GTCO CalComp Drawingboard IV User Manual
DrawingBoard IV 1
DrawingBoard IV 2
Introduction
System Requirements & Compatibility
Overview
Drawing Area
Menu Strip
Indicator Light
Pointing Tools
Cursors
Pens
Getting Started
Unpacking the Tablet
Installing the Tablet
Installing the Software
Learning the Basics
Using the Pointing Tools
Using the Cursor
High Accuracy Cursor
Using the Pen
Click Tip Pen
Pressure Pen
Learning Basic Movements
Clicking and Double-Clicking
Dragging
Customizing the Tablet
Overview of the Menu Strip
Selecting a Pre-Programmed Setup
Selecting a Custom Setup
Tablet Options
Recommended Setups for Common PC Software Packages
Restoring a Pre-Programmed Setup
Caring for the Tablet
Cleaning the Tablet
Replacing the Pen Tip
Replacing the Pen Batteries
Replacing the Cursor Batteries
Solving Problems
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Table of Contents
DrawingBoard IV 3
Reducing Monitor Interference
Tablet Checklist
Computer Checklist
Software Checklist
Troubleshooting Chart
Returning your Tablet for Repair
Specifications
Parts and Accessories
Glossary
Regulatory Statements and Warranty
Radio and Television Interference
Canada
European Union Emission Directive
European Union WEEE Directive
Japan
CE Certification
Warranty for U.S./ Canada
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DrawingBoard IV 4
Introduction
DrawingBoard IV is a high performance, low cost digitizer tablet well suited for CAD,
mapping and GIS applications as well as drawing, tracing and presentation graphics. These
superior tablets offer the highest resolution and accuracy available on the market today
along with easy-to-use software and programmable function keys.
DrawingBoard IV combines all the advantages of a mouse and digitizer to eliminate input
devices and provide you with a sleek, simplified desktop. You can choose from a wide
range of options to help you create a working environment suited to your application. The
tablets are available in a range of sizes with variable accuracy and pointing tool options.
Surfaces can be opaque or backlit.
System Requirements and Compatibility
DrawingBoard IV is equipped with an RS-232 serial interface and is compatible with most
industry-standard personal computers. The included TabletWorks software provides a
WinTab-compliant driver that is compatible with the versions of Microsoft Windows shown
below. After installing the PC software, DrawingBoard IV will work with all Windows-based
applications as a mouse, as well as working with Windows-based applications that are
specifically designed to perform with digitizers.
Personal Computer Requirements
Microsoft Windows® 95, 98, ME, NT 4.0, 2000 or XP
1 available serial port
10 MB of free disk space
Installation must be done by a “Power User” or “Administrator” on Windows NT,
Windows 2000 and Windows XP.
Overview
The DrawingBoard IV tablet consists of:
Drawing Area
Menu Strip
Indicator Lights
Pointing Tools
DrawingBoard IV 5
There are two types of pointing
tools available with DrawingBoard
IV: pens and cursors. Pointing tools
are available in both corded and
cordless versions. The cordless
pointing tools are powered by
batteries.
Each tool goes into a battery-saving
sleep mode when no button has
been pressed for one to five
minutes, depending on the type of
tool you are using. To reactivate
the tool, press any of its buttons.
Drawing Area
The drawing area (or active area) is the space on the tablet surface intended for digitizing.
The boundaries of the drawing area are marked by four L-shaped corner marks.
Menu Strip
The menu strip is the row of keys located in the lower left corner of the tablet. You can use
these keys to customize your tablet or to assign macros for greater productivity.
Indicator Light
The power/proximity light (upper left on tablet) turns on when the power is on. It also
indicates whether the pointing tool is within range of the drawing area. The power light
glows if the pointing tool is inside the drawing area and blinks if it is outside the drawing
area.
Pointing Tools
Cursors
The cursor is similar in appearance to a mouse, except that it has an attached lens with
crosshairs for highly accurate detail work. Cursors are available with 4 or 16 buttons.
There is a special 16-button cursor available with high accuracy tablets. This corded cursor
has a lens area that can be illuminated.
DrawingBoard IV 6
Click Tip:
Pressure Tip:
Lite Touch Tip:
Light blue ring
Black ring
Red ring
1. Connect the serial cable.
Attach the round end of the
serial cable to the socket labeled
I/O on the tablet. The arrow on
the connector should face down.
Connect the wide end of the
serial cable to the computer’s
serial communication port.
Tighten the thumbscrews. The
arrow on the connector should
face down.
