Has anyone got an old copy of Tsien BoardMaker2 with BoardCapture ? This is old DOS 16-bit PCB design software. It is comprised of disks, parallel dongle and manual. The manual is not essential. The dongle is the most important part.
Last time I saw someone wanting a copy was in 2011.
Are there any more out there ?
Thanks & Regards - Andy
There are firms in Canada, I believe that will sell you a software crack for the dongle.
And if it is a dead package, you can likely find the software crack or cracked version out there.
And if it is a dead package, it is no more of a character compromise than coasting through a stop sign slowly.
Ouch, I had boardmaker (and the d@mn dongle) ~20 years ago. Can you redo the layout in more recent software?
George H.
Can't you just get the free DL of GCPrevue from Graphicode to look at the artwork and re-do it using the free EAGLE package? I think it reads .cwk .pwk and .gwk formats produced by the Boardmaker products.
Hi,
Yep I have a BoardMaker Dongle but even better than that I have a 'cracked' version of BM2 ! Last run about a year ago.
This runs in a DOS window under Windows XP but not under Win7. Tell us why you need it and if non-commercial then I will email you the files !
Look at DosBox for DOS emulation under (m)any platform(s).
-- Chris
d' version of BM2 ! Last run about a year ago.
y you need it and if non-commercial then I will email you the files !
Yeah, I noticed this "XP, but not Win7" too with the "soft dongle" I used. I ran the Windows program---the thing that needed the dongle emulator---in a virtual XP machine too. But I the dongle emulator is apparently a Window s app, or I should say it looks like one in XP. It doesn't need (look like ) a "command" or "shell" window to run.
I have wondered why certain old programs will not run in Win7-64, shell or not. (I have not tried Win7-32.) I am suspecting they are at least some pi eces of 16-bit code, or something like that, and Win7 won't allow it. I th ink it is ridiculous. Anyone know why some of these apps won't run in Win7 ? They are not DOS, from what I can tell.
PS: I have used DOSBox, and it is good, but the apps I am talking about are "Windows."
Because software manufacturers stick together, along with the hardware manufacturers of course.
Do you have a technical description of what is happening?
DOSBox doesn't virtualize the parallel port because it was made for games, and games don't print. So if the dongle goes into the LPT port then it won't work.
I have it andy and with the dongle removed to ring me john Wood jwoodaudio 07773143146
Hi John, Thanks for getting back to me and New Years Greetings. I was surprised anyone was looking at this after more than a year ! The most important bit I need to work is the BoardCapture (Schematic Capture) part of the software which, I was assured by Tsien, would only be enabled if the dongle was functional and this option is in the package. If you have this or are sure it works then please can you let me know again. Cheers - Andy ..by all means text 07803136343
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