EASYTRAX - AUTOTRAX - TRAXMAKER   General Information.

BACKGROUND info as to the production
of this CADROM Disc of Components

LATEST INFORMATION

The CADROM3 is NOW finished and orders can now be accepted
Many more components have been added so as an artwork can
be a work of art, plus other misc progs. will be on the CD.


CADROM 3x is basically finished to my satisfaction,
so I will let CADROM 3a. be released now
with orders now being taken
with the provisio that 6 months after purchase
and you using all the other libs,
that you can send back to me your CADROM 3a
plus $10.oo and I will post back to you a newer CADROM 3b CD.

RCSTRAX0.pcb page is to show you HOW the style &
format of these library components will be presented
to you on the CD-ROM, so please send me an email and ask for
the RCSTRAX0.pcb page to be sent to you before you hand
over your dollars for a CD-ROM, many of which DO NOT KNOW
its contents, as there will be NO refunds so you cannot copy
the CD then try to get a refund from myself, also ask for
RCSINDEX.pcb as that shows you the approx spread of comps
These Comps are meant for A/W designers using anyone
of the PROTEL stable of programs, EASYTRAX, AUTOTRAX,
TRAXMAKER and those 'a/w creator' programs PfW.

I just looked at one of the pages, and it seems I started this
Don Quixote quest some 22 years ago, hmmm, I must be getting old,
It is rather amusing that many folks have written up articles in various
electronics magazines, all based on my ramblings, and did not even
bother to change the sequence of procedures, half your luck.

many CADROM 2 CD's that went out earlier, a problem arose in as much
that I wrongly thought that it would be mostly used by 'early Designers
but it appears that when original purchasers of CADROM 2 actually sent
their designs away to other commercial board makers  to be made and
a small item I was not aware of is that when RCS Radio makes circuit
boards, and the customer wants a Component Code (white writing)
we at RCS always use a NEW Screen, but it appears most other makers
in the commercial board making arena, DO NOT, as we all use
UV IMAGE-ABLE INK + use a blank screen, then wash and re-use
many, many times, with the result they cannot 'sucessfully' screen
5 thou Comp. Code Outlines, (we can, as we use a new screen, every time)
so
starting from RCSTRAXA.lib, I have gone through, and exploded every component
then redrawing it in 8 thou, as anyone with a 2nd hand silk screen can handle 6-7 thou
and as 15+ thou outlines are stupid for trying to see the copper tracks underneath
when doing the design on the VDU, so I re-did all the comps in 8 thou.
Sorry for the delay, but this and the idiots in the UK, giving me metric dimensions
for 'D' connectors, (how bloody wrong they are and 1 large USA comp. maker)
this has meant re-doing correctly the entire 25+ libraries of comps.

I reckon it WILL BE ALL FINISHED for release Oct 31 2008

those with the CADROM 2 (a-k) CD's have been contacted to
return and a Quick $10.oo exchange-over to CADROM 3a

I have spoken to many of my fellow designers overseas discussing this problem
and a 'group nine' decision in British Mil. and the US Mil depts. now appear that
a defacto standard has been settled on the sizing of Comp. Outlines, so,
it seems first timers (home brewers) etc use (ghastly) 15+ up to 25+ thou Outlines
where-as us 'old hand' Professionals NOW use 8 thou Outlines
because if 10+ thou or greater is used then it is very HARD to see the
TOP / BOTTOM copper trackwork on the VDU in the midst of
a few LARGE EXCESSIVE Component Outlines but
8 thou is easier to see through the 'fog of many layers of trackwork'.

Since 1984, RCS has generated many libraries for the PROTEL fold
beginning with the old RCSCOMP1.Lib to RCSCOMP9.Lib, well, a new
lot is being generated now to use commercially and on CNC Drills.

  THIS CD ROM is now released with AUTOTRAX / EASYTRAX and RCS Libs
plus many CAD utilities, AMPTRACK.exe, LEDRCALC.exe, more . . . . .

CAD 1 Libs (on Floppy) & 2 have been released for 15+ years,
but CADROM 3x will have the item libraries completed
(as far as one can go) for CNC Drilling eg.
all in 8 thou outlines, so as to permit better
Consistant Screened Component Code outlines
Please DO NOT Copy and be silly enough to get
those copies given back to me for updates.

