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Open Access ??

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Jim Thompson

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Jul 7, 2009, 2:09:13 PM7/7/09
to
I have some Cadence files (provided by a foundry I work with)
labeled...

symbol.oa

As near as I can decipher by surfing, these are "Open Access" files.

I find all kinds of baloney about "free", but can't locate a viewer.

What do I need? Where do I go?

Thanks!

...Jim Thompson
--
| James E.Thompson, P.E. | mens |
| Analog Innovations, Inc. | et |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus |
| Phoenix, Arizona 85048 Skype: Contacts Only | |
| Voice:(480)460-2350 Fax: Available upon request | Brass Rat |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com | 1962 |

I love to cook with wine Sometimes I even put it in the food

Michael A. Terrell

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Jul 7, 2009, 2:34:54 PM7/7/09
to

Jim Thompson wrote:
>
> I have some Cadence files (provided by a foundry I work with)
> labeled...
>
> symbol.oa
>
> As near as I can decipher by surfing, these are "Open Access" files.
>
> I find all kinds of baloney about "free", but can't locate a viewer.
>
> What do I need? Where do I go?


I always look at oddball files with Wordpad to see if I recognize the
content. Some are common file types with custom extensions.

--
You can't have a sense of humor, if you have no sense!

Jim Thompson

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Jul 7, 2009, 2:51:00 PM7/7/09
to
On Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:34:54 -0400, "Michael A. Terrell"
<mike.t...@earthlink.net> wrote:

>
>Jim Thompson wrote:
>>
>> I have some Cadence files (provided by a foundry I work with)
>> labeled...
>>
>> symbol.oa
>>
>> As near as I can decipher by surfing, these are "Open Access" files.
>>
>> I find all kinds of baloney about "free", but can't locate a viewer.
>>
>> What do I need? Where do I go?
>
>
> I always look at oddball files with Wordpad to see if I recognize the
>content. Some are common file types with custom extensions.

Tried that already... all I see are little squares :-(

David Eather

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Jul 7, 2009, 4:51:24 PM7/7/09
to
Jim Thompson wrote:
> I have some Cadence files (provided by a foundry I work with)
> labeled...
>
> symbol.oa
>
> As near as I can decipher by surfing, these are "Open Access" files.
>
> I find all kinds of baloney about "free", but can't locate a viewer.
>
> What do I need? Where do I go?
>
> Thanks!
>
> ...Jim Thompson


You need to Google for "Open Office" - it is a really good MSOffice work
alike. Open Access is the database program in the suite.

Open Office is free as a large download or you can by CD's of it on ebay

Peter Bennett

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Jul 7, 2009, 7:21:14 PM7/7/09
to
On Tue, 07 Jul 2009 11:51:00 -0700, Jim Thompson
<To-Email-Use-Th...@My-Web-Site.com> wrote:

>On Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:34:54 -0400, "Michael A. Terrell"
><mike.t...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
>>
>>Jim Thompson wrote:
>>>
>>> I have some Cadence files (provided by a foundry I work with)
>>> labeled...
>>>
>>> symbol.oa
>>>
>>> As near as I can decipher by surfing, these are "Open Access" files.
>>>
>>> I find all kinds of baloney about "free", but can't locate a viewer.
>>>
>>> What do I need? Where do I go?
>>
>>
>> I always look at oddball files with Wordpad to see if I recognize the
>>content. Some are common file types with custom extensions.
>
>Tried that already... all I see are little squares :-(
>
> ...Jim Thompson

I've used an ancient third-party DOS utility called "list" for viewing
unknown files. It will display a file in text (if ASCII) or hex on
request (and strips Wordstar formatting codes). It can't damage a
file, as, if I remember correctly, it can only read files, not write
them.

