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ACAD Elec 2012 UserGuide
ACAD Elec 2012 UserGuide
Users Guide
January 2011
2011 Autodesk, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Except as otherwise permitted by Autodesk, Inc., this publication, or parts thereof, may not be
reproduced in any form, by any method, for any purpose.
Certain materials included in this publication are reprinted with the permission of the copyright holder.
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Disclaimer
THIS PUBLICATION AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN IS MADE AVAILABLE BY AUTODESK, INC. "AS IS." AUTODESK, INC. DISCLAIMS
ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE REGARDING THESE MATERIALS.
Published by:
Autodesk, Inc.
111 McInnis Parkway
San Rafael, CA 94903, USA
Contents
Chapter 1 AutoCAD Electrical What's New . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Overview of AutoCAD Electrical Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Join the Customer Involvement Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
What's New in AutoCAD Electrical 2012 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
What's New in Previous Releases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
What's New in 2009 Release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
What's New in 2010 Release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
What's New in 2011 Release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Ribbon Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Project tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Project Tools panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Other Tools panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Troubleshooting panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Schematic tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Quick Pick panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Insert Components panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Edit Components panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Insert Wires/Wire Numbers panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Edit Wires/Wire Numbers panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Other Tools panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Power Check Tools panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Panel tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Insert Component Footprints panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Terminal Footprints panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
iii
Edit Footprints panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Other Tools panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Conduit Tools panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Reports tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Schematic panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Panel panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Miscellaneous panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Import/Export Data tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Import panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Export panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Conversion Tools tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Tools panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Schematic panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Panel panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Attributes panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Symbol Builder tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Edit panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Help panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Toolbars to Ribbons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Main Electrical toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Main Electrical 2 toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Panel Layout toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Conversion toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Conduit Marker toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Power Check toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Extra Libraries toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
The Ribbon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Overview of the Ribbon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Display and Organize the Ribbon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Customize the Ribbon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Chapter 2 Migration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Migration Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Chapter 3 Project Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Overview of projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Use recently opened projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Create a project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Add a new drawing to the current project . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Add drawings to the current project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Group drawings within a project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Change the order of drawings in the project . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Remove a drawing from the active project . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Assign a description to each drawing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Preview a drawing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
iv | Contents
About collaborative design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Create a drawing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Change drawing display options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Overview of project-related files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Overview of the project file format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Archive a project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Delete a project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Work with Multiple Clients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Overview of setup for multiple clients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Drawing List Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
IEC tag mode update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Task list . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Chapter 4 Drawing and Project Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Overview of project and drawing properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Use replaceable parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Save settings to the project file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Settings List Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Create a template drawing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Updating the WD_M Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Overview of the WD_M block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Using Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Manage layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Use wire layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Change wire types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Chapter 5 Symbol Libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Library standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Determine symbol block names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Library Symbol Naming Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
Overview of symbol naming conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
Split a tag name into two pieces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
Use multiple symbol libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
Overview of one-line symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298
Overview of Hydraulic and P&ID symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
Attribute Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
Schematic attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
Overview of schematic attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
Overview of parent and stand-alone component attributes
(TAG1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
Overview of child component attributes (TAG2) . . . . . . 318
Panel attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
Overview of panel attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
Attributes for other symbol categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322
Overview of attributes for other symbol categories . . . . . 322
Contents | v
Copy attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
Managing Library Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
Substitute symbols in the library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
Change appearance of existing library symbols . . . . . . . . . . 327
Predefine symbol annotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328
Swap blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
Create a library symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335
Symbol Builder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336
Symbol Builder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336
Symbol Preview Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359
Chapter 6 IEC-60617 Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361
Push Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361
Push Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361
Illuminated Push Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365
Selector Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367
Selector Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367
3 Position Selector Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371
4 Position Selector Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 376
Breakers, Disconnects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378
1 Pole Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378
2nd+ Pole Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380
Power Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 384
Fusible Disconnects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385
Disconnect 1 Pole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387
Fuses, Transformers, Reactors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 388
Reactors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 388
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389
Fuse Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392
Transformers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392
Current Transformers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 395
3 Phase Transformers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 396
Relays, Contacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400
Relays and Contacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400
Relays with Suppression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403
Current Protection Relays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404
Voltage Protection Relays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406
Counter Relays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407
Miscellaneous Relays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408
Time Delay Relays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409
Motor Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 412
Motor Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 412
1 Phase Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413
3 Phase Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 414
vi | Contents
DC Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 416
Generators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 417
Motor Starters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 418
Pilot Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 419
Pilot Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 419
Standard Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 420
Transformer Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 421
Push to Test Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 423
LEDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425
Beacons - Flashing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 428
Beacons - Rotating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 429
PLC I/O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 430
Terminals, Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 432
Terminals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 432
Power Distribution Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 433
Connectors - No Wirenumber Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 433
Connectors - Wirenumber Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 436
Limit Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 438
Pressure and Temperature Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 442
Proximity Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 444
Inductive Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 444
Capacitive Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 446
Magnetic Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449
Photoelectric Emitter Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 451
Photoelectric Receiver Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 453
Photoelectric Emitter/Receiver Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 456
Ultrasonic Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 458
Touch Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 460
Miscellaneous Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 462
Solenoids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 468
Instrumentation and Sensors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 470
Qualifying Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 475
Operating Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 475
Linear Direction of Force or Motion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 480
Rotative Direction of Force or Motion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 481
Propagation Flow or Signal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 482
Energy Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 483
Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 483
Radiation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 484
Fault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 485
Winding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 485
Mechanical Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 488
Mechanical Controls, Latching Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 489
Mechanical Controls, Coupling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 490
Electronics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 491
Resistive Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 493
Contents | vii
Capacitive Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 495
Semiconductor Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 497
Miscellaneous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 502
Miscellaneous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 502
Cable Markers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 506
Power Receptacles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 507
Generic Device Boxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 507
Stand-alone Cross-reference Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 509
Wire Arrows - Reference Only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 510
Splice Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 511
Annunciations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512
One-Line Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512
Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512
Motor Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 513
Transformer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 514
Terminal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 515
Cable Marker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 515
Bus-tap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 516
Miscellaneous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 516
Power Stations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 517
Chapter 7 IEEE Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 523
Push Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 523
Push Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 523
Illuminated Push Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 527
Selector Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 529
Selector Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 529
3 Position Selector Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 533
4 Position Selector Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 538
Breakers, Disconnects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 540
1 Pole Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 540
2nd+ Pole Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 542
Power Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 546
Fusible Disconnects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 547
Disconnect 1 Pole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 549
Fuses, Transformers, Reactors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 550
Reactors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 550
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 551
Fuse Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 554
Transformers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 554
Current Transformers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 557
3 Phase Transformers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 558
Relays, Contacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 562
Relays and Contacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 562
Relays with Suppression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 565
Current Protection Relays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 566
viii | Contents
Voltage Protection Relays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 568
Counter Relays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 569
Miscellaneous Relays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 570
Time Delay Relays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 571
Motor Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 574
Motor Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 574
1 Phase Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 575
3 Phase Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 576
DC Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 578
Generators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 579
Motor Starters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 580
Pilot Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 581
Pilot Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 581
Standard Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 582
Transformer Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 583
Push to Test Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 585
LEDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 587
Beacons - Flashing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 590
Beacons - Rotating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 591
PLC I/O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 592
Terminals, Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 594
Terminals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 594
In-Line Wire Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 595
Power Distribution Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 595
Connectors - No Wirenumber Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 596
Connectors - Wirenumber Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 600
Limit Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 602
Pressure and Temperature Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 606
Proximity Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 608
Inductive Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 608
Capacitive Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 610
Magnetic Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 613
Photoelectric Emitter Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 615
Photoelectric Receiver Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 617
Photoelectric Emitter/Receiver Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 620
Ultrasonic Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 622
Touch Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 624
Miscellaneous Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 626
Solenoids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 632
Instrumentation and Sensors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 633
Qualifying Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 638
Operating Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 638
Linear Direction of Force or Motion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 643
Rotative Direction of Force or Motion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 645
Propagation Flow or Signal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 645
Energy Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 646
Contents | ix
Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 647
Radiation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 648
Fault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 649
Winding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 649
Mechanical Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 652
Mechanical Controls, Latching Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 653
Mechanical Controls, Coupling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 654
Electronics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 655
Resistive Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 656
Capacitive Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 659
Semiconductor Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 661
Miscellaneous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 665
Miscellaneous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 665
Cable Markers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 669
Power Receptacles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 669
Generic Device Boxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 670
Stand-alone Cross-reference Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 671
Wire Arrows - Reference Only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 672
Splice Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 674
Annunciations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 674
One-Line Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 675
Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 675
Motor Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 675
Transformer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 677
Terminal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 678
Cable Marker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 678
Bus-tap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 678
Miscellaneous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 679
Power Stations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 679
Chapter 8 JIC Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 685
Push Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 685
Selector Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 688
Selector Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 688
Illuminated Selector Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 692
Fuses, Circuit Breakers, Transformers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 696
Fuses and Transformers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 696
Circuit Breakers and Disconnects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 698
Relays and Contacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 700
Relays and Contacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 700
Latch Relay Coils . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 701
Timers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 702
Time Delay Relays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 702
OFF-Delay Timers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 704
Motor Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 706
Pilot Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 709
x | Contents
Pilot Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 709
Master Test Pilot Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 712
Neon Pilot Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 713
PLC I/O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 714
Terminals and Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 716
Terminals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 716
In-Line Wire Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 719
Power Distribution Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 720
Connectors - No Wirenumber Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 721
Connectors - Wirenumber Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 725
Limit Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 729
Pressure and Temperature Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 730
Flow and Level Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 732
Miscellaneous Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 733
Miscellaneous Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 733
Single Pole Double Throw Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 737
Solenoids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 740
Instrumentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 741
Miscellaneous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 743
Miscellaneous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 743
Electronics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 745
Cable Markers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 748
Power Receptacles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 749
Generic Device Boxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 749
Stand-alone Cross-reference Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 750
Wire Arrows - Reference Only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 752
One-Line Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 753
Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 753
Motor Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 753
Transformer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 755
Terminal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 756
Cable Marker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 756
Bus-tap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 757
Miscellaneous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 757
Chapter 9 IEC Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 759
Push Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 759
Push Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 759
Illuminated Push Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 763
Selector Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 764
Selector Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 764
3 Position Selector Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 767
4 Position Selector Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 772
Breakers, Disconnects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 774
1 Pole Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 774
2nd+ Pole Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 776
Contents | xi
Power Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 780
Fusible Disconnects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 781
Disconnect 1 Pole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 783
Fuses, Transformers, Reactors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 784
Reactors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 784
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 785
Fuse Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 787
Transformers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 787
Current Transformers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 789
3 Phase Transformers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 791
Relays, Contacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 795
Relays and Contacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 795
Relays with Suppression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 798
Current Protection Relays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 799
Voltage Protection Relays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 801
Counter Relays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 802
Miscellaneous Relays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 803
Time Delay Relays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 804
Motor Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 808
Motor Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 808
1 Phase Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 809
3 Phase Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 810
DC Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 812
Generators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 813
Motor Starters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 814
Pilot Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 815
Pilot Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 815
Standard Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 816
Transformer Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 817
Push to Test Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 819
LEDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 820
Beacons - Flashing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 823
Beacons - Rotating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 824
PLC I/O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 826
Terminals, Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 827
Terminals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 827
In-Line Wire Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 831
Power Distribution Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 831
Connectors - No Wirenumber Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 832
Connectors - Wirenumber Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 836
Limit Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 839
Pressure and Temperature Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 842
Proximity Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 845
Inductive Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 845
Capacitive Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 847
Magnetic Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 849
xii | Contents
Photoelectric Emitter Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 851
Photoelectric Receiver Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 853
Photoelectric Emitter/Receiver Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 856
Ultrasonic Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 858
Touch Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 860
Miscellaneous Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 862
Solenoids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 868
Instrumentation and Sensors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 870
Qualifying Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 875
Operating Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 875
Linear Direction of Force or Motion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 880
Rotative Direction of Force or Motion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 880
Propagation Flow or Signal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 881
Energy Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 882
Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 883
Radiation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 884
Fault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 884
Winding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 885
Mechanical Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 888
Mechanical Controls, Latching Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 889
Mechanical Controls, Coupling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 890
Miscellaneous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 891
Miscellaneous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 891
Electronics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 893
Cable Markers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 898
Power Receptacles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 899
Generic Device Boxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 899
Stand-alone Cross-reference Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 901
Wire Arrows - Reference Only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 902
Splice Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 903
Annunciations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 904
One-Line Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 905
Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 905
Motor Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 905
Transformer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 907
Terminal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 907
Cable Marker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 908
Bus-tap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 908
Miscellaneous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 909
Chapter 10 PLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 911
Generate PLC layout modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 911
Parametric PLC symbols vs. Full Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 912
Insert PLC modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 915
Overview of the PLC database file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 920
Single, Stand-alone I/O Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 944
Contents | xiii
Modify single, stand-alone PLC layout symbols . . . . . . . . . 944
Work with PLC styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 948
Modify a PLC appearance style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 948
Create a PLC style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 948
Add a new PLC style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 949
Create PLC I/O Drawings from Spreadsheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 950
Overview of the PLC spreadsheet/database format . . . . . . . . 950
Create PLC spreadsheets using RSLogix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 963
Create PLC drawings from Unity Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 966
Create XML files for export to Unity Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . 975
Chapter 11 Circuits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 977
Circuit Builder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 977
Circuit Builder overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 977
Spreadsheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 979
Drawing templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 983
Electrical standards database file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 987
Electrical standards database editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1005
Use Circuit Builder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1011
Recalculate wire size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1044
Reference an existing circuit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1045
Use circuitry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1048
Add existing circuits to the icon menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1051
Chapter 12 Component Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1061
Insert schematic components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1061
Insert or edit child components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1090
Insert a copy of a component . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1099
Insert from catalog lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1101
The schematic lookup file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1105
Insert from equipment lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1110
Insert from panel lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1115
Manipulate Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1122
Manipulate components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1122
Annotate ratings attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1132
Swap contact states . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1134
Component Cross-References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1135
Cross-Referencing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1135
Check coil/contact count . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1139
Overview of cross-reference settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1141
Overview of graphical cross-reference formats . . . . . . . . . . 1146
Overview of table cross-reference formats . . . . . . . . . . . . 1150
Update cross-reference tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1158
Use stand-alone cross-reference symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1163
Insert dashed link lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1171
xiv | Contents
Follow signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1174
Show signal paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1175
Overview of DIN Rails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1175
Overview of user data records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1179
Wire Jumpers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1181
Define wire jumpers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1181
Chapter 13 Component Attribute Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1185
Edit attribute values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1185
Force attributes to layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1187
Manipulate component text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1189
Manipulate terminal text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1192
Move description values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1193
Move attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1194
Hide attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1194
Show attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1195
Rotate attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1195
Change attribute justification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1196
Change attribute text style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1197
Change attribute text size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1197
Rename an attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1200
Add attributes to blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1201
Set tags to fixed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1202
Retag components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1204
Change to multi-line text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1205
Add location codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1206
Update child codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1207
Location Mark Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1209
Substitute location mark symbols for text location codes . . . . 1209
Location box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1213
Modify library symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1218
Chapter 14 Wire/Wire Number Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1221
Overview of wires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1221
Use wire layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1221
Change wire types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1233
Insert wires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1238
Insert multiple wires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1242
Interconnect components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1244
Trim wires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1245
Stretch wires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1246
Bend wires at right angles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1247
Overview of wire color/gauge labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1248
Insert in-line wire markers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1250
Cable Markers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1255
Contents | xv
Insert cable markers into wires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1255
Multiple cable markers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1273
Edit the cable conductor database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1279
Edit the list of generic colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1280
Insert shield symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1280
Wire Gaps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1282
Manipulate wire gaps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1282
Ladder Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1285
Define and insert new ladders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1285
Modify an existing ladder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1289
Wire Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1295
Overview of wire numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1295
Set wire number placement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1305
Find or replace wire number text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1312
Encode wire color/gauge information into wire numbers . . . . 1314
Fix Wire Numbering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1317
Fix wire numbering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1317
Reposition Wire Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1323
Reposition wire numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1323
Modify Wire Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1334
Modify wire numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1334
Erase or Hide Wire Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1335
Erase or hide wire numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1335
Signal Arrows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1337
Signal Arrows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1337
Fan In/Out Markers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1346
Fan In/Out Source and Destination Markers . . . . . . . . 1346
Wire Sequencing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1353
Control from/to report connection sequencing . . . . . . . . . 1353
Chapter 15 Terminal Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1367
Insert terminals and connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1367
Multi-Level Terminals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1381
Overview of terminal relationships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1381
Terminal Properties Lookup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1386
Overview of terminal properties database . . . . . . . . . . . . 1386
Terminal Strip Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1392
Use the terminal strip editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1392
Generate terminal strip tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1441
Terminal jumpers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1449
Terminal strip utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1455
Terminal wire connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1458
Resequence terminal numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1460
Overview of connection sequencing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1461
xvi | Contents
Chapter 16 Point-to-Point Wiring Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1467
Working with Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1467
Use point-to-point wiring tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1467
Bend wires at right angles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1489
Insert multiple bus wiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1490
Import data from Autodesk Inventor Professional Cable &
Harness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1491
Overview of the spreadsheet import file structure . . . . . . . . . . . 1502
Insert splices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1512
Chapter 17 Project-Wide Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1515
Move from reference to reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1515
Start the Surfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1515
Continue a previous surf session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1516
Move between drawings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1519
Plot one or more drawings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1520
Project-wide utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1523
Create a project-wide script file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1525
Renumber Ladder References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1525
Project-wide update or retag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1526
Track drawing changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1529
Translate description text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1532
Publish to the Web . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1534
Publish to DWF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1537
Title Block Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1538
Title block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1538
Title Block utility setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1540
Title Block setup overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1540
WD_TB attribute method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1546
WDT file method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1548
Title Block Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1550
Customize LINEx Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1554
Map AutoLISP values to the title block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1556
Drawing template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1558
Chapter 18 Icon Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1561
Overview of the Icon Menu Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1561
Add a new icon to the menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1562
Edit the properties of an existing icon in the menu . . . . . . . 1564
Use alternate icon menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1589
Modify Icon Menu File Directly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1591
Overview of the icon menu file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1591
Chapter 19 BOM and Catalogs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1595
Contents | xvii
Catalog database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1595
Catalog table naming conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1595
Family tables in the default_cat.mdb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1597
How to install additional manufacturer content . . . . . . . . . . . . 1603
Overview of the catalog database table structure . . . . . . . . . . . 1604
Overview of the _LISTBOX_DEF catalog database table . . . . . . . . 1607
Create a project-specific catalog database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1609
Catalog Assignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1611
Assign catalog information to components . . . . . . . . . . . 1611
Copy catalog assignments from component to component . . . 1629
Show missing catalog assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1633
Update components from catalog database . . . . . . . . . . . 1634
Contact Quantity/Pin List Lookup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1637
Use pin lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1637
Set pin list assignments for special uses . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1644
Chapter 20 Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1647
Generate reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1647
Schematic Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1731
Generate schematic reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1731
Panel Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1758
Generate panel reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1758
Overview of format files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1773
Run automatic reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1827
Export/Import spreadsheet data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1831
Add report fields with the User Defined Attribute List tool . . . . . . 1841
Export to Autodesk Inventor Professional . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1844
Set up for export to Autodesk Inventor Professional Cable &
Harness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1844
Chapter 21 Panel Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1855
Overview of panel layouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1855
Overview of footprint attributes/Xdata . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1856
Panel drawing configuration and defaults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1859
Relationship between schematic drawings and panel layouts . . . . . 1863
Automatic schematic/panel update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1863
Schematic and panel symbol relationship . . . . . . . . . . . . 1864
Footprint/Terminal Insertion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1866
Insert panel footprints from a schematic list . . . . . . . . . . 1866
Insert panel footprints using vendor menus . . . . . . . . . . . 1876
Insert panel footprints using icon menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1879
Insert panel footprints manually . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1883
Insert panel footprints from a catalog list . . . . . . . . . . . . 1887
Insert footprints from an equipment list . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1889
Insert a copy of a panel footprint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1893
xviii | Contents
Use panel templates and assemblies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1894
Footprint/Terminal Edit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1897
Edit a footprint or panel terminal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1897
Multiple Catalog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1910
Copy code values to components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1913
Delete Footprint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1916
Layout Wire Connection Annotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1917
Add wire information to footprints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1917
Lookup Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1925
Use the footprint lookup file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1925
Item Numbers/Balloons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1931
Add balloons to components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1931
Resequencing item numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1934
Fixing item numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1938
Nameplates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1941
Insert nameplates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1941
Panel Leveling/Sequencing Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1943
Remove sequencing assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1943
Show sequencing assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1943
Swap terminal strip wire text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1944
Chapter 22 Conduit Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1957
Overview of conduit tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1957
Conduit Marker Intelligence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1957
Overview of conduit marker support files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1964
Generate a conduit marker report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1965
Generate a conduit routing report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1967
Chapter 23 Conversion Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1969
Convert promis.e drawing files to AutoCAD Electrical . . . . . . . . 1969
Convert non-AutoCAD Electrical blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1973
Finish mapping values from non-AutoCAD Electrical
blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1974
Convert text to an attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1976
Convert Arrows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1978
Convert non-AutoCAD Electrical arrows . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1978
Overview of ECDS legacy conversion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1979
Tagging and Linking Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1982
Use tagging and linking tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1982
Overview of block/attribute mapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1993
Chapter 24 Miscellaneous Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1999
Overview of power check tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1999
Overview of pneumatic tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2002
Contents | xix
Insert hydraulic components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2007
Insert P&ID components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2012
Troubleshooting Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2017
Overview of real-time error checking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2017
Modify invisible data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2026
Chapter 25 Tutorials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2029
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2029
Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2031
Projects - Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2031
Working with projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2032
Working with drawings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2035
Title Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2040
Title Block - Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2040
Title Block Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2041
Select method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2042
WD_TB attribute method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2043
Create a title block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2043
Title Block Setup - WD_TB attribute method . . . . . . . 2047
Create a drawing template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2049
Use the template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2051
Project description lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2052
Drawing values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2052
Title Block Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2053
Customize project description labels . . . . . . . . . . . . 2055
WDT file method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2057
Create a title block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2057
Title Block Setup - WDT file method . . . . . . . . . . . . 2061
Create a drawing template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2063
Use the template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2065
Project description lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2066
Drawing values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2067
Title Block Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2067
Customize project description labels . . . . . . . . . . . . 2069
Wiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2071
Wiring - Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2071
About wires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2072
Insert wiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2072
Trim a wire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2074
Insert a single-phase ladder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2075
Resequencing ladders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2076
Schematic components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2077
Schematic components - Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2077
About schematic components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2078
Inserting components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2079
Relocating components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2083
xx | Contents
Aligning components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2087
Inserting components continued . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2087
Editing components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2091
Linking components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2094
Editing catalog information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2096
Wire layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2100
Wire layers - Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2100
Creating a wire layer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2101
Changing a wire layer assignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2102
Circuits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2103
Circuits - Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2103
Move an existing circuit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2104
Insert and configure a circuit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2109
Save and insert a circuit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2117
Insert a saved circuit using WBlock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2123
Insert a one-line motor control circuit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2125
Insert a one-line dual power feed circuit . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2130
Reference an existing circuit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2133
Surf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2137
Surf - Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2137
Moving between symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2137
Block swap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2140
Block swap - Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2140
Swapping components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2140
PLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2142
PLC - Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2142
Inserting PLC modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2143
Using multiple insert component . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2147
Annotating PLC I/O descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2149
Schematic terminals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2152
Schematic terminals - Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2152
About schematic terminals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2153
Insert terminals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2155
Multi-level terminals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2158
Modify multi-level associations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2160
Terminal Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2163
Associate terminals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2165
Wire numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2167
Wire numbers - Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2167
About wire numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2168
Inserting wire numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2168
Inserting I/O based wire numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2170
Deleting a wire number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2172
Source signal arrows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2173
Destination signal arrows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2175
Panel layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2180
Contents | xxi
Panel layout - Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2180
Insert Footprint (Schematic list) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2181
Adding nameplate footprints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2191
Terminal Strip Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2195
Generating reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2201
Generating reports - Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2201
Generating Bill of Material reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2202
Inserting Bill of Material tables into drawings . . . . . . . . . . 2204
Changing format of Bill of Material report . . . . . . . . . . . 2205
Exporting Bill of Material report to spreadsheet . . . . . . . . . 2206
Connector diagrams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2207
Connector diagrams - Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2207
About connector diagrams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2208
Inserting connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2208
Wiring connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2212
Grouping wires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2216
Modifying connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2220
Adding wire numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2224
Adding connector descriptors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2225
P&ID and Hydraulic diagrams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2227
P&ID and Hydraulic diagrams - Introduction . . . . . . . . . . 2227
Setting Up Hydraulic Drawings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2228
Inserting Hydraulic Schematic Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2229
Creating Pipes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2233
Completing the Hydraulic Drawing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2238
Setting Up P&ID Drawings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2245
Inserting P&ID Schematic Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2249
Creating Pipes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2252
Symbol Builder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2255
Symbol Builder - Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2255
Creating custom symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2256
Adding attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2257
Adding wire connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2260
Saving the symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2263
Migration of AutoCAD Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2264
Migration of AutoCAD Data - Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . 2264
About Tagging and Linking Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2265
Exploding Block and Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2265
Tagging Schematic Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2267
Linking Schematic Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2268
Adding Wire Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2271
Adding Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2274
Tagging and Linking Panel Components . . . . . . . . . . . . 2275
Updating Panel or Schematic Components . . . . . . . . . . . 2277
Interoperability: Inventor and AutoCAD Electrical . . . . . . . . . . 2279
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2279
xxii | Contents
Introduction (continued) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2280
Part 1: 2D to 3D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2281
Rename component tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2282
Export to XML . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2284
Set the project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2284
Open the dataset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2285
Add harness segments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2288
Add harness segments (continued) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2291
Import the AutoCAD Electrical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2294
Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2295
Assign missing RefDes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2296
Finish the Import . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2299
Route the wires into the harness segments . . . . . . . . . . . 2299
Part 2: 3D to 2D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2300
Create wires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2303
Create Wires (continued) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2304
Route wires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2305
Export to XML . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2306
Import the Inventor data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2306
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2310
Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2313
Set up peer-to-peer component relationships . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2313
Create automated pin assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2315
Set up AutoCAD Electrical for multiple users . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2318
Show source and destination markers on cable wires . . . . . . . . . 2323
Use the PLC Database File Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2330
Customize Circuit Builder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2339
Circuit Builder overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2339
Circuit Builder spreadsheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2340
Circuit Builder drawing templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2344
Circuit Builder database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2349
Add a new circuit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2366
Circuit Builder - How to . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2377
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2377
Build your own symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2416
Build your own symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2416
Add your own symbols, circuits, and commands to the icon
menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2446
Configure projects for various drawing standards . . . . . . . . . . . 2453
Use Autodesk Vault with AutoCAD Electrical . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2461
Chapter 27 AutoCAD Electrical Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2469
AutoCAD Electrical Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2469
Contents | xxiii
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2483
xxiv | Contents
AutoCAD Electrical What's
New
Overview of AutoCAD Electrical Help
The AutoCAD Electrical Help system is a browser-based system available through
context-sensitive links or by accessing it through the Help menu or icon. Key
features of the Help system include:
There is on-demand access from the F1 function key, ribbons, dialog boxes,
and the command line.
