UNIX Time-Sharing System: Circuit Design Aids

Abstract

The circuit design engineer who wants to obtain rapid prototype construction of one-of-a-kind designs can get help by using programs that run under the UNIX∗ operating system. The programs include means for drawing circuit schematics on a graphics terminal and semi-automatic production of wire lists from those drawings. Included in the package are programs that check for simple errors and an interactive graphics program for performing the physical design of a circuit board. The design aids are oriented toward the production of circuits composed mainly of dual in-line packages mounted on wire-wrap boards. While the graphic editor, called draw, can be used for many purposes, the physical design layout program, called place, is valid only for boards equipped with sockets for dual in-line packages. The programs know how to prepare numerical control information for automatic and semiautomatic wire-wrap machines. The programs use a PDP-11 computer with a Tektronix 4014 graphics terminal attached. Hard copy graphic output is obtainable on some systems from a device attached directly to the terminal; otherwise, the data are transmitted over communications lines to a computing service machine.