Legacy PCB art files 5

[HeyDoc]

I have, on a legacy Macintosh computer, circuit board files and presumably schematic diagrams that I don't know how to recover. The files bear no extensions, so I don't know how they were generated, nor do I know how to translate them into something usable.
Is there anyone out there who is familiar with the type of circuit board software available for use with the Mac circa 1997? Is it possible to identify the file types by inspecting the data as recovered using a text editor? An example is attached.

 

[MacGyverS2000]

How did you happen to come across this computer? Was it purchased at auction, friend of a friend, boss threw it in your lap, etc.? Someone has to know...


Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

 

[HeyDoc]

Dan,

Thanks for responding.
The computer in question is one of several used by the company in the early 70's. By 1998, all the active engineering documents had been migrated to Windows based applications.
I've been here since 2000. This is the first time we have needed any of the older circuit board art to be duplicated.
All the folks involved in engineering back when are scattered to the winds, and the owner, who is also a designer, doesn't remember what programs were in use here at the plant.
This is the sole remaining old mac computer.

 

[itsmoked]

How hard is just reverse engineering the board?

Boards of that vintage shouldn't be too hard compared to these days.

Keith Cress
Flamin Systems, Inc.-

http://www.flaminsystems.com

 

[MacGyverS2000]

I wish I could give you a useful answer, but I simply cannot imagine a hardware design made in the early 70's that would still be useful today (and not be easily reproducible on a modern machine with modern technology). Surface mount didn't exist back then, even $2 micros are 100 times more powerful and flexible, PCB RF patterns can be copied with a pair of micrometers and protractor (a scanner works great here), etc.


Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

 

[geekEE]

Do you need to make changes or are you just trying to fab more boards? Perhaps the Gerber files for the PCB were saved on that computer as well.

Also, if you're just trying to make more boards, any chance that films were returned from the board house and saved? I know that houses that I used back then would return films every time we had them make boards.

 

[Pud]

Iirc, there used to be a Mac based CAD program called ClarisCad (or similar). It was a general sort of simple CAD, much like the old PC TurboCad.


Cheers


Harry

 

[IRstuff]

We reverse engineered a bunch of boards from the early 90s and had zero successes the first time through. However, if they're from the 70s, you might look around the company and try to find the black&clears, which were the proof sheets for each layer of the PCB. Having those would make reverse engineering a snap. Ask the owner if he recalls where they kept them.

TTFN

FAQ731-376

 

[itsmoked]

Are these two layer or multilayer boards?

Keith Cress
Flamin Systems, Inc.-

http://www.flaminsystems.com

 

[HeyDoc]

Wow! OK, guys, thanks for the input. Very valuable suggestions, all of them.
The photo-tools last generated for the boards were destroyed, along with what was apparently the last known stand-alone Gerber file set when the board vendor purged his old customer files.
I had hoped to avoid regenerating the board art, and that is of course the last resort. The boards were two layers.
Since my last post, we have been doing a bit of forensic bit banging, and have managed to recover what appears to be a MacCad application that may have the PCB layout module.
Also, just on the off chance they survived, the films that were once used to check bare boards for incoming QC are being sought. Hopefully, they are still here. QC are a bunch of notorious pack rats (thank goodness)so perhaps among the cigar stubs and GooGoo wrappers, we will find some usable, or at least reparable, photo-tools. Thanks for that suggestion, geekEE and IRstuff...it completely escaped my attention that there are likely some films still here.
Thanks so much, Gentlemen.
Perhaps it is time to close this thread (?)