Information about the Macros in the "SCOOTMAC\" folder available from
the Sccoter-POOL.
------------------------------------------------------

The folder "SCOOTMAC\" contains a few commonly-used macros for the 
"Scooter-PCB" printed circuit board layout program from HK-Datentechnik.

The macros are optimised to be "nice-looking", which unfortunately means 
that they require lengthy calculation times.

Great care was taken to ensure that a straight line, for instance,
really consisted of just ONE line-element, to keep loading time down.

In order to be able to exclude component names and values for "photo-
realistic" print-outs, I have shifted NAME and VALUE to Layer 15.
This can also save calculation time if one leaves them switched off in 
the program. For a similar reason the later Scooter versions offer 
the option of switching off "Show pin names".

The component outline dimensions were measured very accurately with a 
vernier gauge, using 5 Mil (0.005") as the smallest grid spacing.
For components with slightly different dimensions from various 
manufacturers, such as the 1N4007 diode (1_N_4007.MAC) for instance, 
I have used the largest size in each case.
So one can really talk of "CAD"! If a part fits on the screen, then it 
will also fit in reality. You can rely on that!
That also applies for the holde-diameters of the solder-lands, which 
are never smaller than the leads or connectors of the real components.

For the outlines 10 Mil-wide lines were used as standard, for bevels 
and small components 5 Mil or 2 Mil.

The "Macro origin" is always the bottom left pin (Pin 1).

**********************NEW, since 15.10.'93*************************

Practice has shown that over-width lines for component connections,
for instance, are often confused with tracks, or that they at least 
confuse visually if one is working with a monochrome version of Scooter. 
If one uses a light fill-pattern, however, then thin components outlines 
tend to "disappeaar".
For this reason I have revised all the macros again and banished all 
lines wider than 10 Mil, together with solid black areas, to Layer 18.
So in the program one can choose a light (transparent) fill-pattern for 
Layer 18 but retain fill-pattern 8 for the lines on Layer 6.

Furthermore I have shifted all areas that really ought to be grey to 
Layer 17. This includes the component connections in particular. This 
was done in the expectation that Scooter would sooner or later be able 
to print grey areas. One can already achieve this by detouring via an 
external pixel-drawing or painting program.

Wherever very large holes are used, such as the heatsink of the TO 220 
housing, I have positioned small solder-lands whose hole diameter is 
larger than their outer diameter!
This ensures that the "solder-lands" never appear in the component layout 
plan if this is printed out with its pins, but the PCB will still have 
the hole pre-drilled at the correct position when NC drilling-machines 
are employed in manufacture.
To display the true hole diameter I have placed a circle on the solder- 
and component-side in each case, so that it will appear on the board.
This guards against laying out tracks across parts of the board that are 
to be drilled out.

All macros were also revised in such a way that the origin-point of the 
text for NAME and VALUE no longer lies exactly on the 50 Mil grid, but 
10 Mil away.
This ensures that with MOVE the text and track control points no longer 
"stick" to one another.
The same applies for the connections of the ICs. With great pains I 
have displaced them all by 5 Mil so that they no longer "stick" to the 
solder-lands during moving.

The enclosed file "MACROS.PLT" contains all the macros clearly arranged 
and labelled with the original file name in each case.
Recommendation: Print them out, with Layers 6, 8, 15, 17 and 18. Best 
leave Layers 1, 2 and 3 hidden!


Suggestions for improvement always welcome!
All files in the "SCOOTMA2" folder are freeware!


5.13.'93  Stefan Denk (rechable via E-Mail, in Mausnet, Maus @ HH)
