UNISOFT ProntoPLACE QUICK START MANUAL

Revised 2/3/2012

Thank you for evaluating the Unisoft ProntoPLACE software. In minutes Unisoft ProntoPLACE
software translates CAD or Gerber and Bill of Materials (BOM) files into real reference designators,
X/Y body centers, Theta rotation, part numbers, etc. This data is then used by Process Engineers
to program their SMT and Thru-hole Automatic Assembly Equipment.  Programs are generated
offline conserving valuable machine time. ProntoPLACE creates assembly documents, work
instructions and process aids. Part numbers are automatically assigned to the assembly step you
wish.  The  part numbers are then automatically uniquely colored.  Each step can then be printed
or displayed along with a matching colorized assembly drawing. ProntoPLACE is reasonably
priced and available for rental or purchase.  

In this “quick start” overview of ProntoPLACE we will process a sample PC Board provided and
you can also process one of your own PCB assemblies. For help and questions call (203) 913-
0782 or [email protected].
 *** It is advisable to print out this document and follow along the procedure below! ***

Exercise 1) Open a sample of a completed PC board:

a) Click START on the lower left corner of your Windows desktop.
b) Click PROGRAMS and select the "Unisoft ProntoPLACE Software" folder.
c) Click the icon “ProntoPLACE” inside that folder. The “About UNISOFT Factory 2000” window is
displayed, click OK. The "Importing Your CAD File" window is displayed, click OK.
d) Click FILE from the main menu, click SMART OPEN and a new window opens.
e) In the new window browse to and select the directory c:\program files\unisoft\data-files
then click OK . A new window opens, select the file sample3.f2b and click OK. The "Messages
from Importer Module..." window opens. Click CLOSE and the PC Board is now displayed.
NOTE: The SMART OPEN feature looks at all the files for your project in the folder you select and
then presents you with only the correct PC Board, CAD and Gerber files that can be imported into
the Unisoft software.
f) From the main menu click QUOTE/QUALITY click ASSEMBLY COST click COST in the window
displayed. This report is the estimated cost for the assembly of the PC Board. Click OK and
CANCEL to close the window.
g) From the main menu click QUOTE/QUALITY then click PARTS COST. This report is the estimated
component parts cost for the PC Board. Click OK to close the window. Contract and OEM
Electronic manufactures find this report and the one above useful for generating quotations and
cost estimates.
h) From the main menu click QUOTE/QUALITY then click SOLDER JOINT COUNT. This report is the
total solder joint count for the PC Board broken down by SMT, Thru Hole and part number. This
report is used by Contract and OEM manufacturers for quality tracking. Click OK to close the
window.
i) Also on the QUOTE/QUALITY menu the EXPORT STANDARD BOM allows you to export several
normalized standard BOM formats. All types of Bill of Material (BOM) formats can be imported
into the Unisoft software and then exported to normalized standard BOM formats that can then
be utilized by your other manufacturing software systems such as Part Sourcing, MRP, ERP, etc.
This feature is located on the main menu item QUOTE/QUALITY under
"Export Standard BOM file…".
j) From the main menu click ASSEMBLY SHEETS/1ST ARTICLE then click OPEN SMART COLOR
OPERATIONS and a new window appears at the bottom.
k) This SMART COLOR OPERATIONS window at the bottom is sortable either by Part Number, Step
Number, N=number of components for that part number, operation, number of pins on the
component, etc. First article inspection, assembly process sheets creation, kitting labels, etc. are
all done here. More detail on this and the other menus and features are outlined in the tutorial
below.
l) Click FILE from the main menu, then click EXIT then click NO and the software exits.

Exercise 2) Importing a CAD and BOM file:

1) Import the CAD file:
a) Click START on the lower left corner of your Windows desktop.
b) Click PROGRAMS and select the "Unisoft ProntoPLACE Software" folder
c) Click the icon “ProntoPLACE” inside that folder. The “About UNISOFT Factory 2000” window is
displayed click OK. The "Importing Your CAD File" window is displayed, click OK.
d) Next click FILE from the main menu, click OPEN, click CONTINUE and click the pull down
menu next to "LIST FILE TYPES", for the sample PCB select the "Accel PCAD file (*.PDF)" file
type (note the list sorts by extension so you will find it about 8 up from the bottom).
e) Next select the directory the CAD file is located in by clicking the pull down menu next to “LOOK
IN” at the top of the window. Select the directory "C:\PROGRAM FILES\UNISOFT" then select the
file SAMPLE.PDF and click OPEN.
f) The “Assembly Cost” window is displayed. Click OK to close this window. Under the “Assembly
Cost” window a “shareware trial mode version” window is displayed, click “CLOSE” to close this
window. The PC board is now displayed.

