Cal-Comp DrawingBoard III User manual

f)ralfllilgBoartlllI
USER'S GUIDE
Part Number: 50451 -1 Rev. B

© Copyright CalComp Digitizer Division 1991-94. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in
any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise,
without the prior written permission of CalComp Digitizer Division.

Trademarks
DrawingBoard III and Cal Comp Advanced Function Technology (AFT) are
trademarks and CalComp is a registered trademark ofCal Comp Digitizer Division.
ANVIL is a trade
mark ofThe Computersmiths .
ARC/INFO is a tr
ade mark of ESRI.
Atlas Draw is a trademark of Strategic Locations Planning, [nco
AutoCAD is a trad emark of Autodesk, In c.
CADKEY is a registered trademark ofCADKEY, Inc.
CADYANCE is a trademark of ISI CAD, Inc.
CasCAD
II is a trademark ofCascade Graphic Systems.
CN ILSOFT is a trademark of Wildan Associates.
COGO is a trademark of Civi[soft.
COM-QUEST
is a trademark of Pinnacle Technology.
DesignCAD is a tr
ademark of Ameri ca n Small Bu siness Computers, Inc.
DIGICAD is a
trademark of Digital Matrix Services, Inc.
DIGITIZE is a trademark of Rockware, In c.
Dr. Halo is a trademark of Media Cybernetics, Inc.
Drafix Cad Ultra is a
trademark of Foresight Resources Corp.
DrawBase is a
trademark of Skok Systems In c.
EasyCAD is a trademark of Evolution Comp utin g.
EASYDIJ is a trademark ofGeocomp.
FASTCAD
is a registered trademark of Evo[ution Computing.
Free[ance is a trade
mark of Lotus Development Corp.
GeneriCadd is a trad
emark of Generic Software, In c.
GTCO and MD7 are trademarks and Digipad is a registered trademark of GTCO
Corp.
Hitachi is a
trademark of Hitachi America, LTD.
Houston Instruments and
HI Pad are trademarks of AMETEK, In c.
IBM is a registered tr ademark of Int ernat ional Business Machines Corp.
Kurta is a registered
trademark of Kurta Corp.
Lumena is a registered
trademark ofTime Arts In c.
MAP[NFO is a trademark of Mapping Information Systems Corp .
MICRO CADAM is a tr adema rk of CADAM, In c.

ii
Microsoft and Microsoft Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corp.
MicroStation is a
trademark of Bently Systems, Inc., an affiliate of Intergraph
Corporation.
Medusa is a trademark of Computervision Corp., a division of Prime Computer,
Inc.
Mirage is a
trademark of Zenographics.
Mouse Systems
mouse is a trademark of Mouse Systems Corp.
Numonics is a trademark of Numonics Corp.
PC Paintbrush 4Plus is a trademark of ZSOFT Corp.
PACSOFT is a trademark ofPACSOFT.
Personal Designer and Personal Machinist are trademarks of Computervision
Corp., a division of
Prime Computer, Inc.
Point Line CAD is a trademark of ROB! Graphiks, Ltd.
Sigma Scan is a
trademark ofJandel Scientific.
SmartCAM is a
trademark of Point Control Co.
SummaSketch, Bitpad
1, Bitpad 2, and Series MM are trademarks and Summa-
graphics is a registered trademark of Summa graphics Corp .
Targa Plus Tips is a
trademark of Targa Systems Corp .
Timberline
is a trademark ofTimberline Software Corp.
Ventura Publisher is a
trademark ofVentura Software, Inc.
VersaCAD is a
trademark of VersaCAD Corp.

