PCB design program Boardmaker 2 - dongle required

[David Chapman]

Hi all,

I first posted this plea (without success) a couple of years ago and
am trying again now in the hope of having some better luck this time.

I own a legitimate copy of the DOS based Tsien Boardmaker 2 PCB design
program which operates with a 'dongle' module connected to the parallel
printer port.

The dongle can be quite erratic in operation and Tsien firmly refuse
to offer any support for this obsolete program, only wishing to sell a
very expensive annual rental contract for their Boardmaker 3 software.

I am entirely happy with the capabilities of the DOS based system. It
does all that I need for the occasional design of PCBs and I keep an old
DOS PC just for running this, and a few other old programs.

If anyone in this NG has replaced their Boardmaker 2 design program by
a more modern one and would now be willing to sell me a working dongle
at a reasonable price, I'd appreciate hearing from them.

TIA - Dave

David C.Chapman - Chartered Engineer. FIET. ([email protected])

 

[Raveninghorde]

Hi all,

I first posted this plea (without success) a couple of years ago and
am trying again now in the hope of having some better luck this time.

I own a legitimate copy of the DOS based Tsien Boardmaker 2 PCB design
program which operates with a 'dongle' module connected to the parallel
printer port.

The dongle can be quite erratic in operation and Tsien firmly refuse
to offer any support for this obsolete program, only wishing to sell a
very expensive annual rental contract for their Boardmaker 3 software.

I am entirely happy with the capabilities of the DOS based system. It
does all that I need for the occasional design of PCBs and I keep an old
DOS PC just for running this, and a few other old programs.

If anyone in this NG has replaced their Boardmaker 2 design program by
a more modern one and would now be willing to sell me a working dongle
at a reasonable price, I'd appreciate hearing from them.

TIA - Dave

David C.Chapman - Chartered Engineer. FIET. ([email protected])
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As far as I remember the dongles are serial numbered and so is the
program. I don't believe you can use a dongle with a different serial
number. I know when I bought a second dongle it had to have the same
number as the first.

 

[ItsASecretDummy]

The dongle can be quite erratic in operation and Tsien firmly refuse
to offer any support for this obsolete program, only wishing to sell a
very expensive annual rental contract for their Boardmaker 3 software.

Try one of the hacking apps out there the kids use to hack game
executables. Hell, look for a hacked version of it. If you own the legit
version, finding a "key eliminator" executable (or making one yourself)
should not be considered an infringement of your license
agreement,considering they will not support it.

 

[Alun]

It might be expected that someone who purports to have
the professional expertise as claimed at the bottom of your
post should have no difficulty in evaluating the dongle in
order to repair it; or to detect all references to it within
the software, and to remove those references?

Unfortunately, the nature of your appeal is not a good
advertisement for your services.

 

[Giblets]

It might be expected that someone who purports to have
the professional expertise as claimed at the bottom of your
post should have no difficulty in evaluating the dongle in
order to repair it; or to detect all references to it within
the software, and to remove those references?

Unfortunately, the nature of your appeal is not a good
advertisement for your services.

I guess one could make the same judgements of your top posting. I might also
guess that you are relatively young. Those of us with a few more years
experience realise that there are many fields of expertise and there are
very very few who are expert in more than one of them. There are some of use
that get older but dont work this out for themselves, perhaps you are one of
them. I was going to take the piss out of your mothers inability to spell
your name, but I will leave that task to others.

 

[David Chapman]

It might be expected that someone who purports to have
the professional expertise as claimed at the bottom of your
post should have no difficulty in evaluating the dongle in
order to repair it; or to detect all references to it within
the software, and to remove those references?

So, you'd be quite happy to have a brain surgeon undertake your heart
transplant, would you?

David C.Chapman - Chartered Engineer. FIET. ([email protected])

 

[Nico Coesel]

It might be expected that someone who purports to have
the professional expertise as claimed at the bottom of your
post should have no difficulty in evaluating the dongle in
order to repair it; or to detect all references to it within
the software, and to remove those references?

Unfortunately, the nature of your appeal is not a good
advertisement for your services.

Some people prefer to make money instead of tinkering with tools.

I think it is not very difficult to remove the references to the
dongle by using a debugger.

Anyway, the whole situation wouldn't exist if people stopped buying
software that requires dongles. First question I ask to a software
vendor: is there a hacked version available which doesn't require
endless fiddling with dongles? If the answer is 'no' the sound of the
door opening and closing will follow shortly.

 

[Peter]

Hi all,

I first posted this plea (without success) a couple of years ago and
am trying again now in the hope of having some better luck this time.

