Main Index
SuperCAD (Lite) Help Contents

Getting Started with SuperCAD

Step-by-step instructions to help you get started in using SuperCAD

Reference

Detailed description of menu operations, use of the keyboard and other information

Technical Support


Technical Support

Technical support can be obtained by calling or writing Mental Automation at:

5415 136th Place SE

Bellevue WA 98006

(425) 641-2141

(425) 649-0767 (FAX)

You can also access the latest information and bulletins on our products at our Web Page:

http://www.mentala.com


Getting Started

Tutorials:

Loading and Viewing a Schematic

Drawing a Schematic

Other Useful Topics:

How to Customize the Title Block

How to Make Reference Designators Read Right-side Up

How to Print Shaded Schematics

How to Re-name IC Parts

How to Use SuperCAD with Word Processing Software


How to Re-name IC parts

You can re-name parts with "U"-type designators by simply double-clicking on them to get the edit-part dialog box. Then, just enter the new name in the value field and click on the OK button. The new name will appear at the location of the old one. For example, you can re-name a D7474 as a 74ALS74 by doing this. Note that the location of the name is set in the original part file by the location of the "p?" string.


How to Wire Signals Between Schematic Sheets

Wiring together different sheets in a design can be simple if you remember one tip: use the same signal name on different pages. For example, if you have clock generator on page 1 of a schematic whose output signal is labeled CLK, you can wire it to a terminal on page 2 by simply labeling the terminal CLK.


How to Print Shaded Schematics

To print more attractive schematics with shaded parts on a black and white printer, such as a LaserJet, turn parts shading on. This is done in the GENERAL dialog in the SETUP menu. Set MONO as the color scheme. Then print in color mode


How to Make Reference Designators Read Right-side Up

If you rotate a part the designator will rotate with the part. To make the designator read horizontally, double click the part so you get the EDIT PART dialog; check the FIX control and then click on the OK button.


How to Use SuperPCB with Word Processing Software
How to Use SuperCAD with Word Processing Software

You can import a drawing from SuperCAD into documents produced by software such as Microsoft® Word or WordPerfect® by using the clipboard. To do this, first load your document into the given word processor. Then enter edit mode in SuperCAD and draw an edit box around the drawing in question; be sure to enclose the object origins. Enter Ctrl Ins on the keyboard. Next, go back the to word processor software window and place the cursor at the location where you want the artwork. Enter Shift Ins (or click on PASTE in the EDIT menu of the word processor).  After pasting the drawing, you can typically re-size it and adjust the position in the word processor.

You can also clip drawings into drawing and paint packages such as Microsoft Paint or Corel PHOTO-PAINT!™ by using the same method.


Loading and Viewing a Schematic (Tutorial)

Loading a Schematic

To get a feel for the system, we will load a sample schematic from the local subdirectory. First click on FILE on the Menu bar, and then click on OPEN. A file/directory dialog box will appear as follows:

Now load the schematic RTIME by clicking over RTIME.PIC in the Files list box to highlight the name, and then clicking on the OPEN button. You can also just double click over the name to load the file.

The example schematic RTIME we just loaded is an "A" size schematic (you can check this by looking at the title block, the status line on the bottom, or by looking at DRAWING SIZE in the SETUP menu.).

Moving Around a Schematic

To change the view of the schematic, try clicking on VIEW in the menu bar; then click on ZOOM IN. This will expand the drawing scale (make everything larger). Next click on ZOOM OUT in the VIEW menu; this will contract the drawing scale (make everything smaller), so you can see more. You can also, click on SCALE in the VIEW menu, and choose a drawing scale ranging from 25% to 600%. You can separately use the PgUp key to zoom in and the PgUp key to zoom out; the display is always zoomed about the current cursor position when you use the keys.

You can view the entire schematic (if you are zoomed in) by clicking on Draw to Fit in the VIEW menu. When you do this, you get a view window rectangle centered about the cursor location. If you move this rectangle to a section of the schematic you want to view and then click, the screen is redrawn with the original area in the rectangle now filling the whole drawing window.


Drawing a Schematic (Tutorial)

Important Keys on the Keyboard

ESC	Use this key to re-draw the screen

F7	(Undo) Use the F7 key in case you accidently do something you do not really want

(such as, place a library part at a location, erase a line, etc.)

Creating a new Schematic

To start a new schematic, click on NEW in the FILE menu. This clears the screen so that we can start a new drawing. If there is any work already on the screen, you will be prompted to save it. The default name for a new schematic is untitled. Change the name by clicking on SaveAs... in the FILE menu. Enter a name of up to 8 characters; you do not have to add an extension. Then click on the OK button. The new name will now show up in the SuperCAD window title bar and also in the title block of the schematic.

Placing Parts

The example schematic requires 6 different kinds of parts: a D74192 decade counter, a D7406 inverter, a resistor, a LED (diode), a push button, and a ground symbol.