2) Import the Bill of Materials (BOM) file:

a) Click FILE from the main menu then click CLEAR BOM DATA.
b) Click FILE on the main menu then click IMPORT BOM FILE. Make sure [Default] in the
window displayed is selected. Click IMPORT and select the file SAMPLE.BOM in the window
displayed , then click OPEN. The BOM importer window is displayed. Click CLOSE to shut the
BOM window.
 c) The BOM data has been imported. To display the BOM data from the main menu click
ASSEMBLY SHEETS/1ST ARTICLE then click OPEN SMART COLOR OPERATIONS and a new
window appears at the bottom. Note the correct part number, description, device type, etc. from
the BOM is displayed.
d) Click FILE from the main menu, then click EXIT then click NO and the software exits.

Later in this tutorial you can import your own CAD and BOM files if you wish. The tutorial continues below and
details the other menus and features of the software.

Overview of this ProntoPLACE quick start procedure:

1) Import a CAD sample file.

2) Import a Bill Of Materials (BOM) sample file.

3) Create the output file used to setup the Assembly Machine.

4) How to exercises:
- Exercise 1: Creating assembly/process sheets, annotation overlays and kitting labels.
Assigning operations text to each part number.
Assigning step numbers to each part number.
Adding F2P annotation overlays to steps.
Assigning colors and patterns to each part number.
Print assembly sheets and matching load lists for each process step.
Creating .F2P annotation overlays for adding text & graphics to the assembly.
Adding selectable Annotation (.F2P) overlays to the general display.
Creating Kitting Labels.
- Exercise 2: Color, blink and check off part numbers one at a time for "first article
inspection" cross check.
- Exercise 3: Review the FIND feature.
- Exercise 4: Review the cross probing of hyper-linked Schematic and Assembly feature.

5) Saving your work.

6) Importing your own CAD file.

7) OPTIONAL: API FUNCTION - In addition to controlling the software in the standard

manual method via the mouse and keyboard an API function for external control is
included. This API allows you to write a program to automatically direct ProntoVIEW-
MARKUP from your application or equipment without the use of the mouse or keyboard.

8) Where the software is installed and features of the ProntoVIEW-MARKUP free viewer
software.
STARTING THE PROCEDURE:
We suggest you printout this document to follow along.

To import CAD files: To import CAD files go to "1) Importing the CAD data
file." below (this is the suggested procedure).

To Import GERBER files: Importing the full CAD files should always be your first option
because the CAD files are fast to import and contain complete PC Board data. But in some cases,
especially if you are a contract manufacturer, you may not receive full CAD files to import into
ProntoPLACE and therefore your only option is to import raw Gerber files. ProntoPLACE can
import and turn these raw Gerber files into real reference designators, theta rotation, part numbers,
X/Y component pin geometries, etc. This data is then used to program SMT, Thru-hole Automatic
Assembly Equipment, AOI/X-RAY inspection equipment, create manual assembly sheets, process
documentation, etc. The GERBER CONNECTION pull down menu imports these raw gerber files.

If you wish to see how GERBER files are imported and used for programming your SMT
and Thru-Hole assembly machines then go to the ProntoGERBER-CONNECTION manual
by clicking or cut and paste into your browser the following link:
http://www.unisoft-cim.com/gerber-connection_download.htm . Once there then jump to
the section "STARTING THE PROCEDURE:" and complete through section 3 and at that
point the GERBER data is ready for programming your machine and you will be directed
back to the appropriate point to continue forward in this manual.
1) Importing the CAD data file.
1a) The Unisoft ProntoPLACE software can import all types of CAD and Bill of Material (BOM)
data file formats. To import the sample CAD file provided click START on your Windows
desktop then click PROGRAMS and select the "Unisoft ProntoPLACE Software" folder and click
the icon “ProntoPLACE” inside that folder. The “ABOUT UNISOFT” window is displayed click OK.
The "Importing Your CAD File" window is displayed, click OK. Next click FILE from the main
menu, click OPEN, click CONTINUE, click the pull down menu next to "LIST FILE TYPES", for the
sample PCB select the "Accel PCAD file (*.PDF)" file type (note the list sorts by extension so you
will find it about 8 up from the bottom). Next select the directory the CAD file is located in by
clicking the pull down menu next to “LOOK IN” at the top of the window. Select the directory
"C:\PROGRAM FILES\UNISOFT" then select the file SAMPLE.PDF and click OPEN. An
“Assembly Cost” window is displayed which contains an estimate of the cost to assemble the PC
Board based on the device package counts. Contract and OEM Electronic manufactures find this
report useful for generating quotations and cost estimates. Click OK to close the “Assembly Cost”
window. Under the “Assembly Cost” window a “shareware trial mode version” window is displayed,
click “CLOSE” to close this window. The PC board is now displayed.

NOTE1: Later to open your own CAD files you can use the SMART OPEN feature which will
automatically detect CAD files in a directory that can be imported into the Unisoft software. To
use SMART OPEN click FILE off the main menu then click SMART OPEN and point to the
directory that contains your CAD files and follow the instructions to display your PC Board
assembly and other files such as AutoCAD drawing files.
2) IMPORTING THE BILL OF MATERIALS - You may import a Bill Of Material(BOM)
and upon doing so the part number and descriptions contained in the BOM will be associated with
the components on the display.

