Hi, there,
I am learning TraxMaker and would like to know how you indicate an electric connection between two points (say #1 on a DIP8 and #5 on a DIP16) in TraxMaker, and then let TraxMaker automatically place the trace(s)?
Whenever I tried to link to two in TraxMaker, it seems that I placed a manual trace on the PCB - something I do not want to do.
Help please.
BTW, Tango (DOS version) was that much easier.
I am learning TraxMaker and would like to know how you indicate an electric connection between two points (say #1 on a DIP8 and #5 on a DIP16) in TraxMaker, and then let TraxMaker automatically place the trace(s)?
Whenever I tried to link to two in TraxMaker, it seems that I placed a manual trace on the PCB - something I do not want to do.
Help please.
BTW, Tango (DOS version) was that much easier.
You can use CircuitMaker to do the drawing. Then you press a button and it exports netlist + footprint information to TraxMaker and starts TraxMaker automatically. You can then choose to show or hide nets. The show unrouted only option is particularly useful. There is of course autorouting as well, but the usefulness is not very good unless you do more or less smart placement of components and tweak the settings so that you get good results. The key is component placing, and sadly, TraxMaker does not seem to use a strategy worth considering for that. Still, I personally believe that the combination of CircuitMaker/TraxMaker (i.e CircuitMaker 2000) is very potent. Autoplacement that works is something I have only seen in Protel, and I don't really want to go up that VERY STEEP learning curve.
One thing which is interesting is that you can change the CircuitMaker diagram afterwards and import into TraxMaker (In CM File: Export Netlist, go to TM and save file, clear internal netlist and import new (without components). I have not found a way to add components so you have to be very careful what you do so you don't spend a few days working on it and find you have to work manually to add more stuff (so add components that you might need ....). When you do projects, do the same thing that you would if you were to eat an elephant. Cut it up into small pieces (the circuit), lay them out so they are relatively rectangular (eat them) and hook them together with a new "net" later)
Other programs that might be of interest to you include Eagle. This might be intersting since CircuitMaker does not seem to get priority in terms of upgrades (the company that bought them probably owns a lot of overlapping real estate including their flagship Protel). I personally suspect they bought them because they were either getting too good at a low price, or because they wanted to include some of the groundbreaking simplicity into Protel.
Petter
One thing which is interesting is that you can change the CircuitMaker diagram afterwards and import into TraxMaker (In CM File: Export Netlist, go to TM and save file, clear internal netlist and import new (without components). I have not found a way to add components so you have to be very careful what you do so you don't spend a few days working on it and find you have to work manually to add more stuff (so add components that you might need ....). When you do projects, do the same thing that you would if you were to eat an elephant. Cut it up into small pieces (the circuit), lay them out so they are relatively rectangular (eat them) and hook them together with a new "net" later)
Other programs that might be of interest to you include Eagle. This might be intersting since CircuitMaker does not seem to get priority in terms of upgrades (the company that bought them probably owns a lot of overlapping real estate including their flagship Protel). I personally suspect they bought them because they were either getting too good at a low price, or because they wanted to include some of the groundbreaking simplicity into Protel.
Petter
Peter, thanks for your post.
Is there anyway to drop the connections (like in netlist) in TraxMaker? or do I have to use CircuitMaker to generate netlist?
Is there anyway to drop the connections (like in netlist) in TraxMaker? or do I have to use CircuitMaker to generate netlist?
millwood said:
From the "Route" menu, click on "Pad-to-Pad Without Net". Now, when your cursor is over a pad it will be highlighted white. Click on the first pad, and while holding the button down, move your cursor over to the second pad, then release the button. TM should make the conection for you.
Hope this helps.
seangoesbonk,
wouldn't that be actually making the traces on the board?
What I am looking for is (electronic) connections, like those in a netlist. so that I can use autoroute to generate traces.
wouldn't that be actually making the traces on the board?
What I am looking for is (electronic) connections, like those in a netlist. so that I can use autoroute to generate traces.
Hi!
Just for the record:
I'm still using Tango in DOS!
Works fine and is very, very easy to work.
Pedro Martins
Just for the record:
I'm still using Tango in DOS!
Works fine and is very, very easy to work.
Pedro Martins
millwood said:
Okay, I'm assuming you know how to autoroute already? If you don't let us know...
Okay, you can create a netlist with a text editor. For example, for a DIP8 AD797 would look like if you connected pin8 to pin1. And pin7 to pin2. And pin6 to pin3. And pin5 to pin4. The netlist would look like this:
[
U1
DIP8
AD797
]
(
NET1
U1-1
U1-8
)
(
NET2
U1-2
U1-7
)
(
NET3
U1-3
U1-6
)
(
NET4
U1-4
U1-5
)
Or the easier way that I prefer is to make a netlist from a traxmeker pcb file:
Draw a pcb up in traxmaker using the method I mentioned before (because you don't care exactly where the tracks go). Once you have the very messy pcb drawn, you can click on "Make Netlist" from the "Netlist". Pick the format of netlist you want, and then save it.
Does this help you out?
audioPT said:
Pedro: I couldn't agree with you more.
seangoesbonk: yes, I know how to autoroute (at least I think I do, 🙂). It seems that when you do pad-to-pad route sometimes TraxMaker wouldn't make certain connections (couldn't find a trace?).
Looks like I will have to use other software to generate netlist and then autoroute in TraxMaker.
I wish I still had my Tango.
Petter said:
I couldn't agree more. On a relatively large board I recently made I used the autoplace/autoroute method on, all similar components were grouped on the board! I actually ended up using the autoplace function, dragging the parts around to where I wanted them, and then manually routed each pad using the "show net on pad". The manual method can make a pretty tight layout that Traxmaker would have not otherwise have done with the autoplace/autoroute.
I was hoping they'd have updated the software in the last 2 years, as it is a little rough in some spots. I guess it isn't high on the priority list. 😡
Regards,
Mark Broker
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