It is pleasing to see the Libs turning up in England, Russia,
USA, Italy, Europe as some designers have sent them
to me to manufacture many S/S , D/S, PTH circuit boards

The CD Rom (CADROM3x) will be ready for orders as of Nov 1 2008
with a unique burn I.D. number, this will permit legitimate owners to have
updates when I make mention updates are now available if ever wanted,
for the cost of $10.oo to cover a new CD Rom and return Pack & Postage.

I realise the ROM may be copied by anyone, that does not bother me, but
I will NOT be offering an update service to copies, only legitimate owners
when returned for updating or the adding of a new 'customer' component
and quoting the unique CD-ROM number that is automatically put on as
it is copied off the master hard disc and written up in my legit ledger.

The CD-ROM has accompanying it a simple A4 Plastic folder/binder
showing you, the artwork designer, ALL the designed components and
as to what library it is in, A=AXIAL to Z=ZIF sockets so you can see
what it looks like before you 'P.C.' Place Component , it will be sent out
by registered mail, so it does not seem to 'dissappear' easilly in transit.
 

The CADROM 3 will cost $80.oo plus (GST) for Aust sales plus
$6.oo Exp. Reg. Postage, and it has been tested
on 386, 486, Pentiums, DOS 3.3, Win 3.1x, DOS 6.2x, Win 95, Win 98x, XP,
This price now covers local Aus GST, and or overseas airmail, so same price.
meaning EASYTRAX, AUTOTRAX does work on all systems, tested so far.
(I may be shot here by the Win. purists, but XP is really Win 98 3rd Edition

NOTE: After one of my opposition artwork designers called in
one day seeking a 'component he needed' and saw the intended
contents of the actual ROM, he then convinced me that after the 1st
10 copies of CADROM 3a have been sold, with verifiable numbers
the price of the CAD ROM of Components plus misc stuff should rise
to $100.oo plus GST for Aust Sales and $6.oo Reg. Express Postage
(even my opposition wants to purchase one)
because of the obvious 1000's of hours used to make all libs.

SEND in your ORDER NOW with MONEY ORDER or CHEQUE etc
as the 'package' is READY to GO (in a few days).

Release date, I am sure, will be (for) sales pre Dec 1 2008

My PROTEL libraries are drawn very exact, but in all reality, they can never
be fully up to date, if any new comps. come to the attention of a designer,
then please (snail mail the comp.) and send it to me, so an update can be
effected and the overall Protel component library can be updated for all.

One fly in the ointment was the 'D' connectors, one of my mates in U.K.
said he thought my 'right angled connectors' were wrong pad footprint,
so I deleted them and re-checked, with the annoying results, . . . . . .
I was RIGHT and he was very WRONG, he foolishly trusted
the reputable U.K. Comp. supplier's data sheet (drafted in metric)

Several CAD makers supplying libraries DO have it WRONG, and very wrong
so after rechecking all my comps, D9, D15, D25, D37, D51, D15HD (vga)
I know mine are all now correct, and they are drop & plop.

oh, if any person out there knows what piece of software I can get
so as in case I ever make up a LINUX hardrive,
I will want to use a DOS emulator, so I can run my
AUTOTRAX in Linux, (red-hat, ubuntu whatever) in LINUX-DOS.

I use DOS for CAD, mainly because of screen redraw speed as a
DOS Pentium 1 (win 98se) is still faster than a Pentium 4 in Windows XP
at simple CAD VDU redraw of a complex circuit board
 

I welcome your feedback comments (Bob Barnes)

Oct 31  2008

end of file

oh, an Artwork 'Creator' is one who uses AUTO PLACEMENT of Comps.
then uses NETLISTS to AUTO ROUTE all the Track connections etc.
but an ARTWORK 'DESIGNER' decides on where the Components GO
and does the TRACK to TRACK ROUTING by 'skill' and makes all the
connections 'Point to Point' the best 'NO LINKS used' METHOD
Possible, there are lots of 'CREATORS' they are a dime a dozen
BUT Real Artwork Designers are few and far between, it is a SKILL
I often get un-educated 'dolts' thinking GIF, JPG images are used
to manufacture Circuit Boards, I am sure that most of those folks cannot
even write their own name let alone actually 'DESIGN' a circuit board
Any CAD aspirant can be 'CREATOR' but very few of them can 'DESIGN'.
Remember RULE 10, NO more than 10 Links per board, if possible.

all for now, Bob Barnes