Printing PCB Layouts

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ClueLess

Guest
X-No-Archive: yes

I hope someone here can help me.

Easy-PC is a Printed Circuit Design program by Number One Systems. I
have their DOS (licensed) version but I am unable to print as I am no
longer able to get a HP Deskjet with a parallel port interface. None
of the print utils I get in the web can send the files to the USB
printer I have with me :-(

The Easy-PC Demo program, currently version 8, does not allow saving
but allows printing of the designs made under DOS. Small mercies :)

I am pretty good with the DOS version I have and definitely not
interested in re-learning the Windows version again and the
version 8 is too big an install for my small machine. And it is not
worth buying Version 8 just for printing alone !

I will be very happy to lay hands on one of the earliest version of
Easy-PC Demo for Win9x that permits printing to a Windows printer,
like the version 8. (The demo programs have been allowed to be freely
downloaded by Number One Systems. Currently only ver. 8 is available
on their website).

Can someone who reads this please let me have a download address of
an older version of Easy-PC fro Windows if it is available on the web
or post the program itself in the binaries group.

Many thanks in advance for your help.

ClueLess
 
ClueLess wrote:

X-No-Archive: yes

I hope someone here can help me.

Easy-PC is a Printed Circuit Design program by Number One Systems. I
have their DOS (licensed) version but I am unable to print as I am no
longer able to get a HP Deskjet with a parallel port interface. None
of the print utils I get in the web can send the files to the USB
printer I have with me :-(

The Easy-PC Demo program, currently version 8, does not allow saving
but allows printing of the designs made under DOS. Small mercies :)

I am pretty good with the DOS version I have and definitely not
interested in re-learning the Windows version again and the
version 8 is too big an install for my small machine. And it is not
worth buying Version 8 just for printing alone !

I will be very happy to lay hands on one of the earliest version of
Easy-PC Demo for Win9x that permits printing to a Windows printer,
like the version 8. (The demo programs have been allowed to be freely
downloaded by Number One Systems. Currently only ver. 8 is available
on their website).

Can someone who reads this please let me have a download address of
an older version of Easy-PC fro Windows if it is available on the web
or post the program itself in the binaries group.

Many thanks in advance for your help.

ClueLess
Load the program in a DOS partition, boot to Win95/98/98SE/NT/2K/ME
Click to expand...
and then shell to DOS (or CMD).
Log to the correct drive and directory for the program, and see if it
will run as you would like.
This will work if and only if they have not done any direct screen
I/O or other direct I/O.
If your GUI is set to default to a USB printer, i think that printing
will be directed correctly and work.
It does not hurt to try...
 
"Robert Baer" <robertbaer@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:teRte.7423$jX6.6495@newsread2.news.pas.earthlink.net...
ClueLess wrote:


ClueLess
Load the program in a DOS partition, boot to Win95/98/98SE/NT/2K/ME
and then shell to DOS (or CMD).
Log to the correct drive and directory for the program, and see if it
will run as you would like.
This will work if and only if they have not done any direct screen
I/O or other direct I/O.
If your GUI is set to default to a USB printer, i think that printing
will be directed correctly and work.
It does not hurt to try...
Click to expand...
*Every* DOS program for PCB layout wrote directly to screen hardware,
because BIOS and DOS screen functions were extremely limited and very slow.

However, the magic of Win9x is that even many such programs do work if
written for VGA displays. Windows actually catches the hardware accesses
and maps them to the GUI display windows.

Unfortunately, about half of the CAD programs took over the printer port at
the hardware level, and Win9x does not map those accesses

So you may be lucky with your program - or unlucky !

Roger Lascelles
 
Easy-PC for DOS is a bastard child. Try to shell to it out of any Windows
version and it hardlocks the machine; you have to boot to get out of it. If
you can't get in to it, you most certainly can't print out of it.

The only trick I've been able to use on some of my stuff that I created back
in the old days is to keep a small junker computer in the attic with DOS 6
on it and haul it out when I need to work with an old file.

It has been three years since I've done this and I don't even remember if
PC-for-DOS cranks out gerbers.

Jim



"Roger Lascelles" <despam_rklasl@aanet.com.au> wrote in message
news:1119350149.bcc0aed80b89412dc8c6963e0a9e8fed@teranews...
"Robert Baer" <robertbaer@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:teRte.7423$jX6.6495@newsread2.news.pas.earthlink.net...
ClueLess wrote:


ClueLess
Load the program in a DOS partition, boot to Win95/98/98SE/NT/2K/ME
and then shell to DOS (or CMD).


