If I'm not mistaken, Easytrax was/is a wing-clipped program that Protel offered as a freeware version of Autotrax. It is a culled down version of Autotrax, having a select number of track widths, pad sizes, etc.
It is also quite possible (though I haven't any of the original disks to confirm) that the v3.03 that the original poster was talking about was just that, v3.03 of the original PCB layout program, not, in fact, the Windows v3 program, which is an entirely diffeent beast. aj >-----Original Message----- >From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Abd ul-Rahman Lomax >Sent: Saturday, May 13, 2006 10:09 PM >To: Protel EDA Discussion List >Subject: Re: [PEDA] Converting Very Old Protel V3 PCB Files > >At 01:17 PM 5/13/2006, Henry Ford wrote: >>Well, see, I know that it is Protel because: >> >>a. I bought the software from the original Australian company, and >> >>b. When it opens, it says: >> >>Protel-PCB Layout System V3.03 >>Protel Systems Pty Ltd (c) 1986,1987 >>Distributed by HST Technology Pty Ltd > >I'm fairly well puzzled. Easytrax, fresh download from Altium, >opens with Protel Eastytrax 2.06 and copyrights are 1988,1989,1990. > >Apparently there was a Protel program before Easytrax. Never >heard of it before. Researching it on the web, I get even more >confused. >Autotrax was a more advanced program, at least as marketed in >the U.S., quite similar to Tango Series II PCB from Accel. > >Accel had been the U.S. rep for Easytrax, selling it as Tango, >and apparently decided that there was money in it, the way I >heard it, and ran a crash program to create Tango Series II, >which, amazing coincidence, was quite similar to Autotrax. >Took some time for Protel to recover its U.S. market.... > >Grubbing around Google, I found a U.S. engineer had a resume >with a course he had taken: Protel PCB Layout(Protel 1996) > >Clearly there *was* an early "Protel" program; I find that >Protel, founded in 1985, was marketing a PCB layout system in >the U.S. by 1986. So this is, indeed, pre-Easytrax. (Or >Easytrax was this program renamed, but the rev numbers would >have gone backwards.) > >Easytrax, and later versions, begin with a version number. The >format, however, looks similar to what is quoted below. It's >not impossible that Easytrax would read these files. Easytrax >is all over the web, and you can get it from Altium, as well >as Autotrax. That's where I'd look. > >An example of how Easytrax opens: >PCB FILE 5 >COMP >R7 >AXIAL0.4 >4k7 > 855 2922 60 3 10 7 > 935 2922 60 3 10 7 >800 2875 1 1 2 >CP >800 2875 62 62 1 30 4 13 >1 >CP >400 2875 62 62 1 30 1 13 > >To make the plot thicker, so to speak, the file creation date >for this file was 1985, even though the Easytrax executable >provided by Altium was dated 1990. Maybe it was recompiled then.... > >And Autotrax: >PCB FILE 4 >COMP >R66 >RES.4T >RES.4 > 755 4450 60 1 10 7 > 755 4450 60 1 10 7 >1200 4500 0 0 2 >CP >800 4500 50 50 1 30 1 13 >2 >CP >1200 4500 50 50 1 30 1 13 >1 >CT > >Notice that the Autotrax file has an earlier version number >than the Easytrax file. Both these files are demo files >included with the programs in the downloads from Altium. These >file formats certainly look identical, at first glance, but, >of course, there may be differences in detail. > >The formats below look, possibly, more primitive. But >Eastytrax might handle them. I'd assume that if Easytrax was >the next generation Protel software, it would load the >previous files, or a converter would have been provided. > >But the files may, quite simply, be Easytrax files. Worth trying. > >By the way, Protel Advanced PCB version 2 is available for >download as a demo, version 2.5 I think it is. Will load >existing files, will only edit files below a certain size. > >>I opened up three files with my handy-dandy text editor and these are >>the first few lines: >> >>PCB #1 (each file chosen at random, by the way) >> >>616 >>20 3055 278 4425 1 137 0 >>20 3055 276 4325 2 137 0 >>20 3055 276 4225 3 137 0 >> >>PCB #2 >> >>1544 >>20 4030 514 3750 3 137 0 >>20 4210 514 3750 1 137 0 >>20 4120 514 3750 2 137 0 >> >>PCB #3 >> >>809 >>20 5865 514 4535 3 137 0 >>20 6015 514 4535 2 137 0 >>20 5940 514 4460 1 137 0 >>11 5940 125 4535 12 135 0 >>30 5810 5810 4560 4590 135 0 >> >>Further on down, they each get into component specs, for example: >> >>D4 >>LED-V >>Small LED >>6435 5690 6705 5825 81 15 6470 5725 >> >>Regards >>Yvet >> >>--- Abd ul-Rahman Lomax <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> >> > If the files are older than Autotrax and don't load into Autotrax, >> > something is wrong. Before Autotrax, in the beginning, when the >> > world was new, was Easytrax, also called Tango Series I in the U.S. >> > Autotrax would have recognized an Easytrax file (though >there might >> > be a special load process, I was not an Autotrax user, except for >> > the demo version, which I used to develop a Tango Series II - >> > Autotrax converter (in both directions). >> > >> > But version 3? Version 3 would be later. Just before Protel 98. >> > >> > So when you open the files with a text editor, what do you see at >> > the top? >> > >> > Is it a binary file or an ASCII text file? Early versions *only* >> > came as ASCII text files. >> > >> > In short, what makes you think that these are Protel files? >> > >> > >> > >> > >>____________________________________________________________ >> > You are subscribed to the PEDA discussion forum >> > >> > To Post messages: >> > mailto:[email protected] >> > >> > Unsubscribe and Other Options: >> > >>http://techservinc.com/mailman/listinfo/peda_techservinc.com >> > >> > Browse or Search Old Archives (2001-2004): >> > >>http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] >> > >> > Browse or Search Current Archives (2004-Current): >> > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] >> > >> > >> >> >>__________________________________________________ >>Do You Yahoo!? >>Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around >>http://mail.yahoo.com >> >> >>____________________________________________________________ >>You are subscribed to the PEDA discussion forum >> >>To Post messages: >>mailto:[email protected] >> >>Unsubscribe and Other Options: >>http://techservinc.com/mailman/listinfo/peda_techservinc.com >> >>Browse or Search Old Archives (2001-2004): >>http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] >> >>Browse or Search Current Archives (2004-Current): >>http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] > > > >____________________________________________________________ >You are subscribed to the PEDA discussion forum > >To Post messages: >mailto:[email protected] > >Unsubscribe and Other Options: >http://techservinc.com/mailman/listinfo/peda_techservinc.com > >Browse or Search Old Archives (2001-2004): >http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] > >Browse or Search Current Archives (2004-Current): >http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] > > This e-mail transmission and its attachments may contain information from Avtron Manufacturing, Inc. that is proprietary, privileged and/or confidential and is intended exclusively for the person(s) to whom it is addressed. Any use, copying, retention or disclosure by any person other than the intended recipient or the intended recipient's designees is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately by return e-mail and delete all copies. ____________________________________________________________ You are subscribed to the PEDA discussion forum To Post messages: mailto:[email protected] Unsubscribe and Other Options: http://techservinc.com/mailman/listinfo/peda_techservinc.com Browse or Search Old Archives (2001-2004): http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] Browse or Search Current Archives (2004-Current): http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]