--
Peter Bennett, VE7CEI
peterbb4 (at) interchange.ubc.ca
GPS and NMEA info: http://vancouver-webpages.com/peter
Vancouver Power Squadron: http://vancouver.powersquadron.ca

Joerg

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Jul 7, 2009, 7:32:13 PM7/7/09
to
Jim Thompson wrote:
> I have some Cadence files (provided by a foundry I work with)
> labeled...
>
> symbol.oa
>
> As near as I can decipher by surfing, these are "Open Access" files.
>
> I find all kinds of baloney about "free", but can't locate a viewer.
>
> What do I need? Where do I go?
>

My first employer used OpenAccess in the 80's but there were never any
*.oa files.

Foundries, layouters etc. sometimes use extensions to describe layers. I
absolutely don't like that but this "habit" is probably the reason why
Gerber programs eat those files without complaint.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

"gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam.
Use another domain or send PM.

Joerg

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Jul 7, 2009, 7:33:11 PM7/7/09
to


OpenOffice is quite good but the database part of it isn't. Quite
incompatible to the rest of the world. It can't even read in my MS-Works
database files.

Sergey Kubushin

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Jul 7, 2009, 8:07:00 PM7/7/09
to
Joerg <inv...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
> Jim Thompson wrote:
>> I have some Cadence files (provided by a foundry I work with)
>> labeled...
>>
>> symbol.oa
>>
>> As near as I can decipher by surfing, these are "Open Access" files.
>>
>> I find all kinds of baloney about "free", but can't locate a viewer.
>>
>> What do I need? Where do I go?
>>
>
> My first employer used OpenAccess in the 80's but there were never any
> *.oa files.
>
> Foundries, layouters etc. sometimes use extensions to describe layers. I
> absolutely don't like that but this "habit" is probably the reason why
> Gerber programs eat those files without complaint.

Gerbers are text files...

---
******************************************************************
* KSI@home KOI8 Net < > The impossible we do immediately. *
* Las Vegas NV, USA < > Miracles require 24-hour notice. *
******************************************************************

Joerg

unread,
Jul 7, 2009, 8:24:01 PM7/7/09
to
Sergey Kubushin wrote:
> Joerg <inv...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>> Jim Thompson wrote:
>>> I have some Cadence files (provided by a foundry I work with)
>>> labeled...
>>>
>>> symbol.oa
>>>
>>> As near as I can decipher by surfing, these are "Open Access" files.
>>>
>>> I find all kinds of baloney about "free", but can't locate a viewer.
>>>
>>> What do I need? Where do I go?
>>>
>> My first employer used OpenAccess in the 80's but there were never any
>> *.oa files.
>>
>> Foundries, layouters etc. sometimes use extensions to describe layers. I
>> absolutely don't like that but this "habit" is probably the reason why
>> Gerber programs eat those files without complaint.
>
> Gerbers are text files...
>

I know. But it's bad practice to call the files gizmo.top, gizmo.a02,
gizmo.bot and so on. They should be called gizmo_top.pho, gizmo_a02.pho,
gizmo_bot.pho and so on. That's how professional layouters like mine do it.

Robert Baer

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Jul 7, 2009, 11:15:50 PM7/7/09
to
Jim Thompson wrote:
> I have some Cadence files (provided by a foundry I work with)
> labeled...
>
> symbol.oa
>
> As near as I can decipher by surfing, these are "Open Access" files.
>
> I find all kinds of baloney about "free", but can't locate a viewer.
>
> What do I need? Where do I go?
>
> Thanks!
>
> ...Jim Thompson
Start with a text editor..

T

unread,
Jul 7, 2009, 11:53:11 PM7/7/09
to
In article <t767551nlhdhlfb82...@4ax.com>, To-Email-Use-
The-Enve...@My-Web-Site.com says...