Click FILE on the main menu then click IMPORT BOM FILE. Make sure [Default] in the
window displayed is selected. Click IMPORT and select the file SAMPLE.BOM in the window
displayed , then click OPEN. The BOM importer window shows:

Warning: Duplicate BOM for REFDES 'U5'.

Totals: 28 items, 314 references. Complete.

To illustrate the cross checking the software does between the CAD file and BOM we have
purposefully edited the BOM to cause the message "Warning: Duplicate BOM for REFDES 'U5' ".
For example if U5 was socketed you could have U5 the socket and U5 the actual component part
in the same BOM and you would want this fact brought to your attention.
Click CLOSE to shut the window.

Windows users: If the BOM importing above was successful then please skip this step. If
the BOM importing above did not perform as outlined then please follow this step and try
the BOM step above again: On installation a file named markup.ini is copied to the
c:\windows directory. This file helps to import the BOM. Window security sometimes prevents the
copying of this file. Please manually copy the markup.ini file located in c:\program files\unisoft
directory to the c:\windows directory. When you copy the file Windows will ask you if it's okay to
copy it, answer yes. If the file is already there it is ok to overwrite it. Try the BOM importing step
above again. Please contact Unisoft if you need assistance, 203-913-0782.
3) CREATE THE OUTPUT FILE USED TO SETUP THE ASSEMBLY
MACHINE.
- Selecting the topside reference points:
Make sure the display is split and the left pane displays the top of the assembly and the right pane
displays the bottom (this is the default display when the software first starts).
Click PLACE/AOI/X-Ray MODELS from the top menu. Click on MARK REFERENCE 1, the cursor
will turn into a diamond. In the LEFT side pane move the cursor to the lower right of the assembly.
Now place the cursor over a pin and click. The pin will turn to a diamond with the number 1 inside
it (note that the REFERENCE 1 point selected is now the X=0 and Y=0 for the machine output file
you will be generating). Click PLACE/AOI/X-Ray MODELS from the top menu. Click on MARK
REFERENCE 2, the cursor will turn into a diamond. In the LEFT side pane move the cursor to the
upper left of the assembly. Now place the cursor over a pin and click. The pin should turn to a
diamond.
- Building the top side assembly placement (mount) file. Click PLACE/AOI/X-Ray MODELS
from the top menu then click MYDATA, then click on DIRECTLINE. The BUILD MOUNT FILE
window opens. There are different options in this window to accommodate different machine and
part types, including changing the 0 rotation of package types, global rotation correction, etc. ( for
details click www.unisoft-cim.com/manual-pronto-detail_mount-file-window.htm ).

Click OK and then click SAVE and the INCLUDE/EXCLUDE PART NUMBER OPERATIONS
window opens. This window allows you to exclude any part number Operations that you do not
wish to be included in the output file.
Click OK and the MODIFY ROTATION BY PART NUMBER window opens. This window allows
you to modify the rotation of a part number created in the output file. For example you may need to
flip 2 pin polarized components such as diodes and LEDs 180 degrees. The rotation change is in
the output file only and does not affect the displayed PCB. For any one of the part numbers
displayed click the 0 under the Rotation field for that part number and add any rotation you wish.
Note the rotation is added to the existing rotation so for example adding 90 degrees to a
component at 180 degrees results in 270 degrees in the output file. Click OK , then click OK
again. Note the amount of components that were placed in the message window. Click CLOSE.

The file just created is called SAMPLE.MNT. You can view SAMPLE.MNT with any editor in the
directory you saved it to ( the SAMPLE.MNT you just created should be in the directory
c:\program files\unisoft ) . SAMPLE.MNT contains the top side component placement
information compatible with the MYDATA assembly equipment. The MYDATA machine then takes
this file as input and you are ready to assemble the top side of the board.

MYDATA MOUNT FILE SAMPLE:

B Ref1 = FID1.1
B Ref2 = FID2.1
U 0.1
C1 0 0 -65000 24750
M1 -61250 14750 270 390607-01-0
M2U9
M1 -55250 16500 90 391770-01-2
M2R41
M1 -43500 22500 90 391770-02-0
M2R2
M1 -52500 3750 270 391777-06-8
M2C1

NOTE that we have used the Mydata assembly machine for our example above. Please feel free
to create output for any one of the many assembly machine models listed in the main menu pull
down "PLACE/AOI/X-Ray MODELS". The procedure for the other machines listed there is straight
forward and the same as the Mydata output we just created. The Unisoft software supports
virtually all assembly machine makes and models. Unisoft ProntoPLACE also supports semi-
automatic insertion equipment such as the Contact Systems CS400. Contact Unisoft directly for
details if you do not see your assembly machine listed.

