAMODE.EXE utility supplied with the card. Set MAMODE to the 128K mode. Cirrus Logic Video Cards Use Paradise 800x600 for super VGA. Massteck Routers 1. Power/Gnd stringers are connected to planes as vias and not pads as in Autotrax 2. Tracks which are not part of a net are not imported into Massteck V4.02. This may be added to V5.0 External planes 1. Clearances are set in Netlist, Route, Seperation Setup 2. To connect a net to a plane make the pads on the net really small, place the plane and then make the pads big again. Truncated strings in Autotrax library components Strings used in Autotrax library components are limited to a length of 12 characters. If you require a string longer than this simply use two strings of appropriate length. PWR/GND plane enlargement for vias does not paint correctly A flash aperture must be used. Files not saved When quitting, you are prompted "Save changes to PCB file." If you choose "Yes" and the file was previously saved, the prompt "PCB File Exists, Confirm Overwrite" appears. If you respond "No" the program will not prompt for another filename, but exits from the program without saving changes to the current file. To avoid this problem, use the File Save command if you wish to re-name the current workfile, prior to quitting Autotrax. If you forget to do this, or accidentally respond "No" to the Confirm Overwrite? prompt, you may be able to recover most of your work by re-loading the .ABK or .BAK (auto back-up) versions of the file. BACK TO TOP Highlight Connection or Highlight Net fails to highlight the entire connection or net This is due to a fixed recursion limit in the highlighting algorithm and will occur in large complex connections. It is sometimes possible to work-around this limit by selecting a starting point near the middle of the net, which limits the recursion necessary to trace and highlight each segment. Highlight Connection fails to highlight final connection to pad This occurs when connection has 3 or more track segments connected to a square component pad. You can overcome this by temporarily changing the pad shape (you can also use global feature to change all square pads). Return the pads to the square shape before generating artwork. Autorouter shows incorrect completion on status line The completion percentage shown on the Status line does not include prerouted tracks and not reach 100%, even if all ratsnest connections have disappeared from the display (i.e. the route is finished). Extraneous stringers appearing after autoroute Using Route Board with the Process Pre-Routes pass enabled and all other passes disabled causes "via stringers" to be routed to some SMD pads. When using SMD components, do not run Process Pre-Routes without having other passes activated. Or set clearances to a large value, say 500mil. This only appears to happen if pads are over 100 mil in X direction in size. Place external plane command does not consistently calculate the clearances around pads Corners will not always be able to completely fill leaving an irregular structure. You may want to manually clean-up these areas in complex polygons. External planes do not automatically tie to a specific net (e.g. GND) If you manually connect the plane to a primitive on a net, the plane will be recognised by connectivity features, such as highlighting and DRC. Place External Plane does not 'cap' diagonal portions of the fill with an 'outline' track It will cap all horizontal or vertical tracks. You can specify a small track size/grid to minimize the 'scalloped' diagonal effect, or manually place smoothing tracks after the fill is defined. Unexpected placements result with repeat placement feature With some fractional metric grids, the Offsets applied to repeats can result in some unexpected placements. This is because the metric value must be rounded off to two decimal places. For example the default 25 mil imperial grid is equal to approx .625mm, rounded-off to .63 mm by Autotrax. If you attempt a repeat placement of a row of pads, this rounding-off will result in a cumulative error in spacing as successive pads are placed. The solution is to use even multiples of the current snap grid as offsets OR to work on a 'natural' grid pitch, i.e. .5 mm or .6 mm OR to stay on the imperial grid, rather than switching to metric prior to repeat placement. BACK TO TOP Left or down cursor keys randomly causes cursor to move two grids instead of one