To load the D74192, click on the library button [image]. Select the GENERIC library in the library dialog box and select the D74192 from the part section. You will have to slide the scrollbar button to find the part. When you find it, click once on it and click on the OPEN button. Then place the cursor at the center of the screen and click; the part will be placed there. Note that the reference designator is U0; this will be updated later. Next load the other parts (GENXX\D7406, DEVICE\LED, DEVICE\PB2, DEVICE\HRES, and DEVICE\GND) and place them as shown below (in the completed schematic):

When all the parts have been placed, you should give each part a unique reference number; this is required if you use the netlist utility. To set the reference numbers click on REF NO in the AUX menu. A dialog box will then appear allowing you to select whether the operation is for one part or for the whole drawing page. If the whole page option is selected, just click on the OK button. The drawing window will be redrawn, showing all parts with updated designators. Note that the REF NO dialog box also gives you the option of numbering the parts one at a time; if you choose this, just click over each part and then enter the number in the prompting dialog box.

Note that you can also place frequently used parts by selecting them in the PARTS BIN window, dragging them and dropping them on to the schematic. The parts bin can hold up to 20 parts.

Wiring the Schematic

To wire the parts together, click on the LINE object button [image]. Then go to the endpoint of each terminal that needs to be wired and draw  horizontal and vertical line segments to the connecting terminal(s). To draw each line segment just push the left mouse button at the first point and then drag the new line point to the second location (and then release the button). Do not use diagonal lines.

Adding Net Names

In SuperCAD net names are optional, since the netlister (not available in this limited version) will give each unique net a default net name. However, you may want to name at least some of the nets so that the function of a circuit is more clearly understood. For example, you may want to call a clock line CLOCK, and a set of memory address lines A0-A11. In the example schematic, we have explicitly named two nets CLEAR and VCC. To name these nets click on the text button (or push the "t" key), place the cursor on one of the lines making up the net and click; enter the net name (CLEAR or VCC) and then push the Esc key. You should be in snap-to-grid mode.

Note that VCC is a standard name, which refers to the digital IC +5 power supply. Although you cannot see these pins on the IC's in the schematic they are in the database. When the netlister extracts the netlist it connects any terminals connected to a signal "VCC" to the IC +5 power. The same is true for signals attached to the ground symbol (GND part); they are all attached to the IC ground terminals by the netlister.

Saving the Schematic

After working on the schematic you should periodically save it by clicking on the SAVE item in the FILE menu.


How to Customize the Title Block

You can customize the default title block, supplied in the file TITLE.PIC, by editing it using SuperCAD drawing commands. The file is loaded using the OPEN command (section Open Command), the same as any other drawing. You can change text in any of the title block boxes, but do not change any of the keywords: "date", "size","title", or "sheet". These are keywords used by SuperCAD when it automatically updates the associated parameters on the schematics. Also, do not move the title block drawing on its drawing sheet; this will cause misalignment of the title block on a given schematic (when the title block is aligned properly, the upper left corner of the block is exactly at the library part reference location----this is marked with a small rectangle if the border display is enabled.

Note that TITLE.PIC is only accessed once at start-up time by SuperCAD; thus if you modify the file, the modifications will not be seen until you exit SuperCAD and then restart it.

Also note that you are limited to lines, arcs, rectangles, and text in the title block.

The default title block is shown below:


Reference

Edit Operations

Operations Accessible from Menus

File Operations

View Operations

Style Operations

Setup Operations

Auxiliary Operations

Others

Drawing Objects

Keyboard Interface

Buttons


File Operations

Open Command

Save and SaveAs Commands

Print

Exit


Save and SaveAs Commands

The SAVEAS operation allows the current drawing to be saved in a specified file. To start the operation, select SAVEAS from the FILE menu; a dialog box will then appear with the current (default name: "UNTITLED" if you just started) filename shown in an edit box. If you want the default name to be the save filename, click on the OK button; otherwise, enter the desired filename and then click on the button. The current drawing will then be saved in the specified file.

If you want to save the current drawing using the current name, just click on the SAVE menu item in the FILE menu.


Load Command
Open Command

To perform both directory and load operations, first access the FILE pull down menu and then click on the OPEN menu item. When the OPEN item is activated, the .PIC extension filenames and sub-directory names are read from the current directory and displayed in a dialog box. Up to 8 file names and 6 sub-directory/drive names can be displayed at one time, and you can view more names by utilizing the scroll bars. If you are in a sub-directory, there is an entry (the first entry) denoted as "..". To load a file or change a directory, first select an entry by clicking over it with the mouse; the selected entry will be highlighted. You can also use the up and down cursor keys to move through the menu items. Next click over the OPEN button. If the entry is a filename, the associated file is then loaded and displayed. If the entry is a sub-directory, the current working directory is changed to this directory, and the contents of the resulting directory are again displayed in the popout menu. If you click on the entry "..", you will change the current directory to the parent of the directory. You can move around the entire directory of a given drive in this manner, by simply selecting directories (including "..") and clicking with the left mouse button.