Navigation tabs in each topic link to related procedures, references, and
concepts.
The Help menu gives you access to AutoCAD Electrical Help, AutoCAD
Electrical Launchpad, the New Features Workshop and other resources.
What are ways to gain access to Help?
You can get help about a command while you are using it.
Select the Help icon in the upper right. Select the drop-
down arrow to display a menu of help options.
Help Button in ribbon environment
From the menu bar, select Help Electrical Help Topics
to view the AutoCAD Electrical Help home page.
Help Menu
Press F1 At the command prompt, press F1 to open the topic
for the active tool.
1
1
In a dialog box, press F1 to open the Reference topic
for the active tool.
In a dialog box, click Help to open the Reference topic for
the active tool.
Help button
How is Help organized?
Most of the subjects in the Help system have three topic types: Procedure,
Reference, and Concept. Every Help topic selected from a menu has a tab row
above the topic title. You can click a tab to go to the other available topic
types.
Procedure topics provide step-by-step procedures for accomplishing
AutoCAD Electrical tasks.
Reference topics offer detailed descriptions of elements in the dialog box.
Concept topics provide conceptual information about tools and tasks and
can explain related concepts.
The titles of Help topics are designed to tell you the information they contain:
Procedure topics start with an action word, for example, "Create projects."
Reference topics have the names of the dialog box as their titles.
Concept topics typically start with the words "Use" or Overview of.
How do I get around in the Help system?
When you start the Help system, the first thing you see is the AutoCAD
Electrical Help home page.
At the top of every Help window is a navigation bar with
icons. The left-most icon is either Show or Hide, which
Navigation bar
opens or closes the navigation pane of the Help window.
The navigation pane has tabs for Table of Contents, Index,
Search, and Favorites.
Presents an overview of the available documentation in a
list of topics and subtopics. Provides a structure so you can
Table of Contents
always see where you are in Help and quickly jump to
other topics. Click AutoCAD Electrical Command Listing
2 | Chapter 1 AutoCAD Electrical What's New
for an alphabetical list of AutoCAD Electrical tools found in
the menu and toolbars.
You can enter a word in the box to locate the term in the
alphabetical index. Double-click the term to display the
topic, or if multiple topics, to open a list of topics found.
Index
Enter a search word in the box, and click List Topics to view
a list of topics that contain the search word anywhere in
Search
their content. Click a title, and then click Display (or double-
click a title) to open the topic.
With a topic visible in the Help window, click the Favorites
tab and then click Add to add the current topic to a list of
Favorites
favorites. To remove a topic from the list, select the topic
in the list, and then click Remove.
How do I learn the product?
Training programs and products from Autodesk help you learn the key
technical features and improve your productivity. For the latest information
about Autodesk training, visit http://www.autodesk.com/training or contact your
local Autodesk office.
The Autodesk Authorized Training Center (ATC) network delivers
Autodesk-authorized, instructor-led training to design professionals who use
Autodesk software. Autodesk Authorized Training Centers use experienced
and knowledgeable instructors. More than 1,200 ATC sites are available
worldwide to meet your needs for discipline-specific, locally based training.
To find a training center near you, contact your local Autodesk office or visit
http://www.autodesk.com/atc.
Use AutoCAD Electrical Help
AutoCAD Electrical has various learning tools to assist you, whether you are
a newcomer or an experienced CAD user.
To gain access to Help
Use any of the following methods to gain access to Help.
Select the Help icon in the upper right or select the drop-down arrow to
display a menu of help options.
Overview of AutoCAD Electrical Help | 3
Select Help Electrical Help Topics from the menu bar, and then browse
to the desired topic. You can use the tabbed pane to access the Index,
Search, or Table of Contents.
Press F1 to open the Procedure or Reference Help topic for the active
command.
In an open dialog box, press F1 or click Help to open the Reference topic
for the active command.
To customize Help
Use any of the following methods to customize Help.
Click the Hide or Show button in the Help toolbar to control the visibility
of the tabbed pane beside the content window.
To add a topic to the Favorites tab, select a Help topic, click the Favorites
tab, and then click Add. To delete a topic from the Favorites tab, select the
topic in the list, and then click Delete.
To search Help
Another method for finding Help topics is to use the Search tab.
1 Click Show in the browser toolbar if the tabbed navigation pane is not
displayed.
2 Click the Search tab.
3 Enter text in the search text box, and then click List Topics. Use quotation
marks (" ") around the search criteria to search for a string. Use an asterisk
(*) before or after text as a wildcard.
4 Double-click a topic or select a topic, and then click Display to show the
topic.
5 You can also select one or more of the following Search options to limit
the results.
Search previous results
Match similar words
Search titles only
4 | Chapter 1 AutoCAD Electrical What's New
6 Use operators to refine your Search criteria further. Click the right arrow
next to the search text box, and then select one of the following operators.
AND Use AND to search for topics with more than one set of your
search criteria.
OR Use OR to search for topics with at least one of your search criteria.
NEAR Use Near to search for specified text within close proximity to
each other.
NOT Use NOT to search for topics that do not include your search
criteria.
To print Help
You can print a single file or you can print sections of the Help.
1 In the Help Contents tab, right-click a heading and select Print.
2 Select whether to print the selected topic or the selected heading and all
subheadings.
NOTE You can also print a single topic by right-clicking in the file and
selecting Print.
3 Click OK.
If you want to print the entire Help system, in the Contents tab, right-click
AutoCAD Electrical Help and select Print. Select the option to print the selected
heading and all subheadings and click OK.
To find out What's New about AutoCAD Electrical
What's New topics describe the new functionality in the most recent AutoCAD
Electrical release.
1 Click Help AutoCAD Electrical Help. In the AutoCAD Electrical Help,
click What's New from the Table of Contents.
You can also open the What's New by selecting Help Display
Launchpad. Click What's New on the AutoCAD Electrical Launchpad.
2 Browse to a feature you want to learn about.
3 Click More Information to learn more about the feature.
Overview of AutoCAD Electrical Help | 5
To get started with AutoCAD Electrical
1 Select the Help drop-down arrow in the upper right to display a menu of
help options.
2 Select Learning Tools Launchpad.
The AutoCAD Electrical Launchpad screen appears. The Launchpad has
two sections. The top section is for first-time users. It has links to white
papers, the Tutorials, and the AutoCAD Electrical discussion group. The
bottom section has links to places for additional information about
AutoCAD Electrical. You can find out what is new in the current release,
link to the Advanced Productivity home page, and find out more about
additional Autodesk products.
3 Click Tutorials on the AutoCAD Electrical Launchpad.
Join the Customer Involvement Program
If you participate in the Customer Involvement Program (CIP), specific
information about how you use AutoCAD Electrical is forwarded to Autodesk.
This information includes what features you use the most, problems that you
encounter, and other information helpful to the future direction of the
product.
See the following links for more information.
Learn more about the Autodesk Customer Involvement Program:
http://www.autodesk.com/cip
Read the Autodesk Privacy Statement: http://www.autodesk.com/cipprivacy
When you join, you will be able to view reports that can help you optimize
your use of AutoCAD Electrical.
To turn the CIP on or off
1 On the InfoCenter toolbar, to the right of the Help button, click the
drop-down arrow.
2 Click Customer Involvement Program.
3 In the Customer Involvement Program dialog box, select to start or stop
participating.
6 | Chapter 1 AutoCAD Electrical What's New
4 Click OK.
What's New in AutoCAD Electrical 2012
Library Standards
Two sets of library symbols are added that comply with the standards:
IEEE 315/315A
IEC-60617
The JIC standard is no longer updated, and is incorporated into the NFPA 79
standards. The NFPA standard states that the library symbols are to be in
accordance with the IEEE 315/315A standard. The JIC and older IEC symbol
libraries remain for legacy support.
Export/Import Drawing Settings
Export Drawing Settings properties modify the values in the output file and
import the values back to the drawings and project file. These properties are
exported:
Section
Sub-section
Sheet (%S)
Drawing (%D)
IEC Project (%P)
IEC Installation (%I)
IEC Location (%L)
Drawing Descriptions 1-3
For More Information on page 1831
What's New in AutoCAD Electrical 2012 | 7
Update components from catalog database
When you assign a catalog value to a component, the component updates
with related values from the catalog database. If these related values change
later in the database, you can update the components with the new values.
This feature updates the following values:
Schematic parent pin list
Weblink
Textvalue
Terminal properties
A list displays so you can surf to related components that need updates based
on the changed values, such as child pins.
For More Information on page 1634
Copy Circuit enhancements
In the Copy Circuit Options dialog box, options are added for updating
terminal numbers. Choose from the following options for terminals within
the copied circuit:
Keep terminal numbers
Blank terminal number values
Increase terminal numbers
For More Information on page 1048
Use AutoCAD Content Explorer in AutoCAD Electrical
Content Explorer combines content from a variety of local folders for quick
location and real-time access from within the AutoCAD design environment.
You can index content for quick access, catalog the objects in each file, and
perform searches on local folders. The following AutoCAD Electrical commands
are available from Content Explorer:
Insert schematic component
Insert circuit
Insert panel footprint, nameplate, or terminal
8 | Chapter 1 AutoCAD Electrical What's New
Add your AutoCAD electrical library folders to Content Explorer. Use the
search function to find a library symbol or circuit, right-click and select the
AutoCAD Electrical command from the menu.
By entering a search string into the search field, Content Explorer goes through
every file located in the selected folder and returns the files with a file name,
author, keyword, comment, name, subject, or title that meets the search
criteria.
You can also search for text contained in:
MText
Tables
Fields
Multileaders
Dimensions
Attributes
For more information see the documentation on Content Explorer in the
AutoCAD documentation.
Project Manager
The Open Project button is added to the Project Manager to open a project.
For More Information on page 141
Multiple balloon placement
When a component has multiple catalog values, select the direction for
placement of multiple balloons. Options include up, down, left, right, and
angle of last segment.
For More Information on page 1933
Report enhancements
User-Defined Attributes support xdata in AutoCAD Electrical. Only xdata
names with the VIA_WD_ prefix are included. Do not include the VIA_WD_
prefix in the User-Defined Attributes list.
What's New in AutoCAD Electrical 2012 | 9
For More Information on page 1842
Bill of Material reports include sheet and reference fields.
For More Information on page 1686
Electrical Audit enhancement
Components and wires highlight when you select the Go To function from
Electrical Audit, making it easier to identify the object with the exception.
For More Information on page 2021
Footprint update enhancement
When you modify a catalog on a schematic component, a footprint symbol
can update on the related panel footprint. If the footprint for the new catalog
does not exist, choose from the options:
Leave the footprint symbol unchanged while updating the catalog values.
Cancel the catalog change.
For More Information on page 1061
Update a schematic component from a one-line component
Copy information from a one-line component to a schematic component.
Select which types of values to update:
Descriptions
Catalog values including multiple catalog values
Installation/Location
Ratings
All values
For More Information on page 1080
Duplicate tag check for panel footprints
On the Panel Layout - Component Insert/Edit dialog box, when you enter a
tag value, the program checks for duplication.
For More Information on page 1897
10 | Chapter 1 AutoCAD Electrical What's New
Terminal Strip Editor
Create a terminal strip with the Terminal Strip Editor, even if there are no
terminals present in the active project.
For More Information on page 1399
When creating a Terminal Strip table, table styles from the active drawing
are available for selection.
For More Information on page 1415
What's New in Previous Releases
The following chart shows which features were added or enhanced in past
releases of AutoCAD Electrical. Click the x for detailed information on what
was added or enhanced for a particular release.
2012 2011 2010 2009 Feature
X on page
25
Autodesk Inventor Professional Integration
X on page
17
Autodesk Vault Integration
X on page
23
Catalog Lookup User-interface
X on page
24
Catalog Database Creation
X on page
20
X on page
14
Circuit Builder
X on page
8
Component Update from Catalog
X on page
8
Copy Circuit
X on page
10
X on page
22
Electrical Audit
X on page
7
Export/Import Drawing Settings
What's New in Previous Releases | 11
2012 2011 2010 2009 Feature
X on page
25
X on page
22
X on page
19
Help Updates
X on page
9
Insert Balloon
X on page
21
Insert Components from a Menu
X on page
23
X on page
16
Item Numbering
X on page
24
Location Box
X on page
15
Migration Utility
X on page
14
Multi-Level Terminals
X on page
10
X on page
21
One-Line Support
X on page
20
Power Feed Support
X on page
9
X on page
18
Project Manager
X on page
9
Reports
X on page
19
Ribbon Interface
X on page
17
Spreadsheet to PLC I/O Utility Enhance-
ments
X on page
19
Stand-alone Cross-reference
12 | Chapter 1 AutoCAD Electrical What's New
2012 2011 2010 2009 Feature
X on page
16
Surfable Reports
X on page
16
Surfing
X on page
15
Symbol Builder
X on page
7
X on page
21
Symbol Libraries
X on page
17
Table Style Cross-reference Updates
X on page
14
Terminal Jumpers
X on page
14
Terminal Properties Database Editor
X on page
11
X on page
14
Terminal Strip Editor
X on page
18
Terminals
X on page
9
User-Defined Attributes
X on page
24
Wire Collision Avoidance
X on page
17
Wire Connection Improvements
X on page
22
X on page
18
Wire Number Placement
X on page
18
Wire Sequence Updates
What's New in Previous Releases | 13
2012 2011 2010 2009 Feature
X on page
23
Wire Type Creation/Import
What's New in 2009 Release
Circuit Builder
The Circuit Builder feature comes with many predefined motor control circuits.
Insert a circuit by picking from the list of motors and selecting the location
on your drawing. AutoCAD Electrical builds the selected circuit on-the-fly,
matching the rung spacing, adding wiring between components, and
annotating the circuit based on motor horsepower and industry standards.
Inserting a custom motor control circuit can also be as easy as a few mouse
clicks. Select the options to define the circuit, such as breaker type, control
circuitry and motor horsepower. Select the location for the circuit and a custom
circuit is built based on the selected options.
You can customize the Circuit Builder feature to build your custom circuits.
The feature uses a spreadsheet and drawing templates. The spreadsheet defines
the available options for the circuit and the defaults for each option. The
drawing template defines the placement for the individual components and
the wiring.
For More Information on page 977
Terminal Strip Editor
Enhancements to the Terminal Strip Editor make it a more comprehensive
utility.
Controls added to insert, edit, and delete jumpers inside Terminal Strip
Editor.
Internal jumper support for multi-level terminals based on the catalog
assignment, as defined in the TERMPROPS table, or block properties.
Columns added for jumper display. Internal jumpers are shown on the
left of the terminal number as squares. Add-on jumpers are shown on the
right as circles.
Option to launch Automatic Wire Numbering once terminal updates are
complete if jumper changes are made.
14 | Chapter 1 AutoCAD Electrical What's New
New Jumper Chart option to display graphically all jumpered terminals
in a table object placed on a drawing. These jumper charts are updated
automatically when the graphical terminal strip is updated.
Additional control over the jumper circles in the table object and jumper
chart.
Options to split the table object into multiple sections are provided.
Controls for number of rows per section, number of sections per drawing,
section placement, offset distance, and offset direction are available. Use
the Drawing to Preview slider to preview each drawing.
The Table Preview now takes angle and scale into account.
An additional Preview is available while defining table settings. This preview
reflects all table settings include drawing template. The preview includes
a list of drawings if the settings result in multiple drawings.
For More Information on page 1392
Symbol Builder
The Symbol Builder now takes advantage of the block editor environment.
All the block editor features are available along with AutoCAD Electrical dialog
boxes. It is easy to adjust the graphics of the component and add the necessary
attributes for each type of AutoCAD Electrical component.
Start with a template supplied with attributes for the specific component type
you want to create. All necessary attributes are immediately available for
insertion along with any optional attributes. Drag them from the dialog box
into your symbol.
When your symbol is ready, save it using the suggested symbol name following
the AutoCAD Electrical naming standards, or enter your own symbol name.
Audit your symbol to see any potential issues with your symbol.
For More Information on page 336
Migration Utility
The Migration utility replaces the Merge utility which dealt exclusively with
the catalog database. The Migration utility lets you merge the catalog database
and supports other files types and settings, including the environment file,
icon menu files, lookup database files, table styles drawing, user circuits, recent
projects, and so on. Some file types allow you to merge the default AutoCAD
Electrical file and your custom file. Other file types allow you to keep your
custom file or overwrite it with the default AutoCAD Electrical file.
What's New in 2009 Release | 15
Select to migrate from a specific AutoCAD Electrical release. The existing files
are found and listed for migration selection. Select which files to migrate,
define the migration options, and your files from a previous release are ready
for the latest AutoCAD Electrical release. Save the migration settings to use at
a later time or to repeat the migration for another user or computer.
For More Information on page 119
Item Numbering
You can now assign an item number on a per part basis. Each multiple catalog
assignment can receive its own item number. Set the item numbering options
for a project:
1 Right-click on the project name in Project Manager.
2 Select Properties.
3 Select the Components tab.
4 Click Item Numbering.
5 Click Per-Part Number Basis (excluding ASSYCODE combinations).
6 Click OK.
NOTE An item number can be assigned to the main catalog entry and any multiple
catalog entries. It cannot be assigned to a catalog entry based on an assembly
code.
The Insert Balloon feature supports multiple balloons per component. If a
component carries multiple item number assignments, multiple balloons are
inserted automatically. When an item number is modified or removed, the
item balloon is updated or deleted.
For More Information on page 207
Surfing
The ability to surf on an item number was added. Right-click an item balloon
and select surf, or type the item number in the Surf dialog box. You can also
surf on an item number in a report table. Run the Surf command and click
the item number text in the report table.
For More Information on page 1517
16 | Chapter 1 AutoCAD Electrical What's New
Cross-referencing
The graphics used to represent each contact type in the table cross-reference
style are now customizable. A graphic drawing (.dwg) file is assigned to a
specific contact block file name through a new cross-reference mapping table
in the catalog lookup database. The assigned graphic drawing file is inserted
as a block in the table cell in the TYPE column.
For More Information on page 224
Spreadsheet to PLC/IO
You can now direct the Spreadsheet to PLC/IO utility to start a new drawing
before generating the next module. Enter the keyword, NEW_DWG, in the
CODE column of the spreadsheet at the point where you want to start a new
drawing. AutoCAD Electrical creates the drawing before generating the next
module in the spreadsheet.
You can now predefine other attributes on the module like the inline device
fields. For example, you want a module to have a Rack value of 2, an
Installation value of MACH1, and a Rating2 value of Hazardous Duty. In
the spreadsheet, in the RACK column, enter
2;INST=MACH1;RATING2=HAZARDOUS DUTY. When this module is
generated these extra attribute values are assigned.
For More Information on page 950
Vault - Title Block Update
The project description values in Vault can now be written back to AutoCAD
Electrical drawings. Assign these values to the AutoCAD Electrical project
description values. Project descriptions can be used in the AutoCAD Electrical
title block update and the drawing list report. If the project descriptions are
out of date when these features are used, you are prompted to import the
Vault values in to the project descriptions.
3-Phase Wiring
Connecting the 3-phase wiring to the motor symbol is now automatic. When
you insert a motor symbo,l and 3-phase wiring is already present, place the
symbol on or near the wires. The wires are angled and trimmed to meet the
motor symbol.
NOTE For pre-2009 symbols, add a default attribute prompt value X0STRETCH
to the X0TERMxx attributes.
What's New in 2009 Release | 17
Flip Component
When you use the Flip Component feature, existing dashed link lines are
recalculated and reinserted if necessary.
Project Manager
You can now right-click the active project and select Close. The active project
is closed, removed from the list, and the next project becomes the active
project.
Toggle Wire Number
When you toggle a wire number from above or below the wire to an in-line
wire number, the number keeps its original center point, rather than centering
it on the wire.
Trim Wire
You can now use the dynamic pan and zoom while using the Trim Wire
command. Start the command and select the Fence option. Select the first
fence point and pan the drawing to select the next fence point. All wires are
trimmed that cross the fence rather than just the wires on the screen.
Edit Wire Sequence
The Edit Wire Sequence command remains active until you choose to exit the
command by not selecting a wire. This feature makes it more efficient to assign
a wire sequence to multiple wire networks.
Cable Conductor Table
Adding a cable with many conductors is more efficient with the Alt+A hot
key. Once you type in the conductor color, press Alt+A to add the conductor
to the list.
COPYTAG for Terminals
Terminals now support the COPYTAG attribute. COPYTAG is the optional
TAG copy attribute. When AutoCAD Electrical updates a TAGSTRIP attribute,
it also looks for and updates any COPYTAG attributes present on the symbol
with a copy of the TAGSTRIP text. A special replaceable parameter, "%T", can
be encoded onto the prompt value of the COPYTAG attribute definition. This
replaceable parameter allows for adding a suffix and/or prefix to the TAGSTRIP
text. If you need more than one extra TAGSTRIP copy on a symbol, name the
attributes COPYTAG01, COPYTAG02, and so on.
18 | Chapter 1 AutoCAD Electrical What's New
Stand-alone Cross Reference
The DESC1 attribute is now supported on stand-alone cross-reference symbols.
You can add a value to this attribute in the Insert/Edit Stand-alone
Signal/Destination dialog boxes. The description field is an available field in
the Stand-alone cross reference report.
Export to Spreadsheet
The option to export information from parent components only was added.
Catalog Content Updates
Pneumatic catalog content was added to the catalog database of over 350,000
components from the most popular vendors of the industry. Additional catalog
content for terminal blocks, PLC, and limit switches, was added.
Help Updates
The New Features Workshop provides an outline and graphical view of new
features this release.
A symbol library preview guide lists the library symbols supplied with AutoCAD
Electrical.
For More Information on page 359
Toolbar Tooltips
Some of the commonly used AutoCAD Electrical commands now provide an
additional level of information in the tooltip. Pause the mouse over the
command icon. The first level of information for that command is displayed.
Continue to pause the mouse over the command icon and the next level of
information is displayed in the tooltip. For more information about any
command, press the F1 key while the tooltip is displayed.
What's New in 2010 Release
Ribbon Interface
To provide easy access to AutoCAD Electrical commands, a ribbon interface
is now available. The ribbon layout is based on workflow and function. See
the Help topic, Ribbon Interface, for more information on the ribbon layout.
For More Information on page 25
What's New in 2010 Release | 19
Workspaces
AutoCAD Electrical provides three predefined workspaces.
ACADE & 2D Drafting & Annotation - ribbons that provide the AutoCAD
Electrical tools, and the AutoCAD 2D Drafting and Annotation tools.
ACADE & 3D Modeling - ribbons that provide the AutoCAD Electrical
tools, and the AutoCAD 3D Modeling tools.
AutoCAD Electrical Classic - toolbars and pull down menus that provide
the AutoCAD Electrical tools and AutoCAD tools.
To switch to another workspace, you can select the Workspace icon
on the status bar.
Circuit Builder goes green
Circuit Builder now provides engineering analysis/green calculations in the
area of power conductor size versus energy losses. Designing to meet minimum
code requirements can conflict with green design.
During the code requirements analysis, Circuit Builder displays parallel energy
loss calculations so you can make better green design decisions. For example,
suppose you must oversize the conductors for a motor to reduce conductor
heating losses. This action results in a higher initial cost. But this higher cost
can potentially be recovered many times over in reduced energy losses in the
wiring over the lifetime of the installation.