Warranty
For all Drawing Bo ard III tablets pur chased a nd insta ll ed in the USA and Canada,
a
nd f or which a registration ca rd has been re turn ed within 30 days of pur chase,
CalCo
mp wa rr a nt s that the tablet will be free from defects, a nd will meet the tablet
specifica ti ons as pr ese nt ed by Cal Co mp at the time of original pur chas e, for the life
of the original
ow ner, as long as they ow n the tablet.U nd er this wa rr a nt y Cal Co mp
will, at its sole option, repa ir or replace any ta bl et which is defec ti ve or does not
meet the tablet specifica ti on s. All wa rr a nt y service will be performed at the
CalCo mp digiti zer factory or at a Cal Co mp service depo t. Opti ons, up grades,
con
ve rsion s, ca bles, accesso ri es, a nd included items are covered by the same
wa rr anty as the Dr aw ingBoard TIT tablet for which they are pur chased. P ur chaser
pays freig
ht charges to the Cal Co mp di giti ze r factory or serv ice depot und er this
w
arr a nt y.
If you think you have a defec ti ve tablet, ca ll Cal Co mp 's Technical S upp ort at
1-800-458-5888 for ve rifica ti on. Before returning a fa il ed w1it, yo u mu st o bt ain a
Re turn Mercha nd ise A uth oriza ti on (RMA) numb er from Tec hni cal S upp ort. The
RMA numb er sho uld be promin ently di splayed on the o ut side of the re turn ed
package a nd on the acco mp anying packing li s t. Cal Co mp ca nn ot be held respons i-
ble fo r any packa ge re turn ed witho ut an RMA numb e r.
Wa rr a nt y does not cover: (1) cons um able pa rt s (i.e., batteries, pe n tips, et c.); (2)
tablets with serial numb ers thatca nn ot be read; ( 3) tablets which hav e been operated
with inco mp atible cons um able pa rt s or accesso ri es. Warr anty will not cover da ma ge
res ultin g from: (1 ) a bn o rm al conditions including but not limited to accide nt s, fire,
wa ter, et c.; (2) neglect or mi suse of tablet; (3) c au ses external to the tablet in cl udin g
but not limited to fa ilure or fluc tu ation of electrical p owe r, air conditio nin g,
hwnidit y c ontr ol, et c.; (4) maint enance, repa ir s, alteration s, or modifications
perfor me d by any person or en ti ty other than Cal Co mp.
This wa rr a nt y is exclusive of all other wa rr anties, whe th er ex pr essed, implied, or
sta tut ory. Ca l Co mp does not warrant tablet fo r fitness fo r a partic ul ar purp ose or
merchantabilit y. Cal Co mp will not be liable for any specia l, conse qu ential, indir ect,
or incide nt al damages, eve n if advised of their possibility. Some states do not all ow
fo r the exclusion or Umita ti on of certain Uabilities, so the above limita ti ons may not
a ppl y. This warranty gives you specific legal ri ghts, and yo u m ay also have other
legal ri g ht s which vary from state t? stat e.
Radio Frequency Energy Notice
This e quipm e nt has been tested a nd fo un d to comply wi th the limits fo r a Class B
digital device, pur suant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These U mit s are designed to
prov i de reasonable pro tec ti on aga in st harmful interference in a resi de ntial insta ll a-
ti on. This e quipm e nt ge nerates, uses a nd can radiate radio fre qu ency energy a nd ,
if not insta ll ed a nd used in acco rdan ce with the instruc ti ons, may cause ha rm ful
interference to radio co mmuni ca ti on s. However, there is no guara nt ee that
int erference will not occ ur in a particular insta ll a ti on. If this eq uipm ent does cause
harmful interference to ra
di o or television reception, which can be dete rmin ed by
turnin g the e qui pment o ff a nd on, the u se r is enco ur age d to try to co rr ect the
int erference by one or more of the fo ll ow ing meas ur es:
iii

iv
• Reo ri e nt or relocate the receiving ant en na.
Increase the separation bet wee n the eq uipm ent and receive r.
• Co nn ect the e quipm e nt into an outlet on a circuit diff ere nt from that to
which the receiver is co nn ected.
• Reorie nt or coil cables.
• If necessary, consult the dealer or an experienced radio/ television techni-
cian for a dditi onal su gges ti ons.
Canada
Any cables the user a dd s to the device mu st be shielded to be
in co
mpli ance with the FCC stand ar d s. Any unauthori ze d
mo
di fica ti on to this device could result in the revoca ti on of the
end u ser's a uth or ity to operate this device.
This digital a
pp ara tu s do es not exceed the Class Blimits for ra dio noise emissions
from digital a
ppar a tu s as se t o ut in the ra dio int erference regulations of the
Canadian Department of Comm uni ca tion s.
Le present apparei l numerique n'emet pas bruits rndioelec t riques depassant l es l il1li t es
app li cab l es aux apparei ls numeriques de C1asse B prescrites dans Ie reg l elnen t s llr Ie
broui ll age rndioelectrique ed i cte par IeMillistere des COtrltrl!lI1ications du Canada.
Japan
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Table of Contents
Trademarks .
Warranty . iii
Radio Frequency Energy Notice . iii
1 Introduction. . . . .
1-1
DrawingBoard III compatibility 1-2
System requirements . 1-2
How to use this manual 1-2
2 Getting Started . . . . . . .
2-1
Unpacking DrawingBoard III
2-2
Installing the tablet . 2-3
Installing the PC drivers and software 2-6
Installing for Windows 3.0 2-8
Configuring AutoCAD . 2-9
Verifying installation 2-
11
3 Using DrawingBoard
III . . . . .
3-1
Active area . 3-2
Menu strip 3-2
Indicator lights. 3-3
DrawingBoard
III modes . 3-4
Pointing devices . 3-5
4 Using the Menu Strip.
. . . . .
4-1
Menu key definitions 4-2
v