Print Operation

To print the current drawing page, select the print function from the FILE menu. This will activate the print dialog box.

You can change printer setups such as paper orientation and print out quality by clicking over the SETUP button. Generally you want to choose LANDSCAPE orientation.

You can select a different printer by scrolling through the printer list box and highlighting the printer name; only printers previously installed will show up in the list box.

To print in color check the COLOR control box. Be sure to set appropriate colors if you are printing in color, and note that the background color is always white no matter what the screen background is. Some color combinations will not work very well. For example, the NEON color scheme, which has yellow  lines and a black screen background will not show up well on paper with a white background. The AMERICAN color scheme is a good choice for color printing.

To initiate the actual printing, click over the OK button.


Exit
Exit SuperCAD

Clicking over EXIT in the FILE menu (or pushing the Alt+F4 key) ends the current SuperCAD session. Various settings, including color setups, utility menu setups and others are saved in the SUPER.INI file.


Drawing

Lines and Arrows

Rectangles

Rounded Rectangles

Triangles

Circles and Ellipses

Arcs

Connector Dots

Text

Library Parts

Editing Library Parts


Lines and Arrows

To draw a line or arrow, first select the line or arrow function from the tool bar. Move the cursor to the first endpoint and drag to the other endpoint. The line or arrow is drawn as you drag.  Lines and arrows that are constrained to be only vertical or horizontal will be drawn if the limit option is set to "on". The limit option is chosen in the GENERAL item of the setup menu.

Lines and arrows can optionally be selected by entering "L" or "W" respectively on the keyboard.


Rectangles

To draw a rectangle, click on the rectangle button in the tool bar. Move the cursor to the desired location of the first corner of the rectangle; then drag to the desired opposite corner location of the rectangle. The specified rectangle will be drawn. as you drag with the mouse. The rectangle is drawn using the current outline styles, thickness, and fill patterns set in the STYLE menu.

Rectangles can be selected by entering "R" on the keyboard.


Rounded Rectangles

To draw a rounded rectangle, click on the rectangle button in the tool bar. Move the cursor to the desired location of the first corner of the rounded rectangle; then drag to the desired opposite corner location of the rectangle. The specified rounded rectangle will be drawn. as you drag with the mouse. The rounded rectangle is drawn using the current outline styles, thickness, and fill patterns set in the STYLE menu.

Rounded rectangles can be selected by entering "Q" on the keyboard.


Triangles

To draw a triangle, click on the triangle button in the tool bar. Move the cursor to the desired location of the first corner of the rectangle; then drag to the desired opposite corner location of a (imaginary) rectangle which will enclose the triangle. The specified triangle will be drawn. as you drag with the mouse. The triangle is drawn using the current outline styles, thickness, and fill patterns set in the STYLE menu. Note that, although you are limited to drawing isosceles triangles going to the left or right, you can rotate the triangles to any angle after the initial one has been drawn. Triangles can be used for amplifier symbols, diodes (with a solid fill), and others.

Rectangles can be selected by entering "Y" on the keyboard.


Circles and Ellipses

To draw circles or ellipses, click on the ellipse button in the tool bar. Move the cursor to a point which will be the center and then drag to the desired circumference of the ellipse or circle. The ellipse is drawn using the current outline styles, thickness, and fill patterns set in the STYLE menu.

You can optionally enter "E" to select circle or ellipse objects.

Note that the aspect ratio (ratio of vertical to horizontal diameters) of the ellipse is set in the STYLE menu.


Connectors
Connector Dots

Connector symbols (solid dots) are drawn by first clicking on the connector button in the tool bar. After this, each time you click in the drawing area of the screen, a connector symbol is drawn at the cursor location.

The "C" key optionally selects the connector object.

Connectors are typically used for connecting line or library part terminal endpoints to midpoints of lines.


Text

Entering text is accomplished by selecting the text function from the tool bar, moving the cursor to the desired location, and clicking. At this point, the text entry is accepted from the keyboard. You can enter text in either overtype mode or insert mode; toggle between the modes by pushing the INS key (a message on the dialog line will tell you what mode you are in. If a carriage return (using the IBM ENTER key) is given, text entry occurs one character below the current line, at the horizontal position of the initial click. Exit from text mode is accomplished by using the ESC (escape) key. A text element on one line can have up to 80 characters.

If you want to reedit a previously entered text element, click over the element. The text cursor will appear at the location of the nearest character in the (line) element.

The font size and type are selected using the FONT selection function in the STYLE menu section.

Optionally, the text function can be selected by entering "T" on the keyboard.

If you are entering text which needs to be read as a signal name by the netlister program NLST, make sure that the origin lies near the associated line.


Arcs

SuperCAD allows generation of quarter-ellipse arcs. To enter an arc that connects two points, first select the arc function by clicking over the arc button in the tool bar. Then place the cursor at the first point and drag the cursor to the second point.