For More Information on page 1036
Circuit Builder - power feed support
Circuit Builder now provides power feed circuits for insertion.
Option to add a source arrow symbols at end of the power feed bus.
Option to add a generic load box representation at the end of the power
feed bus.
Supports defining a user-created load symbol, for example a variable speed
drive symbol, for insertion at the end of a power feed bus.
Support for adjusting the load representation based on the rung spacing.
For More Information on page 1017
20 | Chapter 1 AutoCAD Electrical What's New
Circuit Builder - additional features
Wire conductor sizing based upon electrical code requirements.
Support for split-parallel conductor sizing is available. You can choose to
substitute multiple, smaller diameter conductors to meet the equivalent
ampacity requirement of a single, large diameter conductor.
Fuse, breaker, disconnect switch, and overload calculations based upon
electrical code requirements.
Circuit Builder can be set up to predefine motor description text,
installation, location, and text description for individual components in
the circuit.
Insert a new circuit and reference an existing circuit. This option can
transfer the values from the existing circuit to your new circuit.
Electrical standards database editor to view, modify, and expand the
ace_electrical_standards.mdb file.
For More Information on page 977
Motor control one-line circuits
AutoCAD Electrical now provides library support and software support to
create motor control one-line diagrams that link back to other drawing types
in a project drawing set.
New motor control one-line symbol library accessible from the icon menu.
Circuit Builder helps you build motor control one-line circuits dynamically.
You can design one-line circuits, with component values and wire sizes,
to conform to a given electrical code.
One-line component symbols can be related to parent/child counterparts
on the schematic and panel layout drawings within a project. You can surf
between one-line and related components, and all related components
update when one is modified.
Tagging of schematic or panel components using existing commands can
reference a pick list that includes components pulled from the one-line
diagrams.
Certain schematic reports have a new category option. You select the
category, for example One-Line, and the data is filtered based on that
category. It can also be used to filter a report for Hydraulic, P&ID, or
Pneumatic components.
What's New in 2010 Release | 21
For More Information on page 298
No wire numbering option for wire layers
Wire layers now have a no wire numbering option. These wires behave
normally for inserting, breaking, and scooting components, and show up in
the Wire From/To report.
The Insert Wire Numbers command follows these rules:
If all wires in the network are on layers set No for Wire Numbering, no
new wire number is inserted.
If any wire in the network is on a layer set Yes for Wire Numbering, the
existing non-fixed wire number is updated, or a new wire number is
inserted.
If a wire network already has a non-fixed wire number, it is updated
regardless of the Wire Numbering setting. Use the Delete Wire Numbers
command to remove the wire number.
For More Information on page 262
Electrical Audit
The Electrical Audit can now display the results for the active drawing only.
Run the Electrical Audit, click the Active Drawing button and quickly see the
issues for this drawing only. Open another drawing and the dialog box updates
to display the results for the newly opened drawing. The active drawing must
be part of the active project.
For More Information on page 2021
Help Updates
Reference topics that show command access now include the following
features:
Command line access
Ribbon access
If the location of a command is changed, ribbon and menu access to the
command are updated in the Help system to reflect the new location.
NOTE This dynamic update only works when the Help is used within AutoCAD
Electrical.
22 | Chapter 1 AutoCAD Electrical What's New
What's New in 2011 Release
Catalog Lookup
The catalog lookup user-interface enhancements include:
Control which fields are displayed and the field order in the catalog lookup
dialog box.
Filter catalog records by selecting existing values from any of the catalog
fields.
Search for a catalog record based on a value you supply, including
wildcards, for any one of the catalog fields.
Sort catalog records by clicking the column header of any of the displayed
fields.
BOM details displayed on the main dialog box (formerly called Catalog
Check).
Ability to define a default filter value for any catalog field using the
expanded _LISTBOX_DEF table in the catalog database.
Dialog box tooltips describing the function of each control on the dialog
box.
For More Information on page 1615
Import Wire Type
Wire Types are defined on a per-drawing basis. You can import wire types
from an existing drawing or template to another drawing. Use the Import
button on the Create/Edit Wire Type dialog box to import wire types to the
active drawing. Use the Project-wide Utilities to import wire types to a set of
project drawings.
For More Information on page 1229
Item Numbering enhancements
Item numbering now supports fixed item numbers on panel components. If
Resequence Item Numbers is run later on, fixed item numbers do not change.
Resequence item numbers based on the manufacturer values of the
components. Select the manufacturers from a list of values used in the project.
Only item numbers on components with selected manufacturer values change.
What's New in 2011 Release | 23
Define the resequence order based on the manufacturer values of the
components. Use the Move Up and Move Down buttons to change the order
of the manufacturers for processing by the Resequence Item Numbers
command.
For More Information on page 1936
Project-specific catalog database
Create a catalog database containing only the catalog values used in the project
drawings. This command takes the default_cat.mdb database and removes all
catalog values not used in the project drawings. Use this smaller catalog
database to:
Send to a client with the finished project.
Limit future catalog selections to components used in the project.
For More Information on page 1610
Location Box enhancements
When you insert a Location Box, a check box on the Location Box dialog box
indicates whether to update the location and installation values for the parent
components that fall within the new location box.
AutoCAD Electrical commands are now location box aware. If you insert or
move schematic parent components into an existing location box, location
and installation values update to match the location box. If you move
schematic parent components out of a location box, choose whether to update
component values to match the drawing defaults.
NOTE Circuit commands do not update components within the circuit due to
placement within an existing location box.
For More Information on page 1215
Suppress wire collision check
Turn the collision checking off temporarily when inserting wires. Default
behavior is to route around a component when routing a wire from one
specified location to another. If you want the wire to break across any
components encountered as you insert the wire, turn the collision checking
off.
For More Information on page 1239
24 | Chapter 1 AutoCAD Electrical What's New
Learning Solutions
Getting Started exercises added to the online Help.
Title block tutorial added detailing how to create a template, create a title
block, and define the title block mapping for a title block update.
Cable Design Interoperability - AutoCAD Electrical and Inventor tutorial
added with exercises in both environments.
For More Information on page 2029
Ribbon Interface
Project tab
Project Tools panel
Description Command
Lists the drawing files associated with each
open project. Use this to add new drawings,
Project Manager
AEPROJECT
reorder drawing files, and change project set-
tings. You cannot have two projects open in
the Project Manager with the same project
name.
Copies an existing project to a new name and
creates renamed copies of the drawing files.
Copy Project
AECOPYPROJECT
Deletes a project and provides the option to
also delete the drawing files in the project.
This is permanent and cannot be undone.
Delete Project
AEDELETEPROJECT
Creates a zip file of the .wdp file for the active
project and one or more drawing files it refer-
Zip Project
AEZIPPROJECT
ences. The zip file can optionally include a
Ribbon Interface | 25
Description Command
copy of the temporary database file for the
project.
Updates component tags, wire numbers, lad-
der references, and select drawing settings.
Project-Wide Update/Re-
tag
AEPROJUPDATE
Updates wire numbers, component tags, and
attribute text. Allows user-defined scripts to
be applied project-wide.
Project-Wide Utilities
AEUTILITIES
Places an invisible mark on each component
before sending the drawings to a client. When
Mark/Verify DWGs
AEMARKVERIFY
the drawings are returned, a list is generated
that includes any components or wire num-
bers that have been modified, edited, or
copied.
NOTE This command writes information to
the project database file that is used to check
for deleted components. Your drawings must
be named and part of the active project to use
this command.
Other Tools panel
Description Command
Moves from reference to reference across the
project drawing set. A new window opens and
Surfer
AESURF
the original window closes when Surf is selec-
ted unless you hold the Shift key while running
the command.
Continues a previous surf session from the
point where you left off.
Continue Surfer
AESURFCONT
26 | Chapter 1 AutoCAD Electrical What's New
Description Command
Loads the drawing listed above the current
drawing in the project explorer, and closes
the current drawing.
Previous DWG
AEPREV
Loads the drawing listed below the current
drawing in the project explorer, and closes
the current drawing.
Next DWG
AENEXT
Migrate database and support files from a
previous version of AutoCAD Electrical to the
current release.
Migration Utility
AEMIGRATION
Translates component description text from
one language to another. Description text and
Language Conversion
AELANG
switch position text is processed on schematic
and panel components.
Opens the current language table for review
and modification. The default table is
wd_lang1.mdb.
Edit Language Database
AELANGDB
You can link some AutoCAD Electrical project
description data entries and some of the
Title Block Setup
AESETUPTITLEBLOCK
drawing values to the attributes in the title
blocks. There are two methods, an attribute
mapping file or a mapping attribute embed-
ded on the title block.
Automates updating title block information
for the current drawing or the entire project
Title Block Update
AEUPDATETITLEBLOCK
drawing set. Project and drawing specific set-
tings are linked to one or more attributes
contained in the title block.
Updates component values with values from
the catalog database based on the assigned
catalog value.
Component update
from catalog
AEUPDFROMCAT
Project tab | 27
Description Command
Updates component tagging based on a
change in the IEC tagging mode.
IEC Tag Mode Update
AEUPDATEIECTAG
Replaces the schematic wd_m.dwg block in
the current drawing with a newer copy, and
Update to New WD_M
Block, Values, Layers
converts to the newer configuration values
and layers.
AESWAPWDM
Replaces the schematic wd_m.dwg block in
the current drawing with a newer copy, but
Update to New WD_M
Block, No changes
keeps existing configuration values and layer
names.
AESWAPWDM-
NOCHANGE
Replaces the panel wd_pnlm.dwg block in the
current drawing with a newer copy, and con-
Update to New WD_PN-
LM Block, Values, Layers
verts to the newer configuration values and
layers.
AESWAPPNLM
Replaces the panel wd_pnlm.dwg block in the
current drawing with a newer copy, but keeps
existing configuration values and layer names.
Update to New WD_PN-
LM Block, No changes
AESWAPPN-
LMNOCHANGE
Writes the attribute settings for the wd_m
block in the current drawing to the wd_m.dwg
drawing file in the symbol library.
Update Symbol Library
WD_M Block
AECOPY2SYMLIB
Reports the settings of each drawing in the
project, and provides the means to edit the
Settings List Utility
AEDWGCFG
report and update the drawing properties with
the edited values.
Lists extended entity data, xdata, on a selected
object.
Xdata List
AELISTXDATA
28 | Chapter 1 AutoCAD Electrical What's New
Description Command
Allows display and edit of an object's 1000
type extended entity data (Xdata).
Xdata Editor
AEXDATA
Turns off the right-click menus in AutoCAD
Electrical.
Right Click Menu Off
AEOFFRIGHTCLICKCON-
TEXTMENU
Turns on the right-click menus in AutoCAD
Electrical.
Right Click Menu On
AEONRIGHTCLICKCON-
TEXTMENU
Adds a new, blank table to the catalog lookup
database file.
Add Catalog Table
AEADDCATALOGTABLE
Creates a project-specific catalog database
containing only the entries used in the project.
Create Project-specific
Catalog Database
AECREATEPROJCATA-
LOG
Moves all objects on a layer in the active
drawing to a different layer.
Move Objects to Layer
AEMOVE2LAYER
Adds the Category field to the PLC database
tables. This field is used by the Spreadsheet
PLC Database Migration
Utility
to PLC I/O utility to determine module place-
ment.
AEPLCMIGRATE
Project tab | 29
Troubleshooting panel
The Troubleshooting panel is off by default.
Description Command
Inserts a project drawing as an exploded block
into a new, blank drawing.
Clean DWG Utility
AECLEANDWG
Turns on the display of a real-time listing of
internal calls in AutoCAD Electrical.
Command Trace On
AEONLISPDEBUG
Turns off the display of a real-time listing of
internal calls in AutoCAD Electrical.
Command Trace Off
AEOFFLISPDEBUG
Turns on the display of error messages gener-
ated during temporary MDB file rebuild or
freshen.
MDB Command Trace
On
AEONMDBDEBUG
Turns off the display of error messages gener-
ated during temporary MDB file rebuild and
freshen.
MDB Command Trace
Off
AEOFFMDBDEBUG
Turns on the timer for command execution
elapsed time.
Command Timer On
AEONTIMER
Turns off the timer for command execution
elapsed time.
Command Timer Off
AEOFFTIMER
30 | Chapter 1 AutoCAD Electrical What's New
Schematic tab
Quick Pick panel
The Quick Pick panel is off by default.
Description Command
Activates the icon menu with the relay page
displayed.
Relays
AERELAYMENU
Activates the icon menu with the push button
page displayed.
Push Buttons
AEPUSHBUTTONSMENU
Activates the icon menu with the selector
switch page displayed.
Selector Switches
AESELECTORSWITCH-
MENU
Activates the icon menu with the limit switch
page displayed.
Limit Switches
AELIMITSWITCHMENU
Activates the icon menu with the pilot light
page displayed.
Pilot Lights
AEPILOTLIGHTSMENU
Inserts a user circuit selected from on-screen
icon menu.
Insert Saved Circuit
AESAVEDCIRCUIT
Schematic tab | 31
Insert Components panel
Description Command
Inserts selected components from the icon
menu onto the drawing.
Insert Component
AECOMPONENT
Inserts schematic symbols by choosing a
catalog number or a component description
Insert Component
(Catalog List)
from a user-defined pick list. The data dis-
played in this pick list is stored in a database
AECOMPONENTCAT
in generic Access format. The file name is
wd_picklist.mdb and can be edited with Mi-
crosoft
Excel
Inventor
Windows
2000 or Windows
block with
certain expected attributes. When inserting components, use AutoCAD
Electrical tools to:
Break wires
Assign unique component tags
Cross-reference related components
Enter values for catalog information, component descriptions, location
codes, and so on
2078 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
AutoCAD Electrical supplies a schematic symbol dialog box for finding and
inserting schematic components. It also triggers some additional features.
Automatic wire breaks
Component tagging
Real-time cross-referencing
Component annotation
Inserting components
AutoCAD Electrical employs a parent/child relationship for schematic
components. The parent coil symbol and the child contact symbols represent
a relay coil with a certain number of contacts. When the parent coil symbol
is inserted, it is assigned a unique component tag. When the child contact
symbols are inserted, the child is related to the parent and the parent tag is
assigned to the child symbol.
In this exercise, you insert components on the wires previously defined in
AEGS04.dwg.
Insert a parent component
1 If AEGS is not the active project, in the Project Manager, right-click AEGS
and select Activate.
2 In the Project Manager, double-click AEGS to expand the drawing list.
3 In the Project Manager, Project Drawing List, double-click AEGS04.dwg.
4 Zoom in on the upper left corner of the drawing.
5 Click Schematic tab Insert Components panel Insert Components
drop-down Icon Menu.
6 In the Insert Component: JIC Schematic Symbols dialog box, click Relays/
Contacts.
7 In the JIC: Relays and Contacts dialog box, click Relay Coil.
Inserting components | 2079
8 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Specify insertion point:
Position the component on the wire at line reference 403 near the neutral wire
and click (1)
If you select directly on the wire or near to it, the coil symbol breaks the
underlying ladder wire and reconnects. If the underlying wire did not
break, you did not select close enough to the wire. To try again, click
Cancel on the Insert/Edit Component dialog box. Right-click or press
ENTER to repeat the command. Turning on Snap helps (0.125 is a good
setting to use).
This tool inserts components into alignment with underlying wires, it
does not align components side-to-side. If you want to insert components
in neat columns, you have three options: use AutoCAD Snap when
inserting components; use the Scoot command to move components and
connected wires in place; or use the Align Component tool.
9 In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, verify that the Component
Tag is set to CR403.
AutoCAD Electrical automatically determines the unique tag name for
the new relay based on the line reference location that you inserted the
symbol on. CR indicates that it is a control relay and 403 indicates
that the symbol is on line reference 403. If you inserted this symbol on
line reference 404 then the tag name would be CR404.
You can assign a catalog number to the component that can be extracted
into reports. There are two pieces of BOM catalog information:
manufacturer code and catalog number. These values are carried as
invisible attributes on the symbol. You can type in values for each or
select the BOM information from an on-line catalog database file.
10 In the Catalog Data section, click Lookup.
11 On the Parts Catalog dialog box, click to clear all predefined
filters. Click Yes to confirm.
12 On the Parts Catalog dialog box each column has an edit field to enter
search text. Enter:
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MANUFACTURER: AB
TYPE: TYPE P
COIL: 120VAC
13 Change the catalog assignment to 700-P200A1.
14 Click the Show BOM Details check box.
The dialog box expands to show the BOM information. Review the BOM
information associated with the selected part number.
15 In the Parts catalog dialog box, click OK.
The selected manufacturer code and catalog number display in the
Insert/Edit Component dialog box. When you click OK on the dialog
box, the values transfers to the symbol.
NOTE Sample catalog information is provided with AutoCAD Electrical in
Access Database format (.mdb). If your company uses its own internal coding
system instead of manufacturer catalog numbers, substitute those numbers
into catalog database files of AutoCAD Electrical. If you use your own system
and reference a number of vendors, extra user fields are available in all the
sample database files.
Inserting components | 2081
16 In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, Description section, specify:
Line 1: MASTER CONTROL
Line 2: RELAY
Up to three lines of description text can be entered as a description for
components. If the third description line is unavailable, the symbol does
not carry an attribute for a third line of description.
NOTE You can specify a description by entering text or by clicking Defaults
to select from a list of standard component descriptions.
17 In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, Location code section, click
Drawing.
AutoCAD Electrical does a quick read of the drawing file and returns a
list of all location codes used so far.
18 In the All Locations - Drawing dialog box, select MCAB5 and click OK.
NOTE You can also include an external LOC location list in the project
LOC list to help with consistency. To use this feature, create a file called
default.loc and put it in an AutoCAD Electrical search directory. The format
for this text file is each location on its own line in the file with no leading
spaces. You can also create a project-specific file by naming it the same as
your project but with a .loc extension.
19 In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, the pin values are inserted
based on the selected catalog number:
Pins: 1: K1
Pins: 2: K2
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20 In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, click OK.
Any values entered here are saved as attribute values on the symbol itself.
Relocating components
If the component was not inserted in the correct location, you can scoot the
component. Use the Scoot tool to select a component or wire number and
slide it back and forth along the wire while keeping everything connected.
You can select a wire or a whole rung of circuitry and scoot it to a new position.
If there are any parent components among the scooted items, you are asked
if you want to retag the scooted components.
The Scoot tool works on wire numbers, components, terminals, PLC I/O
modules, jogs in dashed link lines, signal arrows, wires, and wires with
wire-crossing loops.
Relocating components | 2083
Scoot a component
1 Click Schematic tab Edit Components panel Modify Components
drop-down Scoot.
2 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Select component, wire, or wire number for SCOOT:
Select the component that was inserted at line reference 403
The cursor changes to a box.
Select component, wire, or wire number for SCOOT: to
Move the cursor to the right and click, right-click to exit the command
The component moves to its new location.
You can use the Scoot tool to grab a component or a wire number and
slide it back and forth along a wire. You can grab a wire or a whole rung
of circuitry and scoot it to a new position, while keeping everything
connected.
The steps to insert a parent component and a child component are the same,
except when you annotate the symbol.
Insert a child component
1 Click Schematic tab Insert Components panel Insert Components
drop-down Icon Menu.
2 In the Insert Component: JIC Schematic Symbols dialog box, click Relays/
Contacts.
3 In the JIC: Relays and Contacts dialog box, click Relay NO Contact.
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4 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Specify insertion point:
Position the cursor on the wire at line reference 404 near the hot wire and click
(1)
The Insert/Edit Child Component dialog box displays. Notice that
AutoCAD Electrical did not automatically assign a tag name for the relay
contact; there is just a generic CR in the edit box. Determine the relay
contact tag name. A relay contact is a child component that must link
to a parent relay coil on a drawing in the active project. The child gets
the same tag name that is found on the parent relay coil.
Assign the tag name by clicking Parent/Sibling and picking the parent in
the drawing. Or, click Drawing or Project to select from a list of
components with the same family name.
5 In the Insert/Edit Child Component dialog box, Component Tag section,
click Drawing.
6 In the Active Drawing list for FAMILY=CR dialog box, select:
MCAB5 CR403 MASTER CONTROL RELAY
7 Click OK.
The values of the parent are immediately transferred to the contact.
Relocating components | 2085
8 In the Insert/Edit Child Component dialog box, verify that the following
options are specified:
Component Tag: CR403
Description: Line 1: MASTER CONTROL
Description: Line 2: RELAY
Cross-reference: 403
Location code: MCAB5
Pins: Pin 1: A1X
Pins: Pin 2: A1Y
9 In the Insert/Edit Child Component dialog box, click OK.
The child component is inserted. It is cross-referenced in real time. The
coil is annotated with the line reference number of the new child contact.
The child contact gets annotated with the line reference location of the
parent coil.
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Aligning components
Align the normally open relay contact with an existing component. After you
insert a component, you can align or edit it as necessary.
Align a component
1 Click Schematic tab Edit Components panel Modify Components
drop-down Align.
2 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Pick component to align with (Horizontal/<Vertical>):
Select the normally open limit switch component near the hot wire at line
reference 406 (1)
A dashed line displays.
Select objects:
Select the previously inserted child contact component near the hot wire at line
reference 404 (2), right-click
The aligned component is placed.
Inserting components continued
Now you insert a system reset push button, pilot light, and an emergency stop
push button to make up the circuit.
Aligning components | 2087
Insert a system reset button
1 Click Schematic tab Insert Components panel Insert Components
drop-down Icon Menu.
2 In the Insert Component: JIC Schematic Symbols dialog box, click Push
Buttons.
3 In the JIC: Push Buttons dialog box, click Push Button NO.
4 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Specify insertion point:
Position the push button on the wire at line reference 403 near the hot wire
and click (1)
5 In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, verify the following:
Component Tag: PB403
AutoCAD Electrical automatically assigned the tag name based on the
line reference.
6 In the Descriptions section, specify:
Line 1: SYSTEM
Line 2: RESET
7 In the Location code section, click Drawing.
8 In the All Locations - Drawing dialog box, select OPSTA3 and click OK.
9 In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, click OK.
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Insert a pilot light
1 Click Schematic tab Insert Components panel Insert Components
drop-down Icon Menu.
2 In the Insert Component: JIC Schematic Symbols dialog box, click Pilot
Lights.
3 In the JIC: Pilot Lights dialog box, click Green Press to Test.
4 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Specify insertion point:
Position the pilot light on the wire at line reference 404 near the neutral wire
and click (2)
TIP Having Snap turned on makes positioning the pilot light easier.
5 In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, verify:
Component Tag: LT404
6 In the Descriptions section, specify:
Line 1: CONVEYOR
Line 2: ON
7 In the Location code section, click Drawing.
8 In the All Locations - Drawing dialog box, select OPSTA3 and click OK.
9 In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, click OK.
Inserting components continued | 2089
Insert a push button for emergency stop
1 Click Schematic tab Insert Components panel Insert Components
drop-down Icon Menu.
2 In the Insert Component: JIC Schematic Symbols dialog box, click Push
Buttons.
3 In the JIC: Push Buttons dialog box, click Mushroom Head NC.
4 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Specify insertion point:
Position the push button on the middle of the wire at line reference 403 and
click (3)
5 In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, verify:
Component Tag: PB403A
AutoCAD Electrical automatically assigned the tag name based on the
line reference. It added the A suffix since it is your second push button
on this line reference.
6 In the Descriptions section, specify:
Line 1: EMERGENCY STOP
7 In the Location code section, click Drawing.
8 In the All Locations - Drawing dialog box, select OPSTA3 and click OK.
9 In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, click OK.
Your finished schematic resembles the following:
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Editing components
You can go back to a component at any time and change it. You can change
description, tag, catalog number, location code, terminal numbers, and rating
values using the Edit Component tool.
Insert a child contact
1 Zoom in on the blank ladder rung at line reference 410.
2 Press F9 to turn on SNAP .
3 Click Schematic tab Insert Components panel Insert Components
drop-down Icon Menu.
4 In the Insert Component: JIC Schematic Symbols dialog box, click Selector
Switches.
5 In the JIC: Selector Switches dialog box, click 2nd+ NC Contact.
6 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Specify insertion point:
Position the selector switch at line reference 410 near the left side of the ladder
and click (1)
Editing components | 2091
7 In the Insert/Edit Child Component dialog box, click OK.
Insert a pilot light
1 Click Schematic tab Insert Components panel Insert Components
drop-down Icon Menu.
2 In the Insert Component: JIC Schematic Symbols dialog box, click Pilot
Lights.
3 In the JIC: Pilot Lights dialog box, click Blue Press to Test.
4 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Specify insertion point:
Position the pilot light at line reference 410 near the neutral wire but exactly
in line with the selector switch and click (2)
5 In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, verify:
Component Tag: LT410
6 In the Descriptions section, specify:
Line 1: MAINT
Line 2: MODE
7 In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, click OK.
Edit a child contact
1 Press F9 to turn off SNAP .
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2 Click Schematic tab Edit Components panel Edit Components
drop-down Edit.
NOTE You can also right-click on a component and select Edit Component
from the context menu.
3 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Select component/cable/location box to EDIT:
Select the selector switch on line reference 410
4 In the Insert/Edit Child Component dialog box, Component Tag section,
click Parent/Sibling.