Below are other sample Assembly Machine setup file formats created by the Unisoft ProntoPLACE
software (all popular machine specific formats supported):

RefDes PartNumber Shape X Y Rotation Layer

U1 391818-06-6 SOIC14 0.150 0.150 90 TOP
U2 391818-06-6 SOIC14 -0.700 7.325 0 TOP
U3 391818-06-6 SOIC14 -0.200 7.325 0 TOP
U4 391829-03-3 SOIC20W 0.600 0.150 270 TOP

IC4 360-0834 90 1.575 1.475

R24 111-0122 270 2.750 3.200
R26 111-0103 270 2.250 3.200

Contact Systems – CS400

206"242432-03"
004+0000+0000+0000+0000
002+0000+0000+0000+0000
012+0004+0000+0000+0000
116+0000+0000+0000+0000
216"BIN 1"
010-0159+1432+0000-0160\R1 \
012+0004+0000+0000+0000
216"BIN 2"
010-0199+1432+0000-0160\R2 \
012+0004+0000+0000+0000
216"BIN 3"
000+0171+0261+0160+0000\R3 \
000+0411+0261+0160+0000\R7 \

0001> 1325 2315 00170 00000 0096 00000 00000 A O

0002> 3875 2225 00000 00000 0096 00000 00000 A C
0003> 4125 2875 00170 00000 0096 00000 00000 A C
0004> 4475 2650 00000 00000 0096 00000 00000 A C
0005> 3875 2925 00000 00000 0096 00000 00000 A C
- Selecting the bottom side reference points:

(Note: Skip to the step below "4) HOW TO EXERCISES" if you used the GERBER sample
data because the GERBER sample data does not have bottom side components).

Click PLACE/AOI/X-Ray MODELS from the top menu. Click on MARK REFERENCE 1, the cursor
will turn into a diamond. In the RIGHT side pane move the cursor to the lower right of the
assembly. Now place the cursor over a pin and click. The pin should turn to a diamond. Note that
the REFERENCE 1 point selected is now the X=0 and Y=0 for the machine output file you will be
generating. Click PLACE/AOI/X-Ray MODELS from the top menu. Click on MARK REFERENCE
2, the cursor will turn into a diamond. In the RIGHT side pane move the cursor to the upper left of
the assembly. Now place the cursor over a pin and click. The pin should turn to a diamond.

- Building the bottom side assembly placement (mount) file.

Click PLACE/AOI/X-Ray MODELS from the top menu then click MYDATA, then click on BUILD
OUTPUT FILE. The BUILD MOUNT FILE window opens. In the window displayed click the
BOTTOM SIDE button.

Click OK and then in the File Name field change the name to SAMPLEB.MNT and click SAVE and
the FLIP PARTS window opens. Click OK , then click OK again. Note the amount of components
that were placed in the message window. Click CLOSE.

The file just created is called SAMPLEB.MNT. You can view SAMPLEB.MNT with any editor in the
directory you saved it to ( the SAMPLEB.MNT you just created should be in the directory
c:\program files\unisoft ) . SAMPLEB.MNT contains the bottom side component placement
information compatible with the MYDATA assembly equipment. The MYDATA machine then takes
this file as input and you are ready to assemble the bottom side of the board.
4) HOW TO EXERCISES – For this exercise we will open the same PC Board but with
additional annotation notes and steps we have previously added. From the main menu click FILE
click OPEN, click CONTINUE and select the file SAMPLE3.F2B and click OPEN and click NO in
the “Save Changes to sample” window. The PC Board is displayed and click CLOSE in the
“Messages from importer module” window.

There are over a 100 features of the Unisoft basic software module ProntoVIEW-MARKUP, below
are a few example exercises.

Exercise 1 - (How to create assembly/process sheets and annotation

overlays):
The Unisoft software allows you to quickly create matching assembly lists and assembly
drawing sheets for each step in the assembly process. Part numbers are automatically
assigned to the assembly step you wish (for example: Step 1 for Hand Inserts, Step 2 Chip
Shooter components, etc). The part numbers are then automatically uniquely colored. If
needed, overlay annotation notes can be added to each step. Next for each step matching
assembly lists and assembly drawings are created. These drawings can either be printed or
save to a file (PDF Adobe, etc.) or displayed on the screen.

To create assembly and process sheets on the main menu click ASSEMBLY SHEETS/1ST
ARTICLE then click OPEN SMART COLOR OPERATIONS and a new window appears at the
bottom.
The SMART COLOR window at the bottom is sortable either by Part Number, Step Number,
N=number of components for that part number, Operation, number of Pins on the component, etc.

ASSIGNING OPERATIONS TEXT TO EACH PART NUMBER:

To assign an Operation to each part number click EDIT then BOM then IMPORT PN/OPERATION
and a new window will appear. In the window click on the file SAMPLE.OPR to select it then click
OPEN. The result is that under the OPERATION field at the bottom of the screen each part
number has been automatically assigned a operation step, for example Part Number 390579-03-3
is assigned Operation "MYDATA AUTO INSERT".