>
> On Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:34:54 -0400, "Michael A. Terrell"
> <mike.t...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
> >
> >Jim Thompson wrote:
> >>
> >> I have some Cadence files (provided by a foundry I work with)
> >> labeled...
> >>
> >> symbol.oa
> >>
> >> As near as I can decipher by surfing, these are "Open Access" files.
> >>
> >> I find all kinds of baloney about "free", but can't locate a viewer.
> >>
> >> What do I need? Where do I go?
> >
> >
> > I always look at oddball files with Wordpad to see if I recognize the
> >content. Some are common file types with custom extensions.
>
> Tried that already... all I see are little squares :-(
>
> ...Jim Thompson

http://notepad-plus.sourceforge.net/uk/site.htm

Do the TextFX menu and select Dec to Hex. That'll show the actual
values.


baron

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Jul 8, 2009, 6:32:00 AM7/8/09
to
Joerg Inscribed thus:

> David Eather wrote:
>> Jim Thompson wrote:
>>> I have some Cadence files (provided by a foundry I work with)
>>> labeled...
>>>
>>> symbol.oa
>>>
>>> As near as I can decipher by surfing, these are "Open Access" files.
>>>
>>> I find all kinds of baloney about "free", but can't locate a viewer.
>>>
>>> What do I need? Where do I go?
>>>
>>> Thanks!
>>>
>>> ...Jim Thompson
>>
>>
>> You need to Google for "Open Office" - it is a really good MSOffice
>> work
>> alike. Open Access is the database program in the suite.
>>
>> Open Office is free as a large download or you can by CD's of it on
>> ebay
>
>
> OpenOffice is quite good but the database part of it isn't. Quite
> incompatible to the rest of the world. It can't even read in my
> MS-Works database files.
>

Nothing other than "Works" can read its database files !

--
Best Regards:
Baron.

Joerg

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Jul 8, 2009, 1:28:12 PM7/8/09
to

When I started up a small med company I found that admins in the US were
largely unfamiliar with databases. They knew Excel well but not Access.
Same for the one I hired. So, I had to teach her because I wanted just
about anything organized in databases in order to have the company ready
for growth.

I took some sample databases from my home to the company (sans content,
of course, except for a few lines of sample data). It was all in
MS-Works. I had no problem at all getting that loaded into MS-Office
which was the 97-version back then.

Rich Grise

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Jul 8, 2009, 2:00:13 PM7/8/09
to
On Wed, 08 Jul 2009 11:32:00 +0100, baron wrote:
> Joerg Inscribed thus:
>>
>> OpenOffice is quite good but the database part of it isn't. Quite
>> incompatible to the rest of the world. It can't even read in my
>> MS-Works database files.
>
> Nothing other than "Works" can read its database files !

Can Works export its data to some more readable format?

Thanks,
Rich

Baron

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Jul 8, 2009, 3:43:25 PM7/8/09
to
Rich Grise wrote:

If I remember correctly it can do comma delimited, not sure about any
other.

--
Best Regards:
Baron.

Baron

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Jul 8, 2009, 3:50:01 PM7/8/09
to
Joerg wrote:

Things may have changed a bit since then. I remember rewriting a works
database application in "Paradox" because nothing could read
the "Works" format and "Foxbase" cost a fortune at the time. I don't
recall what that became. Come back "Ashton Tate" all is
forgotten. :-)

--
Best Regards:
Baron.

Joerg

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Jul 8, 2009, 5:37:15 PM7/8/09
to

JosephKK

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Jul 9, 2009, 1:06:03 AM7/9/09
to
On Tue, 07 Jul 2009 11:51:00 -0700, Jim Thompson
<To-Email-Use-Th...@My-Web-Site.com> wrote:

>On Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:34:54 -0400, "Michael A. Terrell"
><mike.t...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
>>
>>Jim Thompson wrote:
>>>
>>> I have some Cadence files (provided by a foundry I work with)
>>> labeled...
>>>
>>> symbol.oa
>>>
>>> As near as I can decipher by surfing, these are "Open Access" files.
>>>
>>> I find all kinds of baloney about "free", but can't locate a viewer.
>>>
>>> What do I need? Where do I go?
>>
>>
>> I always look at oddball files with Wordpad to see if I recognize the
>>content. Some are common file types with custom extensions.
>
>Tried that already... all I see are little squares :-(
>
> ...Jim Thompson

Not to be baroque, but have you tried checking the Cadence web site?