You can use the numeric keypad cursor keys, change the Snap grid setting or Zoom-in and use the mouse to get to the correct grid point. A Moire pad with a diameter less than .140" or 3.55 mm is not displayed on the screen The pad can still be selected and edited. The pad will be printed or plotted normally. With Move Drag Track End command Curved sections of track may not move in the display When it is placed in its new location it then appears, along with the original image of the curved track. Press End (or use a Zoom command) to re-draw the screen. Cursor will not move When setting a metric Snap grid of 0.03 mm, after moving the cursor four times in any direction, it stops and cannot be moved the fifth time. The x, y coordinates displayed on the status line are not always a multiple of 0.03 mm - it is a display and cursor control problem only. No work-around is available except to choose another Snap grid value. This does not effect placement accuracy. False Clearance errors between pads and vias will sometimes be reported If you can visually confirm that no actual violation exists, you can ignore these warnings. Unverified TRAXEDIT problems The following problems have been reported by users, but have not been reproduced by Protel Technical Support staff: Highlight Make netlist generates duplicate nets. (Users can scan the printed netlist (.NET) file to check for any duplications.) DRC produced a 24 page printout, 90% of all reported violations did not exist when the .PCB file was examined. Running Netlist Route Process Pre-routes or a DRC caused some quadrants of arcs on the Keepout layer to disappear from the screen. Edit arc confirmed that these quadrants are on but the display is impossible to restore without reloading the file. BACK TO TOP TRAXPLOT FAQ Prints don't fit properly on the sheet Printed output does not tile properly onto multiple pages. some pages have just small strips of output. These problems can have multiple causes, depending upon the target printer. In some cases, the print is not scaled to fit within the available print area between the device margins. In other cases, a primitive has been placed outside the apparent boundary of the board or the board has been created away from the 0,0 (lower left limit) origin of the workspace. Use Information Board Dimensions or Zoom All to verify the area to be printed. Traxplot calculates the print area based upon the difference between the absolute 0,0 coordinate and the highest x and y coordinate present in the file. If the board has been created away from the lower left corner, use the Block Move command to move all of the board close to the lower left corner of the available workspace. You may also need to try another scale for your print or printing without the Title block to fit on a particular page size. Sometimes data is missing between paneled pages (HP LaserJet and DeskJet) Suggest using alternate driver or changing print scale. Traxplot does not recognize EMS from EMM386 (DOS 5.0) Traxedit works fine with DOS5. You may need to substitute another EMS driver with Traxplot. Traxplot will not generate a drill drawing legend when pen plots are rotated using Traxplot 1.61 If legends are required, you will have to use the non-rotated orientation. Mouse becomes inactive when ploting or printing to the same serial port as the mouse This happens even if the plot or print has been aborted. You may need to restart Traxplot. SMD pads with holes are not recognized on the PWR GND planes Even with "Surface Mount Pad Holes" enabled. This is a limitation in the program. Rounding off problems with metric units Example: Drill drawing table will show pad hole being 0.99mm, however pad hole was defined as 1.00mm in Traxedit. This is because dimension is stored in imperial units, to accuracy of 1 mil and has no effect on accuracy of tool assignments. Board dimensions given in the Information window not correct They do not match with Traxedit's Information Board Dimensions when boarder of PCB is offset from origin, EG. (1000, 1000). BACK TO TOP HPGL flipping incorrect HP-GL driver. When ploting a rotated PCB, flipping a plot layer causes "top to bottom" flip, not a "side to side" flip as happens with a normal, (not rotated) plot. Postscript works fine. Solder mask includes vias where not required Solder Mask plots, unable to produce a plot without vias, vias are displayed even if the Options Vias is turned off. Arcs