Note that you can make a half-ellipse arc by joining together two quarter ellipse arcs.


Library Parts

Direct Access

To draw a library part, click on the library button on the tool bar. A library dialog box will then appear with the path set to the library sub directory (LIB). Select the part by clicking over its entry in the part list box; you may have to change libraries to find the part you want. Click on the Load Part button; the dialog box will disappear. Then move the cursor to the desired location for the part and click or drag. The part will then be drawn on the screen. Note that when you drag the part you just see the part outline.

Using the Parts Bin

Common and frequently used parts are found immediately in the Parts Bin window. These include the following discrete parts:

HRES	resistor (horizontal)

HCAP	capacitor (horizontal)

GND	digital ground

AGND	analog ground

VCAP	capacitor (vertical)

VRES	resistor (vertical)

To move a part from the parts bin window, simply click once on it to select it, and then drag it on to the schematic.

You can customize the selection of parts in the parts bin by using the DELETE and ADD items in the EDIT menu. To delete a part, first highlight it, so that it is highlighted. Then click on DELETE in the menu. To add a part click, on ADD in the menu, and the select a part from the resulting library dialog display. The new part will show up in the parts bin window. Note that a maximum of 20 parts can be placed in the window.


Editing Parts
Editing Library Parts

You can change any characteristic of a part by entering EDIT mode and double-clicking over the given part, which causes a dialog box to appear.

Characteristics that you can change include:

reference designator

part instance

value

pinout (through-hole or surface mount)

symbol type (NORMAL or DE MORGAN)

part package

part rotation/mirroring

These characteristics are changed by entering the appropriate value in the associated edit box (reference designator, instance, & value) or by using the radio buttons (pinout and symbol selection).

The HIDE checkbox allows the reference designator to be hidden (not displayed) while maintaining its value. For example, if you have a resistor R15 in the schematic and check the HIDE checkbox, then "R15" is not displayed on the screen or on a print out. However, it will show up on the netlist if you wire the resistor to other components.

The FIX check box forces the reference designator and value field to be displayed horizontally, regardless of the part rotation. Also, if the part is flipped vertically, then all text associated with the part remains horizontal.


Edit Operations

Entering Edit Mode

Single-object and Group Edits

Move

Copy

Erase

Rotate

Mirror

Vertical Flip

Origin

Undo

Change

Clipboard Operation

Move Reference Designator

Bring-to-Bottom

Bring-to-Top

Scale


Bring-to-Bottom (Ctrl B)

This operation changes the drawing order of objects, and can be used to insure that a given object is drawn before other objects. To do the operation, first select the (single) object; then enter Ctrl B on the keyboard. As an example, consider writing text inside a filled rectangle, as in the following:

If the text is drawn first and then the box, then the text will be obscured; moving the rectangle to the bottom will make the text visible.


Bring-to-Top (Ctrl T)

This operation changes the drawing order of objects, and can be used to insure that a given object is drawn after other objects. To do the operation, first select the (single) object; then  enter Ctrl T on the keyboard.


Scale (Ctrl S)

This operation can be used to re-scale diagrams and library parts (but not both). To do the scaling you simply select the objects in the diagram in group mode and enter Ctrl S. You then obtain the following dialog box:

Enter a scale factor for both the x and y  directions as a percentage and then click on the OK box. The selected objects will then be rescaled by the scale factors. The first point entered for the edit rectangle serves as the origin for the scaling operation. Note that text and library parts in a diagram are not re-scaled. You can, of course load a library part directly through the FILE menu (or by using the EXPAND button in the edit part dialog box) and then scale it.

When re-scaling library part drawings you should use integral scale factors (e.g., 200%, 300%) and keep the edit part corners on the grid; this way all terminals will stay on the grid.


Undo Operation

The undo operation is used to undo the last edit operation (move, copy, delete, etc.) or to remove the last object added to a drawing.


Center Operation

This operation centers the viewing window over the drawing and redraws the screen. After this operation, the scroll bars will be centered in each of the scroll bar regions. You can do this operation either via the F4 key or by clicking over CENTER in the VIEW menu.


Change Operation

To change any style (including font style) of an object, first select the object or group of objects. Then select the new style or font from the menu(s).


Clipboard Operation

To copy objects to the clipboard, first select them in GROUP mode, and then click over COPY in the EDIT menu; you can also enter "Ctrl Ins" on the keyboard. To paste objects from the clipboard, place the cursor at a desired screen location and enter "Shift Ins" on the keyboard.  The objects will then appear in the drawing, enclosed in an edit rectangle; you can now drag the objects to a final location, or just click outside the rectangle to accept the position.


Entering Edit Modes
Entering Edit Mode

The edit functions are accessed by first entering edit mode. To do this, simply click the right mouse button, or click over the edit button (having the dashed square) in the toolbar menu. Once in edit mode you generally start the edit operation by selecting one or more objects; objects are selected by clicking over them or by drawing an edit box around them.