Jim Thompson

unread,
Jul 9, 2009, 9:52:11 AM7/9/09
to

Yep, I have. They provide nothing without a HUGE fee :-(

Charlie E.

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Jul 9, 2009, 6:21:37 PM7/9/09
to
On Thu, 09 Jul 2009 06:52:11 -0700, Jim Thompson
<To-Email-Use-Th...@My-Web-Site.com> wrote:

>On Wed, 08 Jul 2009 22:06:03 -0700,
>"JosephKK"<quiett...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>>On Tue, 07 Jul 2009 11:51:00 -0700, Jim Thompson
>><To-Email-Use-Th...@My-Web-Site.com> wrote:
>>
>>>On Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:34:54 -0400, "Michael A. Terrell"
>>><mike.t...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>>>
>>>>
>>>>Jim Thompson wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> I have some Cadence files (provided by a foundry I work with)
>>>>> labeled...
>>>>>
>>>>> symbol.oa
>>>>>
>>>>> As near as I can decipher by surfing, these are "Open Access" files.
>>>>>
>>>>> I find all kinds of baloney about "free", but can't locate a viewer.
>>>>>
>>>>> What do I need? Where do I go?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> I always look at oddball files with Wordpad to see if I recognize the
>>>>content. Some are common file types with custom extensions.
>>>
>>>Tried that already... all I see are little squares :-(
>>>
>>> ...Jim Thompson
>>
>>Not to be baroque, but have you tried checking the Cadence web site?
>
>Yep, I have. They provide nothing without a HUGE fee :-(
>
> ...Jim Thompson

Yep, you see, Open Access doesn't mean Open, like Open Source, it
means that there is a standard that bridges across vendors. See, if a
start up uses OA in their tools, then, when Cadence buys them, it is a
lot easier to link them into the tool chains... ;-)

Charlie

JosephKK

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Jul 9, 2009, 11:14:16 PM7/9/09
to
On Thu, 09 Jul 2009 06:52:11 -0700, Jim Thompson
<To-Email-Use-Th...@My-Web-Site.com> wrote:

>On Wed, 08 Jul 2009 22:06:03 -0700,
>"JosephKK"<quiett...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>>On Tue, 07 Jul 2009 11:51:00 -0700, Jim Thompson
>><To-Email-Use-Th...@My-Web-Site.com> wrote:
>>
>>>On Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:34:54 -0400, "Michael A. Terrell"
>>><mike.t...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>>>
>>>>
>>>>Jim Thompson wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> I have some Cadence files (provided by a foundry I work with)
>>>>> labeled...
>>>>>
>>>>> symbol.oa
>>>>>
>>>>> As near as I can decipher by surfing, these are "Open Access" files.
>>>>>
>>>>> I find all kinds of baloney about "free", but can't locate a viewer.
>>>>>
>>>>> What do I need? Where do I go?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> I always look at oddball files with Wordpad to see if I recognize the
>>>>content. Some are common file types with custom extensions.
>>>
>>>Tried that already... all I see are little squares :-(
>>>
>>> ...Jim Thompson
>>
>>Not to be baroque, but have you tried checking the Cadence web site?
>
>Yep, I have. They provide nothing without a HUGE fee :-(
>
> ...Jim Thompson

So that is their idea of "open access". And i did want to try to give
them the benefit of doubt. It is not a good year to play squeeze the
customer.

Mike

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Jul 11, 2009, 2:36:22 AM7/11/09
to

"Jim Thompson" <To-Email-Use-Th...@My-Web-Site.com> wrote in
message news:2l3755ptkve1msul4...@4ax.com...

>I have some Cadence files (provided by a foundry I work with)
> labeled...
>
> symbol.oa
>
> As near as I can decipher by surfing, these are "Open Access" files.
>
> I find all kinds of baloney about "free", but can't locate a viewer.
>
> What do I need? Where do I go?
>

Yup, they're Open Access files. You need a schematic editor that understands
Open Access. I'm amazed at the responses: a text editor? Open Office? WTF?

Have you contacted the fab? What options do they offer?

-- Mike --

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