The Operation field is optional and it is easily populated by the .OPR file which is a simple text file.
The .OPR file contains the Part Number followed by a tab then the Operation text for that part
number (Example: 396051-01-4 HAND INSERT SOCKET PRE-WAVE). The Operation
information in the .OPR file is automatically assigned to every part number on the assembly. The
SAMPLE.OPR file used in our example is located in the directory c:\program files\unisoft . Also
the Operations can be manually entered by double clicking on the Part Number and editing the
OPERATION field directly in the window provided. Then you can export and save the Operation
information you have manually entered to an .OPR file by clicking EDIT then BOM then EXPORT
P/N operation (NOTE: This exported file does not append to an existing .OPR file it simply exports
the Part Number and Operation field to a new file. Of course if you wish at that point you can
manually append that file to another existing .OPR file.).
ASSIGNING STEP NUMBERS TO EACH PART NUMBER:
In the bottom window to the right of the PART NUMBER field you will find the STEP field. In this
field you may optionally add STEP NUMBERS to part numbers in order to create separate unique
steps in the PC Boards assembly process (for example: Step 1 for Hand Inserts, Step 2 Chip
Shooter components, etc). To assign a STEP NUMBER to a part number at the bottom of the
display double click on a part number and edit the STEP field with a step number. When the PC
Board and BOM are first imported all steps are defaulted to step 1. Note that we have previously
added step numbers 1 through 5 for our sample PC Board.

ADDING F2P ANNOTATION OVERLAYS TO STEPS:

If needed overlay annotation notes can be added to each process step. To do this click ADD
F2P’S TO STEPS.
The following window appears!

For our sample board we have previously created five process steps. Now for each one of these
steps we can optionally add .F2P annotation overlay notes. In the figure above for example Step 1
is selected on the left and on the right four .F2P overlays boxes are checked. These four overlays
will be printed on top of the PC Board display for step 1. The results would look something like the
figure below. Please click on step 2 through 5 on the left side and you will see the .F2P overlays
that will be printed for those steps.

(NOTE: The sample PC board we are working with already has 8 .F2P annotation overlays pre-
loaded into it. It is not necessary now but in the future to add F2P Annotations to the Window
above you need to Load them first.  To Load Annotations close all currently opened windows then
from the Main menu click EDIT, click ANNOTATIONS then click  LOAD ANNOTATIONS and select
the  .F2P file you wish to load then click OPEN.).
ASSIGNING COLORS AND PATTERNS TO EACH PART NUMBER:
In the window at the bottom click the DRAW ALL button. The “Select Components” window below
opens. Put check marks in this window the same as illustrated below and then click OK.

The result is that each part number and the components associated with that part number have
been assigned a unique color and pattern according to the sort sequence of the part numbers in
the SMART COLOR window at the bottom of the display. You also have the option to repeat the
color sequence for each Step Number in the process. To do this in the window at the bottom click
the REPEAT COLORS/STEP button and the colors on the PC Board will change. Note the same
color will appear for different part numbers because these part numbers are in different steps. Click
the REPEAT COLORS/STEP button again to toggle the colors to their previous state.
To view the order that the colors are applied on the main menu click ASSEMBLY SHEETS/1ST
ARTICLE and click SET COLOR/BRUSH ORDER and the “Change Color/Brush Order” window is
displayed. This window displays the order of the colors on the left and the order of the brush
patterns on the right. The order can be changed if you wish. Click OK to close the window.

PRINT ASSEMBLY SHEETS AND MATCHING LOAD LISTS FOR EACH PROCESS STEP:
The assembly instructions for this PC Board are now complete. For this PC Board we have
previously added 5 process STEPS. To Print Assembly Sheets and matching Assembly Load Lists
for each process step in the window at the bottom of the display click the button PRINT
ASSEMBLY DOCS .
The following window is displayed!

There are two options for printing Assembly Documents. The first option is SINGLE PAGE EACH
STEP which results in a document that looks like the one below where each Step in the assembly
process is printed on one sheet for each side of the PC Board assembly. Note in the figure below
that the load list of the components to be inserted at that step are listed by part number at the top
of the same sheet with the PC Board assembly under it and on the PC Board the components to
be insert at this step are colored with matching colors to the load list above it.

To print this drawing below in the window above under PRINT select SINGLE PAGE EACH STEP
and under STEPS select SELECT ALL STEPS. Next click OK and select the printer or PDF file
you wish to print to and Click OK and the document will be printed.
The second option for printing assembly documents is SEPARATE PAGES EACH STEP which
results in a document that looks like the two figures below. Each Step in the assembly process is
printed on two sheets for each side of the PC Board assembly. Note in the two figures below that
the load list of the components to be inserted is on its own sheet and the PC Board assembly
drawing is also on its own sheet. The load list and PC Board assembly drawings have color
matching components to be inserted at this step.
Note in the two drawings above that in the second drawing which is Assembly Sheet #1 of 5, CR1
to CR32 are colored green. Also printed are the 3 .F2P annotation overlays selected earlier for
step 1 including “Hand insert all diodes that are this color…”, “insert J1 custom bend connector…”,
and the legend box “ABC Electronics…”. In the first drawing which is the matching Assembly Load
List Sheet #1 of 5, the third item is part number 385-848-05-6 which are components CR1-CR32
and for this item we have included automatically the part number, the operation text “hand insert
diodes”, the quantity of 32, the device type THD, the component part number color of green, and
optionally additional Bill Of Material (BOM) information of tolerance/package/description, and top
side reference designate or listings of CR1 through CR32.