5 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Select component:
Select the bottom sibling contact (3) of the existing switch on line reference 408
Editing components | 2093
AutoCAD Electrical reads the sibling contact and transfers the appropriate
annotation to your new switch contact.
6 In the Insert/Edit Child Component dialog box, click OK.
The sibling contact information displays on the drawing.
Linking components
In this exercise, you link the selector switch you inserted to the existing RAM
MODE selector switch residing on line reference 406 through 408 using dashed
link lines.
Connect components using wires
1 Click Schematic tab Insert Wires/Wire Numbers panel Insert Wires
drop-down Wire.
2 Respond to the prompts as follows:
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Specify wire start or [wireType/X=show connections]:
Click the wire connection point on the right-hand side of the switch contact (4)
Specify wire end or [Continue]:
Drag the wire to the right and click the wire connection point on the left-hand
side of the blue pilot light (5)
Specify wire start or [Scoot/wireType/X=show connections]:
Click the left-hand side of the switch contact
Specify wire end or [Continue]:
Drag the wire to the left and click the left-hand vertical bus wire
The wire automatically ends on the bus and inserts a wire connection
dot.
3 Repeat the process to connect the right-hand side of the blue pilot light
to the vertical bus wire.
4 Right-click and select Enter to finish creating the wire connections.
If you lay a wire over the top of a series of components, AutoCAD
Electrical automatically breaks and reconnects to the underlying wire
connection points.
Link components
1 Click Schematic tab Insert Components panel Dashed Link Line
drop-down Link Components with Dashed Line.
2 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Component to link from:
Click the contact of the switch on line reference 408 (6)
Component to link to:
Click anywhere on your new switch contact (7), right-click
Linking components | 2095
The annotation of the contact is changed to invisible. A dashed link line
is drawn from the bottom of the upper contact to the top of your new
contact.
Your finished schematic resembles the following:
NOTE The Scoot command is fully compatible with dashed line links. Scooting
one contact left or right causes both links to update automatically. You can
even scoot the horizontal jog in the dashed link line up or down.
Editing catalog information
Sample catalog information is supplied with AutoCAD Electrical. The
information is held in tables in an Access Database file (.mdb) that is populated
with sample vendor data.
You can use filter criteria in the catalog lookup to display catalog numbers
selectively for a component type.
Filter catalog data
1 Right-click LT410 and select Edit Component.
2 In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, Catalog Data section, click
Lookup.
3 On the Parts Catalog dialog box, click to clear all predefined
filters. Click Yes to confirm.
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4 On the Parts Catalog dialog box each column has an edit field to enter
search text. Enter:
Manufacturer: AB
Type: 30.5mm
Voltage: 120VAC XFMR
Each column also has a drop-down list containing the available field
values. You can set the filter criteria to get a different set of catalog
numbers. Each time you make a selection from one of these lists, the
catalog selection is filtered.
NOTE If there are too many unique values to display, the list is not available.
5 Change the catalog assignment to 800T-PT16E.
Add a catalog entry
1 In the Parts Catalog dialog box, click Add Catalog Entry.
Editing catalog information | 2097
The entries are prefilled with the information for the currently assigned
catalog part number. It is easy to add a new entry with similar
information.
2 In the Add Catalog Record dialog box, specify:
Catalog: BOG-123B
Manufacturer: BOGUS
The catalog lookup works most efficiently when field values that are
meant to be the same are the same in both spelling and capitalization.
The drop-down list for each field helps you maintain consistency as you
add new catalog items.
3 Click the drop-down list for the Description field.
AutoCAD Electrical does a quick scan of the existing catalog file. It collects
and displays a list of all the different description field values found in
the catalog.
4 Select BLUE PILOT LIGHT - PRESS TO TEST, NEMA 4/13 and click OK.
5 In the Add Catalog Record dialog box, click the drop-down lists for Type,
Voltage, and Miscellaneous fields. Select the values shown in the following
image if not already selected.
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AutoCAD Electrical provides three blank user fields for your own internal
use. Each can be a maximum of 24 characters wide and are extracted into
BOM reports along with all the other fields.
NOTE You can add catalog entries with a subassembly. To link a subassembly
with the main, the catalog part numbers share the same codes. In the Edit
Catalog Record dialog box, select As main->sub, enter the ASSYCODE, and
click OK. The ASSYCODE must be unique since it links the main catalog item
with subassembly items. To add the subassembly item, in the Add Catalog
Record dialog box, create a catalog entry, select As sub, enter an
ASSEMBLYLIST code, and click OK.
6 In the Add Catalog Record dialog box, click OK.
As the new entry is being added to the file, the Parts Catalog dialog box
displays.
7 In the Parts Catalog dialog box, select the BOG-123B catalog entry and
click OK.
8 In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, click OK.
Editing catalog information | 2099
Wire layers
Wire layers - Introduction
Create and modify wire layers.
10 minutes Time required
Copy all files located in Prerequisites:
Documents and Settings\{username}\My Documents\Acade {version}\Aedata\Tutorial\Ae-
gs\Wire layers
Windows XP
2100 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
to
Documents and Settings\{username}\My Documents\Acade {version}\Aedata\Proj\Aegs
Users\{username}\Documents\Acade {version}\Aedata\Tutorial\Aegs\Wire layers Windows Vista,
to Windows 7
Users\{username}\Documents\Acade {version}\Aedata\Proj\Aegs
You learn to:
Create wire layers
Change wire layer assignments
Creating a wire layer
Create wire layer
1 If AEGS is not the active project, in the Project Manager, right-click AEGS
and select Activate.
2 In the Project Manager, double-click AEGS to expand the drawing list.
3 In the Project Manager, Project Drawing List, double-click AEGS04.dwg.
4 Click Schematic tab Edit Wires/Wire Numbers panel Modify Wire
Type drop-down Create/Edit Wire Type.
The Create/Edit Wire Type dialog box lists all the valid wire layers that
are defined for the active drawing. The wire layer name and the wire
properties like color, size, and user-defined properties are listed in the
grid.
5 Click inside the Wire Color column for a blank row and enter BLU as the
wire color.
6 Click inside the Size column and enter 14AWG as the size.
The Layer Name is automatically created.
Creating a wire layer | 2101
7 Click Color in the Layer section. Select blue and click OK.
NOTE If you want the new wire layer to be the default, click Mark Selected
as Default.
8 Click OK.
Changing a wire layer assignment
When a wire is inserted, the wire ends up on the first valid wire layer as defined
in the Drawing Properties dialog box. You can place wires on different wire
layers. You can use the AutoCAD
WBlock
command to save selected circuitry to disk. Use the Insert Circuit command
to insert WBlocked circuits into the active drawing.
Save your circuit for use in the future
1 Zoom around the circuit so that it fills your screen.
2 Click Schematic tab Edit Components panel Circuit
drop-down Save Circuit To Icon Menu.
3 On the Save Circuit to Icon Menu dialog box, click Add New circuit.
4 On the Create New Circuit dialog box, specify:
Name: Motor Circ - Fusible DS
Image file: Click Active and check Create PNG from current screen
image
File name: UserCirc1
5 Click OK.
6 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Base point:
Save and insert a circuit | 2117
Select the left-most wire connection point where the circuit ties into the left-hand
vertical bus wire
Select objects:
Window around the circuit from left to right to capture all the components and
wiring, but exclude the vertical bus, press ENTER
7 On the Save Circuit to Icon Menu dialog box, click OK.
The circuit is saved to your AutoCAD Electrical user folder. It can be
quickly accessed from the Insert Component icon menu or from the
Insert Saved Circuit tool.
The new motor has a 3-pole motor contactor child reference but there is not
a parent motor starter relay coil to operate it. The motor start coil circuit must
be added on a control schematic in the project drawing set and linked back
to the new motor circuit.
Insert motor start coil circuit to control schematic
1 Open AEGS04.dwg.
2 Zoom on the upper-right hand ladder column so the full circuit on line
reference 422-423 displays.
3 Click Schematic tab Edit Components panel Circuit
drop-down Save Circuit To Icon Menu.
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4 On the Save Circuit to Icon Menu dialog box, click Add New circuit.
5 On the Create New Circuit dialog box, specify:
Name: Motor starter circ
Image file: Active and Create PNG from current screen image
File name: UserCirc2
Click OK.
6 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Base point: Select the left-most wire connection point at line reference 422
Select objects:
Window around the circuit from left to right to capture all the components and
wiring, but exclude the vertical bus, press ENTER
7 On the Save Circuit to Icon Menu dialog box, click OK.
Insert a circuit you saved for reuse
1 Pan to display the blank area between line references 426 - 432.
2 Click Schematic tab Insert Components panel Circuit
drop-down Insert Saved Circuit.
3 In the JIC: Saved User Circuits dialog box, select the Motor starter circ
button.
4 In the Circuit Scale dialog box, click OK.
Save and insert a circuit | 2119
5 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Specify insertion point:
Place the circuit insertion point on the vertical bus wire at line reference 427,
left-click to insert the circuit.
The circuit inserts and updates. Tags automatically update to reflect the
new line reference number, and parent/child relationships defined inside
of the circuit update accordingly.
6 Right-click the M427 coil symbol and select Edit Component.
7 In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, specify:
Description Line 2: MOTOR NO. 2
Click OK.
8 In the Update Related Components dialog box, click Yes-Update.
Linking the parent coil to the child contactor
1 Open AEGS02.dwg and zoom on the untagged 3-pole motor
contact/overloads on line reference 217.
2 Right-click the M contact and select Edit Component.
The Insert/Edit Child Component displays. Enter the exact parent coil
tag into the Component Tag box to establish the link between the parent
and the child contacts. Currently the Component Tag is M.
3 In the Insert/Edit Child Component dialog box, Component Tag section,
click Project.
4 In the Complete Project list for Family=M dialog box, select M427
HYDRAULIC MOTOR NO. 2 and click OK.
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The tag M427 is now displayed in the Component Tag edit box. Notice
that the description, cross-reference, and location code boxes have also
updated.
5 In the Insert/Edit Child Component dialog box, click OK.
6 In the Update linked components dialog box, click OK.
The components are now linked. If you go back to drawing AEGS04.dwg
and look at the motor starter coil, it shows references to these three child
contacts (plus one seal contact around PB427).
Using the icon menu to add a motor
1 Reopen drawing AEGS04.dwg and zoom to the blank area at line references
430-431.
2 Repeat the steps for inserting the saved Motor starter circ circuit.
3 In the Circuit Scale dialog box, click OK.
4 Insert the circuit at line reference 430.
5 Right-click the M430 coil symbol, and select Edit Component.
Save and insert a circuit | 2121
6 In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, specify:
Description Line 2: MOTOR NO. 3
Click OK.
7 In the Update related components dialog box, click Yes-Update.
8 Open drawing AEGS02.dwg and zoom to the blank area at line references
204-206.
9 Repeat the steps for inserting a saved circuit, but this time insert the
Motor Circ - Fusible DS circuit.
10 In the Circuit Scale dialog box, click OK.
11 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Specify insertion point:
Position the motor circuit so that the insertion point lands on the left-hand
vertical bus at line reference 204, left-click to insert the circuit.
Notice that the fuse, disconnect, and motor automatically retag based
on their reference locations.
12 Right-click the M child motor contact symbol, and select Edit Component.
13 In the Insert/Edit Child Component dialog box, Component Tag section,
click Project.
14 In the Complete Project list for Family=M dialog box, select M430
HYDRAULIC MOTOR NO. 3 and click OK.
The tag M430 is now displayed in the Component Tag edit box. Notice
that the description, cross-reference, and location code boxes have also
updated.
15 In the Insert/Edit Child Component dialog box, click OK.
16 In the Update linked components dialog box, click OK.
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Insert a saved circuit using WBlock
Another method for saving and inserting circuits is to use the AutoCAD WBlock
command to save the circuit to disk. A separate Insert Circuit command is
used to browse to a selected saved circuit and insert it into the active drawing.
This method allows unlimited circuits to be constructed and saved to disk.
They can be arranged into a set of shared subfolders for easy browsing and
retrieval using the Insert Circuit command.
Saving a circuit using WBlock
1 Pan to display the 3-phase motor circuit at line references 207 - 209.
2 Enter wblock at the command line and press ENTER.
3 In the Write Block dialog box, click Pick point.
4 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Specify insertion base point:
Select the intersection of the left vertical bus with the upper horizontal wire at
line reference 207
5 In the Write Block dialog box, click Select objects.
6 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Select objects: Window from left to right around the full circuit, right-click
Insert a saved circuit using WBlock | 2123
7 In the Write Block dialog box, enter a name for the saved circuit. Take
note of the location where the drawing file is being saved.
8 Click OK.
Inserting a WBlocked circuit
1 Click Schematic tab Insert Components panel Circuit
drop-down Insert WBlocked Circuit.
2 In the Insert Wblocked Circuit dialog box, browse to the folder containing
the circuit you saved.
3 Select the WBlocked motor circuit, and click Open.
4 In the Circuit Scale dialog box, select:
Move all lines to wire layers
Keep all source arrows
Update circuits text layers as required
Click OK.
5 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Specify insertion point: Select any blank spot on your drawing
The parent component tags that are not set to Fixed automatically retag
based on the insertion point. It is like the behavior when inserting a
circuit using the icon menu method.
6 Delete the circuit.
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Insert a one-line motor control circuit
In this exercise, you insert and configure a one-line motor control circuit using
Circuit Builder.
In the Project Manager, Project Drawing List, double-click One-Line.dwg.
One-Line.dwg contains a one-line bus. This wire is drawn on a wire layer
defined as No Wire Numbering. Such a wire layer behaves normally for
inserting, breaking, and scooting components. These wires also show up
in the from/to report. Wire numbers are not placed on these wires during
the Insert Wire Numbers process.
Insert the one-line circuit
1 Click Schematic tab Insert Components panel Circuit Builder
drop-down Circuit Builder.
The Circuit Selection dialog box displays.
2 Expand One-line Motor Circuit.
3 Select Vertical - FVNR - non reversing.
4 Click Configure.
5 Specify an insertion point on the one-line bus.
Insert a one-line motor control circuit | 2125
The Circuit Configuration dialog box displays.
6 In the Circuit Elements section, select Motor Setup.
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7 In the Setup & Annotations: Motor Setup section, select the Browse
button.
The Motor Table Not Found dialog box displays. The sample project is
set up to use the NEC standard. However, a MOTOR_NEC table is not
supplied, only a default MOTOR table.
8 Select Use default table.
The Select Motor dialog box displays.
9 Select Type: Induction, Voltage (V): 480, and Frequency (HZ): 60.
10 Select the row that shows Load: 15, Units: HP, Phase: 3, Speed (RPM):
3600, FLA (A) 18.6.
NOTE The values used to populate this dialog box are defined in the MOTOR*
tables in the electrical standards database file, ace_electrical_standards.mdb.
11 Click OK.
The values are entered in the Motor Setup section. A default wire size,
based on the load for the motor, is selected and shown in the Wire Setup
section.
12 In the Setup & Annotations: Wire Setup section, select the Browse
button.
The Wire Size Lookup dialog box displays. The minimum wire size is
preselected. The size is based on the load for the selected motor.
NOTE When Show all is on, wires where the %Ampacity value is greater than
100% and less than 300%, are shown in red.
The values in the Load section are populated with the values from the
Motor Setup. The options available within this dialog box are defined in
the electrical standards database file, ace_electrical_standards.mdb.
13 In the Wire section, select Size standard: AWG, Type/method: CU,
Insulation: THWN / 75C.
14 In the De-rating factors section, select the Ambient temperature correction
option.
Insert a one-line motor control circuit | 2127
This option directs Circuit Builder to use a de-rating factor for an elevated
ambient temperature. These values are defined in the electrical standards
database file.
15 Select 36~40C from the drop-down list.
The de-rating factor is extracted from the electrical standards database
file and entered in the dialog box. The wire size grid is adjusted based on
the new total de-rating factor. Based on this de-rating factor the minimum
wire size can change.
16 Select the Run distance option.
This option directs Circuit Builder to consider the length of the wire run
in the voltage drop calculation. Additional columns display in the wire
selection grid showing Voltage drop, wire KW loss, and wire loss cost
estimate.
17 Select 200 from the drop-down list.
Circuit Builder displays parallel energy loss calculations to allow you to
make better green design decisions. For example, you can oversize the
conductors for a motor to reduce conductor heating losses. It results in
a higher initial cost, material, and installation labor, which is recovered
many times over in reduced energy losses in the wiring during the life of
the motor.
18 Select a wire size in the grid based on the values shown.
19 Select a Grounding conductor size. The minimum size is preselected based
on the load of the motor.
20 Click OK.
21 Select Circuit Elements: Motor Symbol.
22 In the Setup & Annotations: Motor section, select the Browse
button.
The Parts catalog dialog box displays.
23 Select a catalog value and click OK.
NOTE Circuit Builder does not preselect the catalog based on the parameters
entered previously.
24 Continue selecting Circuit Elements:
2128 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
Disconnecting means: Disconnect switch and fuses
Motor starter: Yes
Power factor correction: No
Overloads: None
Terminal strip or connector: None
Cable marker: Yes
Safety disconnect at the load: None
25 Click to insert all circuit elements.
26 Click Done.
27 Click Schematic tab Edit Components panel Edit Components
drop-down Edit.
Insert a one-line motor control circuit | 2129
28 Select the motor symbol.
29 On the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, enter FIELD for the Location
code and MY MOTOR for Description Line 1.
30 Save the drawing.
Insert a one-line dual power feed circuit
In this part of the exercise, you insert a dual power feed circuit. A dual circuit
has two distinct circuits running off the same bus-tap. Each circuit can be
independently configured.
1 Click Schematic tab Insert Components panel Circuit Builder
drop-down Circuit Builder.
2 The Circuit Selection dialog box displays.
3 Select One-line Power Feed: Vertical - Dual feed.
4 Click Configure.
5 Specify an insertion point on the one-line bus.
2130 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
The Circuit Configuration dialog box displays. Notice that some circuit
elements have a (2) prefix. These elements make up the second circuit
in the dual circuit.
6 In the Circuit Elements section, select Load Setup.
7 In the Setup & Annotations: Load Setup section, select the Browse
button.
The Select Load dialog box displays.
8 Select Type: Transformer, Voltage (V): 480, and Phase: 3.
9 Select an entry from the grid and click OK.
10 Continue selecting Circuit Elements for the first circuit:
Load: Generic box
Disconnecting means: None
Terminal strip or connector: Square
Cable marker: None
11 In the Circuit Elements section, select (2) Load Setup.
Insert a one-line dual power feed circuit | 2131
12 In the Setup & Annotations: Load Setup section, select the Browse
button.
The Select Load dialog box displays.
13 Select Type: Transformer, Voltage (V): 480, and Phase: 3.
14 Select an entry from the grid and click OK.
15 Continue selecting Circuit Elements for the second circuit:
(2) Load: Source arrow
(2) Disconnecting means: Disconnect switch and fuses
(2) Terminal strip or connector: None
(2) Cable marker: None
16 Click to insert all circuit elements.
17 Click Done.
2132 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
18 Save the drawing.
Reference an existing circuit
When a new circuit is inserted, you can reference an existing circuit picked
from a list of circuits pulled from the active project. The components, values,
descriptions, and tag assignments from the selected circuit, become defaults
for the new circuit. Tags are recalculated if the option Retag new components
is selected.
In this exercise, you insert a 3-phase motor control circuit referencing the
one-line motor control circuit inserted earlier.
1 Start a new blank drawing and save it as Three-Line.dwg.
2 In Project Manager, right-click on the project name and select Add Active
Drawing.
Reference an existing circuit | 2133
3 Click Yes to apply the project default values to the drawing settings.
4 Click Schematic tab Insert Wires/Wire Numbers panel Insert Ladder
drop-down Insert Ladder.
5 Insert a 3-phase ladder.
6 Click Schematic tab Insert Components panel Circuit Builder
drop-down Circuit Builder.
7 The Circuit Selection dialog box displays.
8 Select 3ph Motor Circuit: Horizontal - FVNR - non reversing.
9 Select Reference Existing Circuit.
10 Select the List button.
The Existing Circuits dialog box displays.
11 Select the one-line motor control circuit inserted on One-Line.dwg, MOT1.
12 Click OK.
The CODE and UI_VAL values from the circuit codes sheet of the circuit
builder spreadsheet control the default circuit element options. For
example, the one-line circuit used the Disconnect switch and fuses option
with a UI_VAL of 4. When the 3-phase circuit references this one-line
circuit, the disconnecting means option with a UI_VAL of 4 becomes
the default. If a matching UI_VAL is not found for a particular marker
block CODE value, the default as defined by the X in the UI_DEF
column is used.
When the new circuit is built, component values from the referenced
circuit are applied to components in the new circuit only if the marker
block on page 983 code matches.
13 Turn off the Retag new components check box.
2134 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
It directs Circuit Builder to use the tags from the one-line circuit for the
components with matching marker block code values.
14 Select Configure.
15 Select an insertion point on the bus for the new circuit.
16 Verify that the same circuit elements as the referenced one-line motor
circuit are selected. The default options are based on the referenced circuit.
Select Circuit Elements
Motor: 3ph motor Motor symbol
Ground/PE wire connection: No
Main Disconnect: Disconnect switch and Fuses Disconnecting means
Include N.O. Auxiliary contact: No
Include control circuit: None Control transformer and circuit - non-re-
versing
Reference an existing circuit | 2135
Select Circuit Elements
Include power factor correction capacitor: None Power Factor correction
Overload elements: None Overloads
Include N.O. auxiliary contact: No
Motor connection terminals: None Motor terminal connections
Cable: Yes Cable marker
Safety disconnect: None Safety disconnect at the load
Include N.O. auxiliary contact: No
17 Click to insert all circuit elements.
18 Click Done.
The circuit is inserted and the component values from the one-line circuit are
applied. The motor symbol receives the same catalog value and horsepower
rating. The main disconnect switch receives the same rating values for the
switch and the fuses. The motor symbol receives the values modified on the
one-line circuit after it was inserted.
2136 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
Surf
Surf - Introduction
Move between related components with Surfer.
10 minutes Time required
Copy all files located in Prerequisites:
Documents and Settings\{username}\My Documents\Acade {version}\Aedata\Tutorial\Ae-
gs\Surf
Windows XP
to
Documents and Settings\{username}\My Documents\Acade {version}\Aedata\Proj\Aegs
Users\{username}\Documents\Acade {version}\Aedata\Tutorial\Aegs\Surf Windows Vista,
to Windows 7
Users\{username}\Documents\Acade {version}\Aedata\Proj\Aegs
You learn to:
Use the Surfer tool
Moving between symbols
Use the AutoCAD Electrical Surf utility to move from component reference
to reference across the project drawing set quickly.
1 If AEGS is not the active project, in the Project Manager, right-click AEGS
and select Activate.
2 In the Project Manager, double-click AEGS to expand the drawing list.
3 In the Project Manager, Project Drawing List, double-click AEGS04.dwg.
Surf | 2137
4 Zoom on the upper left-hand portion of the first ladder column.
5 Click Projects tab Other Tools panel Surfer drop-down Surfer.
6 Click anywhere on relay coil CR407.
All instances of CR407 appear in the Surf dialog box.
7 Select the reference on sheet 6.
8 Click Go To.
The instance of CR407 on sheet 6 is surfed to and displayed in the drawing
next to the Surf dialog box.
2138 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
9 Select the reference on sheet 9.
10 Click Go To.
You can edit or delete the component using options in the Surf dialog
box.
11 Double-click the first entry in the Surf dialog box to return to the original
AEGS04.dwg drawing.
12 Click Close.
NOTE If AutoCAD Electrical senses that a change has been made to the
drawing while surfing, drawing files are saved. .
Moving between symbols | 2139
Block swap
Block swap - Introduction
Swap components while maintaining wire connections with Swap/Update
Block.
10 minutes Time required
Copy all files located in Prerequisites:
Documents and Settings\{username}\My Documents\Acade {version}\Aedata\Tutorial\Ae-
gs\Block swap
Windows XP
to
Documents and Settings\{username}\My Documents\Acade {version}\Aedata\Proj\Aegs
Users\{username}\Documents\Acade {version}\Aedata\Tutorial\Aegs\Block swap Windows Vista,
to Windows 7
Users\{username}\Documents\Acade {version}\Aedata\Proj\Aegs
You learn to:
Use the Block Swap tool
Swapping components
Use the Swap Block tool to swap one component for another in a single
drawing or project-wide. For example, swapping a proximity switch with a
limit switch.
2140 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
Swap switches while keeping wire connections
1 If AEGS is not the active project, in the Project Manager, right-click AEGS
and select Activate.
2 In the Project Manager, double-click AEGS to expand the drawing list.
3 In the Project Manager, Project Drawing List, double-click AEGS04.dwg.
4 Zoom in on the limit switch on line reference 406.
5 Click Schematic tab Edit Components panel Swap/Update Block.
6 In the Swap Block/ Update Block/ Library Swap dialog box, specify:
Option A: Swap a Block - drawing wide
Pick new block from icon menu
Retain old block scale
Auto re tag if parent swap causes FAMILY change
Attribute Mapping: Use Same Attribute Names (default)
Click OK.
7 In the Insert Component: JIC Schematic Symbols dialog box, click
Miscellaneous Switches.
