
DESCRIPTION OF THE ALLEGRO 5.0P2 RELEASE

        Allegro 5.0 software enhancements feature any angle rotation, curved traces and curved shape boundaries, including keepins and keepouts, which are intended to enhance analog and flex circuit design.  The User Interface is enhanced, dimensioning features are improved, the autorouter is changed and Signal Noise Analysis functions are significantly increased.

        Please refer to the Allegro documentation set for usage information concerning of the new features. Improvements and changes have been incorporated into the following areas:
 
        User Interface: Forms, Icon Hierarchy, on-line help, Color Pallette, file versioning 

        Interactive Editing: One degree rotation, curved traces, pin instance editing, exploded pins and alternate highlighting 

        Placement: Refresh symbol, placement evaluator, grid enhancement, place text switches  

        Router: Insight changes, pattern router, curved traces, grid offset 

        Glossing: Line fattening, converting corners to arcs, dielectric generation 

        Drafting: Standards conformance, leader oriented dimensioning, linear, datum and angular dimensioning, coordinate tolerancing and limit dimensioning, references and dual dimensioning

        CAD Data Inputs: Allegro to CALS Interface, IPC interface, Gerber to Allegro, Autocad, Gardner-Denver Wire Wrap Interface, Fluke Defects Analyzer and Stream Interface

        Signal Noise Analysis: Signal delay rules and waveforms, Allegro to Rapidsim interface, batch and interactive Parasitics calculations

        Views: New data fields and added switches for extract 

ALLEGRO UNIX MANUAL SET INCLUDES:

        Volume I   Allegro Introduction, Allegro Shell, Allegro Basics
        Volume II  Library, Database and Peripheral Management
        Volume III Circuit Logic, CAD Data Input and Placement
        Volume IV  Routing and Manufacturing Output
        Volume V   Thermal and Reliability Analysis, Signal Noise Analysis and Allegro Interfaces. 

ALLEGRO TUTORIAL 
 
        Valid has provided the following tutorials with the 5.0 Release:
        1. Interactive Enhancements
        2. Draft/Dimension Enhancements
        3. Signoise
        4. Thermal
 
        To use the new Allegro tutorials, open a native window and execute the following command:
 
        allegro_tutorial
 
        Follow the instructions as provided by the tutorial.

CUSTOMER SUPPORT

        The Customer Support Center Helpline provides technical assistance to Valid customers with application and system related questions from 8:00 am (EST) to 5:00 pm (PST).

        Through a special "800" toll-free number, the Customer Support Response Center records your assigned system ID number and all pertinent information about your problem.  The Customer Support Center then dispatches it to the next available Application Engineer.

        You are guaranteed a maximum response time of two hours (2) for software and eight (8) for hardware during regular working hours. All your calls are documented and tracked for history analysis.  Upon completion of the analysis a Field Support Engineer may be assigned to go on site to work more closely with the customer due to the complexity of your problem.
 
        The Customer Support Center offers guaranteed response from our most experienced Application Engineers who have the support of the Customer Support department and Valid Engineering.

        Valid now offers "VUnet", an interactive, on-line information system. This inquiry system allows users to easily access the same database used by Valid's Hotline Application Engineers in the Customer Support Center. VUnet provides answers to specific questions from a comprehensive base of technical information. 

        If you have questions or concerns regarding this release, please call the Customer Support Center at 1-800-447-2253. 

           
INTEGRATION

        This version of Allegro 5.0P2 has been tested with the Q2 release of Valid CAE software, Valid GED 10.4P1, Compiler 1.5P1 and Packager 4.2P1.


SYSTEM CONFIGURATION

Sun

        This is a production release of Allegro software for Sun workstations. In addition to supporting Sun3s (based on the Motorola 68020 CPU) and Sun4s (based on the Sun4 SPARC CPU - contact your local Valid salesperson for specific Allegro supported model numbers), Allegro 5.0 supports the new Sun4 workstations based on the Sun4 SPARC CPU, and the CG6 Graphics Accelerator Board (also known as LEGO).

