We Have Experimented with Visio to Produce Standardized Components and Final Assemblies

IEEE-SPDC SC 3.2 Symbols Summary March 11, 2004

We have experimented with Microsoft Visio 2002 to produce standardized component symbols and final assemblies making up a circuit for use in a standard. The effort involved included creating individual passive components in Visio and saving them as Visio files. Each Visio symbol, as shown, is from 10K to 15K in size and can be resized to properly scale the component in an end circuit drawing.

The final drawing is constructed in Visio using lines to connect between the appropriate components. It is important to select a line width while drawing that agrees with the line width employed in the component. The components are easily reoriented and duplicated in Visio, as needed. They can also be resized to make them match other components used in the circuit. Letter designations are typically added for each component in the circuit after the circuit is completed. The final circuit can be resized to properly fit the page. However, care must be taken to add the letter and numerical designations only after the final circuit size has been selected. Letters and other characters employed in Visio do not resize with changes in the circuit graphic components.

After a circuit has been completed with all letter and numerical designations, the circuit can be saved as a Visio file. It is then possible to save the same file as a Tag Image File (TIF), Windows Metafile (WMF) or Encapsulated Postscript File (EPS). The TIF file shown below is 675K in size, while the original Visio file was 83K. The TIF file is very clear and easily resized.

The above is a TIF file that was generated in Visio using the standard components and ultimately opened as a figure in Word. The TIF file can be resized and moved. All alphabetic and numeric characters are resized with the overall circuit once in the TIF format. Page 2 of 4 The above is an EPS file that was generated in Visio using the standard components. It is as flexible as the TIF file, but only 365K in size vs. the 675K TIF file.

R1 S1 S2 L R2

C R3 PS ABD V CRO

Finally, the above is a WMF file that was generated in Visio using the standard components and a Visio file. This file appears to be as flexible as the TIF and EPS files, but it is not quite as clear and sharp. The file size is only 6K to 8K.

It is my understanding that all three images are suitable for use by the IEEE in generating a standard. Any circuit editing would have to be carried out using Visio and the original Visio file. This would then be exported to provide one of the three file formats. Both the TIF and WMF files appear to be expandable to much larger sizes without distortion or significant loss of line integrity. However, the EPS files do exhibit a loss of line integrity with significant increase in size.

Based on this procedure, it would be appropriate to maintain the Symbols Library in Visio format to be employed with Visio to generate any circuits. Where only a component symbol would be needed in an IEEE-SPDC document, only that symbol need be exported to the preferred format. The size of the symbols saved in Visio format is roughly equivalent to that size used to produce the circuit shown as one page in width.

The next page includes a list of passive component symbols; some that were employed in making this schematic in Visio. The entire page is a TIF File.

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