8 In the JIC: Other Switch Types dialog box, click Proximity Switch NO.
9 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Select component type to swap out: Select the limit switch, LS406
Swapping components | 2141
The limit switch symbol disappears and the proximity switch symbol
inserts. All existing text annotation transfers to the new symbols and the
wires reconnect.
PLC
PLC - Introduction
Insert PLC modules and connected devices.
30 minutes Time required
Copy all files located in Prerequisites:
Documents and Settings\{username}\My Documents\Acade {version}\Aedata\Tutorial\Ae-
gs\PLC
Windows XP
to
Documents and Settings\{username}\My Documents\Acade {version}\Aedata\Proj\Aegs
Users\{username}\Documents\Acade {version}\Aedata\Tutorial\Aegs\PLC Windows Vista,
to Windows 7
2142 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
Users\{username}\Documents\Acade {version}\Aedata\Proj\Aegs
You learn to:
Understand PLC parametric build
Insert a PLC module
Remove ladder rungs
Use multiple insert component
Annotate PLC I/O descriptions
Inserting PLC modules
AutoCAD Electrical generates any of hundreds of different PLC I/O modules
on demand. The modules generate in various different graphical styles, all
without a single, complete I/O module library symbol resident on the system.
Modules adapt to the underlying ladder rung spacing, whatever that value is.
They can be stretched or broken into two or more pieces at insertion time.
To insert a PLC module, you select the module and pick a location. AutoCAD
Electrical builds and inserts the module, using a small set of library symbols.
Insert a PLC module
1 If AEGS is not the active project, in the Project Manager, right-click AEGS
and select Activate.
2 In the Project Manager, double-click AEGS to expand the drawing list.
3 In the Project Manager, Project Drawing List, double-click AEGS05.dwg.
4 Click Schematic tab Insert Components panel Insert PLC
drop-down Insert PLC (Parametric).
5 In the PLC Parametric Selection dialog box, select:
Manufacturer: Allen-Bradley
Series: 1746
Type: Discrete Input
Part Number: 1746-IA16
Inserting PLC modules | 2143
Graphics Style: 2, Vertical Module
6 Click OK.
7 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Specify PLC module insertion point or [Z=zoom, P=pan]:
Pick a point on wire line reference 520 closer to the right side, ensure the X is
near the horizontal wire, click
2144 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
8 In the Module Layout dialog box, verify the default settings:
Spacing: 1.0000
I/O Points: Insert all
Click OK.
AutoCAD Electrical reads the vertical rung spacing of your ladder and
calculates how long the module is going to be. It multiplies the rung
spacing by the number of wire connections specified by the module you
selected.
Temporary graphics display a representation of the module (with the
spacing defined) to help position the module on the ladder.
9 In the I/O Point dialog box, specify:
Rack Number: 1
Slot Number: 1
NOTE Specify the values by either entering text into the edit boxes or by
clicking the arrows.
10 Click OK.
11 In the I/O Address dialog box, specify:
Beginning address: I:11/00
Inserting PLC modules | 2145
NOTE You can also select the beginning address from the Quick picks list.
12 Click OK.
13 In the I/O Addressing dialog box, click Decimal.
The PLC module is inserted into your drawing with incremental address
numbers already annotated as the module goes in, it breaks and
reconnects to underlying wires.
You can break an I/O module into as many pieces as you want at insertion
time. It is great for high-density modules that do not fit into a single
ladder column. Use the Allow spacers/breakers option in the Module
Layout dialog box at insertion time to do it.
You can also add extra space between adjacent I/O points using the Stretch
Block tool. This feature leaves extra room when you know ahead of time
that a certain I/O point will have additional components wired tied to a
single I/O point after a PLC module is inserted.
NOTE It can be used on any block, not just a PLC module.
2146 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
Remove ladder rungs
1 Click Schematic tab Edit Wires/Wire Numbers panel Trim Wire.
2 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Fence/Crossing/Zext/<Select wire to TRIM>:
Select the ladder rung at line reference 519, right-click
The ladder rung is removed from your drawing.
Using multiple insert component
You can insert components into wires that are tied to the PLC module. Use
the Multiple Insert Component tool to insert a string of normally open limit
switches.
Insert a limit switch
1 Click Schematic tab Insert Components panel Multiple Insert
drop-down Multiple Insert (Icon Menu).
2 In the Insert Component: JIC Schematic Symbols dialog box, click Limit
Switches.
3 In the JIC: Limit Switches dialog box, select Limit Switch, NO.
4 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Using multiple insert component | 2147
Component Fence, From Point:
Select above the wire at line reference 520 (1)
Component Fence, From Point: to:
Drag below the wire at line reference 522, click the point (2), right-click
5 In the Keep dialog box, select:
Keep this one
Show edit dialog box after each
Click OK
6 In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, specify:
Component Tag: LS520
Description: Line 1: PALLET ENTERING
Description: Line 2: STATION
Location code: MACHINE
Click OK.
NOTE In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, Component Tag section,
you can use the Use PLC Address button to add the I/O Address as the
component tag.
7 In the Keep dialog box, select:
Keep this one
Show edit dialog box after each
Click OK
8 In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, specify:
Component Tag: LS521
Description: Line 1: PALLET INSIDE
Description: Line 2: STATION
2148 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
Location code: MACHINE
Click OK.
9 In the Keep dialog box, select:
Keep this one
Show edit dialog box after each
Click OK
10 In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, specify:
Component Tag: LS522
Description: Line 1: PALLET LEAVING
Description: Line 2: STATION
Location code: MACHINE
Click OK.
The normally open limit switches are inserted into the drawing.
Annotating PLC I/O descriptions
You can add description text to a PLC module using the Edit Component tool.
You can change the descriptions at any time. However, edit each split PLC
piece separately.
Add description text
1 Click Schematic tab Edit Components panel Edit Components
drop-down Edit.
2 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Select component/cable/location box to EDIT:
Annotating PLC I/O descriptions | 2149
Select anywhere on the top portion of the PLC module
The Edit PLC Module dialog box displays.
This dialog box provides spaces for you to enter description text for each
I/O point. Assume that the descriptions already assigned to the connected
limit switches are like what you want to use for the PLC I/O point
descriptions.
3 In the Edit PLC Module dialog box, click Wired Devices.
AutoCAD Electrical follows the connected wire for each I/O point
backwards. If it finds a connected component, the component description
text is retrieved. Each description displays in a dialog box list.
4 For the first I/O address (I:11/00), select the first description (PALLET
ENTERING STATION) in the extracted device list.
The Confirmation dialog box displays.
5 Make sure that the correct description is specified and click OK.
2150 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
6 Click Next to highlight I/O address 1:11/01 in the Addressing list.
The corresponding device description highlights automatically.
7 Select the highlighted description, PALLET INSIDE STATION, and click
OK.
8 Repeat this process for the remaining I/O point.
NOTE Alternately you can use Pick to capture existing description text from
a connected device. To do so, in the Edit PLC Module dialog box, click Pick,
and then select the component whose text you want to copy. AutoCAD
Electrical reads the existing DESC text values on the component and transfers
a copy to the DESC boxes in the Edit PLC Module dialog box.
9 In the Edit PLC Module dialog box, click OK.
Your descriptions appear on the module.
NOTE If your PLC description is not where you want it, use the Scoot tool
to scoot the description to a new location.
Annotating PLC I/O descriptions | 2151
Schematic terminals
Schematic terminals - Introduction
Insert and modify schematic terminals. Define multi-level schematic terminals.
45 minutes Time required
Copy all files located in Prerequisites:
Documents and Settings\{username}\My Documents\Acade {version}\Aedata\Tutorial\Ae-
gs\Schematic terminals
Windows XP
to
Documents and Settings\{username}\My Documents\Acade {version}\Aedata\Proj\Aegs
Users\{username}\Documents\Acade {version}\Aedata\Tutorial\Aegs\Schematic terminals Windows Vista,
to Windows 7
Users\{username}\Documents\Acade {version}\Aedata\Proj\Aegs
2152 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
You learn to:
Understand terminal relationships
Insert terminals
Assign terminal block properties
Define a multi-level terminal
Associate terminals
About schematic terminals
AutoCAD Electrical supports two types of relationships for terminals:
schematic-to-schematic and schematic-to-panel.
NOTE Since one-line terminal symbols likely represent multiple, independent
terminals, they cannot be associated to other schematic or panel terminals. A
one-line terminal must be updated manually. A one-line terminal symbol is defined
by a WDTYPE attribute on page 322 value of 1-.
Schematic-to-Schematic
The schematic-to-schematic relationship defines separate schematic terminal
symbols as one multi-level (also referred to as multi-tier or multi-stack) terminal
block. On the schematic drawing, each schematic terminal symbol represents
one level of the multi-level terminal block.
NOTE Multiple terminal symbols for one level are not currently supported.
The number of levels for the block is defined as a block property. Each level
carries certain characteristics, such as a label, wires per connection, left pin,
and right pin. Each schematic terminal symbol carries all the block properties
for each level so that removing one terminal symbol does not remove the
block properties. If a block property is modified, all the terminal symbols
update.
An ID value held on the LINKTERM attribute or Xdata, associates the terminal
symbols. When a terminal symbol is inserted, by default it is seen as a
standalone terminal (it has no associations) and receives a new LINKTERM
value. When the terminal is associated to another, the LINKTERM value
updates so that each terminal carries the same LINKTERM value. Changing
or removing the LINKTERM value breaks any associations that terminal has.
About schematic terminals | 2153
To associate schematic terminals, first add block properties. The number of
terminals you can associate is limited to the number of levels defined in the
block properties. Once block properties are established you can associate
schematic terminals to build a multi-level terminal block by:
Click Schematic tab Edit Components panel Associate
Terminals.
You select a master terminal and then select each terminal symbol to
associate to the master.
Clicking Pick on the Insert/Edit Terminal Symbol dialog box. It adds the
edited symbol into an association with the picked terminal.
Clicking Add/Modify on the Insert/Edit Terminal Symbol dialog box. It
adds the edited symbol into an association with any schematic terminal
in the project.
Prebuilt circuits can contain associated terminals. These relationships are
maintained when the circuit is inserted. Copying a circuit also maintains these
relationships within the copied circuit.
When the Bill of Materials report is run, these separate terminal symbols that
make up one multi-level terminal, are counted as one in the quantity.
Schematic-to-Panel
The schematic-to-panel relationship is used mainly for updating. If the
schematic or panel is modified, the other updates to reflect the changes. This
relationship is like component relationships, which are based on the TAG
value. The TAGSTRIP, Installation, and Location values must match for the
terminals to associate together. The association number on the LINKTERM is
also taken into account when creating a relationship between the schematic
terminal and its panel representation. Block properties are not required to
associate a schematic to panel terminal. Once they are associated, modifications
on one results in modifications on the other.
2154 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
You can associate a schematic and panel terminal automatically by:
Click Panel tab Terminal Footprints panel Insert
Terminals drop-down Insert Terminal (Schematic List).
Click Schematic tab Insert Components panel Insert Components
drop-down Terminal (Panel List).
For multi-level terminals, the Insert Terminal (Schematic List) tool shows only
one terminal for insertion regardless of how many schematic terminal
symbols/levels there are for that multi-level block. The Insert Terminal (Panel
List) tool shows one terminal for each level for insertion.
NOTE Panel terminals inserted by the Terminal Strip Editor are automatically
associated to the schematic representation.
You can click the Associate terminals on page 1383 tool to select terminals to
associate or click Add/Modify on the Panel Layout - Terminal Insert/Edit dialog
box to add the panel terminal to an association with a schematic terminal on
any drawing in the project.
Insert terminals
Insert terminals
1 If AEGS is not the active project, in the Project Manager, right-click AEGS
and select Activate.
2 In the Project Manager, double-click AEGS to expand the drawing list.
3 In the Project Manager, Project Drawing List, double-click AEGS05.dwg.
4 Click Schematic tab Insert Components panel Multiple Insert
drop-down Multiple Insert (Icon Menu).
Insert terminals | 2155
5 In the Insert Component: JIC Schematic Symbols dialog box, click
Terminals/Connectors.
6 In the JIC: Terminals and Connectors dialog box, click Round with
Terminal Number.
7 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Component Fence, From Point: Select above wire at line reference 520 (1)
Component Fence, From Point: to:
Select below wire at line reference 535 (2), left click to end command, right-click
to add terminal
8 In the Keep dialog box, select Keep this one.
Click OK.
9 In the Insert/Edit Terminal Symbol dialog box, Terminal section, specify:
Location: MCAB5
Tag Strip: TS1
Number: 1
2156 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
10 Click OK.
11 In the Keep dialog box, select:
Keep all, dont ask
Clear Show edit dialog box after each
Click OK
The terminals are automatically added to your drawing.
Insert terminals | 2157
Multi-level terminals
Multi-level terminals
1 In the Project Manager, Project Drawing List, double-click AEGS02.dwg.
2 Click Schematic tab Edit Components panel Edit Components
drop-down Edit.
3 Select the round terminal on rung 217. The Insert/Edit Terminal Symbol
dialog box displays, where you can annotate the terminal properties and
associations.
4 In the Insert/Edit Terminal Symbol dialog box, Project List section, select
Tag Strip TB.
5 Enter Location: MCAB5 and Number: 10.
2158 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
6 Click Details >>.
7 In the Catalog Data section, click Catalog Lookup.
8 On the Parts Catalog dialog box, click to clear all predefined
filters. Click Yes to confirm.
9 On the Parts Catalog dialog box each column has an edit field to enter
search text. Enter:
Manufacturer: SIEMENS
Type: MULTI-LEVEL
Rating: 20 AMPS
10 Select part 8WA1 011-3JF16 and click OK.
The Manufacturer and Catalog information for the selected part displays
in the Catalog Data section of the Insert/Edit Terminal Symbol dialog
box.
11 On the Insert/Edit Terminal Symbol dialog box, click OK.
12 Click Schematic tab Edit Components panel Edit Components
drop-down Edit.
Multi-level terminals | 2159
13 Select the middle terminal between rungs 217 and 218. The Insert/Edit
Terminal Symbol dialog box displays.
14 In the Insert/Edit Terminal Symbol dialog box, Project List section, select
Tag Strip TB.
15 Enter Location: MCAB5 and Number: 11.
Modify multi-level associations
Modify multi-level terminal associations
1 On the Insert/Edit Terminal Symbol dialog box, Modify
Properties/Associations section, click Add/Modify.
2 On the Add/Modify Association dialog box, Select Association section,
expand the active project node. The active node is bold in the list.
3 Select the terminal block node you inserted on line reference 217 (10, ,
(3)).
The terminal numbers defined on the block are listed, separated by
commas. The number of levels defined in the block properties displays
at the end of the node string in parenthesis. For example, 1,21,GND (3).
An empty space represents a level not represented on the schematic: 1, ,
2160 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
GND (3). A ??? represents a terminal assigned to the level, but the
terminal does not have a number assignment: 1,???,GND (3).
NOTE The grid to the right populates with the definition for the selected
terminal: Level 1 has Label = TOP, Number = 10, Reference = 2,217.
4 Select Level 2 in the grid and click Associate.
Once you click Associate, the middle level updates with the terminal
number in the grid in the Active Association section of the dialog box.
5 Click OK.
The level assignments display in the Properties/Associations section of
the Insert/Edit Terminal Symbol dialog box. Notice that the terminal is
three levels and levels 1 and 2 are now assigned.
6 On the Insert/Edit Terminal Symbol dialog box, click OK.
Modify multi-level associations | 2161
7 Click Schematic tab Edit Components panel Edit Components
drop-down Edit.
8 Select the bottom terminal on rung 218. The Insert/Edit Terminal Symbol
dialog box displays.
9 In the Insert/Edit Terminal Symbol dialog box, Project List section, select
Tag Strip TB.
10 Enter Location: MCAB5 and Number: 12.
11 On the Insert/Edit Terminal Symbol dialog box, Modify
Properties/Associations section, click Add/Modify.
12 On the Add/Modify Association dialog box, Select Association section,
expand the active project node.
13 Select the terminal block node you inserted on line reference 217 (10,11,
(3)). Notice that the node properties updated to reflect that levels 1 and
2 are assigned and that level 3 is still blank/available.
14 Select Level 3 in the grid and click Associate.
Once you click Associate, the bottom level updates with the terminal
number in the grid in the Active Association section of the dialog box.
You can rearrange the levels by selecting a level and clicking Move Up
or Move Down.
2162 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
15 Click OK.
The level assignments display in the Properties/Associations section of
the Insert/Edit Terminal Symbol dialog box. Notice that levels 1, 2, and
3 are now assigned.
16 On the Insert/Edit Terminal Symbol dialog box, click OK.
Terminal Properties
You can modify an existing terminal to make it a multi-level terminal block
and then associate terminals to the master terminal block.
Modify terminal properties
1 Right-click terminal 4 on line reference 211 and select Edit Component.
2 On the Insert/Edit Terminal Symbol dialog box, Catalog Data section,
delete the Manufacturer and Catalog information.
3 In the Modify Properties/Associations section, click Block Properties.
Terminal Properties | 2163
4 On the Terminal Block Properties dialog box, specify:
Levels: 3
Level 1
Level Description: Top
Wires Per Connection: 2
PinL: 1
PinR: 2
Level 2
Level Description: Middle
Wires Per Connection: 2
PinL: 3
PinR: 4
Level 3
Level Description: Bottom
Wires Per Connection: 2
PinL: 5
PinR: 6
Click OK.
Notice on the Insert/Edit Terminal Symbol dialog box,
Properties/Associations section that the block now has three levels.
Terminal 4 is assigned to the top level of the block.
2164 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
5 On the Insert/Edit Terminal Symbol dialog box, click OK.
6 On the Update other drawings dialog box, click OK.
7 If asked to save the drawing, click OK.
Associate terminals
Associate terminals
1 Click Schematic tab Edit Components panel Associate
Terminals.
2 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Select Master terminal: Select terminal 4 on line reference 211
Pick terminal: Select terminal 5
Pick terminal: Select terminal 6, right-click
NOTE The command prompt area indicates that the terminal was added as
level 02 or level 03 once you pick the terminal.
Associate terminals | 2165
3 Right-click terminal 6 and select Edit Component.
On the Insert/Edit Terminal Symbol dialog box, Properties/Associations
section, all three levels have been assigned. You can now move a terminal
to another level using the Add/Modify Association dialog box.
4 On the Insert/Edit Terminal Symbol dialog box, Modify
Properties/Associations section, click Add/Modify.
5 On the Add/Modify Association dialog box, Active Association section,
highlight level 3 in the grid and click Move Up.
The grid updates to reflect the move. Notice that terminal 6 is now
assigned to level 2.
6 Click OK.
7 On the Insert/Edit Terminal Symbol dialog box, click OK.
8 If asked to update related components, click Yes-Update.
2166 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
NOTE If the terminals are not all on the same drawing you can associate them
using the Add/Modify Association dialog box.
Wire numbers
Wire numbers - Introduction
Insert wire numbers and signal arrows.
45 minutes Time required
Copy all files located in Prerequisites:
Documents and Settings\{username}\My Documents\Acade {version}\Aedata\Tutorial\Ae-
gs\Wire numbers
Windows XP
to
Documents and Settings\{username}\My Documents\Acade {version}\Aedata\Proj\Aegs
Users\{username}\Documents\Acade {version}\Aedata\Tutorial\Aegs\Wire numbers Windows Vista,
to Windows 7
Users\{username}\Documents\Acade {version}\Aedata\Proj\Aegs
You learn to:
Understand wire numbers
Insert wire numbers
Insert I/O based wire numbers
Wire numbers | 2167
Delete wire numbers
Understand signal arrows
Insert a source arrow
Insert a destination arrow
About wire numbers
Wire numbers can be assigned to any existing wires on an individual selection,
an entire drawing, selected drawings in a project, or an entire project.
AutoCAD
Access
format.
Export the BOM to an Excel
spreadsheet
1 In the Report Generator dialog box, click Save to File.
2 In the Save Report to File dialog box, select Excel spreadsheet format (.xls)
and click OK.
3 In the Select file for report dialog box, enter an output file name or click
OK to accept the default name BOM.xls. Click Save.
4 In the Optional Script File dialog box, click Close - No Script.
5 In Excel, click File Open.
6 Browse to the location where you saved the spreadsheet. The default is
C:\Documents and Settings\{username}\My Documents or
C:\Users\{username}\My Documents on a Windows Vista or Windows 7
installation. Select the spreadsheet.
7 Click Open.
Your BOM data displays in spreadsheet format. You can slide the column
borders to expose the full column of text for each field. The first six columns
2206 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
of the spreadsheet are shown in the previous image. The first column is the
tallied quantity, followed by subassembly quantity, catalog number, and
manufacturer code. The remaining fields are the fields extracted from the
mfg/cat combo query on the external catalog look-up file.
Connector diagrams
Connector diagrams - Introduction
Insert, modify, and wire connectors.
45 minutes Time required
Copy all files located in Prerequisites:
Documents and Settings\{username}\My Documents\Acade {version}\Aedata\Tutorial\Ae-
gs\Connector diagrams
Windows XP
to
Documents and Settings\{username}\My Documents\Acade {version}\Aedata\Proj\Aegs
Users\{username}\Documents\Acade {version}\Aedata\Tutorial\Aegs\Connector diagrams Windows Vista,
to Windows 7
Users\{username}\Documents\Acade {version}\Aedata\Proj\Aegs
Connector diagrams | 2207
You learn to:
Understand connectors
Insert a connector
Wire connectors
Insert in-line connectors
Stretch a connector
Add a connector pin
Move a connector pin
Add connector descriptors
About connector diagrams
The connector wiring tools help you more easily create and work with
point-to-point style wiring schematics (as opposed to ladder-style schematics).
Although some of these tools are useful for ladder-style schematics, they are
tuned to work well with drawings that are heavy on point-to-point connector
diagrams. Instead of creating and maintaining a large library of schematic
connector symbols, each symbol is generated parametrically. It is generated
on the fly, per user input and at user-defined orientation. A connector toolbar
contains tools for creating and editing connectors.
Inserting connectors
The Insert Connector tool generates a connector symbol from user-defined
parameters. The symbol is created on the fly and inserted as a block insert
into your active drawing file. Since they are created on an as needed basis, it
eliminates the need for you to create and maintain a library of connector
symbols.
Change drawing properties
1 If AEGS is not the active project, in the Project Manager, right-click AEGS
and select Activate.
2 In the Project Manager, double-click AEGS to expand the drawing list.
3 Open AEGS10.dwg.
2208 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
4 Click Schematic tab Other Tools panel Drawing Properties
drop-down Drawing Properties.
5 On the Drawing Properties Components dialog box, select Sequential.
6 On the Drawing Properties Wire Numbers dialog box, New Wire
Number Placement section, select In-Line.
7 Click OK.
Add connectors to the drawing
1 Click Schematic tab Insert Components panel Insert Connector
drop-down Insert Connector.
2 On the Insert Connector dialog box, specify:
Pin Spacing: 1.0
Pin Count: 15
Fixed Spacing
Pin List: 1
Insert All
3 Click the Flip button to flip the connector about its long axis.
The preview looks like the following image.
Inserting connectors | 2209
4 Click Insert.
A preview outline of the connector displays for placement on the drawing.
It shows rounded corners for the plug side of the connector. An x
indicates the insertion point of the connector. An arrow indicates the
plug side wire connection direction for plug/receptacle or plug-only
connector inserts or shows the wire connection direction for a
receptacle-only connector insert.
NOTE Before committing the connector outline to the drawing, press TAB
to flip the connector through four different orientations. Or, press the V key
to switch between vertical and horizontal orientations.
5 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Specify insertion point or [Z=zoom, P=pan, X=wire crossing,
V=horizontal/vertical, TAB=flip]:
Select to place the connector in the middle of the right-hand border of Black
Box 1
The connector was automatically assigned a component tag of PJ1.
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6 Click Schematic tab Insert Components panel Insert Connector
drop-down Insert Connector.
7 On the Insert Connector dialog box, specify:
Pin Spacing: 0.75
Pin Count: 4
Fixed Spacing
Pin List: A
Insert All
8 Click the Flip button to flip the connector.
The preview looks like the following image.
9 Click Insert.
10 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Specify insertion point or [Z=zoom, P=pan, X=wire crossing,
V=horizontal/vertical, TAB=flip]:
Select to place the connector in the middle of the left-hand border of Black Box
2
The connector was automatically assigned a component tag of PJ2.
11 Repeat steps 6 - 10 to place connectors on Black Box 3 and Black Box 4.
The connectors are assigned tags PJ3 and PJ4 respectively.
Inserting connectors | 2211
Wiring connectors
Black Box 1 is associated to a larger component such as a power box. Black
Box 2 - Black Box 4 are smaller components that are part of the power box.
The components must be wired together. The easiest way to do it is to use the
Insert Wire and Multiple Wire Bus tools.
Wire the connectors together
1 Click Schematic tab Insert Wires/Wire Numbers panel Insert Wires
drop-down Wire.
2 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Specify wire start or [wireType/X=show connections]:
Click PJ1 at pin 1 on Black Box 1
Specify wire end or [Continue]: Click PJ2 at pin A on Black Box 2
3 Repeat to connect PJ1 (Pin 2) to PJ3 (Pin A) and PJ1 (Pin 3) to PJ4 (Pin
A). Right-click to exit the command.
