How to copy parts from one library to another (SuperCAD and SuperPCB, V4.0) This operation allows you to copy parts from one library to another. To copy a given part, first click on Edit Libraries in the Aux menu. A dialog box as shown below will appear.

Select a library and a part that you want to copy. Then select the destination library form the list box. Click on the Copy button to do the copy. Repeat this operation as many times as needed. Click on the Cancel button to end the operation.

How to change the lengths of terminal leads (SuperCAD) You can change the lengths of terminal leads by clicking on the modify button in the library part browser and then editing the part. Generally the lead lengths of the parts have been chosen so that you can put signal names of up to 8 characters on them; this is not always desirable or necessary.

How to make pad #1 of a DIP square (SuperPCB) You can make pad #1 of a through-hole part square (as an aid to orientation).  To do this, load the part file by clicking on the modify button in the library-part browser.  Then right-mouse click over the pad and change its style from round to square in the resulting pad dialog. Next, format the part back into the library. Here's an example:

How to view schematics without a copy of SuperCAD (SuperCAD) A convenient way to view SuperCAD schematics is to use a stand-alone viewer (View.exe). This viewer utility is used on our Encyclopedia web site and allows viewing schematics of type .epc, which are SuperCAD schematics with attached library parts. To use this you need to save your schematics in this format from a later version of SuperCAD (V3.1 or later). Then you can place the EPC file on a web page. See circuitsforsale.com for an example. You can also just give others a copy of the viewer. 

How to make library parts with terminals on 4 sides (SuperCAD, V4.0) The latest version of the SuperCAD BUILD utility can now generate a part having terminals on all four sides. To make a part using the utility, the first step is to prepare a text file with an extension .LIB. In the file, each terminal of the part is described by one line that gives the pin number, the signal name, signal type and terminal position (left, right, top or bottom). For example,

2) DOUT o L

describes the signal on pin 2, which in this case is an output (o) and is located on the left side of the (rectangular) part symbol. For pins on the right use the terminal position indicator R, for the top and bottom use T and B respectively.

How to change the width of a group of traces (SuperPCB)  First select traces only (enter SHIFT L on the keyboard, or go to the Selective Editing dialog, accessed in the SETUP menu). Then draw an edit box around your artwork to select the traces. Next go to the GENERAL setup menu and select the DRAWING tab (this is in Windows 95/98 with version 3.1 or 4.0 of the software). Enter a new width in the WIDTH field, and click on OK. This will change all the trace widths to the new value. You can also change individual trace segments by selecting them and then right-mouse clicking
to get the object edit box.

How to change the styles and sizes of a group of pads (SuperPCB) First select pads only (enter SHIFT C on the keyboard, or go to the Selective Editing dialog, accessed in the SETUP menu). Then draw an edit box around your artwork to select the pads. Next go to the PAD setup dialog, accessed in the SETUP menu. Enter a new dimensions and/or a style, and click on OK. This will change all selected pads. You can also change individual pads by selecting them and then right-mouse clicking to get the object edit box.

How to simulate a small ROM (SuperSIM) You can simulate a small ROM that has up to 256 memory locations and up to 16 bits of data. To do this type in a .rom statement in your schematic, as shown in the example below.

The "#" character is used to directly place the statement following it into the netlist.

How to split a ground or VCC plane You can split a power plane so that part of it is used for one type of ground or voltage (say for analog) and part is used for a different type (say digital). To do this, it's best to mark the corners of your (rectangular) board with something that is through-hole  (for example, vias); you can remove these later. Set the view to the power plane and draw a rectangle representing the board outline; you can also remove this later if you want. Now using traces, split off the section you want for the separate ground or voltage region. The trace width should be wide enough for voltage isolation (say 10 to 50 mils---it depends on your design and its power requirements). Remember the power planes are negative images, so the traces you draw are non-copper, insulation objects. 

How to avoid file and signal name problems (SuperCAD) SuperCAD has certain name restrictions which you should generally observes to avoid problems with utilities such as the netlister and the simulators.

Signal Names: Generally you should hold signal names to a maximum character length of 10 characters or less, without spaces or trailing dashes (“-“ character). You can use an underscore instead of a space; the trailing dash causes problems in netlists, where dashes are also used as separators. Here are some examples of incorrect signal names:

abcd efg (space), qwertydata123 (too long), volts- (trailing dash)

 File Names: You can use any-length names for file names, but avoid using spaces if you are using the simulators or autoplacement (the SuperPCB PLACE utility) with the files. Hence a name such as  

This is a long file name

 will cause problems, but  

This_is_a_long_file_name 

is OK.

 Library Part Names: Generally you should hold library part names to a maximum character length of 12 characters or less, without spaces. If the names are too long the full part name may not show up in the library dialog. Spaces in library part names cause problems in some of the utility software, such as PLACE.

How to read schematics from older versions of SuperCAD (SuperCAD V4.0) As with all of our updates, the latest version of SuperCAD allows you to directly read schematics generated by previous versions. However, before you load an older schematic you need to go to the SETUP/GENERAL dialog under the MISCELLANEOUS tab and check the COMPATIBLE WITH OLD LIBRARIES check box. Then you can load the schematic. At this point you should then save it in the new schematic format by using SAVEAS. The next time you load the schematic it will load OK, whether the check box is checked or not. The state of the OLD LIBRARIES check box is not saved  when you exit SuperCAD. 

Before attempting to read an older schematic, make sure you have any custom parts you may have made installed. One way to do this is to copy custom libraries, or modified libraries, to the LIB directory of SuperCAD. SuperCAD libraries all use the extension ".CON".

How to produce schematic or artwork PDF files (SuperCAD or SuperPCB) You can convert any schematic or artwork to Adobe Acrobat PDF format by using the Amyuni PDF Converter. The link is http://www.pdfstore.com. There is a charge of $129 for the software but you can get a useable demo version at the PDF store (same link). You simply install this software and then use it by using the print operation (the software appears as a virtual "printer"). 

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