*Every* DOS program for PCB layout wrote directly to screen hardware,
because BIOS and DOS screen functions were extremely limited and very
slow.
Click to expand...
 
ClueLess wrote:
Easy-PC is a Printed Circuit Design program by Number One Systems. I
have their DOS (licensed) version but I am unable to print as I am no
longer able to get a HP Deskjet with a parallel port interface. None
of the print utils I get in the web can send the files to the USB
printer I have with me :-(
Click to expand...
I don't know if you can do this in Winblows but I have a similar
problem. I use and like Generic CADD, an old but good DOS program. It
does not have drivers for anything more modern than dot matrix printers
but it does have PostScript output.

So I have set up a virtual postscript printer that outputs to a file. I
then use GhostScript to print and/or convert to PDF or PNG and I can do
what I want with the results quite independent of the original source.
I have also found this useful when I run into a web site that won't let
me save. I haven't found one yet that won't let me print. :)

Ted
 
On Tue, 21 Jun 2005 06:59:01 -0700, "RST Engineering \(jw\)"
<jim@rstengineering.com> wrote:

The only trick I've been able to use on some of my stuff that I created back
in the old days is to keep a small junker computer in the attic with DOS 6
on it and haul it out when I need to work with an old file.
Click to expand...
Thanks to all those who tried to help.

The problem is that when printing to the USB printer, Windows
apparently uses a whole new approach and all the programs available on
the web purporting to print DOS program can do only text, definitely
not something like what Easy-PC saves as a .PRN file (Actually .L00)

Number One Systems started off with the DOS program and naturally
converted it to Windows so it is still able to use the old DOS designs
and send them to the Windows printer.

I have tried every means - including trying the print screen technics
but the result is not very accurate.

That is why I need the older version Easy-PC that can print and suit
my small computer. I cannot afford to buy Ver 8.0 for just printing
alone nor can I buy a bigger, faster machine to load it.

Thanks again hoping a solution will come my way soon.

ClueLess
 
On Tue, 21 Jun 2005 08:58:12 +0000, ClueLess <clueless@wilderness.org> wrote:

X-No-Archive: yes

I hope someone here can help me.

Easy-PC is a Printed Circuit Design program by Number One Systems. I
have their DOS (licensed) version but I am unable to print as I am no
longer able to get a HP Deskjet with a parallel port interface. None
of the print utils I get in the web can send the files to the USB
printer I have with me :-(

The Easy-PC Demo program, currently version 8, does not allow saving
but allows printing of the designs made under DOS. Small mercies :)

I am pretty good with the DOS version I have and definitely not
interested in re-learning the Windows version again and the
version 8 is too big an install for my small machine. And it is not
worth buying Version 8 just for printing alone !

I will be very happy to lay hands on one of the earliest version of
Easy-PC Demo for Win9x that permits printing to a Windows printer,
like the version 8. (The demo programs have been allowed to be freely
downloaded by Number One Systems. Currently only ver. 8 is available
on their website).

Can someone who reads this please let me have a download address of
an older version of Easy-PC fro Windows if it is available on the web
or post the program itself in the binaries group.
Click to expand...
I was going to suggest the list of supported printer types might include
postscript, as Ted did.

I use Protel AutoTrax (DOS) in a 98SE DOS box. Its printing is handled by a
separate program TraxPlot which includes a psotscript printer option. To get
good quality printing I use a laserjet (also supported) but for electronic
versions for emailing to clients the postscript route is the only one that
works. I print to postscript, then convert the file to PDF, which is irrelevant
to your situation - but it may provide another way to handle the PS output if
such a printer option exists.

Or I could sell you a very cheap DJ 690C ;-)
 
"ClueLess" <clueless@wilderness.org> schreef in bericht
news:1119344308.9ccb96c25899744296ed0821df12ec5f@teranews...
X-No-Archive: yes

I hope someone here can help me.

Easy-PC is a Printed Circuit Design program by Number One Systems. I
have their DOS (licensed) version but I am unable to print as I am no
longer able to get a HP Deskjet with a parallel port interface. None
of the print utils I get in the web can send the files to the USB
printer I have with me :-(

The Easy-PC Demo program, currently version 8, does not allow saving
but allows printing of the designs made under DOS. Small mercies :)

I am pretty good with the DOS version I have and definitely not
interested in re-learning the Windows version again and the
version 8 is too big an install for my small machine. And it is not
worth buying Version 8 just for printing alone !