Edit Modes
Single-object and Group Edits

The following commands can be used in either single or group edit mode:

move, erase, copy, mirror, rotate, and change.

The edit mode is selected automatically, depending simply on where you place the cursor. If you place the cursor over an object (on the boundary in the case of a rectangle) and click, you select the object in single object mode. The following objects are highlighted with "handles" when they are selected:

lines

arcs

rectangles

ellipses & circles

arrows

The "handles" provide selection points for re-sizing or stretching the associated objects.

Other objects including connector dots, text and library parts are highlighted with a dotted rectangle.

If you start dragging at any point of the screen where there is no object, you enter group mode. An edit rectangle, shown with dashed lines, is started, with the first corner at the initial point. To select a set of objects, you drag the second corner of the edit rectangle so that it encloses the origin points of the objects.

Note that all objects in a drawing have a unique origin point; this point is always the first point entered by clicking or dragging with the leftmost mouse key. Once an object has been drawn on the screen, its origin point can be located by clicking over the ORIGIN button. All area-oriented (group) edit commands are referenced to the origin point of each object.


Move Reference Designator

The reference designator of a library part can be moved by first selecting the part in edit mode. When the part is select, it is highlighted with a dashed rectangle around the part and a smaller rectangle about the designator. To move the designator, drag inside the smaller rectangle. Note that designators can only be moved if the part is oriented in orthogonal directions (0, 90, 180, and 270 degrees).


Move Operations
Move Operation

To move a single object that has been selected, simply move the mouse cursor over it and drag it to the new position. If the object has handles (e.g. the line object) and you drag over these, then the associated endpoint or corner is moved, and the object is stretch or resized.

To move a group of parts that have been selected, drag inside the edit box. Note that if there are more than 10 objects, only the first 10 are shown while dragging; this speeds up the dragging operation.


Copy Operations
Copy Operation

The copy operation works just like the move operation, except that you hold down the SHIFT key while dragging or placing the selected objects.


Erase Operations
Erase Operation

To erase one or more selected drawing objects, click over the ERASE button or push the DEL key on the keyboard.


Rotate Operation

Rotation through a fixed angle

To rotate selected objects through a fixed angle increment, click over the rotate button in the tool bar. In single-object mode, objects are rotated by the fixed angle about their origin point. In group mode, the selected objects will be rotated about the center point of the edit box. The value for the angle of rotation is by default +90 degrees (counter-clockwise).

Rotation by dragging

One or more objects can be rotated through any angle by first selecting them in group mode. To start the rotation, click on the border of the edit box. Two handles will then appear: a pivot point handle and a rotation handle. An example is shown below:

The pivot handle is marked with the circle, and the rotation angle is marked with a small rectangle and double arrow. To rotate, drag on the rotation handle rectangle. Swivel the handle about the pivot point; at the desired angle, release the mouse button. Note that the rotation only occurs in steps specified by the current angle increment setting (by default 90 degrees).

You can change the pivot point by dragging it prior to the rotation.

Setting the angle increment

The angle increment is fixed at 90 degrees in the limited version of SuperCAD.


Mirror Operation

The mirror operation works nearly the same as the rotate operation (see last section), except that objects are reflected about a vertical line. In the case of library parts, the vertical line goes through the origin. After selecting the object(s) click on the mirror button to do the mirroring.


Vertical Flip Operation

You can flip a single object or group of objects by first selecting the object(s) and then clicking on the vertical flip button. A single object is flipped about a horizontal line going through its origin. In group mode object(s) are flipped about a horizontal line going through the center of the edit box.


Origin Operation

The origin operation is used to identify the origin points of the objects in a drawing. To use the origin function  click over the origin button in the tool bar. The SuperCAD software will then draw an origin symbol (a small circle about the origin point) for each object shown on the screen


Draw to fit

To use the draw-to-fit operation, click on the draw-to-fit button in the tool bar; then click anywhere in the drawing window. The entire schematic will be scaled and displayed within the drawing window (draw-to-fit mode). Move the cursor to a location in the drawing you wish to zoom in on; click, and the display will be drawn in normal size, centered at the cursor position of the click. If the cursor position was near a drawing edge in the fitmode display, the centering in the zoomed display will be limited by the display borders.

The draw to fit operation provides an easy way to move around in a large drawing, particularly if your drawing size is B or greater.


Keyboard Interface

Object Entry Keys (Summary)

B............Enter bus.

C............Enter connector dot.

E............Enter ellipse.

K............Enter Arc.

L............Enter line.

Q............Enter rounded rectangle

R............Enter rectangle.

Y............Enter triangle.

T............Enter text.

W............Enter arrow.