plotted in final quality when using draft mode HPGL.DRV & RDGL-I.DRV - Ploting in draft mode, arcs are plotted in final quality. Final quality mode is not effected. Cannot control the Roland plotter pen speed Using RDGL-I driver. Setup Pens Plotter Pen Speed - has not effect. Unverified Traxplot problems: RDGL-I driver, using a DXY 1300 plotter. After plotting about 1 2 a PCB successfully in final plot mode, the plotter switches to draft mode, and completes the rest of the board. NEC 5200 and Epson LQ 500 printers. Epson 8" (72) driver works, but produces low resolution, distorted print. Epson 8" (216) and LQ 8" drivers produce a higher resolution print, but only do the first printing pass. HP laser jet plus series II. Little notches appear on printout where tracks are connected together. Undocumented features Netlist Route Manual command When manually routing connections from a loaded netlist, you can show a selected net. The 'ratsnest' will 'follow' the tracks that are placed, making it easier to see your progress to the destination pad. This works for individual connections or an entire net. New separation option in the autorouter A via-to-pad separation clearance has been added to the router. This will prevent via placements which block access to pads during subsequent routing attempts and should result in overall improvements to the completion rate and quality of autorouter results for many boards. The default clearance is 13 mils. Smoothing options Users have the option to apply smoothing passes, such as via minimization, etc. to pre-routed tracks, if Smooth Pre-Routes is selected. Autotrax identifies pre-routes as any connections completed by the user. Connections made by the autorouter are not regarded as pre-routes and automatically smoothed. BACK TO TOP Autorouter Wave routing A routine has been added to the router which allows the placement of short 45 degree 'wave' segments, to allow the router to pass obstacles without changing the search axis. The user can specify the maximum number of waves permitted in a connection. Arc replacer pass in autorouter Users can select Arc Replacement as an autorouter smoothing pass. This option will replace 90 degree corners with arcs. The arc line thickness used is determined by the track size selected in the Netlist Route Route Variables option. Make sure that you select Smooth Pre-routes 'On', if you want these tracks processed. SMD routing for Ground Power planes The problem of autorouting Surface Mount components with internal ground power planes has been simplified by the addition of 'stringers' + short track pad segments which provide a 'thermal relief' connection to internal power or ground planes. Automatic .TOL file generation (new feature) The .TOL file is a list of N/C drill tools, which are matched to the holes in pads or vias. Previously, you had to manually edit the .TOL file using a text editor. Now, a .TOL file can be automatically generated, using the holes defined in your .PCB file. You still have the option to assign any existing .TOL file. To use this feature: Select Setup/NC Drill, then choose the Method option. Select Generate. A tool assignment will be made for each hole in the PCB file with a defined size >0. The .TOL file will be given the same name as the .PCB file. If the SMD Single Layer Pad Holes option is 'ON', any SMD hole > 0 will also be assigned. Up to 64 unique hole sizes can be assigned. Metric .APT (aperture) files for Gerber plots You can use the same process for .APT files as for .TOL files to specify metric units. See page 33 of the Reference Supplement. Roland 1000 Series plotters A new plot driver has been added for these plotter models (DXY 1100, 1200, 1300, etc.). It is called ROLAND RD-GL I. This supersedes the information on page 28 of the Reference Supplement. However, you should make sure that all communications parameters are matched between the program and the plotter. Improved Path Handling in Traxplot When you select the Setup Plotter, Printer or PostScript Type, to choose a driver, a window opens allowing you to specify the directory. The default directory is now always the Traxplot home directory. BACK TO TOP Naming of output files The name of the current .PCB file is automatically applied to output files, as when plotting to a filename (rather than directly to a port). The same procedure is applied to generated .TOL files, etc. Power and Ground (Plane) Enlargements