Manual |

This is the CiDess manual. It's strongly recommended to read the manual before to use CiDess.
CiDess is designed for all electronic technicians, pro or novice. But if you start in electronic, you may be loss. With google you can find a lot of electronic pages, but I suggest you to buy an introduction book.
Basic use:
Choose and change language
CiDess main window
Create a new PCB
Enter extra info about PCB
Choose PCB size and margins
Place a component
Draw a track
Display parameters
Modify an element with the pointer
Group operations
Import and export data
Printing
Add component types file in CiDess - CIT Files
Advanced use:
Cite files manager - Find and sort your CIT files
Files manager - Find and sort your files
Automatic HTML page generation - Publish your PCBs
Component types editor - Create your own component types
3D view

Choose and change language |

When you run CiDess at first time, you can choose a language:
It's possible to change the language while CiDess is running: in the "Language" menu choose "Change...".
The last used language is store in your preferences.

CiDess main window |

This is the main window of CiDess:
It's made up of several areas:
The menu bar:
The display tool bar:
The mouse mode selection bar:
There are 4 mouse modes:
- Multiple selection (group operations)
- Pointer (modify an element)
- Place a component
- Draw a track
The selected mouse mode's tool bar:
There is a different tool bar for each mouse mode.
The bottom area show online help.
The drawing area where you draw your PCB:
C'est là où vous saisirez votre circuit imprimé.
If you are lost, leave the mouse cursor on a command, a description tool tip text will appear:

Create a new PCB |

In the "File" menu, choose "New". The circuit information window appears:
You can enter a high number of information and comments. Leave empty those which have not interest for you. Clic on "Component list", "PCB" and "Layout / Casing" buttons to enter the attached comments.
The "Set as default values" button allows you to define default values.
All this data is used by the automatic HTML pages generation, and also by the file manager.
Note: when you run CiDess, a new PCB is created, width default values. See next paragraph.

Enter extra info about PCB |

To change circuit information, in the "Edit" menu choose "Circuit information..." (see previous paragraph).

Choose PCB size and margins |

In the "Edit" menu choose "PCB size":
You can enter PCB size and margins in mil or in mm.
Note: 1 mil = 0.001 inch = 0.0254 mm
There is a 100 mil space between a standard DIL integrated circuit.
Margins are useful to move easily components and tracks. If you don't want margins, enter 0 values.
PCB size and margin can be change at any time.

Place a component |

To place components, clic on "diode" icon:
The related tool box will appear:
It contains 7 entries:
- Name textbox
- Value textbox
- Side combo box
- Angle textbox
- Pad size textbox
- Categories list
- ID list of the selected category
First choose a category then an ID. While you're choosing, CiDess displays a 3D preview.
On next picture, the selected component is "d500 e200" of "Radial caps" category:
Thus you can enter name, value and choose component's side:
There are the 4 possible values for a component's side:
When you are drawing a single side PCB, you can only draw "1", "2" or "2 cms" side components. Indeed, in a single side PCB there is no copper in the "blue" side.
You enter the angle in the text box or turn the component with mouse:
You can increase or decrease component pads size; when you clic on the pad size textbox the next window appears:
When you have entered all the parameters, simply place the component with a left mouse clic:
If the component is stretchable, you have to clic 2 times:

Draw a track |

To draw tracks, clic on the "track" icon:
The related tool box will appear:
You can enter track width and choose track side.
A single side PCB can only have CU1 side track.
Clic with the left button to start a track and add nodes:
Use the right button to end a track, that is to say, to set the last node:
CU1 side tracks are black, CU2 side tracks are light blue:

Display parameters |

CiDess has a high number of display parameters.
"Zoom" and "Grid" menus
"Layers" menu
"Display" menu
"Zoom" and "Grid" menus
In "Zoom" menu you can choose one of the four zoom levels.
In "Grid" menu you can choose grid step. Indeed, mouse cursor has not continuous motion but it follows grid's nodes.

| A 50 mil step is suited to drawing with standard components types. Use 10 or 5 mil step with components types which have pads with non-standard alignment.

"Grid" menu allows you to show or hide the grid and change grid's origin.
Pointer's coordinates are displayed at the right of the display tool bar:

| "Zoom" and "Grid" menu appears as popup menus when you clic on the display tool bar.

"Layers" menu
It allows you to show or hide layers.
There are four layers:
- CU1 is the copper on copper side
- CU2 is the copper on components side (don't exist on single sided PCB)
- SOL is the solid shape layer
- TXT is the text layer.
In the sub menu "Displayed text", you can choose to show name and value, name only or value only.
In the sub menu "Text size" you can set the font size.
You can choose to display text with transparent or white background.

| If you clic on CU1, CU2, SOL et TXT in the display toolbar you can show or hide layers. Use the right muse button on TXT, you can choose the text to display.