Function Keys

F1........................Enter Help Mode

F2........................Enable parts bin

Alt+F4.................Exit Program

F3........................Toggle automatic wiring mode

F4........................Center schematic

F5........................Access library menu

F6........................Change part instance

F7........................Remove last object

F8........................Clear schematic

F9........................Enter edit mode

F10......................Toggle snap-to-grid mode

Edit-Mode Keys (Require Object(s) to be Selected First)

Control Ins........Send objects to clipboard

Del.....................Delete objects

Other Keys

A........................Toggle pinout mode (SURFACE or THROUGH-HOLE)

ESC....................Re-draw/clear edit mode

HOME................Move to library origin point

U.........................Toggle rubberband mode

PgUp...................Zoom in (magnify)

PgDn...................Zoom out (reduce scale)

Shift Ins...............Paste objects from clipboard


Buttons

The tool bar region contains two groups of buttons. The left group is used for selecting library parts or drawing objects (e.g., lines, rectangles). The right group selects edit operations (draw-to-fit, erase, rotate, etc.).

The individual buttons are defined as follows:

 text object	 draw-to-fit

 arrow object	 enter edit mode

 rectangle object	 erase

 rounded rectangle	 rotate

 triangle	 mirror

 line object	 vertical flip

 ellipse object	 origin

 connector object

 arc object

 library object


Setup Operations

Drawing Size

Clipboard

Grid Size

Library Part Defaults

Color Selection

General Setup


Clipboard Setup

This section of the SETUP menu allows you to select either STANDARD (metafile) format or BITMAP format for clipboard operations. The metafile format allows high-quality images if a drawing is pasted into another application from SuperCAD. The bit map format, however, while not as high a quality allows more detail to be pasted; for example, the grid dots.


Drawing Size
Drawing Size Selection

To select a drawing size, click over the DRAWING SIZE menu item in the SETUP menu; a cascade menu will appear listing drawing sizes A and B. The letters select standard drawing sizes defined as follows:

A size11" x 8.5"

B size17" x 11"

Click over the associated menu item to select a new size. Immediately, on choosing the drawing size, the screen will be re-drawn to reflect the new size.


Library Part Setups

The LIBRARY PART item of the SETUP menu selects a dialog box from which you can choose the following (default) library part features:

Package type---Through-hole or surface mount

Symbol---Normal or DeMorgan

Hide Ref.---Hide reference designator display

Hidden pins (with "z" indicators)---Hidden or visible

Part outline---ON or OFF

Note that the first three selections only apply to the currently active part, which is the last part loaded.


General Setups

The GENERAL item of the SETUP menu allows you to specify the following options:

option	choices

limit	on, off

border	on, off

grid	visible/clear

grid snap on/off

route	on, off (SuperCAD+ only)

rubberband	on, off

page breaks	on, off

rulers	on, off

units	English or Metric

starting file	re-load last file edited, or none (when SuperCAD starts)

double clicks	disable or enable use of double clicking to edit object properties

part shading	disable or enable background shading of library parts

button help	disable or enable help display for the toolbar buttons

sounds	disable or enable certain sounds (e.g., parts bin open/close sound)

To do the setup operation, move the cursor to the given option and click the check box or radio buttons. Then click on the OK button of the dialog box.

Note that if double clicks are disabled, you can still edit object properties by first selecting the objects and then clicking over the objects with the right mouse button.

If the part shading check box is checked, then rectangles, triangles and/or circles within library parts will be shaded. The shading color is chosen in the color menu.


Drawing Scale

This section of the VIEW menu allows the drawing scale to be set in a range from 25% to 600%. You can do any schematic entry operation (including editing and object placement) at any of these scales.


Grid Size

This section of the SETUP menu allows the grid size to be set to four possible sizes denoted as 1, 1/2, 1/3, and 1/6. The default grid size (1) is one tenth of a ruler inch, which is 9 pixels at 100% scale. This size allows you to snap easily to library part terminals. The other grid sizes (1/2, 1/3, and 1/6 of the basic size) are useful for making parts using the SuperCAD editor. To change the current grid size click on the GRID  menu item, and then click over the desired grid size option in the cascade menu.


Editing

If you click over the EDITING menu item of the SETUP menu you get a cascade menu which allows selection of an edit mode. There are essentially two edit modes:

edit all objects

edit one class of objects

The default mode is to edit all objects. If you select one of the other modes to edit just one class of objects---for example, lines---then you can only select, move, copy, or erase, etc. objects of the given class.  The other objects become "invisible" with respect to the selection operation. This facilitates schematic editing when you have several type of objects (for example lines and text in library parts) at the same position on the drawing.


View Operations

Drawing Scale

Zoom in/Zoom out

Center

Draw-to-fit


Zoom Operation
Zoom in/Zoom out Operations

The zoom in operation allows you to increase (magnify) the drawing scale by one step; for example, from 100% to 150%. If you click on the ZOOM IN item in the VIEW menu, the drawing is increased in scale about a point in the center of the current drawing window. You can also zoom in about any point on the screen by moving the cursor to that point and pushing the PgUp key.