The default circular area 'cleared' for pins passing through these special midlayers is derived from the associated pad size. If the pad is asymmetric, i.e. 50x80 Rectangular, the smaller dimension sets the default clearance, in this case a 25 mil radius from the hole center. If you increase the Enlargement by 10 mils, the radius would be 35 mils. If Gerber plotting, a Round 70 mil 'flash' aperture would match the cleared area. DXF conversion DOCUMENT FILE FOR PCBTODXF.EXE Version 2.01 (c) 1991 PROTEL TECHNOLOGY PTY LTD This program converts an AUTOTRAX PCB file to the AUTOCAD Drawing Interchange file (DXF) format. Because of the space intensive nature of the DXF format, the program generates either "draft" mode or "full" mode output. Running PCBtoDXF. Type PCBtoDXF The following will appear AUTOTRAX FILE to AUTOCAD FILE PROGRAM Version 2.01 --------------------------------------------------- Copyright (c) 1988,1991 Protel Technology Pty. Ltd. Input File Name > Enter the AUTOTRAX PCB file name (the extension will be forced to .PCB) Output File Name > Enter the DXF output file name.(the extension will be forced to .DXF) If the output file already exists, then you will be asked to confirm overwriting it. Output File SOMEFILE.DXF Exists, Overwrite Y/N > Press the Y or N key. You can also supply these filenames from the command line, but the overwrite prompt will still appear. If you supply incorrect number of command line parameters then the following help message will appear. Correct Command Line Usage PCBtoDXF For Example PCBtoDXF DEMO TEST Will Generate The File TEST.DXF If No File Names Are Supplied, The Program Will Prompt For Them. If the input file is not found, then the following message will appear and you will be returned to the DOS prompt. Input File Not Found. PCBtoDXF Program Aborted Otherwise the following message will be displayed Do You Want Full Quality Output in the DXF file (Big File) Y:es, Full Quality N:o, Generate Only Draft Quality Press the Y or N key to continue. The following message will appear and the DXF file will be generated. Processing SOMEFILE.PCB The sizes of the DXF file will vary dramatically depending on the contents of the PCB file, but as a rough guide, the draft mode DXF file will be 3 to 4 times the size of the PCB file, and the full mode DXF file will be 8 to 12 times the size of the PCB file. Notes on storage of data in the DXF file ---------------------------------------- The program will place all of the PCB data from all PCB layers onto equivilent AutoCAD layers. To keep the space to a minimum, single letter layer designators are used. Top Layer T Mid Layer 1 1 Mid Layer 2 2 Mid Layer 3 3 Mid Layer 4 4 Bottom Layer B Top Overlay O Bottom Overlay M Ground Layer G Power Layer P Board Layer D Keep-Out Layer K Multi-Layer U All items (both free and component primitives) are saved as individual entities in the DXF file. Tracks In draft mode, tracks are stored as simple lines. In full mode, tracks are stored as a single poly-line with a solid circle on each end. Each solid circle consists of two 180 degree polyarcs. Round Pads and Vias In draft mode, round pads and vias are stored as simple circles. In full mode they are stored as two 180 degree polyarcs. Round Rectangular Pads In Draft mode, these consist of two simple arcs, with two simple lines. In Full mode rounded rectangular pads are stored in the same way as tracks. Rectangular Pads and Fills These are always drawn as solid fills. Although this is inconsistant, (ie fills are solid when all others are wire-frame), the storage requirements for rectangular solids are less than for 4 lines. If you wish to display a draft mode DXF file as all wire-frame (ie including area-fills), then use the AutoCAD FILL command to display SOLIDS as wire-frames. Octagonal Pads In Draft mode these are stored as eight lines. In full mode, they are stored as three horizontally oriented AutoCAD solids. Targets In draft mode, stored as 2 lines and 2 arcs. In full mode, stored as 2 polylines and 2 polyarcs. Moires Stored as either arcs in draft mode or polyarcs in full mode. Text Always stored as scaled and rotated AutoCAD text using the default AutoCAD font. Line thickness is always 1 pixel. Arcs In draft mode, stored as a single AutoCAD arc. In full mode stored as 1 or 2 polyarcs (since polyarcs can only be 180 degrees max). BACK TO TOP Protel DOS Drivers PRINTER - Easyplot 2.05 / Easytrax 2.06 