2212 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
Notice that the Insert Wire tool drew the wire between the connectors
while avoiding any existing geometry on the screen.
4 Click Schematic tab Insert Wires/Wire Numbers panel Multiple Bus.
5 On the Multiple Wire Bus dialog box, specify:
Horizontal Spacing: 0.75
Vertical Spacing: 0.50
Starting at: Component (Multiple Wires)
Wiring connectors | 2213
6 Click OK.
7 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Window select starting wire connection points
Select pins 5-7 on Black Box 1 (1) and right-click
to (T= wiretype):
Drag the wires to the right past the three wires you inserted,
to Point (Continue/Flip):
Drag up the wires towards PJ2 on Black Box 2, enter C and press ENTER (to
continue and lock the drag)
to (Continue/Flip):
Drag the wires to the right and connect to pins B-D on PJ2 (2)
8 Click Schematic tab Insert Wires/Wire Numbers panel Multiple Bus.
9 On the Multiple Wire Bus dialog box, click OK to use the previous settings.
10 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Window select starting wire connection points:
Select pins 9-11 on Black Box 1 and right-click
2214 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
to (T= wiretype):
Drag the wires to the right,
to Point (Continue/Flip):
Drag up the wires towards PJ3 on Black Box 3, enter C, and press ENTER (to
continue and lock the drag)
to (Continue/Flip):
Drag the wires to the right and connect to pins B-D on PJ3
11 Click Schematic tab Insert Wires/Wire Numbers panel Multiple Bus.
12 On the Multiple Wire Bus dialog box, click OK to use the previous settings.
13 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Window select starting wire connection points:
Select pins 13-15 on Black Box 1 and press ENTER
to (T= wiretype):
Drag the wires to the right,
to Point (Continue/Flip):
Drag the wires down towards PJ4 on Black Box 4, press C, and press ENTER (to
continue and lock the drag)
to (Continue/Flip):
Drag the wires to the right and connect to pins B-D on PJ4
Wiring connectors | 2215
Grouping wires
Now that you wired the connectors together, you insert in-line connectors to
group the wires.
Insert in-line connectors
1 Click Schematic tab Insert Components panel Insert Connector
drop-down Insert Connector.
2 On the Insert Connector dialog box, specify:
Pin Spacing: 1.0
Pin Count: 3
At Wire Crossing
Pin List: 1
Insert All
3 Click Details.
4 On the Type section, clear the Add Divider Line box.
2216 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
5 On the Display section, set Plug to Right and Pins to Both Sides.
6 On the Size section, set the Plug to 0.325.
7 Click Insert.
8 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Specify insertion point or [Z=zoom, P=pan, X=wire crossing,
V=horizontal/vertical, TAB=flip]:
Select to place the connector on the wires connected to PJ1, Pins 1-3
9 Click Schematic tab Insert Components panel Insert Connector
drop-down Insert Connector.
10 On the Insert Connector dialog box, specify:
Pin Spacing: 1.0
Pin Count: 9
At Wire Crossing
Pin List: 1
Grouping wires | 2217
Allow Spacers/Breaks
11 Click Insert.
12 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Specify insertion point or [Z=zoom, P=pan, X=wire crossing,
V=horizontal/vertical, TAB=flip]:
Select to place the connector starting on the line at PJ1, Pin 5
Notice how the connector expands when you cross the wires.
13 On the Custom Pin Spaces/Breaks dialog box, click Insert Next
Connection.
The dialog box displays which connector pin has been inserted so far.
Keep clicking Insert Next Connection until you place six of the nine
connections.
14 When the Custom Pin Spaces/Breaks dialog box says Inserted So Far: 6
of 9, click Break Symbol Now.
15 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Specify insertion point or [Z=zoom, P=pan, X=wire crossing,
V=horizontal/vertical, TAB=flip]:
Select to place the connector starting on the line at PJ1, Pin 13
16 On the Connector Layout dialog box, select Insert All.
17 Click OK.
2218 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
NOTE Another method is to insert the entire connector and then use the
Split Connector tool to break the existing connector.
18 Click Schematic tab Insert Components panel Dashed Link Line
drop-down Link Components with Dashed Line.
19 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Component to link from: Select the bottom portion of PJ6 (1)
component to link to: Select the top portion of PJ6 (2), right-click
Grouping wires | 2219
Modifying connectors
The Insert Connector toolbar has tools for modifying connectors and connector
pins. You can also add, remove, or move the pins found inside of the
connector.
Stretch existing connectors
1 Click Schematic tab Edit Components panel Modify Connectors
drop-down Stretch Connector.
2 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Specify which end of connector to stretch: Select the bottom of PJ1
Specify second point of displacement:
Pull the connector down towards the bottom of Black Box 1
3 Repeat for PJ6, pulling the bottom of the connector down so that it is
even with PJ1.
2220 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
Add connector pins
1 Click Schematic tab Edit Components panel Modify Connectors
drop-down Add Connector Pins.
2 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Select connector: Select PJ1
Specify where to insert new pin or [Reset]<16>:
Select 4 spaces down from pin 15 on PJ1, right-click, and select Enter
The next available pin number (16) inserts at the selected point.
3 Click Schematic tab Edit Components panel Modify Connectors
drop-down Add Connector Pins.
4 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Select connector: Select PJ6
Specify where to insert new pin or [Reset]<10>:
Select the new pin 16 on PJ1 to insert pin 10 in-line with it, right-click and
select Enter
Modifying connectors | 2221
NOTE You can delete pins using the Delete Connector Pins tool. Select the
pin you want to delete and it is automatically removed from the connector.
Modify connector pins
1 Click Schematic tab Edit Components panel Modify Connectors
drop-down Move Connector Pins.
2 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Select connector pin to move: Select pin 16 on PJ1
Specify new location for pin 16: Select 2 spaces up on PJ1
Select connector pin to move: Select pin 10 on PJ6
Specify new location for pin 10:
Select pin 16 on PJ1 to move pin 10 in-line with it, right-click
3 Click Schematic tab Edit Components panel Modify Connectors
drop-down Swap Connector Pins.
4 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Select connector pin: Select pin 16 on PJ1
Select connector pin: swap with: Select pin 12 on PJ1, right-click
5 Click Schematic tab Edit Components panel Modify Connectors
drop-down Reverse Connector.
2222 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
6 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Select connector to Reverse: Select the top in-line connector, right-click
7 Click Schematic tab Insert Components panel Insert Connector
drop-down Insert Connector.
8 On the Insert Connector dialog box, specify:
Pin Spacing: 1.0
Pin Count: 2
Fixed Spacing
Pin List: 1
Insert All
9 Click Details.
10 On the Type section, select Add Divider Line.
11 On the Display section, set Pins to Plug Side.
12 Click Insert.
13 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Specify insertion point or [Z=zoom, P=pan, X=wire crossing,
V=horizontal/vertical, TAB=flip]:
Select to place the connector on the top of Black Box 1
14 Click Schematic tab Edit Components panel Modify Connectors
drop-down Rotate Connector.
15 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Modifying connectors | 2223
Select connector to Rotate or [Hold]:
Select the new connector, right-click, and select Enter
Adding wire numbers
Wire numbers are blocks or attributes inserted on a line wire entity. AutoCAD
Electrical assigns each wire number type to its own layer. You can assign a
different color to each of these layers so you can easily tell them apart. The
wire number placement is set to in-line as defined on the Drawing Properties
Wire Numbers dialog box.
Insert wire numbers
1 Click Schematic tab Insert Wires/Wire Numbers panel Insert Wire
Numbers drop-down Wire Numbers.
2 On the Wire Tagging dialog box, specify:
Wire Tag Mode: Sequential
Start: 100
3 Click Drawing-Wide.
The wire numbers are automatically inserted into the drawing starting
with number 100.
4 Click Schematic tab Edit Wires/Wire Numbers panel Move Wire
Number.
5 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Specify new Wire Number location (select on wire):
Select each wire closest to Black Box 1, right-click
2224 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
NOTE You can align the wire numbers using the Align tool.
Adding connector descriptors
AutoCAD Electrical supports two lines of description text on each connector:
one for the plug and one for the receptacle side of the connector.
Add descriptions
1 Right-click connector PJ1 and select Edit Component.
2 On the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, Pins section, click List.
3 On the Connector Pin Numbers In Use dialog box, connector pin grid,
click in the Description column for Pin 1.
4 On the Pin Descriptions section, enter POWER B2 for the Receptacle.
5 On the connector pin grid, click in the Description column for Pin 2.
6 On the Pin Descriptions section, enter POWER B3 for the Receptacle.
7 On the connector pin grid, click in the Description column for Pin 3.
8 On the Pin Descriptions section, enter POWER B4 for the Receptacle.
Adding connector descriptors | 2225
9 Click OK.
10 On the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, click OK.
11 Repeat to add the description POWER IN for Pins A on Black Box 2, Black
Box 3 and Black Box 4.
Your finished point-to-point diagram looks like the following image.
2226 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
P&ID and Hydraulic diagrams
P&ID and Hydraulic diagrams - Introduction
Create Piping & Instrumentation (P&ID) and Hydraulic drawings. The same
workflow can be applied for Pneumatics. Once your drawing is created, use
the standard tools in the AutoCAD Electrical software to modify your drawing.
65 minutes Time required
Copy all files located in Prerequisites:
Documents and Settings\{username}\My Documents\Acade {version}\Aedata\Tutorial\Ae-
gs\P&ID
Windows XP
to
Documents and Settings\{username}\My Documents\Acade {version}\Aedata\Proj\Aegs
Users\{username}\Documents\Acade {version}\Aedata\Tutorial\Aegs\P&ID Windows Vista,
to Windows 7
Users\{username}\Documents\Acade {version}\Aedata\Proj\Aegs
You learn to:
Set up hydraulic and P&ID drawings
Insert hydraulic and P&ID symbols
Create pipes
P&ID and Hydraulic diagrams | 2227
Setting Up Hydraulic Drawings
Use the Project Manager to manage your hydraulic drawings. From here, you
can create a drawing and modify any drawing properties.
Create a new drawing
1 Click Project tab Project Tools panel Manager.
2 If AEGS is not the active project, activate the AEGS project.
If AEGS is in the list of open projects:
Select AEGS and right-click.
Click Activate.
If AEGS is not in the list of open projects:
Select the project list drop-down.
Click Open Project.
On the Select Project File dialog box, navigate to and select the
AEGS.WDP file.
Click Open.
3 In the Project Manager, right-click the project name, and select Properties.
4 In the Project Properties Project Settings dialog box, click Default to
switch on all paths for pneumatic, hydraulic, and P&ID schematic
libraries.
5 Click OK.
6 In the Project Manager, click the New Drawing tool.
7 In the Create New Drawing dialog box, specify:
Name: AEGS12
Template: Mouse over the edit box to verify ACAD_Electrical.dwt is specified
2228 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
If ACAD_Electrical.dwt is not specified, click Browse. Select it from the list
of available templates.
Description 1: Hydraulic Example
Click OK.
NOTE If you want to set the component, wire number, cross-reference, style,
and drawing format settings, click OK-Properties to proceed to Drawing
Properties dialog box.
8 Enter DSETTINGS at the command prompt.
9 In the Drafting Settings dialog box Snap and Grid tab, turn on Snap
and Grid and set the size of both to 0.125.
10 Click OK.
11 Click Schematic tab Other Tools panel Drawing Properties.
12 In the Drawing Properties dialog box Drawing Format tab, Scale
section, make sure that the feature scale multiplier is set to 1.0 inch.
13 Click OK.
NOTE For metric unit, the following settings are recommended so that the
wire connection points are placed on the grids for easier drafting. Grid and
Snap Size = 2.5 mm; Feature scale multiplier =20 (scale factor = 20).
Inserting Hydraulic Schematic Symbols
The hydraulic symbol library in AutoCAD Electrical includes filters, valves,
cylinders, pressure switches, motors, pumps, meters, restrictors, quick
disconnects, flow arrows and more. The hydraulic symbol library consists of
all the hydraulic symbols. It is found at \Documents and Settings\All
Users\Documents\Autodesk\Acade {version}\Libs\hyd_iso125 or
\Users\Public\Documents\Autodesk\Acade {version}\Libs\hyd_iso125 on a
Windows Vista or Windows 7 installation.
Inserting Hydraulic Schematic Symbols | 2229
Insert hydraulic symbols
1 Click Schematic tab Insert Components panel Insert
Hydraulic Components.
NOTE By default, an expanded panel closes automatically when you click
another panel. To keep a panel expanded, click the push pin icon in the
bottom-left corner of the expanded panel.
2 In the Insert Component: Hydraulic Symbol dialog box, select the check
box for Vertical.
3 In the Insert Component: Hydraulic Symbol dialog box, click the General
Valves icon.
4 In the Hydraulic: General Valves dialog box, click Shut Off Valve Open.
5 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Specify insertion point:
Select to place the valve in the upper left corner of your drawing
6 In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, specify:
Component Tag: VAL2
Click OK.
7 Repeat steps 1 - 3.
8 In the Hydraulic: General Valves dialog box, click Checkvalve Flow Left.
2230 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
9 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Specify insertion point:
Select to place the check valve below the shut off valve
10 In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, click OK.
11 Click Schematic tab Insert Components panel Insert
Hydraulic Components.
12 In the Insert Component: Hydraulic Symbol dialog box, click Motors &
Pumps.
13 In the Hydraulic: Motors and Pumps dialog box, click Fixed Displacement.
14 In the Hydraulic: Fixed Displacement dialog box, click Uni-Directional
Pump.
15 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Specify insertion point: Select to place the pump below the check valve
16 In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, specify:
Description: Line 1: Hydraulic Oil Pump
Inserting Hydraulic Schematic Symbols | 2231
Click OK.
17 Insert another Shut Off Valve Open below the Hydraulic Oil Pump.
18 Click Schematic tab Insert Components panel Insert
Hydraulic Components.
19 In the Insert Component: Hydraulic Symbol dialog box, click Filters.
20 In the Hydraulic: Filters dialog box, click Filter.
21 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Specify insertion point: Select to place the filter below the shut off valve
22 In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, specify:
Component Tag: FI2
Description: Line 1: Filter
Click OK.
23 Click Schematic tab Insert Components panel Insert
Hydraulic Components.
24 In the Insert Component: Hydraulic Symbol dialog box, click
Miscellaneous.
25 In the Hydraulic: Miscellaneous dialog box, click Reservoir.
26 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Specify insertion point: Select to place the reservoir below the filter
2232 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
27 In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, click OK.
Creating Pipes
In AutoCAD Electrical, different types of wires represent the type of running
pipes that allow water or oil flows from one instrument to another. Start by
setting up the type of wires for pipe runs.
Insert wires as pipes
1 Click Schematic tab Edit Wires/Wire Numbers panel Create/Edit
Wire Type.
2 In the Create/Edit Wire Type dialog box, specify:
Wire Color: RED
Size: 20
The Layer Name is automatically created. The name RED_20 is assigned
to the wire layer you are creating.
Creating Pipes | 2233
3 Click Color.
4 In the Select Color dialog box, select red and click OK.
5 Click Linetype.
6 In the Select Linetype dialog box, select Continuous and click OK.
7 In the Create/Edit Wire Type dialog box, specify:
Wire Color: GREEN
Size: 10
Color: Green
Linetype: Hidden2
NOTE If HIDDEN2 is not available, click Load. Select it from the list of line
types on the Load or Reload Linetypes dialog box.
8 Select RED_20 in the grid and click Mark Selected as Default.
9 Click OK.
10 Click Schematic tab Insert Wires/Wire Numbers panel Wire.
2234 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
11 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Specify wire start or [wireType/X=show connections]:
Enter X and press ENTER
Specify wire start or [wireType/X=show connections]:
Select the bottom of the shut off valve
Specify wire end or [Scoot/T=wiretype, X=show connections]:
Select the top of the check valve
12 Continue inserting wires connecting the components together. Right-click
to exit the command.
Your drawing should look like the following:
Creating Pipes | 2235
NOTE You can also insert the vertical or horizontal pipes first and then insert
the components onto the pipe, one at a time.
13 Click Schematic tab Insert Components panel Insert
Hydraulic Components.
14 In the Insert Component: Hydraulic Symbol dialog box, select the check
box for Vertical.
15 In the Insert Component: Hydraulic Symbol dialog box, click Pressure
Relief Valves.
16 In the Hydraulic: Pressure Relief Valves dialog box, click N.C. Pressure
Relief Valve with Preset -1.
2236 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
17 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Specify insertion point: Select to place the valve to the right of the pump
18 In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, specify:
Component Tag: VAL4
Description: Line 1: Pressure Relief
Click OK.
19 Click Schematic tab Insert Wires/Wire Numbers panel Wire.
20 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Specify wire start or [wireType/X=show connections]:
Enter X, press ENTER
Specify wire start or [wireType/X=show connections]:
Press SHIFT + right-click and select Midpoint from the menu, then select the
midpoint on the pipe between the pump and the shut off valve above it
Specify wire end or [V=start Vertical/H =start
Horizontal/Continue):
Drag the pipe to the right so that it is directly above the pressure relief valve.
Drag the pipe down and click the top connection point on the pressure relief
valve
You now insert a pipe that connects the end of the valve back to the
pump.
Specify wire start or [wireType/X=show connections]:
Enter T, press ENTER
Creating Pipes | 2237
Select the wire layer GREEN_10. Click OK.
TIP Make sure that Snap is turned off and that the Wire Layer is set to
GREEN_10.
Select the bottom connection point on the pump
Specify wire end or [V=start Vertical/H =start
Horizontal/Continue):
Drag the pipe down and to the right, click the connection point at the bottom
of the pressure relief valve, right-click
Completing the Hydraulic Drawing
The rest of the hydraulic drawing consists of inserting a Pressure Gauge and
Check Valve at the left side of the pump and then inserting devices (Cylinder;
Restrictors; Filter; Check valve and 2-ways valve) along the top of the drawing.
NOTE During insertion, clear the Vertical option in the Insert Component: Hydraulic
Symbols dialog box.
Insert components
1 Click Schematic tab Insert Components panel Insert
Hydraulic Components.
2238 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
2 In the Insert Component: Hydraulic Symbol dialog box, click Meters.
3 In the Hydraulic: Meters dialog box, click Pressure Gauge.
4 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Specify insertion point:
Select to place the pressure gauge to the far left (and slightly above) of the pump
5 In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, specify:
Component Tag: MTR1
Description: Line 1: Pressure Gauge
Click OK.
6 Click Schematic tab Insert Components panel Insert
Hydraulic Components.
7 In the Insert Component: Hydraulic Symbol dialog box, deselect the
Vertical check box.
8 In the Insert Component: Hydraulic Symbol dialog box, click General
Valves.
9 In the Hydraulic: General Valves dialog box, click Shut Off Valve Open.
10 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Specify insertion point:
Select to place the valve to the right of the pressure gauge
Completing the Hydraulic Drawing | 2239
11 In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, click OK.
12 Set the wire layer to RED_20.
13 Click Schematic tab Insert Wires/Wire Numbers panel Wire.
14 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Specify wire start or [wireType/X=show connections]:
Select the right connection point on the pressure gauge
Specify wire end or [Continue]:
Drag the pipe to the right and click the left connection point on the valve
Specify wire start or [Scoot/wireType/X=show connections]:
Select the right connection point on the valve
Specify wire end or [Continue]:
Drag the pipe to the right and click the vertical pipe, right-click
2240 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
15 Click Schematic tab Insert Components panel Insert
Hydraulic Components.
16 Insert and place the devices listed as shown in the following illustration.
In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, click OK after each insertion.
NOTE You can also insert the vertical or horizontal pipes first and then insert
the components onto the pipe, one by one.
Symbol to Insert Icon
2 Way Valves Solenoid Spring Return -1
(insert as Vertical symbol)
General Valves Checkvalve Flow Left (insert as a Vertical symbol)
Completing the Hydraulic Drawing | 2241
Symbol to Insert Icon
Filters Filter (insert as a Vertical symbol)
Restrictors Restrictor with Variable Output Flow
Restrictors By-Pass Flow Regulator with Variable Output Flow
Cylinders Single Acting Single Ended Piston Rod
TIP Align the components horizontally and vertically using the Align tool to
make inserting the pipes easier.
17 Click Schematic tab Insert Wires/Wire Numbers panel Wire.
2242 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
18 Connect the pipes from one control device to another as illustrated.
19 Click Schematic tab Insert Components panel Insert
Hydraulic Components.
20 In the Insert Component: Hydraulic Symbol dialog box, click General
Valves.
21 In the Hydraulic: General Valves dialog box, click Checkvalve Flow Left.
22 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Specify insertion point: Select to place the valve below the restrictor
Completing the Hydraulic Drawing | 2243
23 In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, click OK.
24 Click Schematic tab Insert Wires/Wire Numbers panel Wire.
25 Connect the pipes as shown.
2244 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
The hydraulic schematic diagram is complete.
If you want to create a pneumatic drawing, use the Insert Pneumatic
Components tool on the Schematic tab Insert Components panel.
Refer to the pneumatic demo drawing file (Demo03.dwg) in the Extra
Library Demo project.
Setting Up P&ID Drawings
Use the Project Manager to manage your P&ID drawings. From here, you can
create a drawing and modify any pin
.
Create a new drawing
1 Click Project tab Project Tools panel Manager.
Setting Up P&ID Drawings | 2245
2 In the Project Manager, click the New Drawing tool.
3 In the Create New Drawing dialog box, specify:
Name: AEGS13
Template: Mouse over the edit box to verify ACAD_Electrical.dwt is specified
If ACAD_Electrical.dwt is not specified, click Browse. Select it from the list
of available templates.
Description 1: P&ID Example
Click OK.
NOTE If you want to set the component, wire number, cross-reference, style,
and drawing format settings, click OK-Properties to proceed to Drawing
Properties dialog box.
4 Enter DSETTINGS at the command prompt.
5 In the Drafting Settings dialog box Snap and Grid tab, turn on Snap
and Grid and set the size of both to 0.125.
6 Click OK.
7 Click Schematic tab Other Tools panel Drawing Properties.
8 In the Drawing Properties dialog box Drawing Format tab, Scale
section, make sure that the feature scale multiplier is set to 1.0 inch.
9 Click OK.
NOTE For metric unit, the following settings are recommended so that the
wire connection points are placed on the grids for easier drafting. Grid and
Snap Size = 2.5 mm; Feature scale multiplier =20 (scale factor = 20).
2246 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
Set up wire layers
1 Click Schematic tab Edit Wires/Wire Numbers panel Create/Edit
Wire Type.
2 In the Create/Edit Wire Type dialog box, click in the Wire Type #2 row
and specify:
Wire Color: RED
Size: 25
The Layer Name is automatically created. The name RED_25 is assigned
to the wire layer you are creating.
3 Click Color.
4 In the Select Color dialog box, select red and click OK.
5 Click Linetype.
6 In the Select Linetype dialog box, select Continuous and click OK.
7 Click Lineweight.
8 In the Select Lineweight dialog box, select 0.30 and click OK.
For this example, create three more wire types using the Create/Edit Wire
Type dialog box.
9 In the Create/Edit Wire Type dialog box, specify:
Wire Type #3
Wire Color: RED
Size: 10
Color: Red
Linetype: Hidden2
Lineweight: default
Wire Type #4
Wire Color: GREEN
Size: 10
Color: Green
Setting Up P&ID Drawings | 2247
NOTE For pipe runs in P&ID drawings, include the different linetypes from
the acade.lin file. You can set up the wire types for pipes at the beginning of
the drawing or before creating the pipes.
10 To set the Linetype for the GREEN_10 wire layer, click Linetype.
11 In the Select Linetype dialog box, click Load.
12 In the Load or Reload Linetypes dialog box, click File.
13 In the Select Linetype File dialog box, select acade.lin and click Open.
NOTE The default location for the acade.lin file is \Documents and
Settings\{username}\Application Data\Autodesk\AutoCAD Electrical
{version}\{release number}\{country code}\Support or
\Users\{username}\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk\AutoCAD Electrical
{version}\{release number}\{country code}\Support on a Windows Vista or
Windows 7 installation.
14 In the Load or Reload Linetypes dialog box, select Pneumatic Signal and
click OK.
2248 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
15 In the Select Linetype dialog box, select Pneumatic Signal and click OK.
16 In the Create/Edit Wire Type dialog box, click OK.
Inserting P&ID Schematic Symbols
The P&ID symbol library in AutoCAD electrical includes equipment, tanks,
nozzles, pumps, fittings, valves, actuators, logic functions, instrumentation,
flow, and flow arrows. The P&ID symbol library consists of all the piping and
instrumentation symbols. It is found at \Documents and Settings\All
Users\Documents\Autodesk\Acade {version}\Libs\Pid or
\Users\Public\Documents\Autodesk\Acade {version}\Libs\Pid on a Windows
Vista or Windows 7 installation.
Insert P&ID Symbols
1 Click Schematic tab Insert Components panel Insert P&ID
Components.
2 In the Insert Component: Piping and Instrumentation Symbols dialog
box, click Equipment.