I will be very happy to lay hands on one of the earliest version of
Easy-PC Demo for Win9x that permits printing to a Windows printer,
like the version 8. (The demo programs have been allowed to be freely
downloaded by Number One Systems. Currently only ver. 8 is available
on their website).

Can someone who reads this please let me have a download address of
an older version of Easy-PC fro Windows if it is available on the web
or post the program itself in the binaries group.

Many thanks in advance for your help.

ClueLess
Click to expand...

Don't know where you live but in the Netherlands old Deskjet printers are
almost given away. Saw them for E10 on marktplaats.nl. Didn't look on Ebay.

To run a USB-printer you need at least Win98. Only the last version of
Win95/ORC2 had limited USB support which was not very reliable. So do you
have a dual boot machine able to run both DOS and WIN98? As WIN98 is still
build on DOS, can you run Easy-PC on WIN98-DOS or in a DOSbox? On WIN98 you
can install whatever a printer you need for an LPTx port then capture that
port and redirect the print output to another printer or a file. I agree an
early windows version of Easy-PC would be a fine solution but if you can't
get it...

petrus bitbyter
 
"ClueLess" <clueless@wilderness.org> wrote in message
news:1119487919.2637e1354fa6cac33cdd794520390e49@teranews...
On Tue, 21 Jun 2005 06:59:01 -0700, "RST Engineering \(jw\)"
jim@rstengineering.com> wrote:

The only trick I've been able to use on some of my stuff that I created
back
in the old days is to keep a small junker computer in the attic with DOS
6
on it and haul it out when I need to work with an old file.

Thanks to all those who tried to help.

The problem is that when printing to the USB printer, Windows
apparently uses a whole new approach and all the programs available on
the web purporting to print DOS program can do only text, definitely
not something like what Easy-PC saves as a .PRN file (Actually .L00)

Number One Systems started off with the DOS program and naturally
converted it to Windows so it is still able to use the old DOS designs
and send them to the Windows printer.

I have tried every means - including trying the print screen technics
but the result is not very accurate.

That is why I need the older version Easy-PC that can print and suit
my small computer. I cannot afford to buy Ver 8.0 for just printing
alone nor can I buy a bigger, faster machine to load it.

Thanks again hoping a solution will come my way soon.

ClueLess
Click to expand...
Can it not print to a file ?
Im not sure if comercial parallel <-> usb devices exist or if they would
actualy transfer data in the direction you need.
can it print through the serial port ? if so maybe a serial <-> usb device
is a more available option ?

Colin =^.^=
 
On Thu, 23 Jun 2005 15:06:38 GMT, "colin"
<no.spam.for.me@ntlworld.com> wrote:

Im not sure if comercial parallel <-> usb devices exist or if they would
actualy transfer data in the direction you need.
can it print through the serial port ? if so maybe a serial <-> usb device
is a more available option ?
Click to expand...
Oh, I have tried all sorts of things, including every program in the
web that boasts about sending the PRN file to the USB Printer.
Actually they can send only text files and one or two of them the PS
files. My files are Laserjet files with the L00 extension

The handling of files sent to the LPT is a whole lot different than
the one used for the USB printer.

My considered opinion is that Easy-PC is the only suitable answer.

By the way I cannot buy a new, faster machine nor buy a laserjet just
to print a few Easy-PC DOS files. Again getting an earlier, smaller
version of Easy-PC Demo seems to be the answer.

Thanks

ClueLess
 
On 25 Jun 2005 22:23:06 -0700, "JeffM" <jeffm_@email.com> wrote:

If I understand you correctly, you have a DOS program
which should come with a driver for a PostScript printer.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your suggestion.

The manual says "Easy-Lase is a utility program which takes Printed
Circuit Board and Schematic files created by Easy-PC and converts them
into HP-PCL format to drive a HP LaserJet II"

That gives me a thought - is there a utility that can convert HP-PCL
to PS format ?

ClueLess
 
ClueLess wrote:

That gives me a thought - is there a utility that can convert HP-PCL
to PS format ?
Click to expand...
You can certainly convert HPGL to PS- use Ghostscript/ GSView with the
appropriate plugin. IIRC the original DOS Easy PC used to produce a
wildly pessimised plotter output that battered pen tips into submission
within minutes.

Paul Burke
 
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