Homebrew_PCBs

Hi,
Does anyone know if the manuals for Protel Autotrax and/or DOS Schematic
have been scanned and put online anywhere?

I'm trying to figure out how to use the Schematic Library Manager, and how
to go from schematic to netlist to PCB, but it's a bit difficult without a
manual. I've tried searching for tutorials, but so far the best I've found is
a couple of Chinese sites, a Hungarian site and a few Czech sites... Not
really useful when I don't speak any of those languages :-/

Some information on creating and editing components in the Schematic
Library Manager would also be very handy.

Thanks.
--
Phil. | Kitsune: Acorn RiscPC SA202 64M+6G VF+UniPod
philpem@... | Cheetah: Athlon64 3200+ A8VDeluxeV2 1G+180G
http://www.philpem.me.uk/ | Tiger: Toshiba SatPro4600 Celeron700 256M+40G

What happened to the manuals that came with the software?

> -----Message d'origine-----
> De : Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com
> [mailto:Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com] De la part de Philip Pemberton
> Envoyé : juin 5 2006 09:00
> À : Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com
> Objet : [Homebrew_PCBs] Manuals for Protel Autotrax / DOS Schematic
>
>
> Hi,
> Does anyone know if the manuals for Protel Autotrax and/or
> DOS Schematic have been scanned and put online anywhere?
>
> I'm trying to figure out how to use the Schematic Library
> Manager, and how to go from schematic to netlist to PCB, but
> it's a bit difficult without a manual. I've tried searching
> for tutorials, but so far the best I've found is a couple of
> Chinese sites, a Hungarian site and a few Czech sites... Not
> really useful when I don't speak any of those languages :-/
>
> Some information on creating and editing components in the
> Schematic Library Manager would also be very handy.
>
> Thanks.
> --
> Phil. | Kitsune: Acorn RiscPC SA202
> 64M+6G VF+UniPod
> philpem@... | Cheetah: Athlon64 3200+
> A8VDeluxeV2 1G+180G
> http://www.philpem.me.uk/ | Tiger: Toshiba SatPro4600
> Celeron700 256M+40G
>
>
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> > Phil wrote:
> > Does anyone know if the manuals for Protel Autotrax and/or
> > DOS Schematic have been scanned and put online anywhere?
> > <SNIP>

> Robert wrote:
> What happened to the manuals that came with the software?

Seeing as the software would probably 20 years old and
the way the manuals for it originaly came - I would suspect
the manuals got lost a long long time ago.

Alternativly - Phil may have downloaded the freeware version
of protel from the web and that won't have come with manuals
(Though I think the free version may not have schematic in
it :P)

I would suggest looking at "RCS radio" or "Airborn" with the
word "protel" as well (on google of course) and you will find
tutorials on the use of the PCB software as well as modern VGA
drivers for the software.

why not simply use Eagle instead?

--- Andrew <andrewm1973@...> wrote:
...

> Seeing as the software would probably 20 years old and
> the way the manuals for it originaly came - I would suspect
> the manuals got lost a long long time ago.
>

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> > andrewm wrote:
> > Seeing as the software would probably 20 years old and
> > the way the manuals for it originaly came - I would suspect
> > the manuals got lost a long long time ago.

> Robert wrote:
> why not simply use Eagle instead?

Maybe weird aussie board houses that charge you extra if
you dont supply you PCB in protel format.

(no I am not joking about that)

In message <20060605224654.70787.qmail@...>
"Herbert E. Plett" <cachureos@...> wrote:

> why not simply use Eagle instead?

Because my EAGLE licence is a non-profit licence. I'm designing something
that may potentially be sold, and Autotrax is the only free PCB CAD app I can
actually bear to use.

And as for the manuals, yes it's the freeware version from Protel. The
Schematic master disc came from someone who found it in his drawer and gave
it to me (something about "it doesn't work properly on Win98, and I'm using
EASY-PC now") - the manuals were already long gone.

What I have got is a working DOSBox config file that lets me use Atrax in
Win2K, and get 16MB of (emulated) EMS memory for it. Who needs hardware VESA
and EMS support when you've got DOSBox :)

I'm thinking about throwing together a little "project manager" for
Autotrax/Schematic. A menu-driven thing that keeps track of projects and
handles netlist generation/processing, Gerber-to-XGerber conversion, etc.

"Why did you climb the mountain?"
"Because it was there."

--
Phil. | Kitsune: Acorn RiscPC SA202 64M+6G VF+UniPod
philpem@... | Cheetah: Athlon64 3200+ A8VDeluxeV2 1G+180G
http://www.philpem.me.uk/ | Tiger: Toshiba SatPro4600 Celeron700 256M+40G

Hi Andrew,

Herbert said that, not me. :P

I haven't outsourced yet, so I haven't been faced with picky suppliers. It
must suck big time to have to put up with that sort of crap.

