5196106079

High speed monochrome graphics for PCs

The Turbo Monochrome Graphics card from Electronics Solutions im-proves the performance of IBM PCs and compatibles by speeding up scroll-ing and writing to the screen by over four times. The card is fully Hercules Graphics compatible and runs all exist-ing graphics based software.

Slow' scrolling is a particular problem with graphics based wordprocessors like Microsoft Word and with many of the new desktop publishing programs.

The board is very complex electroni-cally but most of the new technology has been built into one powerful gate array chip. As a result, the board will fit in a “short slot” of many PCs on the market.

Price is very reasonable at only $175 including tax. Competing products sell for over S700. A Iow cost fitting service is available.

For further information contact Electronic Solutions, PO Box 426, Glades-ville 2111.

Advanced CAE/CAD software

Mentor Graphics has developcd a rangę of advanced software products and Systems which operate on the Apollo Domain DN3(K)0 Workstation. The Mentor Graphics IDEA system consists of a set of software tools which allow the user to design and simulate his semi-custom gate array chip before proceeding with manufacturing. The tools are also suitable for PCB design.

Australian electronic equipment manufacturer Impact Systems installed its first Mentor Graphics system late last year, and recently acquired a second system. The new Domain DN3000 will be used for gate-array design in parallel with the first system but would mainly be used in the design of printcd circuit boards.

With the iwo Mentor Graphics Systems fully installed Impact is said to have drastically improved its ability to quickly turn new ideas into innovative products.

Mentor Graphics* Australian manager, Mr Alain Legrand said Impact Systems is the latest of a growing list of companies investing morę heavily into top-end CAD/CAE. “What we are see-ing is a generał top-end disillusionment with PC-based CAD packages” he said. “They are good value when smali de-signs are involved but lack the power and flexibility needed for larger, morę complex design”.

Further details from Mentor Graphics (Australia) Suitę 404 , 77 Berry Street, North Sydney 2060

CAD software tools

Using the very versatile AutoCad as the graphics editor, the Satcam system gives the user a comprehensive set of totally integrated software for the crea-tion of fast efficient manufacturing tools and documentation from schematics through to net lists, part lists, photo-plots, manufacturing detail drawings and associatcd NC driver tapes.

Satcam consists of four inodules and is built around a very comprehensive and portable library containing many thousands of parts.

The other parts of the package are:

•    Schematic drawńng module —. a fast Professional replacement for the pencil.

•    PCB design module — an interactive design package fully integrated with the schematic module.

•    Tooling package — supplies drivers for most modern output devices, includ-.ing Gerber driven photoplotters. Also creates mechanical drawing from the PCB design.

•    Auto-routing package — soon to be released, the most versatile and useful auto-router available on a personal Computer.

Support offered to Satcam users is claimed to be unrivalled and bureau support is provided in three States. This bureau support covers all aspects of the products* use, from training through to the availability of emergency personnel for customer overload situations.

Printed circuit board manufacturing is also offered to back up the designer, from the group-owned precision circuits which supplies fast, good quality plated thru-hole and single sided boards at very compctitive prices.

For further information on Satcam contact Delen Corporation (formerly International Database) Suitę 2, lst Floor, 366 Maroondah Highway, Nunawading

*

Low cost photoplotter

The EMMA 210 photoplotter is a member of Marconi*s MIDATA rangę. It is a compact desktop unit featuring linear motor X-Y coordinate drives cou-pled with high resolution positioning Controls giving throughput speeds of 150mm/sec.

In addition there is an extensive se-lection of images plus fifty factory-set firmware macros and 260 user definable macros for defining plotting patterns such as SMD footprints.

The EMMA 210 accepts data from a variety of source media in different for-mats by means of a floppy disk con-verter and the morę traditional use of metal tape. The unit is the first in a new linę of plotters from Marconi Instruments.

Marconi Instruments, 2 Giffnock Avenue, North Ryde 2113.

Simulation-verifier for OrCAD

OrCAD Systems has announced the new OrCAD/VST (Verification and Simulation Tools), an event-driven digi-tal logie Simulator. This Iow cost, IBM PC-based CAE design tooi enables the design engineer to inerease design effi-ciency while dramatically reducing cost.

OrCAD/VST uses the same easy to use pop-up menu structure as provided in the popular schematic design tools packages ÓrCAD/VST.

With OrCAD*s virtual display screen, up to 50 signals or buses can be dis-played. If morę signals are displayed within the tracę editor than fit on the monitor, you can quickly pan to display any portion of the tracę display. Tracę information is stored on disk, allowing you to run a simulation and later view

104 ELECTRONICS Australia, September 1987