To print the drawings above at the bottom center of the main display click the button PRINT
ASSEMBLY DOCS and the window below appears. Under PRINT select SEPARATE PAGES
EACH STEP and then put a check mark in all the 6 boxes located under SEPARATE PAGES
EACH STEP. Next under STEPS select SELECT ALL STEPS. Then click OK and select the
printer or PDF file you wish to print to and Click OK and the document will be printed.
CREATING .F2P ANNOTATION OVERLAYS FOR ADDING ADDITIONAL TEXT AND
GRAPHICS TO THE ASSEMBLY:
Additional text and graphics can be added to the Assembly by creating .F2P annotation overlays.
To add annotation notes to the assembly similar to the figure below click the Annotation Tool
button on the top toolbar. Your cursor will change to .

Drag a rectangle within a top or bottom view window. Release the mouse button after dragging
your rectangle. The tabbed Object Properties dialog opens. This is where you can specify
properties for your annotation.

Click the Text tab (if necessary). In the Text box, type the text you want to appear in the
annotation. Click OK. The display contains the annotation.
With the Annotation Tool selected, click the annotation you just added. A shortcut menu appears.
Click Call Out. A callout line appears to the right of the annotation. With the annotation cursor,
click and hold the tip of the callout. Drag the callout to the desired location. While you drag, a thick
line will stretch from the center of the annotation to the tip of your cursor. Note: If the tip of the
callout is not in view, you may have to use the panning tool (TOOLS / PANNING TOOL) to move it
into view. Release the mouse button. The callout line will move to the desired location.

Click and drag the annotation to the desired location. Note: If the annotation has a callout, the
callout will stay anchored to the PCB.

ADDING SELECTABLE ANNOTATION (.F2P) OVERLAYS TO THE GENERAL DISPLAY:

The Selectable Annotation (.F2P) overlays allows you to load the F2P annotation overlays you
have created and turn them on and off individually. 

The ANNOTATION icon at the top of the display (it is the 25th icon from the left) is a 3 way
toggle which brings up the "CHOOSE F2P'S TO DISPLAY" window below.
 
To add F2P Annotations to the Window above you need to Load them first.  To Load Annotations
close the current window below, if you have it displayed, then from the Main menu click EDIT, click
ANNOTATIONS then click  LOAD ANNOTATIONS and select the  .F2P file you wish to load then
click OPEN.
 
Our sample SAMPLE3.F2B file we are working with has 8 sample .F2P Annotation
overlays already Loaded into it. These same 8 .F2B files are also on the directory c:\program
files\unisoft  . The list of the 8 F2P's are in the figure above starting with  SAMPLE2-assembly-
sheet-2-of-6.f2p .  Feel free to load and unload them as you wish to get a feel for this feature.  

This feature is also in the free VIEWER software, so for example in the figure below an assembly
person on the production floor can select the HAND INSERT overlays to guide them with
assembly. 
 
  
Or as in the figure below a PC Board Test person can use the free VIEWER software to select the 
"SAMPLE2-test-adjust-r12-to-3 volts.f2b" overlay to guide them with a test setup procedure.   

The ProntoVIEW-MARKUP free Viewer software can display these results for assembly personnel
at their computers on your production floor or if you do not have computers they can be printed for
exact assembly instructions, for example (PART NUMBER / OPERATION / NUMBER OF
PARTS / COLOR).
Creating Kitting Labels
 
The Unisoft software allows you to quickly create Kitting Labels for fast and accurate electronic
component kitting.  Quickly select the component part numbers for which you wish kitting
labels created.  Each label contains the part number, unique part number color, step number,
p/n description, reference designator, etc.  Fast and easy electronic kitting labels for kitting
work orders.   

To use this feature: The Smart Color window should be open and at the bottom of the display and you will
see the field KITTING LABEL. By default all the thru hole component Part Numbers under the KITTING
LABEL field are checked. All checked component part numbers will be included in the Kitting Label to be
printed. You may add and remove checks as you wish.
To print the Kitting Labels for the checked part numbers click PRINT ASSEMBLY DOCS at the bottom
middle of the display. Next select the PRINT KITTING LABELS button and click OK and OK again and
select your printer output.

The labels created are the default standard Avery 5160 type (30 labels - 3 across & 10 down).
Exercise 2 - How to blink and color part numbers one at a time. Useful
for check off in first article inspection process, etc.:

Generally First Article Inspection is done on the first PC Boards assembled. When the assembly
inspection is satisfactory at that point the PC Board can be built reliably in quantity.

