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EZPLACE.DOC
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EZPLACE HELP FILE
Version 3.10
SEPTEMBER 6, 1991
Leading Edge Industries
2120 Myrtle Avenue
St Paul, Minnesota 55114
(612) 645-5254
and
101 Eagle Drive
Balsam Lake, Wisconsin 54810
$TOF
THE PURPOSE OF EZPLACE
EZPLACE is a program designed to allow ANYONE to enter parts,
placements and geometries of existing or custom Wire Wrap boards
and Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs). EZPLACE has several purposes:
o Simplify entry and reduce errors inherent in placing
parts on pre-pinned wire wrap boards.
o Allow users to place components where THEY want them.
The data created by this program allows Leading Edge to deliver
to the user a Wire Wrapped assembly or PCB. The user should:
o Specify a board geometry or template
o Specify board outlines and keep-out areas
o Create special parts
o Place parts where desired
o Send the data to Leading Edge
EZPLACE was written by Rod May in 1990. Dan Stover and Greg
Volk modified it in 1991 to include Library Part Creation,
Excellon Board Template Input, Redac Output, Keep Out Areas,etc.
$TOF
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. INTRODUCTION
1. License to Use
2. About Leading Edge
3. Free Updates
4. Hardware Requirements
5. Definitions
II. USING EZPLACE
1. Setup
2. Files
3. Operation
III. MENU REFERENCE
1. [A]DVANCED MENU
2. [F]ILE MENU
3. [K]EEP OUT MENU
4. [L]IBRARY MENU
5. PART COMMANDS
6. CURSOR AND MAGNIFICATION COMMANDS
IV. BOARD TEMPLATES
1. Sources
2. Format
3. Example
V. LIBRARY
1. Definition
2. Supplied Library Parts
3. Creating Library Parts
4. Editing Library Parts
5. Duplicating Library Parts
6. Removing Library Parts
7. DON'T INITIALIZE LIBRARY
UNTIL YOU READ THIS!
$TOF
VI. PLACING PARTS
1. Locating
2. Rotating
3. Inserting
4. Deleting
5. Moving
VII. KEEP OUT AREAS
1. Definition
2. Placing 'Keep Out' Lines
3. Uses for 'Keep Out' Lines
VIII.OUTPUT
1. What is Redac?
2. Redac Output
3. Net Lists
IX. FUTURE
1. Board Templates
2. Net List Entry
3. Off-Grid Parts
$TOF
I. INTRODUCTION
1. License to Use
There are NO restrictions on using EZPLACE! You may
use it for Personal, Commercial or Industrial purposes.
You may give it to ANYONE (including competitive
companies) as long as the credits are displayed when
it is executed.
You will note the output is in ASCII, Redac format,
possibly the most common interface specification known.
No attempt is made to make use of the output difficult,
please use it.
2. About Leading Edge
Leading Edge Industries are Minnesota Corporations
with Corporate offices in St Paul, MN and manufacturing
plants in St Paul, MN and Balsam Lake, WI.
Leading Edge Design (LED) produces PCB designs,
layouts and custom software in response to an engineers
manual or CAE design.
Leading Edge Assembly (LEA) is a quality vendor of Quick
Turn and production volume Wire Wrap assemblies. LEA
does board stuffing, mechanical and electronic assembly
and miltary subcontracting. LEA claims 7 Vertical, 3
Horizontal and 5 Semi-Automatic Wire Wrap Machines.
Leading Edge Circuits (LEC) produces Quick Turn and
small production quantities of Printed Circuit Boards
(PCB) for a wide range of customers and usages. LEC
fabricates PCB boards, down to 5 mil lines and up to
10 layers.
If you need it done, Leading Edge can do it!
3. Free Updates
Write or call Leading Edge with your Company, Name,
Address and Telephone Number and we'll mail you free
updates and bug corrections.
There are more board templates available, if interested
please call. If you have a board template you wish to
make available to the world, send it in.
