Hi is they an easy program to use to produce a mimic board from my track plan in Scarm tried auto cad difficult to learn , help would be very much appreciated thanks in advance
You mean for a control panel with push buttons and toggles etc.?
Rather than go for an accurate representation of the plan with all the wiggly curves etc., draw it out in a stylised form, focussing on where you need switchgear.
I use aluminium sheet and car pinstripe tape to produce the diagram for my control panels
(https://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/gallery/87/5885-160220111540.jpeg)
Quote from: Derekm on February 11, 2021, 01:00:59 PM
Hi is they an easy program to use to produce a mimic board from my track plan in Scarm tried auto cad difficult to learn , help would be very much appreciated thanks in advance
Can anyone draw it up for me switches 6mm blue LEDs 3mm rest to scale
175x 120 approx switches 6.5 mm leds blue 3mm
175 x 120 roughly
Example of another tried autocad found it too difficult to master could find an easy drawing program
Any help would be appreciated
(https://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/gallery/106/8893-110221180134.jpeg) (https://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view&id=106242)
(https://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/gallery/106/8893-110221181718.jpeg) (https://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view&id=106243)
If you can get the track plan into a pdf file, then it only costs a few pounds to get it printed onto Foamex board
https://www.essexsignandprint.co.uk/print/foamex/foamex-printing/ (https://www.essexsignandprint.co.uk/print/foamex/foamex-printing/)
Hi that's the problem though I cannot find an easy way to draw the plan saving it as a pdf is easy, thanks for your reply.
All the drawing programs I've seen unless you are used to them autocad etc are very difficult and I cannot understand them that's why I was asking if anyone has any experience of them if they would help me either drawing for me or showing me an easy way of doing
I used Excel to produce mine
(https://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/gallery/106/88-110221204746.jpeg) (https://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view&id=106244)
How did you use excel and get grey lines etc
I just used Microsoft Paint when I did mine, then laminated the print and glued the laminate to the front of the control box with PVA.
NGM
I drew mine with a ruler and a texta (Aussie word for a felt tipped pen), that's why mine look crap, but they do the job.
(https://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/gallery/93/255-100520023431-930071677.jpeg)
Quote from: N_GaugeModeller on February 12, 2021, 07:53:21 AM
I just used Microsoft Paint when I did mine, then laminated the print and glued the laminate to the front of the control box with PVA.
NGM
I tried with paint but couldn't draw straight or diagonal lines ?
I downloaded all the symbols , I think from DCC, and then cut and pasted them into Excel. You can change the colours in Excel.
Thanks I'll have a look
In Excel, it's Insert, then Shapes, then Rectangle. Once the shape is inserted, a right click will bring up the option to select the colour.
Quote from: Coyote on February 12, 2021, 09:06:59 AM
In Excel, it's Insert, then Shapes, then Rectangle. Once the shape is inserted, a right click will bring up the option to select the colour.
Just tried that and it's easy to create uprights and lengths but how do you create diagonals please?
Quote from: Newportnobby on February 12, 2021, 09:32:07 AM
Quote from: Coyote on February 12, 2021, 09:06:59 AM
In Excel, it's Insert, then Shapes, then Rectangle. Once the shape is inserted, a right click will bring up the option to select the colour.
Just tried that and it's easy to create uprights and lengths but how do you create diagonals please?
Will it let you rotate an object?
If so, create a horizontal line then rotate it.
That's how I did mine, albeit in Photoshop. That lets you hold down the Shift key when drawing to constrain it to horizontal or vertical, but not diagonals.
Quote from: chrism on February 12, 2021, 09:36:25 AM
Quote from: Newportnobby on February 12, 2021, 09:32:07 AM
Quote from: Coyote on February 12, 2021, 09:06:59 AM
In Excel, it's Insert, then Shapes, then Rectangle. Once the shape is inserted, a right click will bring up the option to select the colour.
Just tried that and it's easy to create uprights and lengths but how do you create diagonals please?
Will it let you rotate an object?
If so, create a horizontal line then rotate it.
Can't see a way to do that, Chris, but I am only using a basic Microsoft non-commercial variant of Excel.
Not a mimic panel as such but part of it may eventually become one, the below is all an Excel file. Diagonals etc just Insert>Shapes>Line and draw it to your heart's content. To change colour, thickness etc right click and select Format Shape.
(https://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/gallery/106/262-120221093703-1062551962.jpeg)
For drawing track plans, circuit diagrams etc. I've always used Visio which is now part of the Microsoft family I think. It's a vector graphic drawing tool, more often used for flowcharting and similar business functions.
This track plan was drawn with Visio way back in the mid 90s (and so have all my subsequent track plans)
(https://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/gallery/90/5885-030420233839.gif)
... as was this component layout
(https://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/gallery/104/5885-040121101850.gif)
There isn't a free version of Visio, but there is a very similar free drawing program "Draw IO" which we now sometimes use at work in place of Visio
Quote from: Newportnobby on February 12, 2021, 09:47:59 AM
Quote from: chrism on February 12, 2021, 09:36:25 AM
Quote from: Newportnobby on February 12, 2021, 09:32:07 AM
Quote from: Coyote on February 12, 2021, 09:06:59 AM
In Excel, it's Insert, then Shapes, then Rectangle. Once the shape is inserted, a right click will bring up the option to select the colour.
Just tried that and it's easy to create uprights and lengths but how do you create diagonals please?
Will it let you rotate an object?
If so, create a horizontal line then rotate it.
Can't see a way to do that, Chris, but I am only using a basic Microsoft non-commercial variant of Excel.
Have a look to see if it will let you do this;
After drawing a line (which I note can also be constrained to being horizontal by holding the shift key down), move the cursor to over the line and the cursor should change to a four-pointed arrow to allow you to drag the line around. Left-click and the line should get circles at the ends. Click and drag one of those and the line should rotate.
To get a precise angle, right-click on the line and select Format Shape. In the Size part of the Properties box there should be an entry for Rotation, just type in the angle required - a positive value rotates it clockwise, a negative one anticlockwise. Note that it appears that any change made is relative to the angle before changing the rotation, not necessarily the angle relative to horizontal or vertical.
Quote from: Newportnobby on February 12, 2021, 09:32:07 AM
Quote from: Coyote on February 12, 2021, 09:06:59 AM
In Excel, it's Insert, then Shapes, then Rectangle. Once the shape is inserted, a right click will bring up the option to select the colour.
Just tried that and it's easy to create uprights and lengths but how do you create diagonals please?
Once you have the rectangle created, click on it and a handle will appear near the middle, drag this to whatever angle you need.
I always start with a spredsheet of square cells, usually 8x8 pixels. This way you can select a line or shape of any description, drag the end to near where you want it whilst holding the ALT key. It will align itself to the corner of the nearest cell. Do the same with the other end of the line (or another point of the shape) and hey presto, it's either perfectly horizontal, perfectly vertical, at 45o etc etc.
Quote from: Coyote on February 12, 2021, 11:37:44 AM
Quote from: Newportnobby on February 12, 2021, 09:32:07 AM
Quote from: Coyote on February 12, 2021, 09:06:59 AM
In Excel, it's Insert, then Shapes, then Rectangle. Once the shape is inserted, a right click will bring up the option to select the colour.
Just tried that and it's easy to create uprights and lengths but how do you create diagonals please?
Once you have the rectangle created, click on it and a handle will appear near the middle, drag this to whatever angle you need.
Got it. Thanks
(https://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/gallery/107/8893-280221101650.jpeg) (https://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view&id=107019)
Managed to ask my son who lives in Shanghai to do
Thanks everyone