#PCLO
3 messages in this thread
Ben,
I downloaded the "test" versions of PCLO, PCLOjr, and Scheme. They are
nice but I have a few questions.
Again-Plotter Drivers. What is available for PCLO and PCLOjr? Can either
of them drive a "Watanebe" plotter? Ca either of them drive a HPGL plotter-
with the appropriate driver. I noticed that Scheme had a "do it youself" plotter
driver. Is something like this available for PCLO?
Has the "print" function been disabled from the test version of PCLO? I
attempted to use it and got a "Test plot in progress" message but nothing
happened-I had an Epson compatable printer connected and online (yes it can
[and has] printed graphics).
What is the difference between PCLO and PCLO plus? Thanks again, Ben.
Oh, and one more thing-are you the programer? If so \\Nice Work//.
Barry
Barry; there is an HPGL driver… there is not, so far, a general purpose
plotter driver like Scheme's, but it's not too far off in the future. What's a
"Watanebe" plotter? I do not believe that the print funtion is disabled… I'll
check. PCLOplus provides the following additional features: Uses high res, for
4x the amount of board area visible. (Only a feature if you like interlace or
have a longer persistance monitor, unfortunatly) It has Undo, a very memory
intensive feature for this type of software… something PCLO cannot have
because it's designed to run in 512k. It can do layouts that are 4x denser than
PCLO can… this allows running two traces between pads, for instance. It is
also fully compatible with PCLO's files, although PCLO cannot handle
high-density PCLOplus files. It also offers the ability to attach most key
functions to either mouse button… just a convenience, it eliminates a
keystroke. It can show you _exactly_ how the PCB will look when plotted, as it
has a mode where the plot trim and fill method is applied to the video display.
PCLOplus is the tool that recieves all the new features when we create them.
Although PCLO may be fixed if any bugs are found, (Unlikely, at this point) it
will not be changed otherwise. It's too close to filling the system's memory —
and we already got a nasty shock when WB 1.2 used more memory than WB 1.1 —
PCLO just barely fits in a 512k machine. Because of the way it's written, if
you can make it run, generally, it will run just fine even in a low memory
situation. There are two differences between PCLO and PCLOplus that can be
taken as negative factors. First, the use of interlace, which is something that
is really a mixed blessing. Second, PCLOplus is considerably slower than PCLO.
This is due to two factors. First, Since the screen is running 640 by 400 with
4 bitplanes, the CPU is running at about a 50% duty cycle. Since the display
holds 4 times the number of diplay elements, there is 4 times the work involved
in updating it. A total of an 8x slowdown. That makes display updates about 1
second. Slow! <grin> –Ben–
Thanks, Ben. I have a few more questions but I really have to run. I`ll get
back to you.
Barry