Protel User Reference

NC Drill will generate two different file outputs per session. One file, with the .DRL suffix is in the EIA format. The other, ending in .TXT, is in ASCII format.

Make sure when you submit your files, you are sending the .TXT (ASCII) file.

EasyTrax

• Requires the ETL file to be included with your order for NC tool definitions.
• Requires the APT file to be included for Aperture Table.

AutoTrax

• Requires TOL file for NC tool definitions - generated when NC Drill is run.
• Requires the APT file to be included for Aperture Table.

All Windows Versions

• Tool sizes are defined in the drill header and also in the DRR file.
• Versions prior to 2.7 do not produce RS274-X data correctly - include APT files.
• Versions prior to Protel98 do not output Metric measurements correctly. If you layout in Metric just switch units of measure over to INCH before producing NC or Gerber output files.
• Generate Gerber data in 2.4 format.
• Drill plots are NOT required.
  
• UNCHECK ‘Center Plots on Film’
  
• Check ‘Embedded Apertures’
  
• Check ‘Seperate File for Each Layer’
  
• Check ‘Use Software Arcs’
  
• Set Match Tolerances to ‘0’ before generating aperture list from PCB and save this file!
  
• Set Plotter Type to ‘Raster’
  
• Include the Keepout Layer -or- the Mechanical Layer depending on which you have used to show your board outline. If you check the box in the Mechanical Layers section ‘Add to All Plots’ be aware that dimension any lines that pass through the layout area will be merged onto all outputs and can cause shorting of traces in your layout.  It’s much safer to UNCHECK the ‘Add to All Plots’ option and leave this layer as a separate file.