Pens
The pen is similar in appearance to a ballpoint pen. It has a button built into the tip plus
two side buttons on the barrel. There are three types of pens that are identified by a
colored ring on the pen barrel:
Getting Started
Unpacking the Tablet
The digitizer system consists of:
DrawingBoard IV Series digitizing tablet with attached Controller
Pointing Tool (cursor or pen)
Power Supply
Serial Cable
TabletWorks CD-ROM
Registration Card and Quick Start Instructions
Installing the Tablet
All cable connections are made at the rear of the tablet. Turn off your computer and make
sure the tablet power switch is in the off position.
DrawingBoard IV 7
2. Connect the power cable
to the serial connector.
Attach the power cable into the
jack on the back of the serial
cable connector. Connect the
power supple end to a power
outlet or power strip.
3. Connect the corded
pointing tool.
If you are using a corded
pointing tool, insert the
connector into the socket
labeled POINTER on the tablet.
4. Turn on your computer and tablet.
The tablet power switch is located at the rear of the tablet on small format models. On
large format models, the switch is located either 1) at the rear of the tablet, or 2) on the
left side, near the bottom. The power light will turn on.
If you are using a cordless pointing tool, turn it on by pressing any button on the tool.
The power light will glow steadily if the pointing tool is inside the drawing of the tablet.
If the pointing tool is outside the drawing area, the power light will blink.
Installing the Software
The TabletWorks software included with DrawingBoard IV allows you to use your tablet
both as a mouse and digitizer, and to access all tablet features and capabilities through the
TabletWorks control panel. Refer to TabletWorks Help for instructions on installing the
software and for customizing your tablet.
Special Cases
Some unique situations may not require the use of the digitizer software. These cases are
rare, usually in a non-Windows CAD application where the tablet is used solely as a digitizer
DrawingBoard IV 8
When you use the cursor, the intersection
point of the crosshairs on the lens identifies
the point you are selecting. The crosshairs
are etched on the bottom of the lens to
increase accuracy. For maximum precision,
look through the lens from directly over it.
Button 0 on the cursor is used as the pick
(or left mouse) button. All other buttons are
defined by the TabletWorks software or
through your own software application.
with no mouse functions. In these situations, you can set up DrawingBoard IV manually via
the menu strip. Refer to the Customizing the Tablet section.
The TabletWorks software must be installed before any Windows applications (including
AutoCAD) will be able to work properly with your DrawingBoard IV.
Learning the Basics
You will find that using DrawingBoard IV is easier than navigating with a mouse. The
tablets’ pointing tools are more accurate than a mouse giving you greater control over your
movements.
Using the Pointing Tools
The pointing tool does not need to be in contact with the tablet surface in order for the
tablet to sense its presence. It can be detected up to 1/2” above the drawing area. This
allows you to trace through materials placed on the surface, such as a drawing or a book.
Also, before using the pointing tool, be sure that sleep mode is turned off by pressing any
button on the tool.
Using the Cursor
High Accuracy Cursor
To illuminate the lens area of the high accuracy cursor, press and hold any button in the far
right column (3, 7, B or F); at the same time, press and hold any button in the far left
DrawingBoard IV 9
There are three variations of pens: the click
tip, the pressure tip and the lite touch tip.
The differences among these pens are tilt
and height-sensitivity. On all three pens, the
pen tip is Button 0 and is used as the pick,
or left mouse, button. The lower side
button is Button 1 and the upper side is
Button 2.
The functions these buttons provide are
defined through the TabletWorks software,
or through your own software application.
column (0, 4, 8 or C). The right column button must be held down while pressing the left
column button. This same procedure turns the illumination off. The illumination defaults
to off when the tablet is first powered on. Since you always need one right column button
and one left column button free to control the cursor illumination, you should reserve one
button in each column from any macro recording.
NOTE: The DrawingBoard IV high accuracy cursor resembles the pointer for the 9500 series
tablet. Although the only difference seems to be the presence of the row of LEDs above
the top row of buttons on the 9500 series cursors, DO NOT interchange these cursors as
damage to both tablet and cursor may result.
Using the Pen
Click Tip Pen
The click tip pen is available in both corded and cordless versions. It is primarily used for
tracing and menu picking. To use the pen, press down until you feel the tip click.
Pressure Pen
The pressure pen is only available in the cordless version. With the pressure pen, the pen
tip can be used both as a mouse button and a pressure sensitive button. To take
advantage of the pressure feature, the software package you use must recognize pressure
sensitivity. The software assigns values to the pressure levels and uses this data to vary
such parameters as line width and color.
DrawingBoard IV 10
To use the pressure pen, press down on the tip and release for a mouse pick action. Press
down and hold for the pressure action. Pressure increases as you continue pressing down
on the tip. To decrease the pressure, ease up on the tip.