After completing the exercise above, in the window at the bottom of the display click UNDRAW
ALL. A new window opens, put check marks in all the boxes and click OK. The result is all
component coloring is now cleared. Now single click the first part number displayed in the lower
left of the screen under the "PART NUMBER" field. Then click BLINK in the bottom center of the
screen. This will blink those components with that part number. In real life the person doing the first
article inspection would check each of those components for the correct part number installed. If
all were correct then they would color those components to indicate they are correct. Please do
this now by clicking DRAW. Note a check mark has been placed to the left of the part number
indicating it has been completed. The inspector would continue this process for each part number
until all part numbers are colored at which point that would indicate the PC Board was assembled
correctly with all components. At that point the PC Board can be built in quantity.
Exercise 3 - The Find Feature: Using the FIND feature allows you to find a component
or component pin. You can find a net trace or 2 net traces to identify where a short between two
traces maybe. Search and find by netname or by part number. Also find by description field from
the Bill Of Materials (BOM), for example find all “0.1uf capacitor”. You can also find a Test Probe
X/Y location and Test Probe number for your Bed Of Nails test fixture.

To open the FIND window either at the top of the display click the FIND icon or from the main
menu click EDIT then FIND. Next to search for a component type U4 in the top left field and click
APPLY. The result is the cursor moves to U4 and U4 is highlighted in red. Note that APPLY
finds what you are looking for and leaves the FIND window open for further finds or clicking OK
closes the FIND window and locates the item you requested.

To locate a short between two traces in the FIND window in the top left field type U4.4 and in the
top right field type U4.5 and click APPLY . Note as in the figure below the two traces in question
are highlighted. One trace is in yellow and the other blue. A technician would then follow along
the two traces and where they came closest to each other would be the most likely place to find the
short.

Choose any of the other tabs to experiment with the different types of search options available.
Click CLOSE to close the FIND window.
Exercise 4 - Cross probing of hyper-linked Schematic and Assembly
feature.: Click VIEW from the main menu then click RIGHT PANE. Click VIEW again then click
SCHEMATIC. The right pane now displays "No Net Selected". Click VIEW from the main menu
then click LEFT PANE and select a net by either clicking the Select tool (Bull's-eye icon) then
clicking on a pin on the display or using the Find feature to select a net. The result is the
schematic should be displayed in the right pane. The schematic view in the right pane is also an
active display so by clicking any signal name or pin number on the right side on the components
displayed will now navigate to that signal. You can now navigate any signal down its resultant path.

For further details on features and operations please review the manuals by clicking the
"ProntoVIEW-MARKUP VIEW Manual" icon and clicking the "ProntoVIEW-MARKUP MARKUP
Manual" icon in the "Unisoft ProntoPLACE" folder.

ProntoPLACE TUTORIAL MOVIE: If you have not already done so we suggest that you watch the
tutorial movie which displays most features of this software. Click the icon "ProntoPLACE Tutorial
Movie" The play time is approx. 30 minutes - PLAY SPEED: The play speed is set to slow. You
can manually move the frames forward quickly by clicking the STOP button (third button from the
top left) then move the slide bar on the top to the right to advance the frames.
5) SAVING YOUR WORK:
You will want to save your work initially or after adding annotations to your file. You can
save your work as a .F2B file (complete board save) or as a .F2P overlay file (saves only
annotations you have added).

To save as .F2B - On the FILE menu, click SAVE.

Note: If you want to save the file with a different name, on the FILE menu, click SAVE AS. The
Save dialog box appears. Type a name in the FILE NAME box. Click OK.

An .F2B file contains all of the board information, plus the annotations. The board file is loaded first
and then the annotation file is loaded on top of the board file. When you save the file, the system
defaults to the original file name with a different extension. This file can be viewed by anybody
using the VIEW-MARKUP software or any of the other Unisoft software modules. If you plan to
send your annotated board along with the free VIEW-MARKUP program to another person, the
F2B file is more convenient.

To save a .F2P overlay file - Click EDIT from the main menu, then click ANNOTATIONS
and SAVE ANNOTATIONS. The Save dialog box appears. Type a name in the FILE NAME box.
Click OK.

An .F2P file contains just the annotations you have added to the PC Board assembly display such
as component coloring, notes and graphics. The .F2P can be viewed in conjunction with an .F2B
or CAD files at a later time. If you want to develop multiple visual aids based on the same CAD file,
or if you receive updated CAD files in the future, it is better to save F2P files. These files can then
be loaded against the similar or updated PC Board design saving you the time of recreating the
annotations. F2P's can be overlayed individually or stacked in combination.

- Navigate the menus and select the features to get a general idea of the software's operation.

