Electro CAD V1.3 Demo Instructions ================================== By Derek Pell (c)1991 ===================== About: ====== Electro CAD is an electronics schematic drawing & PCB design system. schematic may be drawn and saved to disk, loaded and edited from disk and printout may be obtained. (Full version only.) If you would like to buy the full version of Electro CAD please send cheque or postorder for £8.00 made payable to: Derek Pell 58 Ash Road Newport Isle of Wight PO3O 2AG. Recommendations ============== Electro CAD is pushing the Amigas chip mem. quiet considerably, I therefore recommend you start each session with this program from a could boot. Important: You should always boot from you Electro CAD disk, do not try running it from your standard workbench disk. Why? see Hard Disk Users. The Work Bench ============== The workbench on this disk is fairly limited, but it will let you format blank disks, make directories to store schematics in. You will also be able to change the work-bench preferences. Future Developments =================== Electro CAD has the ability to load complete custom libraries with there own sections which can be picked form each libraries own icon bar. At present I am programming the Custom Library Maker program. This program will enable you to construct you one Electro CAD custom library using D-Paint or Photon Paint screens, this means Electro CAD can be used in other CAD applications not just electronics. The price for this program will be £6.00 and I estimate it will be ready in April, so if your interested please send for a copy then. Also planed for April is the PCB custom design library, I shall be drawing the images for this library while programming the the custom library maker. When I have finished the program I will test it by making up the PCB library. The price for the PCB library will be £5.00. You will notice the PCB-Ops menu, this is fully functional but its not a lot of use to you without the PCB library. I will give you the fall instruction for this menu on the PCB library disk. Up-Grades ========= I am also planing on providing an Electro CAD upgrading service. These upgrade will come in the form of an upgrading program on a separate disk which will upgrade you original Electro CAD disk. I will inform all full version owners when an upgrade becomes available. Hard Disk Users =============== I have had a couple of enquires on how to instal Electro CAD to a hard disk. Both had tried to instal the original demo and failed, this was my fault. There was a couple of commands in the code that prohibited hard disk installation. I didn't do it intentionally, and they have been removed. However I'm afraid your on your own with this one as I don't own a hard disk system. If you do decide to try installation to a hard disk, here is something you should now and if you successful please let me know how. The RAM disk must be setup properly and re-labelled 'Fonts' all the information for doing this is inside the start-up sequence on this disk. You will need a separate Amiga Dos program to do this, at the end of this program type :Electro CAD and with some luck dos should handle the rest or it could be done directly from the CLI. (I think I'd rather run it from a floppy than have to go through CLI.) Compatibility ============= You should be able to load your Electro CAD screens into most graphics programmes, Including D-Paint and Kind Words word processor. I will also give you free of charge my Kind Word screen sizing program with the full version. This can be used to cut you diagrams to a connivent size so they may be inserted into your text documents. I use this program to help me put together my college assignments, once printed they look very impressive. How to Use This Demo Version ============================ The Icon Bar ============ This is used to select the predefined symbols, simply keep clicking on the appropriate icon until the symbol that you need appears. All the common component symbols (and more) have been included. When you have the right one pull the mouse away from the bar. The left mouse button rotates the symbols forward while the right rotates them backwards. The four icons at the end are Pencil, Shape Draw, Pen and Undo. Pressing the return key will abort each function or swap the current symbol with the mouse pointer. Pencil ====== This is a simple elastic line drawing device just click on one point and stretch the line to the other. Shape Draw ========== This can be used to draw boxes, circles and ellipses. The shapes are set on the menu, more about the menu latter. Pen === This is for labelling your schematics. Type in the label push return and use the mouse to position the label. Undo ==== This will undo the last error you made while editing you schematic. There are function where it is absolutely necessary to make the screen contents permanent. E.g. save or print, as a result of this you will not be able to undo the last step after returning from these functions. The Drawing Area ================ This is four screens (2 by 2) and the cursor keys are used to scroll around the area. Each screen is referred to as a page in screen operations such as load/save. Before a screen operation is carried out the status of each page can be changed. This is done by high lighting and clicking on the particular page in the screen operations window, there are three settings: 'Yes' Page will be effected. 'No' Page will be unaffected. 'N/A' Page is not available. The operation can also be cancelled at this point. The Menu ======== The menu is activated by the right mouse button when mouse pointer is not positioned over the icon bar. Trashcan Menu ============= Clear Screen ============ This allows you to clear one or more pages at once, use the screen operation window to chose which screen are cleared. Rubber ====== This has been moved from the icon bar. The rubber rubs out approx. 