QCAD exports in Gerber RS-274-X format. I hope I won't have a problem with
those, I have no idea how 'accepted' that format might be.

Robert
:)

> -----Message d'origine-----
> De : Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com
> [mailto:Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com] De la part de Andrew
> Envoyé : juin 5 2006 20:09
> À : Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com
> Objet : Re: RE : [Homebrew_PCBs] Manuals for Protel Autotrax
> / DOS Schematic
>
> > Robert wrote:
> > why not simply use Eagle instead?
>
> Maybe weird aussie board houses that charge you extra if
> you dont supply you PCB in protel format.
>
> (no I am not joking about that)

> Robert wrote:
> Herbert said that, not me. :P

Sorry - it's easy to get confused when
you are as dumb as i am.

> I haven't outsourced yet, so I haven't
> been faced with picky suppliers. It
> must suck big time to have to put up
> with that sort of crap.

> QCAD exports in Gerber RS-274-X format.
> I hope I won't have a problem with
> those, I have no idea how 'accepted'
> that format might be.

I think Gerber is standard everywhere
in the world bar here.

The supplier I was talking of does
accept Gerber - but charge[s|d] extra
for being given the files not in protel.

I actualy like the old protel for DOS
program. So it did not bother me too
much. It's just the new windows version
I think are less than fun.

Take a look at DipTrace.

Myc

--- Philip Pemberton <philpem@...> wrote:

> In message
>

<20060605224654.70787.qmail@...>

> "Herbert E. Plett" <cachureos@...>
> wrote:
>
> > why not simply use Eagle instead?
>
> Because my EAGLE licence is a non-profit licence.
> I'm designing something
> that may potentially be sold, and Autotrax is the
> only free PCB CAD app I can
> actually bear to use.
>
> And as for the manuals, yes it's the freeware
> version from Protel. The
> Schematic master disc came from someone who found it
> in his drawer and gave
> it to me (something about "it doesn't work properly
> on Win98, and I'm using
> EASY-PC now") - the manuals were already long gone.
>
> What I have got is a working DOSBox config file that
> lets me use Atrax in
> Win2K, and get 16MB of (emulated) EMS memory for it.
> Who needs hardware VESA
> and EMS support when you've got DOSBox :)
>
> I'm thinking about throwing together a little
> "project manager" for
> Autotrax/Schematic. A menu-driven thing that keeps
> track of projects and
> handles netlist generation/processing,
> Gerber-to-XGerber conversion, etc.
>
> "Why did you climb the mountain?"
> "Because it was there."
>
> --
> Phil. | Kitsune: Acorn
> RiscPC SA202 64M+6G VF+UniPod
> philpem@... | Cheetah: Athlon64
> 3200+ A8VDeluxeV2 1G+180G
> http://www.philpem.me.uk/ | Tiger: Toshiba
> SatPro4600 Celeron700 256M+40G
>

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> > Herbert wrote:
> > why not simply use Eagle instead?

> Philip wrote:
> Because my EAGLE licence is a non-profit
> licence. I'm designing something that may
> potentially be sold, and Autotrax is the
> only free PCB CAD app I can actually bear
> to use.

Here here. I think that Easytrax/Autotrax
has the kind of usability that Word Perfect
5.1 for DOS did. Once you have memorised
the obscure keystrokes they become second
nature.

> <Snip>
> What I have got is a working DOSBox
> config file that lets me use Atrax in
> Win2K, and get 16MB of (emulated) EMS
> memory for it. Who needs hardware VESA
> and EMS support when you've got DOSBox :)

Thanks for that tip - I just looked up
DOSBox and I shall give it a go. ATM I am
running Easytrax in an exclusive window.
I have to close it down to reply to MSN
messages from the hor-knee teenage les-
bians that seem to keep sending me
things :S

http://www.airborn.com.au/layout/easytrax.html

Is the place where the VESA drivers are that
will get you 1600x1200. It also has some
links to tutorials but only on xxxxtrax

However - that does not help you with
manuals for schematic :(

If I find any online - I will post them.
Apart from that I can try sort though my junk
boxes at home to see if I still have some
lying around.

> I'm thinking about throwing together a
> little "project manager" for Autotrax/
> Schematic. A menu-driven thing that keeps
> track of projects and handles netlist
> generation/processing, Gerber-to-XGerber
> conversion, etc.

Well - keep me informed.

Though I will now be less in awe of you
doing "menu-driven" things now I have learnt
how easy win32-API programming is. (I never
should have been scared about the photo-
plotter software)