The zoom out operation allows you to decrease the drawing scale by one step; for example, from 150% to 100%. When the drawing scale is decreased you see more of the drawing. If you click on the ZOOM OUT item in the VIEW menu, the drawing is decreased in scale about a point in the center of the current drawing window. You can also zoom out about any point on the screen by moving the cursor to that point and pushing the PgDn key.


Font Selection

The font selection operation allows you to change font size and font style. Fonts can range from 8-point sizes up to 72-point sizes, except for the STANDARD font (default) which can be just 8-point.

To set a specific font and size, click over any font type in the typeface list box; then select the size in the Size list box. You can also select italic or bold styles by choosing these from the font style box. Click on the "OK" button to confirm the selection. The font selection remains in affect until a new selection is made.


Color Selection

In color video modes you can choose any one of 32 colors for the following:

drawing window background

drawing window objects (all text, lines, etc.)

rulers

grid

connector dots

library parts

part terminals

edit mode

oscilloscope and analyzer window colors

You select the color for an item by first clicking on the color square of the item, and then clicking over one of the 32 color squares at the top of the dialog box. You can set any number of colors at one time. Note that not all colors can be used together. For example, if you choose RED for the drawing window and RED for the edit color, you can't see text that is being edited.

You can select a set of colors by choosing a color scheme (e.g. "BLUES2") from the color scheme list box. If you want to save your own scheme, first select the "CURRENT" color scheme, make the color adjustments, and click on OK. Then, when you exit SuperCAD, these color selections are saved in SUPER.INI to be used the next time SuperCAD is started. Otherwise, if you select one of the other color schemes (such as "BLUES2"), it is used the next time SuperCAD is started.

You can set individual colors for objects such as lines and rectangles, by selecting the "Object takes CURRENT color" mode, and by choosing a color for CURRENT. When you do this and draw subsequent objects, the CURRENT color is assigned to the object and stored with it when a schematic is saved. Note that if you load a schematic that has objects with individual colors, you must first set the color mode in the color menu, in order to view the colors.


Auxiliary Operations

Enter Reference Number

Enter Value

Find Text or Reference Designators

Replace text

Enter Auto-incremented Text

Check Schematic Page


Reference Numbers
Enter Reference Number

This operation allows you to assign reference numbers to library parts. The operation can be performed on one part, or automatically on every part of a selected category (for example, IC parts) on a given drawing page. To initiate the operation, click over the "ref no." function in the AUX pull down menu. A dialog box will then appear allowing you to select whether the operation is for one part or for the whole drawing page. If the whole page option is selected, enter either ALL or the reference letter type corresponding to the part type. For example, for ICs, you enter "u"; for resistors and capacitors, you enter "r" and "c" respectively. After selecting the category, enter a one to three digit starting reference number. All parts of the selected category will be numbered in the time sequence in which they were entered, using the specified number as a starting point. Parts with multiple components per package are given the same reference number until the number of components/package is exceeded; then a new number is assigned. Note that these parts are automatically sequenced---that is, in making the drawing, if you don't use the F6 key to select different instances of a part, this can be done in the reference numbering operation.

If the operation is for one part, the part to be numbered needs to be selected. Do this by simply clicking over the part. After you do this, a dialog box will appear, allowing you to enter the desired reference number. Enter a number having from one to three digits (but less than 511) and click over the OK button. The part will then be numbered, and the display will be updated accordingly.


Value

The value operation lets you append a value to any library part, with the exception of ICs. For example, you can add component values to resistors and capacitors; you can also specify part numbers for transistors and diodes. The appended value can be extracted by the parts utility, and it is displayed on the schematic next to the reference number. To enter the value, first click over VALUE in the AUX menu. Then click over any part you want to add a value to, and enter the value in the dialog box. Note that the value can be any text string with 8 or less characters.


Find Operation

The find operation is used to locate text strings in a drawing page; it can also be used to find library parts with a specific reference number. To start the operation, first select it from the menu; a dialog box will then appear. Select either search for text or search for reference numbers, by clicking on one of the two radio buttons. To search for text, enter a string of 80 characters or less in the text box. The schematic will then be searched for a matching string in a text element. If a match is found, the window will be redrawn with the found text centered and highlighted. A dialog box with two buttons, labeled CANCEL and CONTINUE, will appear. Click over CONTINUE if you want to continue searching, or over CANCEL, if you wish to stop. This operation will not find strings inside library parts.

If you selected the option to look for a reference designator, enter a reference designator (for example, "u7" or "r15") in the text box. The schematic will then be searched for a part having the given designator. If it is found, the screen is re-drawn, and the reference designator string of the part is highlighted. You can then search for further parts (having the same designator) or quit.