1 square cm at the current coordinates of the rubber. The rubber is not meant to be used with the Zoom function. If you make a mistake whilst in zoom mode change the current pen colour to Pen 0 and then use this to correct it. Disk Menu ========= Load a Schematic ================ Load schematics pages. When the file selector appears the various drives and directories may be displayed by pressing the right mouse button. There is an example screen saved on this disk try loading it. It's called 'ExampleScr.Elec' Save Schematic ============== This function lets you save your schematic circuit diagram and PCB layouts after you have drawn them. (Full version only.) Erase a Schematic ================= Same as clear screen function, only this time you can erase pages that are stored on disk. (Full version only.) Print Schematic =============== Once your schematic is fully drawn a printout of it may be obtained from a dot matrix printer. If your drawing is in four parts then it will have to be stuck together. (Full version only.) Move Schematic ============== This lets you change the position of your actual drawing with respect to the whole drawing area, e.g. centring the schematic in the middle of the screen. The movement is again done by the cursor keys. Colour Menu =========== This lets you change the current drawing colour, all symbols etc will be the chosen colour. Shape Menu ========== This sets the current shape for the shape drawing function. Symbol Menu =========== Flip Horizontal =============== Flip current symbol or brush horizontally (mirror image). Flip Vertical ============= Flip current symbol or brush vertically. Vertical/Horizontal =================== Change the polarisation of the current symbol, i.e. vertical to horizontal or visa versa. This only works with symbols since each symbol has been drawn in two positions for accuracy. Load Custom =========== Load an Electro CAD custom library. The Exit function reloads the default library. Incidentally the default library could easily be exchanged for you own custom library. I'll give you more details with the custom library maker. Grab a Brush ============ This lets you copy a section of the screen so it may be duplicated any where in the drawing area. Unfortunately due to memory the size of the area which can be grabbed had to be limited, so larger sections may have to be dealt with a bit at a time. Using the right mouse button to grab will result in completely lifting the brush from the screen. Unfortunately it became necessary to put a colouring restriction on the brushes, Now brushes bigger than 1/4 screen size can not be re-coloured. Loading and Saving Brushes ========================== The Save brush function will enable you to save the current brush. This is a very useful functions as custom brushes can be created in Electro CAD or D-Paint and then grabed and save to disk. You may then load them when ever you need them. There are two example brushes saved on this disk. The custom library maker will also let you make up brushes, the difference between a brush and a symbol is a can be a lot bigger. The brushes are saved under the names 'Teletube_H.Ebrs' and Teletube_V.Ebrs'. (Saving of brushes only allowed on the full version.) Zoom Menu ========= This lets you zoom in on selected sections of the drawing area, once the magnified section is complete a close screen editing facility is automatically available. The Restore function on the zoom menu restores the screen back to normal with any changes that may have been done in the editor. If you make a mistake whilst in zoom mode change the current ink colour to Pen 0 and use that to correct it. PCB Ops Menu ============ Detailed instructions for this menu will be given with the custom library disk, here's a the basic principle of how this operation will be carried out. Assume you have a printout of your circuit diagram you wish to construct. First you will have to load into Electro CAD the PCB custom library, this will consist of various component package shapes, pads and tracks etc, a bit like having a sheet of etch resist transfers. Once you have load this you will then have to define a PCB board area using the shape draw (this will be twice or maybe even four times as big). Referring to your circuit diagram you can then layout your board using the package shapes, this will be done in blue say. Once you have your layout you can save it as your PCB layout. Next using the pencil in red say, you can lay down some basic guide lines. Now all you have to do is use the remove blue function, just leaving your connections. Lay down you tracks using the predefined track and pads in the library. There is also a PCB tracking pen for tracks at any angle, this is used by clicking in four different points on the screen. And a 'flud fill' for ground planes. Once you have the track layout the red guide line may be removed just leaving the PCB in white. Next you will have to photo copy you PCB board printout reducing it to its correct size. This should give a much higher degree of accuracy. Of course producing the final art work is down to the user. Preference Menu =============== Most of the functions on this menu toggle on/off. Coordinates =========== This allows the current coordinates of the mouse pointer to be displayed. These coordinates are relative to the left and top edges of the drawing area, so they also give an indication to where the screen is positioned over the drawing are. Default on. Targeting ========= This is an aide for the pencil or shape draw, when the mouse cross is positioned centrally over a line on the screen a chiming bell will sound to help you join the lines with grated speed. Default off. Set Font ======== Sets the current labelling font for the text pen, you have a choice of two. Normal Topaz font or super fount (smaller font - default) Screen Grid =========== Activate the grid on the screen. This take about 30 seconds to complete and does not affect your current schematic in any way. Default off. Grid Snap ========= Lays current symbol to the nearest point to the left on the screen grid. The grid does not have to be activated to use this function. Default off. Set RGB ======= This lets you change the colour setting of all four screen colours. The Reset button will reset the current colour only to its default value. Inverting Schematic =================== Make Electro CAD pages compatible with Kind Words word processor. The screen sizing program on this disk can be used to cut your drawings down to a convenient size, instruction for this program are on the help key. Exit System =========== This lets you exit the Electro Cad system and takes you back to the work bench. I'm sure you will agree that this program is worth every penny! and of grate use to any one ivolved in electronics. So if you wish to buy the full version and future accessories please contact my at the above address. End of Document.