IBM

        This release of Allegro software has been tested and verified to operate on the IBM RISC System/6000 and Xstation 120. Your IBM workstation must also be installed with a graphics card.  Allegro has been tested and verified to operate with the Skyway (gda0; Color Display Adapter) graphics card.  The Sabina (hiprfmge0; High Performance 3D Color Display Adapter) graphics card has performance
and graphics problems when run with Allegro.  Valid does not recommend the use of this card with Allegro at this time. When running Allegro on an IBM workstation with an IBM 5131 HFT display, be sure to set the display monitor switch to position 2 for square display.  The following features are not supported on the RS6000 platform: Versatec Plotting, Hybrid Design, and RSX Conversion.

SYMBOL LIBRARY

        This release of Allegro 5.0 contains the Allegro 5.0 symbol library. All library symbols created with previous releases of Allegro are compatible with this release of software. Before loading the generic library, make sure that any customized component symbols are not in /usr/valid/lib/pcb_lib.  This library will be overwritten when you load the new Allegro library.  Your CAE libraries will not be affected.

        CAUTION: Before using any of the Allegro library symbols, carefully review them to ensure that they meet your physical design criteria.

DATA COMPATIBILITY WITH PREVIOUS SOFTWARE RELEASES

        All data created on previous releases of Allegro is totally compatible with Allegro release 5.0P2.  Data created/edited on Allegro 5.0 IS NOT COMPATIBLE WITH PREVIOUS SOFTWARE RELEASES. This means that any drawings created on or operated on by 5.0 software will not function correctly when using 4.x software.  Valid recommends that you always use the latest version of software available.

        Due to the significant number of bug fixes and enhancements incorporated into the 5.0 release, all drawings created on any release previous to 5.0 should be run through the uprev utility before using them.

        To update your Allegro drawings type:

        uprev <old_drawing_name> <new_drawing_name>

        Note: Corrupted data in symbol drawings from previous releases should not be upreved. Errors should be corrected in the original drawings prior to using uprev.

SCRIPT COMPATIBILITY

        Any Allegro scripts created prior to release 5.0 should be run through an update utility to make them compatible with Allegro 5.0 functionality. Type the following to update your Allegro scripts:

        script_convert <script_name>

        Note that changes to the Allegro forms for Release 5.0 may cause the script converter to be unsuccessful when converting your scripts. Scripts that do not convert must be edited manually.  Note that lines from the original script related to forms are added to the new script as comments.  Use the "Print > to Script" command in the Allegro 5.0 forms to correct the commented lines.

OPERATING SYSTEMS

Sun

        Allegro 5.0 requires the Sun 4.1.1 operating system. Beginning with this 5.0P2 release, Allegro will no longer run under Sun 4.0.x on Sun3, Sun4 and SPARC. Sun OS 4.1.1 known problems are:

        - When using the CG6 graphics card and the infinite crosshair cursor, your graphics redisplay may function improperly. Please contact Valid Customer Support at 1-800-447-2253 for corrective software.

        - Due to Sun OS limitations, fonted highlighting is disabled when using Allegro in SunView and in standalone mode.  This feature is enabled when operating in Openwin.

IBM

        Allegro 5.0P2 has been tested and verified to operate on the IBM AIX 3.1.5 operating system.

        The Skyway graphics card decreases dynamic cursor performance. Use the following environment variable to increase performance during interactive editing by displaying line widths at 0 width.

        - set bug_noxorfatlines

STARTING THE EDITOR

        Note that the names of the Allegro editors have changed.  They are, however, aliased to the old names.  The following chart identifies the old and new names of the Allegro editors.

        New Name / Old Name

        allegro_editor / pcb_editor

        allegro_interactive / pcb_interactive

        allegro_prep / pcb_prep

        allegro_review / pcb_review

        allegro_engineer / pcb_engineer

PLACEMENT EVALUATOR UPDATE

        Valid has provided script files for viewing the Placement Evaluator data. The following information can be displayed:

        replay h      Horizontal maps
        replay v      Vertical maps
        replay via    Via maps
        replay hv     Horizontal and vertical maps
        replay hvvia  Horizontal, vertical, and via density maps.
        replay rat    Ratsnest map
        replay color  Assigns default colors to the evaluator maps from the standard palette.

INDEX OF APPLICATION ALERTS

        Alert 5.0-1 Installation of Peripheral Spooling and Automatic Switch and Using Spooler Commands With Allegro

        Alert 5.0-2 Modem Installation

        Alert 5.0-3 4.0 Diagnostic Test

        Alert 5.0-4 Setting colors correctly for the Placement Evaluator