3 In the PID: Equipment dialog box, click Ball Mill.
Inserting P&ID Schematic Symbols | 2249
4 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Specify insertion point:
Select to place the ball mill in the upper left corner of your drawing
5 In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, specify:
Component Tag: C-100
Description: Line 1: BALL MILL
Click OK.
6 Repeat steps 1-2.
7 In the PID: Equipment dialog box, click Conveyors.
8 In the PID: Conveyors dialog box, click Conveyor 1.
9 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Specify insertion point:
Select to place the conveyor to the right and diagonally below the ball mill
10 In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, specify:
Component Tag: N-100
Description: Line 1: CONVEYOR
Click OK.
11 Repeat steps 1-2.
12 In the PID: Equipment dialog box, click Mixer 2.
13 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Specify insertion point:
2250 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
Select to place the mixer to the right and diagonally below the conveyor
14 In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, specify:
Component Tag: A-100
Description: Line 1: MIXER
Click OK.
15 Click Schematic tab Insert Components panel Insert P&ID
Components.
16 Insert and place the devices listed as shown in the following illustration.
In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, click OK after each insertion.
Symbol to Insert Icon
Valves Gate Valve
In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, clear the Component
Tag
Equipment Dryer
Component Tag = C-200; Description Line 1 = DRYER
Instrumentation Discrete Instruments Field Mounted
Component Tag = TE 201
Inserting P&ID Schematic Symbols | 2251
TIP Align the components horizontally and vertically using the Align tool to
make inserting the pipes easier.
Creating Pipes
In AutoCAD Electrical, different types of wires represent the type of running
pipes that allow water or oil flows from one instrument to another.
Insert wires as pipes
1 Click Schematic tab Insert Wires/Wire Numbers panel Wire.
2 Change the wire type to RED_25:
Specify wire start or [wireType/X=show connections]:
Enter T, press ENTER
Select the wire layer RED_25. Click OK.
3 Connect the pipes as shown. Right-click to exit the command.
2252 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
4 Click Schematic tab Insert Wires/Wire Numbers panel Wire.
5 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Specify wire start or [wireType/X=show connections]:
Enter T, press ENTER
Select the wire layer RED_10. Click OK.
Select the bottom of the discrete instrument
Specify wire end or [Continue]:
Drag the wire down a few spaces, press ENTER
6 Click Schematic tab Insert Components panel Insert P&ID
Components.
Creating Pipes | 2253
7 In the Insert Component: Piping and Instrumentation Symbols dialog
box, click Flow Arrows.
8 In the PID: Equipment dialog box, click Flow Arrow Down.
9 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Specify insertion point:
Select to place the flow arrow at the bottom of the new wire
The P&ID diagram is complete.
If you want to see how to expand the P&ID drawing, refer to the P&ID demo
drawing file (Demo01.dwg) in the Extra Library Demo project.
2254 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
Symbol Builder
Symbol Builder - Introduction
Create custom symbols with Symbol Builder.
30 minutes Time required
Copy all files located in Prerequisites:
Documents and Settings\{username}\My Documents\Acade {version}\Aedata\Tutorial\Ae-
gs\Symbol Builder
Windows XP
to
Documents and Settings\{username}\My Documents\Acade {version}\Aedata\Proj\Aegs
Users\{username}\Documents\Acade {version}\Aedata\Tutorial\Aegs\Symbol Builder Windows Vista,
to Windows 7
Users\{username}\Documents\Acade {version}\Aedata\Proj\Aegs
You learn to:
Create a schematic parent
Add attributes
Add wire connections
Save the symbol
Symbol Builder | 2255
Creating custom symbols
You can use the Symbol Builder to create an AutoCAD Electrical symbol easily.
This utility builds a smart schematic symbol by either adding AutoCAD
Electrical attributes to the geometry of the symbol, or by converting text
entities to AutoCAD Electrical attributes. You can also use AutoCAD attribute
definition and editing commands to do the same thing. This tool makes the
task easier because you quickly pick and place attributes. It tracks what
attributes are present and checks your work to make sure that any required
attributes are not omitted.
NOTE If you exit out of the Symbol Builder, restart it. On the Select Symbol/Objects
dialog box, click Select objects and select any graphics and attributes you added
so far. You can then start from where you left off.
Create a parent schematic symbol
1 If AEGS is not the active project, in the Project Manager, right-click AEGS
and select Activate.
2 In the Project Manager, double-click AEGS to expand the drawing list.
3 Open AEGS03.dwg.
4 Draw a rectangle anywhere on the drawing.
TIP It is easiest to draw it in the white space on the left-hand side of the
drawing.
5 Click Schematic tab Other Tools panel Symbol Builder
drop-down Symbol Builder.
6 In the Select Symbol/Objects dialog box, Attribute template section,
browse to the Library path C:\Documents and Settings\All
2256 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
Users\Documents\Autodesk\Acade {version}\jic125 (or
C:\Users\Public\Documents\Autodesk\Acade {version}\jic125 on a Windows
Vista or Windows 7 installation).
7 In the Attribute template section, select Symbol: Horizontal Parent, Type:
Generic.
8 In the Select from drawing section, click Select objects, select the rectangle,
and press ENTER.
9 Select OK.
Adding attributes
In this example, you add the attributes: TAG1, DESC1, LOC, INST, FAMILY,
MFG, CAT, and ASSYCODE. You are not limited to these attributes and you
can include your own user-defined attributes on the AutoCAD Electrical block
files.
NOTE The TAG1 attribute is the only one required for a parent schematic symbol.
The other attributes in the Required section are expected on a parent schematic
symbol, however the symbol is recognized as a parent symbol without them.
Add attributes
1 If the Symbol Builder Attribute Editor is not visible,
Click Symbol Builder tab Edit panel Palette Visibility Toggle.
Adding attributes | 2257
Use this palette to assign attributes to the rectangle as well as set the
height and justification for each attribute. The palette displays the
AutoCAD Electrical attributes that you can insert and define as part of
the symbol. Once an attribute is inserted on the symbol a check mark
displays next to it and you cannot insert it again. AutoCAD Electrical
allows only one insertion of each attribute.
2 In the Symbol Builder Attribute Editor, select TAG1 and click the
Properties tool.
Enter:
Value: PS
It is the default code used as the %F value of the tag format (such as CR
, PB, LT)
Height: 0.125
Justify: Center
Click OK.
2258 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
3 Click the Insert Attribute tool.
Insert the attribute above the rectangle.
In the Symbol Builder Attribute Editor, notice the check mark next to
the TAG1 attribute. Continue placing the rest of the attributes.
4 In the Symbol Builder Attribute Editor select DESC1.
Click the Insert Attribute tool.
5 Insert the attribute below TAG1.
6 Insert the LOC and INST attributes as indicated.
7 Insert the FAMILY attribute near the center of the rectangle.
8 With FAMILY still highlighted in the Symbol Builder Attribute Editor,
select the Properties tool.
Enter:
Value: PS
Click OK.
This assigns the %F value to the FAMILY attribute inserted.
Adding attributes | 2259
9 Select MFG and insert near the center of the rectangle. Repeat for CAT
and ASSYCODE.
Adding wire connections
If an X?TERMxx of the component (for example, "X2TERM01") wire
connection-point attribute lies within the small trap distance of the end of a
wire, then AutoCAD Electrical interprets the component connected to the
wire. The only time the trap distance changes is when you change the Feature
Scale Multiplier in the Drawing (or Project) Properties Drawing Format
dialog box.
NOTE Components with closely spaced wire connection points may not be
processed properly if the connection points fall within the AutoCAD Electrical trap
distance of one another.
A wire connection attribute can have a related terminal text attribute, TERMxx,
and terminal description attribute, TERMDESCxx. The "xx" is a two-digit
number (starting at 01) that is used to match up with the corresponding
X?TERMxx wire connection attribute.
Insert connection points
1 In the Symbol Builder Attribute Editor, expand the Wire Connection
section.
2 In the Direction / Style list, select Others.
3 On the Insert Wire Connection dialog box select Terminal Style: Screw.
This terminal style inserts both the graphic to represent the screw and
the wire connection points.
4 Check Use this configuration as default. It directs Symbol Builder to use
the current Terminal Style and Scale as the default in the Symbol Builder
Attribute Editor.
2260 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
5 Select Connection direction: Left & Top.
It determines the direction the wire attaches to the component.
6 Enter L as the value for TERM01 in Pin Information.
7 Select X2TERMDESC01 in Pin Information and click Delete.
8 Click Insert.
9 Select the Insert Wire Connection tool and insert the terminal in the
upper left-hand corner as shown.
NOTE Always use AutoCAD Snap to insert the wire connection point.
10 Back on the Symbol Builder Attribute Editor, expand the Wire Connection
Direction / Style list and select Right & Top / Screw.
11 Select the Insert Wire Connection tool and insert the terminal in the
upper right-hand corner.
You can continue to insert wire connections until you press ENTER by
entering the characters indicated in the command line prompt followed
by a space. You can also select from the Direction / Style list.
12 Insert the rest of the terminals as follows:
TERM03: Right
Insertion Point: below TERM02
TERM04: Bottom
Insertion Point: in the lower right-hand corner
TERM05: Bottom
Insertion Point: to the left of TERM04
TERM06: Bottom
Adding wire connections | 2261
Insertion Point: to the left of TERM05
TERM07: Bottom
Insertion Point: to the left of TERM06
13 Press Enter if necessary to return to the command prompt.
14 On the Symbol Builder Attribute Editor, expand the Pins section. Enter
the Pin values as follows:
TERM02 : N
TERM03 : GND
TERM04 : -
TERM05 : -
TERM06 : +
TERM07 : +
Your drawing looks like the following image:
2262 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
Saving the symbol
You have two options for saving the symbol: WBlock or Block. WBlock creates
the symbol .dwg file while Block creates the symbol for this drawing file only.
Save and insert the symbol onto a drawing
1 Click Symbol Builder tab Edit panel Done.
2 On the Close Block Editor: Save Symbol dialog box, in the Base point
section, click Pick point. Select a point in-line with the top terminals so
that it is easy to place on a wire later.
3 Select WBlock.
4 Enter a file name or accept the default.
5 Click OK.
6 When asked to insert the symbol, click Yes.
7 Place the symbol on the empty wire on the left-hand side of the drawing.
The wire breaks, the component tag inserts, and the wires connect to the
symbol.
Saving the symbol | 2263
NOTE New symbols you create can also be inserted with the AutoCAD
Electrical Insert Component command. You can add your new symbol to the
icon menu. Or, you can select it from the Type it or Browse dialog box file
selection options in the icon menu.
8 In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, click OK.
Migration of AutoCAD Data
Migration of AutoCAD Data - Introduction
Convert non blocked geometry and text to a fully functional AutoCAD
Electrical block insert.
45 minutes Time required
Copy all files located in Prerequisites:
Documents and Settings\{username}\My Documents\Acade {version}\Aedata\Tutorial\Ae-
gs\Convert
Windows XP
to
Documents and Settings\{username}\My Documents\Acade {version}\Aedata\Proj\Aegs
Users\{username}\Documents\Acade {version}\Aedata\Tutorial\Aegs\Convert Windows Vista,
to Windows 7
Users\{username}\Documents\Acade {version}\Aedata\Proj\Aegs
You learn to:
Convert non blocked geometry and text to a schematic component
Add wire connections
Add geometry to the block
Convert non blocked geometry and text to a panel footprint
2264 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
About Tagging and Linking Tools
This chapter describes using the tagging and linking tools in AutoCAD
blocks
1 If AEGS is not the active project, activate the AEGS project.
If AEGS is in the list of open projects:
Select AEGS and right-click.
Click Activate.
If AEGS is not in the list of open projects:
Select the project list drop-down.
Click Open Project.
On the Select Project File dialog box, navigate to and select the
AEGS.WDP file.
Click Open.
2 In the Project Manager, double-click AEGS to expand the drawing list.
There are four drawings in the project, Convert-01.dwg through
Convert-04.dwg.
About Tagging and Linking Tools | 2265
3 Open Convert-03.dwg.
4 Zoom in on the components in the upper left-hand corner of the drawing.
5 Click Conversion Tools tab Tools panel Special Explode.
Use the Special Explode tool to explode attributes and blocks to geometry
and text entities while maintaining the value previously defined in the
attributes. You can take advantage of the tagging tools to modify the text
entities to attributes and the linking tools to make various blocks.
6 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Select objects:
Select push button lights A - D (including all graphics and text) on lines 401 -
407 (use either single picks or window-select), right-click
2266 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
The blocks explode into separate text entities and geometry.
Tagging Schematic Components
Use the AutoCAD Electrical Tagging tools to convert text entities into an
attributed block. Through the insertion of a template block, you have control
over which attributes are inserted and visible. All necessary attribute definitions
are automatically placed. During the tagging process, the text entity is removed
and replaced with a template block file that contains multiple attributes used
in AutoCAD Electrical.
Tagging Results:
The selected text entities are replaced with a template block file.
The TAG attribute takes on the value of the converted text.
The TAG attribute is set to fixed.
The TAG attribute takes on the same ACAD properties as the tagged text.
Tag schematic components
1 Click Conversion Tools tab Schematic panel Tag Component.
Tagging Schematic Components | 2267
2 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Select objects: Select 9PB, 10PB, 11PB, and 12 PB, right-click
NOTE You may have to right-click several times to exit the command.
The text changes color to indicate that it has been tagged. The color of
the TAG attribute is by layer. The attribute is the same layer as defined
on the WD_M block. You can now link the descriptions and wire numbers.
3 Click Reports tab Schematic panel Reports.
4 In the Schematic Report dialog box, specify:
Report Name: Component
Active Drawing
Click OK.
5 If asked to save the drawing, click Yes.
In the Report Generator dialog box, notice that 9PB-12PB are listed in
the TAGNAME column of the report
6 In the Report Generator dialog box, click Close.
Linking Schematic Attributes
Use the AutoCAD Electrical Linking tools to associate non blocked text to
previously placed template blocks. Through the modification of a template
block, you have control over which attributes are inserted and visible. All
necessary attribute definitions are placed using the properties of the existing
text entities, such as justification, height, and location. If multiple template
block files are selected, the value of the text is added to the previously defined
template block attributes as hidden attributes and the text is not removed.
Linking Results:
The selected text entities are replaced with an AutoCAD Electrical attribute.
Colors change to distinguish what has been already converted as defined
in the WD_M block.
Temporary lines display the link.
2268 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
The Link Descriptions tool links simple text as Description 1-3 attributes
on an AutoCAD Electrical block file. You can link them as description
attributes to one or more existing template block definitions. During the
conversion process, the text entity is removed and replaced with the next
available description attribute, up to 3.
Link descriptions
1 Click Conversion Tools tab Attributes panel Link Descriptions.
2 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Select objects: Select 9PB, right-click
Select text to fill in next available DESC attribute:
Select LIGHT A, right-click
Select objects: Select 10PB, right-click
Select text to fill in next available DESC attribute:
Select LIGHT B, right-click
Select objects: Select 11PB, right-click
Select text to fill in next available DESC attribute:
Select LIGHT C, right-click
Select objects: Select 12PB, right-click
Select text to fill in next available DESC attribute:
Select LIGHT D, right-click
NOTE You may have to right-click several times to exit the command.
Linking Schematic Attributes | 2269
Colors change to distinguish what has been converted and temporary
lines display the link.
3 Click Reports tab Schematic panel Reports.
4 In the Schematic Report dialog box, specify:
Report Name: Component
Active Drawing
Click OK.
5 If asked to QSave the drawing, click Yes.
In the Report Generator dialog box, notice that 9PB-12PB are still listed
in the TAGNAME column of the report.
6 In the Report Generator dialog box, click Change Report Format.
7 In the Component Data Fields to Report dialog box, select Desc1 from
the Available Fields list.
Desc1 moves into the Fields to report list. These are the fields to display
in the Component report.
2270 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
8 Click OK.
The Report Generator dialog box now lists the TAGNAME and DESC1
values from the active drawing.
9 In the Report Generator dialog box, click Close.
Adding Wire Connections
Wire connection attributes can also be merged into the new generic block
insert. The Add Wire Connections tool in AutoCAD Electrical adds wire
connection attributes to the existing tagged block file. Select line endpoints
or geometry to add the appropriate wire connection attributes to. A new block
definition is created with the newly added wire connections. You can later
create a block file if the block is exploded.
Wire Connection Results:
Visual indicators (x) appear where the wire connection attributes have
already been applied.
Wire connection attributes, terminal attributes, and terminal description
attributes are added.
The block definition is automatically modified during the attribute addition
process.
Terminal attribute colors change to distinguish what has been already
converted as defined in the WD_M block.
Adding Wire Connections | 2271
Convert device pins to wire connection attributes
1 Click Conversion Tools tab Tools panel Add Wire Connections.
2 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Select block TAG or PLC Address: Select 9PB
Select end of wire (P=Pick Location): Enter P and press ENTER
Select location (W=Wire):
Press SHIFT + right-click to select Endpoint from the Snap options, select the
end point of the first wire on line 401
In the Wire Direction dialog box, select from left.
Select TERM01 text object: Select 22 (underneath 9PB TAG)
NOTE Visual indicators (x) appear where the wire connection attributes have
been applied.
Select location (W=Wire):
Press SHIFT + right-click to select Endpoint from the Snap options, select the
end point of the second wire on line 401
In the Wire Direction dialog box, select from right.
Select TERM02 text object: Select 55 (underneath line 401), right-click
You are back at the prompt to Select block TAG or PLC Address.
3 Repeat for 10PB - 12PB.
NOTE You may have to right-click several times to exit the command.
2272 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
Pause the mouse over 9PB - 12 PB. The text, wire connection attributes,
and description text all highlight. We still must convert the wire number
text and add the geometry to our block.
4 Click Schematic tab Edit Wires/Wire Numbers panel Create/Edit
Wire Type.
5 In the Create/Edit Wire Type dialog box, select Make all Lines Valid Wires
and click OK.
NOTE If the OK button is disabled, click one of the wire types to enable it.
6 Click Conversion Tools tab Tools panel Convert Text to Wire
Number.
7 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Select LINE near wire number text:
Select the left endpoint of the wire with the text 13 above it (line 401)
Select existing wire number text to convert: Select text 13
8 While you are still in the command, repeat for text 14 - 16 on lines 403
- 407.
Adding Wire Connections | 2273
9 Right-click to exit the command.
Adding Geometry
The Add Geometry tool in AutoCAD Electrical adds AutoCAD geometry to a
template block file to be created as part of a unique block instance. It creates
a block definition with the newly added geometry. You can later create a block
file if the block is exploded.
Add Geometry Results:
TAG1, TAG2, PLC TAG, and TAGSTRIP attributes are defined and selected
first.
The block definition is automatically modified.
The color of the geometry changes by layer to distinguish what has been
already converted as defined in the WD_M block.
Add geometry to the block
1 Click Conversion Tools tab Tools panel Add Geometry.
2 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Select block for additional geometry: Select 9PB
Select objects: Select the graphics for the push button, right-click
Specify insertion point: Select the middle of the push button
The geometry is associated to the template block files. Check that
everything has been tied to the block by mousing-over 9PB. The text,
wire connection attributes, description text, and geometry highlights.
2274 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
3 Repeat steps 1 -2 for 10PB, 11PB, and 12 PB.
Your blocks are now AutoCAD Electrical-smart.
Tagging and Linking Panel Components
The AutoCAD Electrical Tagging and Linking tools work on panel components
the same way they work on schematic components.
Tag and link panel components
1 Open Convert-04.dwg.
2 Zoom in on the components in the middle of the drawing.
3 Click Conversion Tools tab Tools panel Special Explode.
4 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Select objects:
Select push button lights A - D (including all graphics and text) (use either
single picks or window-select), right-click
Tagging and Linking Panel Components | 2275
The blocks explode into separate text entities and geometry.
The Tag Panel Component tool makes selected text entities an attributed
block file with the P_TAG1 attribute visible. The template block file
(ACE_P_TAG1_CONVERT.DWG) contains attributes for a panel
component.
5 Click Conversion Tools tab Panel panel Tag Footprint.
6 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Select objects: Select 9PB, 10PB, 11PB, and 12 PB, right-click
NOTE You may have to right-click several times to exit the command.
The text changes color to indicate that it has been tagged. The color of
the PTAG attribute is by layer. The attribute is the same layer as defined
on the WD_M block.
7 Click Conversion Tools tab Attributes panel Link Descriptions.
8 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Select objects: Select 9PB, right-click
Select text to fill in next available DESC attribute:
Select LIGHT A, right-click
NOTE You may have to right-click several times to exit the command.
2276 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
Updating Panel or Schematic Components
Once a panel component has a component tag assigned, it is automatically
linked to the schematic component with the same tag. Updates to either the
schematic or panel component prompt an update to the related component.
Surf to the related schematic component
1 Click Project tab Other Tools panel Surfer.
2 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Select tag for Surfer trace (or <Enter> to type it): Select 9PB
3 In the Surf dialog box, double-click the component marked with type
p.
Surfer goes to the schematic drawing and zooms on the schematic
component.
Updating Panel or Schematic Components | 2277
4 If asked to save the drawing, click Yes.
5 In the Surf dialog box, click Edit.
6 In the Component Insert/Edit dialog box, change the description to
LIGHT 1 and click OK.
The Update Other Drawings dialog box displays. This dialog alerts that
other drawings in the project set include child components or related
panel components.
7 If asked to save the drawing, click Yes.
8 In the Update Other Drawings dialog box, click OK.
9 Click Project tab Other Tools panel Surfer.
10 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Select tag for Surfer trace (or <Enter> to type it): Select 9PB
11 In the Surf dialog box, double-click the component marked with type
#.
Surfer goes to the panel layout drawing and zooms on the physical
representation of the push button. Notice that the description for 9PB
updated to reflect the change you made to the schematic component.
2278 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
12 In the Surf dialog box, click Close.
Interoperability: Inventor and AutoCAD Electrical
Introduction
Learn to use AutoCAD Electrical and Inventor interoperability to digitally
prototype and document your electrical designs.
35 minutes Time required
Interoperability: Inventor and AutoCAD Electrical | 2279
Prerequisites: Familiarity with both AutoCAD Electrical and Inventor is recommended but not
necessary. This tutorial is designed to work whether you have only AutoCAD
Electrical or Inventor, or if you have both programs.
Know how to navigate the model space with the various view tools.
900501.dwg Tutorial file used
Copy all files located in
Documents and Settings\{username}\My Documents\Acade {version}\Aedata\Tutorial\Ae-
gs\Interoperability
Windows XP
to
Documents and Settings\{username}\My Documents\Acade {version}\Aedata\Proj\Aegs
Users\{username}\Documents\Acade {version}\Aedata\Tutorial\Aegs\Interoperability Windows Vista,
to Windows 7
Users\{username}\Documents\Acade {version}\Aedata\Proj\Aegs
Introduction (continued)
In this tutorial, you learn how to interchange data between AutoCAD Electrical
and Inventor. In the first half of the tutorial, the data exchange direction is
from AutoCAD Electrical to Inventor.
In the second half, the exchange direction is from Inventor to AutoCAD
Electrical.
2280 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
You do not need both programs to derive benefit from this exercise. The two
XML files generated in this workflow are also included in the tutorial sample
files. Therefore, if you have only one program, you can still perform the XML
import operation.
If you have only AutoCAD Electrical, you can review the Inventor portion of
the tutorial. Then you can perform the import steps and subsequent steps on
the Import the Inventor data on page 2306 page. You are directed to perform
this import at the appropriate point.
NOTE This tutorial was created using AutoCAD Electrical 2011 and Inventor 2011
Professional. You need the Professional or Routed Systems versions for the Cable
and Harness functionality.
Part 1: 2D to 3D
In this half of the tutorial, you learn how to export your data from AutoCAD
Electrical to Inventor. The sample DWG file is a wiring diagram used for a seat
assembly. The assembly uses electric motors to provide adjustments to the
seat position.
Open DWG
1 Start AutoCAD Electrical.
2 Open the Project Manager. If this window is closed:
Click Project tab Project Tools panel Manager.
3 Select Open Project from the project drop-down menu.
4 Select the project ace_inv.wdp and click Open. The project is in the
location described on the introduction page.
5 Expand the ACE_INV project, and then double-click 900501.dwg.
Part 1: 2D to 3D | 2281
Ensure that the drawing is in Model Space.
Rename component tags
Before you export this data to Inventor, you update the PASSENGER SEAT
component tags. Assume that this drawing was copied forward and is now
ready to modify and use for the driver seat.
1 Click Schematic tab Edit Components panel Retag Components
drop-down Find/Edit/Replace Component Text.
2 Select Active drawing (all) in the Find/Edit/Replace Electrical Component Text
dialog box, and click OK.
3 Set the following options and take the following actions in the
Find/Edit/Replace - this Drawing (all) dialog box.
Select Find in the Location Code group.
Click List, then select PASSENGER SEAT in the Loc values dialog box,
and click OK.
Select Replace, and then enter DRIVER SEAT in the text box.
2282 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
Click Start Search, and review the results in the Match 1 of 16 dialog
box.
Click Replace All, and then click Yes, Make Changes. The component
tags are changed to DRIVER SEAT.
Click Cancel.