I own a legitimate copy of the DOS based Tsien Boardmaker 2 PCB design
program which operates with a 'dongle' module connected to the parallel
printer port.

The dongle can be quite erratic in operation and Tsien firmly refuse
to offer any support for this obsolete program, only wishing to sell a
very expensive annual rental contract for their Boardmaker 3 software.

I am entirely happy with the capabilities of the DOS based system. It
does all that I need for the occasional design of PCBs and I keep an old
DOS PC just for running this, and a few other old programs.

If anyone in this NG has replaced their Boardmaker 2 design program by
a more modern one and would now be willing to sell me a working dongle
at a reasonable price, I'd appreciate hearing from them.

TIA - Dave

I had the same problem with other CAD software, years ago

Your best bet is to find a keen software hacker, with assembly
language skills, and offer him a couple of hundred quid or whatever.

Another option is to post a request on some Russian site. The Russians
are the best low level programmers around today. I got a piece of
extremely expensive dongled CAD software cracked by one of these (when
the dongle broke and the company washed its hands of it), in the
1990s. It took him under an hour to bypass the code which checks the
dongle. It cost me nothing because I gave him a copy of it Well, I
had to photocopy the manuals...

Most cracks are actually really simple.

 

[David Chapman]

Many thanks to all those who have taken the time to reply to my
posting. Your interest and constructive suggestions are much
appreciated.

ATB - Dave

David C.Chapman - Chartered Engineer. FIET. ([email protected])

 

[Josh Russel]

Hi all,

I first posted this plea (without success) a couple of years ago and am
trying again now in the hope of having some better luck this time.

I own a legitimate copy of the DOS based Tsien Boardmaker 2 PCB design
program which operates with a 'dongle' module connected to the parallel
printer port.

The dongle can be quite erratic in operation and Tsien firmly refuse to
offer any support for this obsolete program, only wishing to sell a very
expensive annual rental contract for their Boardmaker 3 software.

I am entirely happy with the capabilities of the DOS based system. It
does all that I need for the occasional design of PCBs and I keep an old
DOS PC just for running this, and a few other old programs.

If anyone in this NG has replaced their Boardmaker 2 design program by
a more modern one and would now be willing to sell me a working dongle
at a reasonable price, I'd appreciate hearing from them.

TIA - Dave

Typical. They's 'ad yer money now then say feck you. Ultraboard is good fer
design and is proteus (i think). o' course you'se'll ave to try em.

 

[Josh Russel]

Why don't you get a free good modern program. I use ExpressPCB and
ExpressSCH and they are brilliant.
http://www.expresspcb.com/
Unless of course you want AutoRouting. I don't use that so no suggestions.
Sorry.
Howard. G3UPZ

Nice bit o' kit that.

 

[Raveninghorde]

I think that Number One Systems Easy-PC can import Boardmaker designs.
Easy-PC was originally developed by the chap who wrote Boardmaker, but
there was a falling out and he left the company.

Leon

Yes it can import Boardmaker2 (layout) files but not Boardcapture
(schematic) files.

 

[David Chapman]

Yes it can import Boardmaker2 (layout) files but not Boardcapture
(schematic) files.

Thanks for that information. I did look at Easy-PC a couple of years
ago and found that whilst it could import Boardmaker layout files it
could NOT convert any of the several hundred special components that I
had created over the years and stored in the BM2 component libraries.

If the Easy-PC program has become more useful since then and is now
able to (accurately) import created components as well as design files,
then I'll certainly take another look at it, but if it's still the same
then I really don't have the time (or inclination) needed to re-create
them all.

ATB - Dave

David C.Chapman - Chartered Engineer. FIET. ([email protected])

 

[Bob Larter]

Robert Baer wrote:
[...]

I make it a personal policy and recommend to all: if the software you
think you want demands the use of a dongle, tell the seller *NO* in ten
foot words; tell them GET RID OF THAT POS".
There was a time in the DOS era, that there were a number of useful
programs that required dongles, and some companies wer stupid enough to
attempt to use a number of them.
It was literal chaos in trying to find a sequence (BECAD, ACDBE, ???)
that might work.
Some of those programs were hacked to eliminate the damn dongle.
Your choices: get the program hacked and toss that damn POS, or, use a
different program.

Agreed. Many years ago, I worked with an expensive schematic & PCB
layout program called PADS PCB that used a dongle. The damn dongle
failed, & the distributor wasn't interested in helping us, so we
couldn't work. One of our software guys eventually found a cracked copy
of the program, with the drawback that I had to re-enter all the custom
library parts for my designs. I was NOT happy. These days, I use
EagleCAD instead.