4. Hardware Requirements
A. IBM PC 512K minimum memory
B. Floppy disk drive or method of transferring files
C. Hard Disk drive
D. EGA or VGA monitor
5. Definitions
A. CURSOR
A cursor indicates where attention is currently
being focused. For the purposes of EZPLACE a
part acts as the cursor, the default being a one-
pin 'TPOINT', shown as a white box. When you
[C]hange Part, say to a 14-pin DIP, the new part
becomes the cursor and is shown in white. Power
(Light Red) and Ground (Light Cyan) pins are shown
to aid placement. Position the cursor where you
want to [I]nsert parts onto the board.
In [L]ibrary Mode the cursor is the next pin to be
placed and in [K]eep Out Mode the cursor is the next
'Keep Out' Line to be placed.
B. SCROLL
While positioning a part or drawing a line, Pin 1
of the part or cursor might go beyond the viewport
on screen. In this case the board is redisplayed
with Pin 1 of the cursor centered on the screen.
C. ZOOM
The viewport on screen shows up to 20 x 20 inches
of the board. Since this looks small on a CRT, a
magnification factor ranging from 2 (whole board)
to 16 (chip level view) dots per 100 mils has been
included. Change the magnification with [Shift]
PgUp/PgDn and [A]dvanced [M]agnification keys.
$TOF
II. USING EZPLACE
1. Setup
Create your directory by typing MKDIR EZPLACE
Move to that directory by typing CD EZPLACE
Prepare to use easy place by then typing
'pkunzip a:\ezplace'. This will load all necessary
files into the directory "EZPLACE" as well as a
"DEMO" design.
2. Files
There are several file types generated at one point
or another in the EZPLACE process:
A. *.BRD and *.GRD files are the Excellon (Text) and
binary formats of board templates.
B. LIBRARY.BIN contains the library parts. [F]ile
[R]estoring from the floppy archive overwrites
this file, therebye deleting any custom parts
which were not present when the archive was created.
C. *.JOB files hold the actual EZPlace parts data.
At this time the user is allowed 1000 parts per
design.
D. *.KOA files contain the 'Keep Out Area' lines and
'Board Outlines'. At this time the user is allowed
1000 lines per design.
3. Operation
A. If you desire a specific board template, assure that
the *.BRD template file is in your directory. If no
Board template is specified, EZPlace will assume all
grid locations are valid for placement. See BOARD
TEMPLATES(IV) for how to create a *.BRD Excellon file.
B. Type 'EZPLACE'.
C. Place your board or print on a convenient surface,
COMPONENT side up.
D. Establish a reference point (0,0) at the UPPER
LEFT corner of your board. This point should be on
a 100 mil grid, but need not be an actual pin. ALL
placed pins must be below and to the right of this
point as EZPLACE uses only positive coordinates.
E. To begin a new JOB enter the desired Board Template,
if you want one (see Step A), selected from the
[F]iles [B]oard menu entry. Please note that the
Board Template is optional and exists to only to aid
the user.
OR...
To load an existing JOB use the [F]iles [L]oad or
[F]iles [M]erge menu entries. The Board Template
formerly assigned to the job will be loaded.
F. If creating a new design use the [K]eep Out Menu to
draw a board outline.
G. [C]hange cursor to the first part you wish to place
or do a [L]ibrary [C]reate Part if the specified part
does not yet exist.
H. Move the cursor part using the arrow keys or shifted-
arrow keys and the [R]otate option. Use [I]nsert Part
to place a part at the current cursor position and the
[D]elete and [M]ove Part options to alter previously
placed parts. Continue placing, using [C]hange Part to
get a new Library Part.
I. After placing all parts on the board use the
[K]eep Out Menu to enter your 'Keep Out Lines'.
Note that these 'lines' need not describe a closed
figure.
J. Save the JOB using the [F]iles [S]ave option.
Enter a new job name or confirm the old name.
K. After completing the job, use the [F]iles [A]rchive
option to save all relevant files to a floppy. Send
this floppy to Leading Edge for wrapping or layout.
Please note that only one job may be archived per
floppy disk. Only the last job archived on a floppy
is available for use.