Plotter Drivers CALCOMP - PCI DMPL (one pen) DMPL HP-GL (one pen) HP-GL ROLAND DXY-101 ROLAND DXY-800 ROLAND RD-GL I Printer Drivers EPSON LQ 13.6" EPSON LQ 8" EPSON 13.6"(216) EPSON 13.6" (72) EPSON 8" (216) EPSON 8" (72) HP LASER 100 DPI HP LASER 150 DPI HP LASER 300 DPI HP LASER 75 DPI QUIET JET 13.2" QMS 150 DPI QMS 300 DPI THINK JET 8" Postscript Drivers PostScript 1200dpi A4 PostScript 1200dpi A3 PostScript 300dpi A4 PostScript 300dpi A3 PostScript 300dpi B5 PostScript 300dpi Letter PostScript 300dpi Legal PostScript 400dpi A4 PostScript 600dpi A4 Linotronic 1270dpi A3 Linotronic 1270dpi A4 BACK TO TOP PRINTER - Traxplot 1.61 Plotter Drivers CALCOMP - PCI DMPL (one pen) DMPL HP-GL (one pen) HP-GL ROLAND DXY-101 ROLAND DXY-800 ROLAND RD-GL I Printer Drivers EPSON LQ 13.6" EPSON LQ 8" EPSON 13.6"(216) EPSON 13.6" (72) EPSON 8" (216) EPSON 8" (72) HP LASER 100 DPI HP LASER 150 DPI HP LASER 300 DPI HP LASER 75 DPI QUIET JET 13.2" QMS 150 DPI QMS 300 DPI THINK JET 8" Postscript Drivers PostScript 300dpi A3 PostScript 300dpi A4 PostScript 1200dpi A3 PostScript 1200dpi A4 PostScript 400dpi A4 PostScript 600dpi A4 PostScript 300dpi B5 PostScript 300dpi Letter PostScript 300dpi Legal Linotronic 1270dpi A3 Linotronic 1270dpi A4 Generic 300dpi 11x8 inch Generic 300dpi 16x11 inch BACK TO TOP HPGL Conversion If the driver you need is not in the above list use CAMCAD from Router Solutions to load the file and print to any Windows driver. PRINTER - Schematic Plot 3.31 Plotter Drivers HP-GL (one pen) HP-GL DMPL (one pen) DMPL ROLAND DXY-101 ROLAND DXY-800 CALCOMP - PCI Printer Drivers EPSON LQ 8" EPSON LQ 13.6" EPSON MX/FX 8" EPSON MX/FX 13.6 HP LASER JET + HP THINK JET HP QUIET JET + VIDEO - Schematic 3.31, Autotrax 1.61 and Easytrax 2.06 CGA 4 COLOR 320x200 EGA 640x350 EIZO 1024x768 EIZO 800x600 Tseng Labs ET4000 1024x768 GENOA 640x480 GENOA 800x600 GENOA 912x480 HERCULES 720x348 MONOCHROME PARADISE 800x600 EGA 640x480 TECMAR 1024x768 TECMAR 800x600 Trident 1024x768 Trident 800x600 VEGA DELUXE 640x480 16 Color VGA 640x480 VIDEO 7 1024x768 ATI VGA WONDER 1024x768 ATI VGA WONDER 800x600 BACK TO TOP Trident Video Cards For high resolution use the MAMODE.EXE utility supplied with the card. Set MAMODE to the 128K mode. Cirrus LogicVideo Cards Use Paradise 800x600 for super VGA. Tseng Labs ET4000 1024x768 Driver is available on request free of charge. Not shipped with product. Installing a new driver Autotrax, Schematic or Easytrax will use the first instance of a file called GRAPH.DRV that it finds in the DOS path for the video driver. To change the driver: Delete all copies of GRAPH.DRV that occur in the DOS path Copy the required driver file to a file called GRAPH.DRV Ensure that GRAPH.DRV is in the DOS path If you are running the applications in a multitasking environment such as Windows at the same time you will need a copy of GRAPH.DRV for each application. It is best to store each copy in the same directory as the application. Schematic Bad Use of Sub-Components If comments are different (including case) between parts in a multipart component then a "Bad Use of Sub-Components (R1:B Sheet 1) (R1:A Sheet 1)" error message will appear in the report file after POST SPLOT.DFT file format description Version 3.31 1 Title block 1=ON; 0=OFF 1 Border 1=ON; 0=OFF 1 Pin numbers 1=ON; 0=OFF 9600 Serial port 1 baud rate 9600 Serial port 2 baud rate 1 Serial port 1 stop bits 1 Serial port 2 stop bits 8 Serial port 1 data bits 8 Serial port 2 data bits 1 Serial port 1 handshaking 1=Hardwire; 0=XON/XOFF 1 Serial port 2 handshaking 1=Hardwire; 0=XON/XOFF 3 Serial port 1 parity 1=Odd; 2=Even; 3=None 3 Serial port 2 parity 1=Odd; 2=Even; 3=None 1 Plotter Device 1/2=Serial port 1/2; 3/4/5=Parallel port 1/2/3; 6=File PLOTTER.SCP Plotter output filename 1.0000000000E+00 Plotter scale 0 Plotter X-Offset 0 Plotter Y-Offset 1.0000000000E+00 Plotter X-Correction 1.0000000000E+00 Plotter Y-Correction 0 Plotter orientation 0=Normal; 1=Rotated; 2=Centred 1 Software arcs 1=ON; 0=OFF 5 Arc quality 1 Number of pens 5.0000000000E+00 Pen speed 1 Printer Device 1/2=Serial port 1/2; 3/4/5=Parallel port 1/2/3; 6=File PRINTER.SCP Printer output filename 1 Printer scale 1=Reduced; 0=Normal 0 Printer X-Offset 0 Printer Y-Offset 2 Printer orientation 0=Normal; 1=Rotated; 2=Centred 1 Paper 1=Paged; 0=Continuous 3 4 Colours - Text 7 Background 1 Frame 12 Highlight text 1 Highlight background 0 Shadow BACK TO TOP