Replace Operation

The replace operation is used to replace all text strings in a given drawing page, which match a given search string, with a specified replacement string. To initiate the operation, select it from the menu; a dialog box will then appear. Enter search string (of 80 characters or less) in the "Search for text:" edit box. Next, enter a replacement string in the "Change to:" edit box. Also specify whether you want to be prompted before a change is made, using the radio buttons. After, this click on the OK button. The SuperCAD software will then search all text elements in the drawing and make the necessary replacements as directed.

Note that this operation cannot be applied to library parts, since the text in these parts is not directly referenced.


Auto-incremented Text
Enter Auto-incremented Text

The auto-increment text operation allows any text consisting of a root name string and an index number string to be quickly entered. To start the operation, select AUTO from the AUX menu. A dialog box will be displayed, which allows you to enter a root name string (e.g., XYZ) and a starting index (e.g., 12).  Next click on the OK button. After this, click on the screen drawing area wherever you want an auto-incremented string drawn. The string will then be drawn and the index number portion will be incremented for the next click. Note that if you leave the root text edit box empty, and enter just the starting index, you will get a sequence of numbers at each click on the drawing.


Check Schematic Operation
Check Schematic Page

The check operation allows you to check a schematic sheet prior to doing a netlist operation. A netlist operation is done prior to simulation and/or routing a printed circuit board.  The check operation does the following:

1) It checks all input terminals of all library parts on the sheet for connection to an orthogonal line, another library part (including ground and connector symbols), or a text element (i.e., a label). If it can't find such a connection, the message "Can't find connection on <input pin>" is displayed.

2) It checks for unattached text, displaying it in a message if encountered. This check can be used to see that text intended for a label is properly placed.

3) It checks for unspecified reference designators; if a designator such as "u0" or "r0" is found, a warning message is produced.

4) It checks parts for validity--a valid part has to have terminals with pin number information recognizable by the netlist utility.

5) It checks parts for a PACKAGE field---this is required when the schematic is used with the printed circuit board software, SuperPCB. The PACKAGE field specifies a physical package to be associated with the SuperCAD part, such as a DIP14 or a PLCC20 package.

To initiate the check operation click over the CHECK menu item. A message box will then ask you if you want to display the messages on screen or store them in a file. If you expect a lot of errors, the file method is the most appropriate. The file name for the error reporting is REPORT.DOC.


Style Operation
Style Selection

Outline Style Selection

Setting Fill Patterns

Setting Outline Border Widths

Setting Ellipse Aspect Ratios

Font Selection

Arrow Styles


Outline Style Selection

The outline style selection operation selects one of four drawing styles for lines, arrows, ellipses, arcs and rectangles: solid (the default), dash, dot, or dot-dash. To select the outline drawing style, simply select the STYLE menu and then click over the desired drawing style. All subsequent lines, arrows, ellipses, and rectangles will be drawn in the selected style until a new style is selected. Note that when the width of a line or other object is greater than one, the outline style is always solid.


Setting Fill Patterns

Fill patterns for rectangles and ellipses are selected by first clicking over the FILL menu item. Then in the fill dialog box simply click over one of the 8 filled rectangles in the upper part of menu, and the given pattern is displayed in the rectangle at the bottom next to the "OK" button. If you now click on "OK" this pattern is selected until you select a new one. Note that the unfilled rectangle in the upper left  corner of the dialog display specifies an empty or transparent fill pattern.


Setting Widths
Setting Outline Border Widths

Line, arc, rectangle border, ellipse border widths can be entered by clicking over the WIDTH menu item. In the width dialog box, enter a number from 1 to 99; this is the number of units (pixels) used for line or rectangle thickness when these objects are next entered. The default for width (used when the program starts) is 6. Note that when the width is greater than one, the outline style is always solid.


Setting Aspect Ratios
Setting Ellipse Aspect Ratios

Clicking over the ASPECT menu item allows you to change the current aspect ratio (defined as the ratio of x to y axes). The default is 1, and you can set any ratio between .1 and 99. Note that the appearance of ellipses is altered both by the video adapter (CGA, Hercules, EGA, VGA, SVGA) and by the printer/plotter type. To get a perfect circle on a printer set the aspect ratio to 1.2 for A size drawings and .833 for B size drawings; these ratios come about because a printer's resolution is 60 dots vertically, and 72 dots horizontally. For an HPGL plotter the aspect ratio should be set to 1 (in any case).


Arrow Styles

Clicking on ARROWS in the menu, allows the default arrow style to be changed. Arrows can have three different arrow head styles and one or two heads. The dialog box for setting the arrow style is shown as follows:


SuperCAD Specifications
SuperCAD (Lite) Specifications

no. of drawing elements in a schematic---2000

no. of total drawing elements in the library---2000

no. of different kinds of library parts in schematic

no. of drawing layers---4

drawing sizes---A-E

rotation---one degree accuracy

measurement units---English or Metric

max no. of library parts---unlimited (limited by disk space)

total no. of library parts supplied---over 1000

drawing scales---25, 50, 100. 150, 200, 300, and 600%