5a) Additional features:

ProntoPLACE also has all the features of the ProntoVIEW-MARKUP software. The ProntoPLACE
software is compatible with MARKUP.EXE our royalty free PCB Viewer software. Normally this
viewer is used throughout the plant floor or given to vendors or clients for better communications.
The viewer has over 100 features that make it the ideal ONE TOOL for the various departments of
a typical electronic manufacture. Features include viewing and printing out of the display, find by
Reference Designator, Part Number and more. To give the free viewer to someone simply send
them the MARKUP.EXE and the .F2B file for your PC Board (MARKUP.EXE is usually located in
the c:\program files\unisoft directory).
6) TO OPEN YOUR OWN CAD FILES YOU CAN USE THE SMART OPEN
FEATURE WHICH WILL AUTOMATICALLY DETECT CAD FILES IN A
DIRECTORY THAT CAN BE IMPORTED INTO THE UNISOFT SOFTWARE.
To use SMART OPEN click FILE off the main menu then click SMART OPEN and point to the
directory that contains your CAD files and follow the instructions to display your PC Board
assembly.

6a) HOW TO OPEN YOUR CAD AND BOM FILES MANUALLY - ProntoPLACE imports the
standard ASCII file that CAD systems create. Each CAD system has its own format. To view a
variety of the latest full CAD samples please see directory c:\program file\unisoft and look for the
files starting with SAMPLE_ . For example you will find SAMPLE_PADS.ASC which is the PADS
CAD systems ASCII output file. This and the other sample CAD files can be directly imported into
the Unisoft software. Simply match your file to one of the samples and your PC-BOARD can be
displayed with ProntoPLACE software.

7) API FUNCTION:
An API function for external control is included if you need to manage ProntoPLACE from your
application or equipment.

The API is contained in the file REMOTEAPI.ZIP in the directory ...\unisoft where you installed
the software. Please unzip this file into the ...\unisoft directory. The result should be
directories ...\unisoft\remoteapi\rapi_test .

See the file README.TXT in the directory ...\unisoft\remoteapi\rapi_test on how to use the API.
Also the files API.H and RAPI_TEST.C explain the functions.

FUNCTIONS:
ShowCurView
ZoomCurView
OpenBoard
SetCurView
ShowCurView
ZoomCurView
Rotate
Flip
MoveCurView
ClearBom
ClearAnnotation
ImportBom
ImportAnnotation
FindComponents
FindNets

We have supplied a function tester program. You can test out the functions by running
RAPI_TEST.EXE in directory RAPI_TEST . See the readme above for details (For example run
RAPI_TEST.EXE and type HELP to get general help or type HELP FindComponents to get
specific help for FindComponents. If you type FindComponents 1 U11 the 1 will zoom the
display to where U11 is located and component U11 will be highlighted. If you type
FindComponents 1 U11.3 U6.9 then both the component U11.3 and U6.9 pins and traces will be
highlighted.).
MORE ON THE API:

RAPI_Test - contains samples of how you can use the API via a DOS prompt.

Please note that when using the DOS command prompt test program - if you type Help at the
command prompt (Enter>) you will get a list of all the API functions available to you. If you type
'help' and then the functions name (e.g. Enter>help OpenBoard) it will explain how to use that
particular function. You should go through this exercise to become familiar with the functionality of
the API.

If you review the C code in the file (RAPI_Test.c) you will see how the actual DOS prompt program
was written. You can write similar functions in your own code that will call up the program and
launch the necessary API functions you wish.

We hope you find this API useful.

8) WHERE IS THE SOFTWARE INSTALLED - If you chose the default path on

installation the software was installed to the directory c:\program files\unisoft . The
ProntoPLACE executable program is MARKUP.EXE . The Icons group are installed in the
PROGRAM GROUP under "Unisoft ProntoPLACE". ". Also three shortcuts were placed on your
desktop, one for the ProntoPLACE software, a second for the movie tutorial and a third for this
manual.

FEATURES OF ProntoVIEW-MARKUP (all the features of ProntoVIEW-MARKUP are in

ProntoPLACE):
- Import virtually any CAD file.
- Instantly find components, pins, nets, part numbers and shorts between traces.
- Zoom, single/split screen, flip, rotate, change screen settings
- Active schematic view that is hyper-linked to the assembly.
- Print or plot to any Windows compatible printer
- Colorize single or multiple components.
- Save and load single or multiple annotation overlays.
- Import Bill of Material (BOM) information and associate with each component. BOM importing is
programmable to accommodate multiple BOM style formats.
- Add up to 4 User Text fields automatically to any component.
- Change the component properties of any part number.
- Set origins and measurement tool.
- Any CAD file exported to a flat ASCII file. Contains each component, pin, via, net-number, x/y,
surface, etc. (Useful for other systems - test, assembly equipment, etc.).
- Renumber nets, kill nets and auto assign net numbers to "no connect" nets.
- Split Alphanumeric pins on Import/Export, shorten long netnames on Import/Export.
- Import test probe numbers to appear on the display and search test probe numbers.
- More    

Thank you for evaluating the ProntoPLACE software. Please contact Unisoft with any questions
(203) 913-0782 or [email protected] .