$TOF
III. MENU REFERENCE
1. [A]DVANCED MENU
[I]nitilize LIB
Delete ALL existing parts from the library with
the exception of the 'TPOINT' part. BEWARE!
[M]agnification
Set the magnification factor directly (from 2 to
16 dots per 100 mils).
[P]rint Menu
[B]oard Description
Print a graphical representation of the board
template onto a generic printer.
[M]anual Print
Prints this manual to LPT1.
[E]pson Printer
Print the board on an Epson printer.
[8]0 Column Printer
Specifies 80 column printer.
[1]32 Column Printer
Specifies 132 column printer, default value.
2. [F]ILE MENU
[D]elete Job
The *.JOB and *.KOA files are deleted from Disk.
[L]oad Job
Input *.JOB and *.KOA files.
[M]erge Job
Input *.JOB and *.KOA files to current job.
[S]ave Job
Output *.JOB and *.KOA files.
[A]rchive
Copy all required files to floppy disk. The
disk then may be sent to Leading Edge for Wire
Wrapping or PCB Layout.
[R]etrive Archive
Bring data in from an archive floppy and put it
into the current directory. Display the job.
[B]oard Template
Input *.BRD Excellon Board Template file.
[W]rite Template
Output current template to *.BRD Excellon file.
[O]utput Redac
Output the *.CDI Redac file.
3. [K]EEP OUT MENU
[I]nsert Line
Enter the cursor line as a 'Keep Out' and begin a new
line at the movable end.
[D]elete Line
Delete the closest 'Keep Out' line to the cursor.
[BACK]up Line
Delete the last 'Keep Out' line entered.
[CR] New Line
Move the fixed end of the cursor line to the movable
end, thus allowing a new line to be entered.
4. [L]IBRARY MENU
[C]reate Part
Create a new library part from scratch.
[D]uplic Part
Duplicate an existing part and edit the copy.
[E]dit Part
Edit the selected library part. Addition pins may
be added as in [C]reate or existing pins deleted
with the backspace key.
[R]emove Part
Remove a library part from the library. BE CAREFUL!
5. PART COMMANDS
[C]hange Part
Highlight cursor device type using the arrow keys
and Select it with [CR]. The new cursor device type
will be used each [I]nsert Part until changed again.
[D]elete Part (also [DEL])
Highlight device to delete using the arrow keys and
Select it with [CR]. Confirm the deletion.
[I]nsert Part (also [INS])
Place a new part at the current cursor location and
name the part. The part will not be placed if any
portion of the part is outside the placement area
or if the name is already used on the board.
[M]ove Part
Highlight device to move using the arrow keys and
Select it with [CR]. Use the arrow keys and [R]otate
Part to reposition and [I]nsert Part as above.
[R]otate Part
Rotate the cursor part 90 degrees clockwise.
[BACK]up Part
Delete the last device entered.
6. CURSOR AND MAGNIFICATION COMMANDS
[->] and all other arrows
Move the cursor 1 pin in the arrow direction.
[Shift] [->] and all other arrows
Move the cursor 10 pins in the arrow direction.
PgUp/PgDn
Increase/decrease magnification incrementally.
[Shift] PgUp/PgDn
Increase/decrease magnification by 2.
Home/End
Refresh the display centered on cursor/center.
[Shift] Home/End
Zoom all the way in/out.
$TOF
IV. BOARD TEMPLATES
1. Sources
a) If you desire a custom board template, then you must
first design a part or parts which results in the desired
hole pattern, duplicate that part where needed, adding
it and other parts until all the holes on the custom
board exist.
To save this template then you enter [F][W] and give the
new *.BRD file a name; for example "BILL". EZPlace will
write a file "BILL.BRD" which may be used ever after as
your Wire-Wrap Board Template.
The board you described may be either one you purchase
or Leading Edge can fabricate and pin or socket that
board for you. [F][A] produces all the files to send
Leading Edge for a quote to be generated.
b) If you desire a specific board, drilled, socketed or
pinned you place parts until all the holes on the custom
board exist and all parts are in place.
