RELATRAN 3.2 FILE

***** CONTENTS:	Installation
		Introduction
		Versions
		Known problems
		Contact the author

***** INSTALLATION:

Execute "setup.exe". The Relatran 3.0 icon will be added 
to the "Start" Menu, and the program will run.

For uninstalling, just remove the icon in the "Start" menu
and the "relatran" folder in your program files folder. 

Relatran 3.2 is FREEWARE. Can be freely distributed.

***** INTRODUCTION:

Relatran software makes practice of problems on mechanisms
easier. It has been designed to be used by high school students.
It includes, among others, calculations of forces, mechanical
advantages, wheel's diameters, number of teeth, speed ratios
and forward and turning speeds.
This software is also useful assisting teachers in the edition
of exercises and/or exams.

***** VERSIONS:

Relatran 1.0 (October 1998) First version (catalan and spanish)
Relatran 2.0 (January 1999) Improvements and extensions:

	Linear speeds are included
	Exam results can be recorded on disk
	Extension up to 14 mechanisms
	Extended help file
	Print menu and clipboard use
	A comma is now also accepted as decimal separator
	The units frame is now located on the menu
	
Relatran 2.1 (February 1999) Multilanguage support (catalan, spanish)
Relatran 2.2 (April 1999) First english version
Relatran 2.21 (May 1999) Corrected bug in a mechanism
Relatran 3.0 (September 1999) Improvements and extensions :

	Forces and mechanical advantages are included
	Five simple machines are included
	Mechanisms are correctly ordered according to their use
	Extended help file

Relatran 3.0.1 (April 2000) Corrected bug in a mechanism
Relatran 3.1 (May 2000) Added mechanism animations
Relatran 3.2 (September 2000) Extensions :
	The Test
	Internet links
	Sound
	A new graphical toolbar

Version 4.0 (under development) will not include in principle
other mechanisms. It will contain the following new features :

	- Photos of mechanisms mounted by students.
	- Photos of real mechanisms (as parts of complex machines).
	- Student guides to learn mechanics with this software

***** KNOWN PROBLEMS

Bad graphics are displayed when Windows fonts are set to big size.
High density colors are needed for a correct pictures display.
Internet links do not work the first time the program is executed.

***** CONTACT THE AUTHOR

Your suggestions and comments are acknowledged. If, in addition,
you want to collaborate to improve it, no programmation skills
are required !!! You could assist with :
	- original photos
	- original sounds
	- questions/answers to be added to the test
	- information on existing web pages
	- translation
	- the students guides
The goal is a really useful learning tool on mechanisms.

Jaume Dellunde
IES Sant Andreu - Technology Department
Phone (Spain) 933507666
Fax (Spain) 933594078
e-mail: jdellund@pie.xtec.es
homepage: http://www.terra.es/personal/jdellund