Learning Basic Movements
DrawingBoard IV pointing tools provide all the basic movements of a mouse. The basic
movements include clicking, double-clicking and dragging.
Clicking and Double-Clicking
Clicking is the action of making a selection. You may be selecting a key on the tablet
surface or making a selection from your computer monitor screen. To click, place the
transducer, or move the screen pointer using the transducer, to the item to be selected.
Tap the pen or press Button 0 on the cursor. A double-click requires you to quickly tap the
pen or press the button two times, while the tool remains in the same place. You can also
double-click by pressing the pen or cursor button that has been defined as a double-click
button (see TabletWorks Help).
Dragging
Dragging is the action of moving the pointing tool during a selection. To drag, click on an
object, but instead of lifting the pen tip or releasing the cursor button, hold it down while
moving the transducer, or corresponding object on the screen, to the desired new location.
Customizing the Tablet
Tailor DrawingBoard IV tablet and pointing tool to suit your individual work requirements
using TabletWorks. TabletWorks is a Windows program included with the digitizer software
that helps you use the full capabilities of your DrawingBoard IV. You can map your digitizer
to the screen area and program stylus and cursor buttons with custom macros. To learn
how to use TabletWorks, please refer to TabletWorks Help on the CD.
If you have chosen to use the optional serial interface, you will be able to customize the
tablet data format and communications parameters using the Menu Strip, described
below.
DrawingBoard IV 11
Overview of the Menu Strip
The Menu Strip is composed of:
Config/Exit Key
The Config/Exit key turns Configuration Mode ON and OFF.
3 Bank Keys
There are three Bank keys: A, B and C. Each bank has a different set of tablet options that
are available through Configuration key combinations.
18 Configuration Keys through
They keys numbered 1-18 can be used as both Configuration and Macro keys. When the
tablet is in Configuration Mode, the keys function as Configuration keys. These keys allow
you to set specific tablet options by turning different combinations of Configuration keys
ON or OFF.
When Configuration Mode is OFF, the keys function as Macro keys. Macros can be
recorded only with the TabletWorks software (see TabletWorks Help).
3 Save and 3 Restore Keys
The Save and Restore keys work hand-in-hand. They are used to save (or recall) a setup to
(or from) one of three save areas. There are three pre-programmed setups that come with
the tablet. You can use these setups directly or overwrite them with your own. The Default
Save key controls the first save area. The setup saved to this area is activated whenever
you power up the tablet. We recommend you save the setup you use most often as
Default.
DrawingBoard IV 12
Default
Save 2
Save 3
Mode
Run
Track
Point
Baud Rate
9600
9600
9600
Data Bits
8 8 7
Parity
None
Odd
Even
Data Rate
125 pps
150 pps
125 pps
Resolution
1000 lpi
500 lpi
200 lpi
Output Format
Format 23
Format 30
Format 0
Emulation
GTCO TTech DP5
High Resolution
Binary
Summagraphics
MM 1201 Binary
CalComp 2000
ASCII
Selecting a Pre-Programmed Setup
There are three pre-programmed setups available with DrawingBoard IV:
GTCO CalComp by Turning Technologies DP5 High Resolution Binary
Summagraphics MM 1201
CalComp 2000 ASCII
These setups are commonly used within software applications as required tablet formats.
They are stored in Save Areas Default, 2 and 3, respectively. Check the manual that came
with your software package to see if your application requires one of these preprogrammed setups. The Default setup is available when you power on the digitizer.
To select one of the other setups:
1. Turn on Configuration Mode by clicking on the Config/Exit key.
2. Click on the desired Restore key.
3. Click on the Config/Exit key again to exit Configuration Mode. The new
setup is activated.
The following table lists the tablet options used by the pre-programmed setups.
DrawingBoard IV 13
Selecting a Custom Setup
You can setup specific tablet options by turning different combinations of Configuration
keys ON or OFF. The available tablet options are listed below.
To set up the tablet:
1. Turn on Configuration Mode by clicking on the Config/Exit key.
2. Click on the Bank key where you need to work (A, B or C).
You can determine which bank you are in by placing the transducer over one
of the Bank keys. The Indicator light is on if the Bank is active.
3. Determine whether the Configuration keys are ON or OFF by placing the
transducer over each key. If the key is ON, the Indicator light is ON
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for the remaining Banks as required.
5. After you have completed your setup, save it by clicking on one of the Save
keys.
6. Exit Configuration Mode by clicking on the Config/Exit key.
DrawingBoard IV 14
Defining operating mode
Setting up increment mode
Tablet Options
The following sections show the various tablet options available through Configuration
keys on the Menu Strip. Follow the procedure described on the previous page, using the
keys shown for the option. The circles represent the Indicator light on the tablet:
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