vi
5 Maintaining Orawing8oard III ...... .
Cleaning the tablet . . . . . .
Replacing pointing device batteries
Returning for repair
.. . . .
A Troubleshooting . . . . . . .
How to get help. .
CalComp 's bulletin board
Tablet check list
Computer check list .
Software
check list
Troubleshooting chart
8 Tablet configurations .....
Using the preset configurations . . . . . . .
. 5-1
5-2
5-3
5-6
A-1
A-1
A-2
A-3
A-4
A-4
A-6
Recommended settings for
common PC software programs
Recommended settings for
common Sun software programs
Configuration key definitions .
8-1
8-2
8-3
8-8
8-9
Customized configurations
C Specifications . . . . . . . . . . .
o Accessories
E Glossary
..
Communications specifications .
Design specifications
Electrical specifications . . .
Regulatory specifications . .
Environmental specifications.
Physical specifications . . .
8-14
C-1
C-1
C-1
C-1
C-2
C-2
C-2
0-1
. E-1

1 Introduction
Introduction
DrawingBoard III is a full-featured digitizing tablet used to input
graphical information into your computer. The tablet combines
sophisticated software
and programmable function keys to pro-
vide high productivity .DrawingBoard III also eliminates the need
for multiple input devices given its ability to be used both as a
mouse and a digitizer.
By placing a
drawing or sketch on the tablet's surface and tracing
or digitizing specific elements of the drawing, you can easily
convert graphicsintoaccuratedigital information that is input into
the computer. This information is then available for
manipulation
by your software program. When used as a mouse, Drawing-
Board III allows you to select software commands from the
computer screen or from a template attached to the tablet.
DrawingBoard III can
be used for drawing, drafting, mapping,
desktop publishing, presentation graphics, and other software
applications.
It is available in six sizes and comes with both corded
and cordless pointing devices.
1-1

DrawingBoard III compatibility
System requirements
PC
Sun
This version of the DrawingBoard III includes an RS-232 interface.
In addition to its digitizer capabilities, the tablet is hardware
compatible with Microsoft mouse and Mouse Systems mouse
drivers.
In order to use DrawingBoard III with a PC, you will need the
following as a
minimum:
• IBM PC-AT or 100% compatible computer
• 640KbRAM
• 1 serial port
• Hard drive or network server drive
In order to use DrawingBoardIII on a Sun computer, you will need
the following as a minimum:
• Sun Sparcstation
• 1 serial port
• Hard drive or network server drive
• Solaris 1.x or 2.x
How to use this manual
1-2
This manual provides you with the information you need to
successfullyinstall
and operate DrawingBoardIII. It is designed so
that important elements are easily seen. The left margin is used to
highlight categories of information
with headings and special
notes.
Any words printed in computer type are commands that
you need to type at your keyboard. Words within angle brackets,
< >, are
names of keys you need to press. For example, <Enter>
means to press the Enter key.
Introduction

2 Getting Started
Getting Started
Getting started with the DrawingBoard III is fast and easy. The
main steps include:
• Unpacking DrawingBoard III
• Installing the tablet
• Installing the drivers and software
• Verifying installation
2-1

Figure 2-1: OrawingBoard "'
package contents
Unpacking Drawing80ard III
2-2
Before you begin installation, verify that you have received
everything you ordered . Package contents are listed on the end of
the box. In
addition to the tablet, you should have received:
• Pointing device (at least one)
• 9- to 25-pin adapter
• Power supply
• This manual
• Software diskette and software manual
• Warranty card and quick start instructions
Getting Started

Installing the tablet
All cable connections are made at the rear of the tablet. Turn off
your computer and make sure the tablet power switch is in the off
position.
Step 1. Connect the serial cable
Getting Started
Connect the round end of the serial cable to the socket labeled I/O
on the tablet.
Connect the
wide end of the serial cable to the computer's serial
communication port. Tighten the thumbscrews.
If the 2S-pin serial cable connector does not fit the computer port
(i .e., it requires a 9-pin), use the short adapter cable provided.
Connect the wide, 2S-pin end of the serial cable to the wide end of
2-3

the adapter cable. Connect thesmall,9-pin end of the adap t er cable
to the
computer port.
Step 2. Connect the power cable to the serial connector
Connect the power cable into t he backof the serial cable connector.
Connect
the power supply end to a power ou tlet or power strip.
Step 3. Activate the pointing device
2-4
If you are using a corded pointing device, insert the connector into
the socket label
ed POINTER on t he tablet.
Getting Started