To save this template then you enter [F][W] and give the
new *.BRD file a name; for example "BILL". EZPlace will
write a file "BILL.BRD" which may be used ever after as
your Wire-Wrap Board Template.
The board you described may be either one you purchase
or Leading Edge can fabricate and pin or socket that
board for you. [F][A] produces all the files to send
Leading Edge for a quote to be generated and the board
built.
c) If you have a fully pinned board or complete confidence
(snicker,snicker) in your measurements, the default
grid is there waiting for you.
$TOF
2. Format
You can also hand enter a board template using the
following format. All normal Excellon punctuation is
acceptable, but not required. The default format for
EZPLACE is Leading Zeros, two integer places:
o X 1" Y 2" entered as X010Y020
o X 1.5" Y 2.1" entered as X015Y021
o X 0.1000" Y 0.2000" entered as X001Y002
3. Example
X001Y001
X002
X003
X004
X001Y002
X002
X003
X004
$TOF
V. LIBRARY
1. Definition
The library is a collection of Supplied and Custom part
types from which the user selects the cursor, which in
turn is used for part placement. Magnification will be
initialized to 16 dots per 100 mils in library mode.
2. Supplied Library Parts
EZPLACE is shipped with a supplied library composed of
Single Inline Packages (SIP) and Dual Inline Packages
(DIPS) of various sizes. The normal makeup of the
default library will be SIPs from one(1) to forty(40)
pins, DIPS from six(6) to forty(40) pins. The user may
not edit or delete these parts.
From version to version this library may change,
therefore you should keep the old versions of EZPLACE
when a new one arrives. The library structure may be
different and your old design could have problems.
Each new primary version (3.xx,4.xx,5.xx) will remain
compatable and should have its own directory.
3. Creating Library Parts: [L]ibrary [C]reate
Using the arrow keys, position the cursor pin and press
[INS], [I]nsert, [P]ower or [G]round. The cursor becomes
part of the device and an incremented cursor is positioned
in the same direction as the last arrow key pressed.
If you make an error, [D]elete/[DEL]ete the last pin
placed. Press [ESC] to finish and confirm the new part.
When you add a Library Part, it will appear at the end of
the displayed list of available parts.
The part pins MUST be on a 100 mil grid. If you need
to place an off-grid part, create a part which takes
up the same space as this and has the same number of
pins. Add a note to the files sent regarding the exact
part description. This will be added into your board.
4. Editing Library Parts: [L]ibrary [E]dit
Much the same as creating a new part, except you start
where you left off last time.
5. Duplicating Library Parts: [L]ibrary [D]uplic
A cross between creating and editing a part. Select an
existing part, name the new part as in [C]reate and edit
as in [E]dit.
$TOF
6. Removing Library Parts: [L]ibrary [R]emove
Move the arrow to the part you want to delete, press
[CR] and presto, it's gone. EZPlace will check that
you have no parts on the current board of this type.
You must use caution with this option since you may
have boards not currently loaded which use this part
type. You cannot delete the supplied library parts
with this option (see Initialize Library).
7. DON'T INITIALIZE LIBRARY UNTIL YOU READ THIS!
The entire Parts Library is stored in a file called
LIBRARY.BIN. If for any reason this file disappears,
you will have only the TPOINT part to work with.
[L]ibrary [I]nitialization develops a completely new
Parts Library and will destroy ALL but the TPOINT part.
You should use this option ONLY for unusual situations
and place your new LIBRARY.BIN in a special directory.
$TOF
VI. PLACING PARTS
1. Locating
Once a part has been [C]hanged from the Parts Library
selection menu, it appears in the placement window as
a rectangular box with pin one indicated by a small
square. This is your cursor. Use the arrow keys and
[Shift] arrow keys to position the cursor and PgUp/PgDn
or [Shift] PgUp/PgDn to increase/decrease the
magnification.
2. Rotating
Press [R]otate to rotate the cursor part 90 degrees
clockwise about pin one.
3. Inserting
Once the part properly located, press [I]nsert to fix
it at that location. Then respond to the part name
prompt (U01,P3,R16,etc).