"Display" menu
"Show mouse's line" sub menu allows you to show or hide the cursor lines.
"Selection tolerance" sub menu allows you to set up cursor accuracy in "Multiple selection" and "Pointer" mouse mode. It's an important parameter; if it is badly adjusted you will met problems to select elements with mouse.
"Nomenclature" sub menu show components list:
"Check component names..." sub menu allows you to verify if there are no two or more components that have the same name:
"3D view" sub menu launch 3D view utility.
Check the "Use zoom for preview" menu to use the same zoom level for the whole PCB and component types preview. It's useful when browsing small component types.

Modify an element with the pointer |

To edit an element with mouse pointer, clic on the mouse pointer icon.
The related tool box will appear:
The displayed text explains all pointer mode facilities.

| If you met problems to select an element, go in "Display" menu and adjust "Selection tolerance" parameters. Use right mouse button to ignore tracks so components selection is easier.

The next picture shows what's happen when you clic on a component:
The next picture shows what's happen when you clic on a stretchable component's pad:
The next picture shows what's happen when you clic on a component while pressing SHIFT key:
The next picture shows what's happen when you clic on a track:
The next picture shows what's happen when you clic on a track's node:
The next picture shows what's happen when you clic on a track's node while pressing SHIFT key:

Group operations |

| If you just want to edit a component or a track, use pointer mouse mode (see previous paragraph).

To do group operations, clic on the selection icon.
The related tool box will appear:
There are two ways to select elements:
- One by one
- With a select rectangule
In the first case, you have to select components and tracks one by one with mouse. Selected elements become lighter:
To unselect an element, clic again on it.

| If you met problems to select an element, go in "Display" menu and adjust "Selection tolerance" parameters.

In the case of rectangular selection, you have to draw a rectangle; all elements contained in the rectangle are selected.
It's possible to add several selections.
Elements stay selected until they are unselected by user.
Once you have select elements, you can:
- Cut them
- Copy them
- Delete them
- Move them
Also the tool bar has the "Paste" command.

Import and export data |

CiDess allows you:
Insert another PCB in the current PCB
Export PCB in 3DG format
Export PCB in GIF format
Export layout in GIF format
Copy image to clipboard
See also: automatic HTML pages generation.
Insert another PCB in the current PCB
This function serves to paste a CID file's content.
In the "Edit" menu choose "Insert file..."

| If you often draw the same structure (for eg a 7805 supply) this function allows you to save a lot of time. You just have to save the structure in a file. Then, when you draw a PCB, instead of drawing the structure each time, you simply have to insert the previous file.

Export PCB in 3DG format
You can save a PCB in 3DG format.
In "File" menu choose "Save for 3D studio...".
This file format is supported by a lot of 3D software.
Export PCB in GIF format
GIF file format allows you to save a big size picture in a small file, without quality loss.
In "File" menu choose "Save PCBs as GIF files...".
The next window will appear:
Tool tip texts and a WYSIWYG sample help you to choose right parameters.
This function is useful to send your PCB or if you have to print PCB on a computer without CiDess.

| If you want to print GIF files, choose a high zoom value (a least 4).

Export layout in GIF format
You can save the layout as GIF file.
In "File" menu choose "Save picture as GIF file...".
The next window will appear:
Copy image to clipboard
In "Edit" menu choose "Copy picture".
Current picture is copied in clipboard. It's available for other programs (word processor, graphic software).

Printing |

CiDess allows you to print PCB and layout.
In the "File" menu choose "Print PCB(s)..."
The next window will appear:
Tool tip texts and a WYSIWYG sample help you to choose right parameters.

| Check if your PCB is printed at the right scale and right way before starting the exposure.

In the "File" menu choose "Print layout...".
The next window will appear:

Add component types file in CiDess - CIT Files |

CiDess allows you to create your own component types. (see also component types editor). There are stored in CIT files.
If you read a CID file and if the author used his component types, an error will be occur: CiDess ask you for the CIT file.
There are two ways to read a CIT file:
- Move the CIT file in CiDess.exe path, quit and restart CiDess. Indeed, CiDess load automatically all CIT files in CiDess.exe path.
- Load manually the CIT file; in "File" menu choose "Add a component type file...". Thus, you have to read again the CID file.

| If a CID file reading trigs an error, it's important to read again the CID file after added all CIT files required. In fact, after the first reading, components that have unknown component type are not loaded, so the PCB is incomplete.

| New in version 2 (10/09/2005): - if you add CIT files in CiDess.EXE path, - if you edit a CIT file with the component types editor, instead of restarting CiDess, use the "Refresh CIT files..." in the file menu. Thus, all CIT files in CiDess.EXE path and all the CIT files manually added previously will be updated.

| New in version 2 (10/09/2005): If you have trouble to find a CIT file in your computer, go in file menu and launch the CIT files manager.

To be continued on advanced use page.
(c) Rémy LUCAS - Last update: 10/09/2005