Getting Started
If you are using a cordless pointing device, place it on the active
area of the tablet
and press any button to activate the device.
Turn on your computer and tablet. The tablet power switch is
located
at the rear of the tablet for small format models and on the
left
side near the bottom of the tablet for large format models . The
power light will turn on and glow steadily while the pointing
device is within the active area of the tablet. If the pointing device
is
outside the active area of the tablet, the power light will blink.
The cordless pointing devices use a "sleep mode"
to conserve battery power. Thedevicewill go into
sleep
mode if a button has not been pressed for
one to five minutes, depending on the type of
device. When the pointing deviceis insleep mode,
the tablet power ligh't will flash even if the device
is
within the tablet active area. To reactivate the
device, press
any of its buttons.
2-5

Installing the PC drivers and software
For information on installing
drivers for otherplatforms,
refer
to the software manual
included
in the package
contents.
The CalComp Digitizer software allows you to use Drawing-
Board III
both as a mouse and a digitizer. It also provides extended
tablet capabilities
through the utility programs. The Digitizer
Software User's
Guide contains complete information on the
DrawingBoard III drivers
and utility programs .
You
must install the CalComp Digitizer software if you intend to
use DrawingBoard III in
one or more of the following situations:
• You are using AutoCAD
• You are using Windows
• You want to use DrawingBoard III as a mouse in DOS appli-
cations
Otherwise, refer to
Appendix B for instructions on setting up the
tablet using the configuration keys
on the menu strip.
Step 1. Insert the disk into the floppy drive
Insert the Digitizer & Mouse drivers disk into the appropriate
floppy drive (e.g., A
or B) .
Step 2. Begin the installation program
2-6
Begin the installation program by entering:
A : <Enter>
INSTALL <Enter>
Type
B: if you are using the Bdrive. You can cancel installation at
any time during the program. To cancel, press <Esc>.
The preliminary screens ask
you if you want to begin installation,
the letter of the drive you will be installing to,
and the directory
name you will be installing to. Default responses appear at the
bottom of the screen. If you wish to use the default, press <E nter >.
For a different response, type the new information then press
<E nter>.
Getting Started

Step 3. Select your installation options
S oftw a re Se lection
P ress <Es c > t o t er Min ate thi s in s t a ll.
1) DO S MOU SE D RIV ERS
Z) ADI PROTECTED MODE DRIVER S
3) MICRO S OFT WINDOW S TABLET DRIVER S
4)
DO S. ADI & MICRO SOFT WINDOW S ( All The Ab ov e)
The installation options appear on the screen. You can choose to
install
any combination of the following drivers: DOS mouse
drivers, ADI protected mode drivers, and Microsoft Windows
tablet drivers. To select an option, type the number of the option
then press <Enter>. The program will allow you to return to this
screen to select
additional drivers.
Step 4. Follow the instructions on the screen
A series ofinstruction screens appears. The screens vary according
to theinstallation options selected. Somewill ask
you to enter more
information. Follow the instructions on the screen.
Step 5. Completing the installation
Getting Started
Pay close attention to the final installation screens. They list
changes the installation
program made to your system files and
give detailed instructions on how to complete your installation.
2-7

Configuring AutoCAD
Follow the steps below to configure AutoCAD for use with a
CalComp tablet. You must have previouslyinstalled the CalComp
ADIdrivers onto your computer (see the "Installingthedrivers and
software" section on page 2- 6).
1. Begin AutoCAD and select ConfigureAutoCAD. The current
configuration
appears on the screen. Press <Enter>.
2. Select Configure Digitizer. The program displays the current
digitizer selection
and asks if you want a different one .
Type Y.
3. A list of available digitizer drivers appears. Select the "4.2
Autodesk Device Interface (ADD by CalComp" selection.
4. When the list of digitizers supported appears on the screen,
select the correct digitizer,
number of pointing device but-
tons,
and the COM port.
5. The configuration screen appears again. Type 0 to exit then Y
to save the changes.
Configuring AutoCAD for Windows
2-8
If you are using AutoCAD for Windows, follow the stepsbelow to
configure AutoCADfor use
with a CalComp tablet. You must have
previouslyinstalled the CalComp ADI drivers onto your computer
(see the "Installing the drivers and sof twar e" section on page 2-6).
1. From Windows, start AutoCAD.
2. Click on Configuration then Digitizer.
3. Select "CalCompDigitizerSeries ADI" then Windows Tablet.
4. Specify the switch
you will use for toggling between mouse
and tablet modes.
To
use a button on the pointing device, select YES then press
the
button you wish to use.
To use the
bottom right corner of the tablet, select NO.
Getting Started

Getting Started
Using the tablet and a mouse with AutoCAD
To use the tablet with a mouse, configure AutoCAD for use with a
CalComp tabletusing one ofthe methods describedabove. Answer
NO to the mole mode selection.
2-9