4. Deleting
Press [D]elete and select which part to delete from the
parts menu. Confirm your deletion with [Y]es.
5. Moving
To Re-place an existing part use [M]ove Part and select
which part to move from the parts menu. Then move or
[R]otate the cursor as before, remembering that the next
time you [I]nsert a part, it will move the part you
just selected to the current cursor location. You can
type [ESC] to leave the part where it was.
$TOF
VII. KEEP OUT AREAS
1. Definition
Every board has some area in which wires are not desired,
even if merely the extents of the board itself. The
EZPlace 'Keep Out' capability allows the user to exclude
wires from entering restricted areas, thereby controlling
wire placement.
2. Placing 'Keep Out' lines
Using this feature requires that you:
o Enter [K]eep Out mode from the Main Menu
o Use the arrow keys for cursor movement
o Use [Shift] PgUp/PgDn for magnification
o [I]nsert/[INS]ert 'Keep Out' when positioned
o [D]elete/[DEL]ete the last 'Keep Out' entered
o [ESC] to return to the Main Menu
Please note that the lines are kept with the JOB, not
the board template. This allows different 'Keep Out
Areas' on the same physical board.
Don't overdo the 'Keep Out Areas'. You could make it
IMPOSSIBLE to build the board! If this is done, you'll
be hearing from the programming group.
3. Uses for 'Keep Out' lines
One obvious use is to keep wires from going over an area
where something exists that might hinder assembly or
cause reliability issures in the future.
Another usage is to use just a single line, not a 'Keep
Out', but rather a 'Don't Cross' line. This is useful
to make the finished product look neater, control the
direction of wires leaving a connector, isolate a noisy
section of the board, etc.
Leading Edge's Wire Wrap program will not allow a wire
to touch any 'Keep Out' line. Vertical 'Keep Out' lines
tend to make the wires follow vertical channels, but too
many lines tend to make wire lengths longer.
$TOF
VIII.OUTPUT
1. What is Redac?
The Redac CAD system is one of the oldest CAD systems
available in the US. As such, Leading Edge Assembly
selected it to be the output format for EZPLACE.
At LEA information from EZPLACE is read directly into
a Redac CAD system for plotting, error checking and
output to the Wire Wrap program.
2. Redac Output
When this is selected, from the [F]iles option, a Redac
*.CDI file is generated which is an initial data file
for the Redac system. A new job is created in the
Redac CAD system and the input is error checked and
brought up for display and plotting.
An incidental benefit to this is that since Leading
Edge Assembly has a sister company, Leading Edge
Design, which does PCB layout, the output from EZPLACE
is also direct input to the Layout group. The users
board can be turned into a PCB at a 25% cost reduction
over other options. This is because the user has
already specified the components and locations,
reducing the designer's work.
3. Net Lists
The Redac Netlist format is:
.REM NET23 { Net Name }
U01 1 U02 2 U03 3 U04 4 { Any Number of Pins }
U04 4 U05 5 U06 6 { Continuation line }
U06 6 U07 7 { Duplication OK }
.REM NET24 { Start of new net }
U22 2 U23 3
.REM POWER
Alpha pin designators are allowed but discouraged.
Although Redac format is preferred, a netlist in any
format is acceptable, for example:
o OrCad o ViewLogic o Valid
o PCad o Mentor o Calay
o Case o Daisy o FutureNet
$TOF
IX. FUTURE
1. Board Templates
There are plans to indicate Power(Red) and Ground(Cyan)
pins on the board templates to aid proper placement.
2. Net List entry
Facility will be added to enter, check and transmit
Power/Ground/Signal nets. This will aid layout and
Wire Wrap of the boards and reduce production times,
errors and programming cost significantly!
3. Off Grid Parts
Some faculty will be added to allow parts which either
are placed on a location which is not on a 100 mil
grid, or has pins which are not on a 100 mil grid.
For now, enter the correct number of pins, make a part
which takes up the correct amount of space, and send a
part description with the floppy for fabrication.