4 Save the drawing.
Rename component tags | 2283
Export to XML
Next, you export the electrical data contained in your AutoCAD Electrical
digital prototype to an XML file. You use this XML file later to import the
data into Inventor.
1 Click Import/Export Data tab Export panel Inventor.
2 Ensure Active Drawing is selected in the Autodesk Inventor Professional Export
dialog box, and click OK.
3 Save to the same directory you copied the tutorial files in the Autodesk
Inventor Professional XML File Export dialog box. Use driverseat_from_ace
for the file name.
4 Click Save.
Set the project
1 Start Inventor.
2 Select Get Started Launch Projects.
3 Click Browse.
4 Browse to Tutorial Files/Automotive folder, and select interop.ipj.
5 Click Open.
6 Click Done in the Projects editor.
2284 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
Open the dataset
1 Open 100500.iam. The file is contained in the 1000 folder. The model
opens in the Default design view representation.
This sample has been stripped down to reduce data size. The complete
seat looks like the following:
Open the dataset | 2285
2 Switch to the Electrical design view representation.
2286 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
Orbit and zoom your view as you progress through the workflow, as
needed. It can be helpful to approximate the following view as you get
started with the workflow.
Open the dataset | 2287
Add harness segments
Now you add the two harness segments.
1 Double-click Harness1 in the browser to edit the harness. Be careful to
edit the harness assembly rather than the harness part.
2 Select Cable and Harness Create Create Segment.
3 Select the existing segment near the front of the seat to place the first
point. The exact selection location is not critical.
2288 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
4 Select the existing work point to set the next segment point. The two
work points are very close together. You may need to zoom in to see them
clearly.
Add harness segments | 2289
5 Select the other work point to set the final point.
6 Right-click, and select Continue. The first segment is created.
2290 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
Add harness segments (continued)
Next, you add a second segment. This segment begins in the same location
as the previous segment. Because you selected Continue from the context
menu, Create Segment is still active and ready to create another segment.
1 Select the segment point that you added previously.
Add harness segments (continued) | 2291
2 Select the existing work point.
3 Select the other work point.
2292 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
4 Right-click, and select Finish. The segment is created.
Add harness segments (continued) | 2293
Import the AutoCAD Electrical data
Apply the AutoCAD Electrical data to the Inventor 3D model.
2294 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
1 Select Cable and Harness Manage Import Harness Data.
2 Click the Browse button next to the Harness Data File field.Select
driverseat_from_ace.xml you exported from AutoCAD Electrical in the
Select Wire List Data File dialog box. Click Open.
NOTE If you do not have AutoCAD Electrical, you can now use
driverseat_from_ace.xml provided in Tutorial Files\Automotive\XML_delivered.
3 Click OK in the Import Harness Data dialog box.
Issues
The browser nodes in the Imported Harness Data dialog box contain the electrical
components and wires imported from AutoCAD Electrical.
Click Filter in the Imported Harness Data dialog box, and then
select Show Issues Only.
Only items with issues display in the dialog box. The items are identified by
the Issue icon. There are many issues, because the Inventor sample
assembly does not contain many of the components contained in the AutoCAD
Electrical drawing as reflected in driverseat_from_ace.xml. Many of the RefDes
in AutoCAD Electrical do not have a matching RefDes in Inventor. The absence
of various components and RefDes also means that connecting wires also have
issues. The missing RefDes do not prevent you from successfully completing
the exercise. This scenario is a reflection of a real-world design process in
which data may be missing or incomplete but is acceptable for a given point
in the workflow.
Issues | 2295
Scroll to the top of the item list, then right-click PJ2, and select Issue
Description.
The issue description describes the problem and offers solutions. Review the
information, and then close the issue description.
TIP Click the Help button in the Imported Harness Data dialog box to open a
reference topic that describes various elements and features in the dialog box.
Next, you use functionality on the same context menu to assign the missing
RefDes.
Assign missing RefDes
1 Right-click PJ2 and select Assign to an existing Electrical Part.
2296 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
With reference to the AutoCAD Electrical drawing, PJ2 is the RefDes
specified for the connector that connects to the motor MOT2, the motor
for horizontal adjustment.
2 Pause the cursor over the connector occurrence 900575:2 in the graphics
window, and note the tooltip.
Assign missing RefDes | 2297
You can select the occurrence in the browser; however, when you use
the graphics window, Inventor displays a tooltip. The tooltip shows the
RefDes for that component. The question mark (?) indicates that the
RefDes is not yet assigned.
3 Select the connector.
4 Click OK in the Select Electrical Part dialog box.
5 The RefDes specified in AutoCAD Electrical is assigned to the Inventor
connector, and the issue associated with PJ2 is removed. Because the
2298 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
dialog filter is set to show only items with issues, PJ2 is not included in
the list.
Finish the Import
Next, you finish the import operation.
1 Click OK in the Imported Harness Data dialog box.
2 Close the message dialog box. For this exercise, accept the remaining
issues without making further changes.
The data from AutoCAD Electrical is imported. You should see eight
imported wires in the graphics window and in the browser.
Route the wires into the harness segments
Finish the Import | 2299
1 Select Cable and Harness Route Automatic Route.
2 Select the All Unrouted Wires option. The Selected field in the dialog box
indicates eight wires are selected.
3 Click OK. The wires are routed into the segments.
4 Select Cable and Harness Exit Finish Cable and Harness.
Save the assembly.
This exercise completes the 2D to 3D portion of the tutorial.
Part 2: 3D to 2D
In this part of the tutorial, you learn how to reverse the workflow and export
electrical data from Inventor to AutoCAD Electrical.
2300 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
Add a new connector
1 Place an occurrence of the connector 900356.ipt. Place the occurrence
as shown.
TIP Drag one of the existing occurrences from the browser into the graphics
window to create another occurrence, instead of using the Place command.
Part 2: 3D to 2D | 2301
2 From the Position panel of the Assemble tab, use Grip Snap or Move and
Rotate to approximate the position of the connector. Face the pins on
the connector toward the front of the seat.
Normally you use assembly constraints to position and constrain the
component, but it is not necessary for this exercise.
2302 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
Create wires
1 In the browser, double-click Harness1 to edit the harness. Edit the harness
assembly - not the part.
2 Select Cable and Harness Create Create Wire.
3 Select the pins on the connectors, as shown in the following image. The
identification for the first selected pin is PJ4 Pin 7.
Before you apply the selections, use the Create Wire dialog box to specify
Wire ID, Category, Name and other properties for the wire.
4 Specify the following settings:
Wire ID - 125
Category - Belden
Name - 9916-RED
5 Click Apply to create the first wire.
Create wires | 2303
Create Wires (continued)
1 Select the pins on the connectors for the second wire. The identification
for the first selected pin is PJ4 Pin 8.
2 Specify the following settings in the Create Wire dialog box:
Wire ID - 126
2304 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
Category - Belden
Name - 9916-ORG
3 Click Apply. Alternatively, right-click and select Apply.
4 Cancel the Create Wire dialog box.
Route wires
Use Automatic Route as you did previously to route the wires into the
segments.
Route wires | 2305
Save the file.
Export to XML
Next, you export the electrical data contained in your Inventor digital
prototype to an XML file. You use this XML file to import the data into
AutoCAD Electrical.
1 Select Cable and Harness Manage Export Harness Data.
2 Name the file driverseat_from_inv.xml, and save to the same directory
you used for the previous XML file. Dismiss the Cable and Harness message
dialog box.
Import the Inventor data
2306 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
Now, you apply the added connector and wires to the 2D model.
Switch to AutoCAD Electrical.
1 Click Schematic tab Insert Component panel Insert Connector
drop-down Insert Connector (From List).
2 Select driverseat_from_inv.xml. Click Open.
NOTE If you do not have Inventor, you can now use driverseat_from_inv.xml
provided in the folder specified on the Introduction page.
3 The connector you added in Inventor is listed in the Connector Selection
dialog box. Select the row for the connector.
4 At the bottom of the dialog box, click Details.
5 On the connector display menu, click Horizontal.
The display in the dialog box switches to horizontal.
Import the Inventor data | 2307
6 Click Insert.
7 Place the connector to the right of the power seat main switch.
2308 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
8 In the Connector Selection dialog box, click Wire It. AutoCAD Electrical
connects the pins as you specified in Inventor.
Import the Inventor data | 2309
You completed the tutorial.
Summary
2310 | Chapter 25 Tutorials
In this tutorial, you used interoperability between AutoCAD Electrical and
Inventor Professional or Inventor Routed Systems to develop your digital
prototypes. This tutorial showed you how you can:
Define electrical data in AutoCAD Electrical and then apply that data to
the related Inventor 3D prototype.
Define electrical data in the Inventor 3D prototype and then apply that
data to the related AutoCAD Electrical drawing.
This tutorial was meant to provide many details but also serve as an overview
of a particular workflow. For further details, information, and options, see the
related Help topics contained in AutoCAD Electrical and Inventor.
Summary | 2311
2312
Advanced Productivity
Set up peer-to-peer component relationships
The following example has a valve representation on
an instrument drawing, FE100, and its equivalent on
the electrical schematic, SOL2500. They are the same
physical device, but carry different tags based on the
drawing discipline in which they appear. Though
each device is represented as a parent symbol, you
can set up a peer-to-peer relationship between them
so that the electrical tag name of the schematic
automatically cross-references to the instrument
drawing, and the tag cross-references of the instru-
ment bubble to the tag of the schematic.
The instrument bubble symbol is set up with an op-
tional split tag. Instead of a single TAG1 attribute, it
has two tags: TAG1 PART1 and TAG1 PART2. The
instrument bubble is also set up as a normal AutoCAD
Electrical parent schematic symbol without the wire
connection points. It includes two extra attributes
beyond what a normal parent symbol carries:
WDTAGALT - carries a copy of the schematic
TAG1 value of the symbol.
WDTYPE - an invisible attribute with a nonblank
value indicating the component category. Ex-
ample: "PI" for P&ID, "PN" for pneumatic, or "HY"
for hydraulic
26
2313
The schematic parent solenoid symbol includes just
one extra attribute: WDTAGALT carries a copy of the
instrument value of the bubble.
Your drawings must be part of the active AutoCAD Electrical project so that
the WDTAGALT value on the instrument drawing is automatically updated
when you edit the schematic parent tag name and vice versa. Using AutoCAD
Electrical SURF on one automatically includes the other in the surf pick
window.
1 Open the Project Manager.
2 Open the project containing the instrument and schematic drawings.
3 On the Project Manager, double-click the schematic drawing to open it.
4 Zoom in so that your schematic symbol is visible.
5 On the Project Manager, double-click the instrument drawing to open
it.
6 Zoom in so that your valve representation is visible.
7 On the Project Manager, right-click the project name, and select
Properties.
8 On the Project Properties, Cross-references dialog box, Cross-reference
Options section, select Peer-to-Peer.
9 Click OK.
10 Right-click the schematic symbol to edit in the drawing (in this case,
SOL2500).
11 Select Edit Component from the context menu.
12 On the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, click Tags Used: Schematic.
2314 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
13 Select Show all components for all families.
The tag values from the other symbol appear in the list.
14 Select the valve representation (in this case, FE100) with a family code
of IN (for instrument).
15 Click Copy Tag.
16 On the Copy Tag dialog box, click WDTAGALT.
17 On the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, click Show/Edit Miscellaneous.
18 Verify that the WDTAGALT value lists the TAG1 value of the valve (in
this case, FE100) and click OK.
19 On the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, click OK.
20 On the Update Other Drawings dialog box, click Now to update the
drawing.
The WDTAGALT value of the schematic symbol is automatically updated
and the TAG1 value of the valve (or TAG1 PART1/TAG1 PART2 combined
value) appears next to the symbol in the drawing.
The WDTAGALT value of the valve is automatically updated and the TAG1
value of the schematic symbol appears next to the valve in the drawing.
Create automated pin assignments
AutoCAD Electrical consults a Pin List database when a part number is added
or an existing part number is changed on a parent schematic symbol. If
AutoCAD Electrical finds a match on the part number's MFG, CAT, and
optional ASSYCODE values (which ties to the catalog number to make unique
parts) in this database table, then the associated contact count and pin number
information is retrieved and placed on the parent schematic component.
Create automated pin assignments | 2315
Any device can have pins assigned to it, but common components that carry
pin assignments are relays, motor starters, and connectors. Pins are used for:
Error checking
Accurate connection information
Providing correct connections
You can expand the Pin List database table as needed. Many users have
difficulty creating their own database entries so the following procedures
simplify this procedure for you.
Basic workflow
Pin lists are directly associated to catalog numbers and therefore are not applied
to a component symbol until the catalog number has been assigned. You can
use wildcards inside the Pin List database to find the catalog number to apply
a single pin list to multiple symbols. The basic workflow for pin numbers
being assigned to a symbol is as follows:
Insert a component.
On the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, assign a catalog number.
Pin List database is queried.
Coil pins are applied to the parent symbol's terminal attributes.
The Pin List is applied to the parent symbol as xdata or attributes.
If the pin numbers are assigned as xdata, there is not a PINLIST attribute
since the pin assignment comes from the pin list table.
Setting up COILPINS
The COILPINS column in the Pin List database specifies the terminal pin
numbers for a coil or parent symbol of a component. This is generally two
pin numbers separated by a comma (such as K1,K2). When a component calls
for additional pin assignments on the parent, you can continue the list with
each value separated by commas. These values are applied to the TERM01 and
TERM02 attributes respectively on the parent symbol.
If you set COILPINS = "K1,K2;" then pins K1/K2 are assigned to the parent
symbol of a component.
In the example below, TERM01 = K1 and TERM02 = K2.
2316 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
Setting up COILPINS for two wired devices
The automatic pin list look-up and assignment at component insertion time
is not limited to relay devices as shown in the example above. You can encode
two wire devices like pilot lights or proximity switches into the database file.
Insert the Manufacturer and Catalog numbers and fill in the COILPINS filed
with the terminal pin numbers. Leave the PINLIST field blank. Now, when
you insert one of these devices and do a catalog lookup and part number
selection, AutoCAD Electrical quickly looks for a MFG/CAT match in the pin
list database. On a match, AutoCAD Electrical pulls out the device's coil pin
numbers and inserts them in the newly inserted device.
Setting up a PINLIST
The PINLIST column in the Pin List database specifies the contact types and
their respective pin numbers. A two terminal contact has three elements in
this format: contact type, terminal pin, terminal pin. Each PINLIST value can
have up to 256 characters. Use a value 0-5 to specify the contact type, where:
0 = convertible contact
1 = N.O.
2 = N.C.
3 = Form-C (NO/NC pair)
4 = multiple-pole terminal strips or undefined type
5 = multiple-pin or stacked terminals
If you set PINLIST = "0,13,14;0,23,24" then 0= contact type, 13 (or 23)=
TERM01, and 14 (or 24)= TERM02.
If you set PINLIST = "0,13,14,*prompt," "*prompt" adds a description label.
This optional label is always the last element of the list and is preceded by an
asterisk character (if the asterisk is left out, the comment is interpreted as
another pin number).
To view or manually edit the PINLIST values, select Edit Component, and
then click NO/NC Setup on the Insert/Edit Component dialog box.
Create automated pin assignments | 2317
Setting up PEER_COILPINS and PEER_PINLIST
The PEER_ fields in the Pin List database specify pin list assignments for a
single part number with two parent devices. You set up the second coil's coil
pins and pin list data in the PEER_COILPINS and PEER_PINLIST fields for the
common part number. This is commonly used for setting up forward and
reversing starters or latching and unlatching relays. You apply the pins to the
forward (latching) relay, and then apply the peer pins to the reversing
(unlatching) relay.
To split the pin list data between two peer coil symbols:
1 Insert the first coil symbol and make the catalog look-up selection.
The COILPINS and PINLIST data is found and applied to the coil symbol.
Any defined peer coil and pinlist data is also saved on the symbol as
invisible xdata.
2 Insert the second coil symbol but do not make a catalog assignment.
3 In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, click NO/NC Setup.
4 Click Pick.
5 Select the first coil symbol.
The saved peer pinlist data is moved from the first symbol over to this
peer symbol. Child contacts can now be auto-annotated with the selected
coil's available pin list information and max NO/NC count tracked on a
per-coil basis.
Set up AutoCAD Electrical for multiple users
You can manually move any shared files to a new central location after
installation by using normal Microsoft Windows operations to cut or copy
and paste from their local location to a central shared location. These shared
files are located by AutoCAD Electrical as long as they are placed in the
AutoCAD Electrical defined path (such as in the project's subdirectory), the
path given by the AutoCAD Electrical environment variable, or AutoCAD
search paths.
NOTE We recommend that you create a backup of your information in another
location and remove the shared data from your local drive to ensure that the data
is being located correctly.
2318 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
Shared files
The following shared files can be pasted from your local machine to a shared
location. The table lists the file names, default location, and any WD.ENV file
lines that must be modified.
The main executables and static support files are located under C:\Program
Files [(x86)]\Autodesk\Acade {version}\. The user-modifiable support files and
database content are found under
Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\{username}\Application
Data\Autodesk\AutoCAD Electrical {version}\{release}\{country code}\
Windows Vista, Windows 7:
C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk\AutoCAD Electrical
{version}\{release}\{country code}\
NOTE It is not required that you share these files, but sharing makes it easier for
multiple users to work with projects in AutoCAD Electrical.
default_cat.mdb, footprint_lookup.mdb, schematic_look-
up.mdb, wd_lang1.mdb, wd_picklist.mdb, wddinrl.xls,
ace_electrical_standards.mdb
Databases
Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\{username}\My
Documents\Acade {version}\AeData\Catalogs
Windows Vista, Windows 7:C:\Users\{username}\Docu-
ments\Acade {version}\AeData\Catalogs
WD.ENV file edit:
Original path: WD_CAT,%WD_DIR%/catalogs/,AE catalog
file path
Edited path: WD_CAT,N:Electrical/Shared_Files/Catalogs/,AE
catalog file path
NOTE These files must be kept in the same location since
the program locates them according to the same WD.ENV
file entry.
ace_circuit_builder.xls Circuit Builder Spreadsheet
Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\All
Users\Documents\Autodesk\AcadE {version}\Support\
Set up AutoCAD Electrical for multiple users | 2319
Windows Vista, Windows 7: C:\Users\Public\Docu-
ments\Autodesk\AcadE {version}\Support\
WD.ENV file edit:
Original file name: WD_CIRCBUILDER_FNAM,ace_cir-
cuit_builder.xls,Circuit Builder spreadsheet file name
Edited name: WD_CIRCBUILDER_FNAM,my_ace_cir-
cuit_builder.xls,Circuit Builder spreadsheet file name
ieee, jic1, jic125, iec-60617, iec2, iec4, jis2, gb2, panel,
pneu_iso125
Symbol libraries
Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\All
Users\Documents\Autodesk\Acade {version}\Libs
Windows Vista, Windows 7: C:\Users\Public\Docu-
ments\Autodesk\Acade {version}\Libs
NOTE The symbol library path is stored with each project
in its .wdp file and must be modified.
ACE_AS_MENU.DAT, ACE_GB_MENU.DAT,
ACE_HYD_MENU.DAT, ACE_IEC_MENU.DAT, ACE_IEC-
AutoCAD Electrical icon menu (In-
sert Component menus)
60617_MENU.DAT, ACE_IEEE_MENU.DAT,
ACE_JIC_MENU.DAT, ACE_JIS_MENU.DAT, ACE_PAN-
EL_MENU.DAT, ACE_PID_MENU.DAT,
ACE_PNEU_MENU.DAT, WD_ABECAD.DAT
Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\{username}\Ap-
plication Data\Autodesk\AutoCAD Electrical {version}\{re-
lease}\{country code}\Support
Windows Vista, Windows 7: C:\Users\{username}\App-
Data\Roaming\Autodesk\AutoCAD Electrical {version}\{re-
lease}\{country code}\Support
NOTE The menu path is stored with each project in its
.wdp file and must be modified.
ACE_GB.slb, ACE_GB.dll, ACE_JIS.slb, ACE_JIS.dll, ace_as.slb,
ace_as.dll, ace_hyd.slb, ace_hyd.dll, ace_pid.slb, ace_pid.dll,
Slide images for AutoCAD Electrical
menus
bb.slb, iec1.slb, iec.dll, loc2.slb, pn0.slb, pn0.dll, pn1.slb,
2320 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
pn1.dll, pn2.slb, pn2.dll, pn3.slb, pn3.dll, pnl2.slb, pnl2.dll,
pnl.slb, pnl.dll, s1.slb, s1.dll, s2.slb, s2.dll, Ww.slb
Windows XP:C:\Documents and Settings\{username}\Ap-
plication Data\Autodesk\AutoCAD Electrical {version}\{re-
lease}\{country code}\Support
Windows Vista, Windows 7: C:\Users\{username}\App-
Data\Roaming\Autodesk\AutoCAD Electrical {version}\{re-
lease}\{country code}\Support
S_LDPC.SLB, WD_LOCAL.SLB, WDSIG.SLB, WDSIG_1.SLB,
gepb.slb
C:\Program Files [(x86)]\Autodesk\Acade {version}\Sup-
port
WD.ENV file edit:
Original path: *WD_SLB,x:some path/, to override path
pointing to ".slb" slide lib support files
Edited path: WD_SLB,N:/Electrical/Shared_Files/Slides/, to
override path pointing to ".slb" slide lib support files
NOTE For the path in the .env file to be recognized, the
asterisk (*) in front of the line must be removed. These slide
files may be relocated using this path, or they can just be
placed in the same location as the menu files.
Content of PLC folder (ace_plc.mdb and bitmap files) PLC database/images
Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\{username}\My
Documents\Acade {version}\AeData\PLC
Windows Vista, Windows 7: C:\Users\{username}\Docu-
ments\Acade {version}\AeData\PLC
NOTE These files must be in a location that is specified as
an AutoCAD Support path. They can be placed in a location
that is already defined as being a support path, or you can
add a new support path pointing to this location.
wd_desc.wdd Description selections
Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\{username}\Ap-
plication Data\Autodesk\AutoCAD Electrical {version}\{re-
lease}\{country code}\Support
Set up AutoCAD Electrical for multiple users | 2321
Windows Vista, Windows 7: C:\Users\{username}\App-
Data\Roaming\Autodesk\AutoCAD Electrical {version}\{re-
lease}\{country code}\Support
NOTE These files must be in a location that is specified as
an AutoCAD Support path. They can be placed in a location
that is already defined as being a support path, or you can
add a new support path pointing to this location.
default.inst Installation code selection list
Optional file, does not exist by default. To create this file
in Notepad, create a file with the project name and an .inst
extension (or use default.inst) and save to an AutoCAD
Support path so the program can find it.
NOTE These files must be in a location that is specified as
an AutoCAD Support path. They can be placed in a location
that is already defined as being a support path, or you can
add a new support path pointing to this location.
default.loc Location code selection list
Optional file, does not exist by default. To create this file
in Notepad, create a file with the project name and a .loc
extension (or use default.loc) and save to an AutoCAD
Support path so the program can find it.
NOTE These files must be in a location that is specified as
an AutoCAD Support path. They can be placed in a location
that is already defined as being a support path, or you can
add a new support path pointing to this location.
Using network deployment
You can alternately install AutoCAD Electrical databases, symbol libraries,
part footprint files, and support files to a shared network location, so all users
can work from a common standard database and simplifying database
management and configuration.
To start network deployment, select Network Deployment in the AutoCAD
Electrical installation program. Install the Network Installation Wizard (NIW)
and run it from the start menu. From the NIW, you can create an image for
client installations.
2322 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
Use the Symbols Libraries, Catalog Database and Support Files dialog box to
install these files to a shared network location so that multiple users can work
from a common standard symbol library and parts database.
NOTE You cannot set up network deployment after installing AutoCAD Electrical
as a stand-alone program on individual machines.
Referencing icon menus from other menu files
You can also share custom symbols to be accessed by multiple users. The
easiest way to do this is to create and link to your own menu file.
You can set up AutoCAD Electrical's icon menuing system so that you can
switch back and forth from the default menu file (such as ACE_JIC_menu.dat)
to your own menu (for example "special_menu.dat").
1 Add a line like this to AutoCAD Electrical's ACE_JIC_menu.dat file:
Special menu|special_menu.sld|$C=(c:wd_loadmenu
"special_menu.dat")(c:wd_insym_go2menu 0)
2 In your new "special_menu.dat" file, add this line so you can switch back
to AutoCAD Electrical's default menu:
Default Electrical menu|back2wd.sld|$C=(c:wd_loadmenu
"ACE_JIC_menu.dat")(c:wd_insym_go2menu 0)
3 In AutoCAD Electrical's default icon menu, select the new entry.
Your menu immediately appears. When you want to go back to AutoCAD
Electrical's default menu, select Default Electrical menu on your own
special menu. AutoCAD Electrical immediately switches back to the
AutoCAD Electrical default icon menus.
Show source and destination markers on cable
wires
There may be times when you want to show the individual wires of a cable
at each end where they connect and yet you want to show the wires coming
together to form a single line cable in between the ends. Showing individual
wires along the entire run of the cable is too messy or not an option.
You can use the Fan-In/Out command set to do this. The Fan-In/Out command
relies on special pairs of source/destination markers plus a special layer for
the single line part of the cable representation. This layer is defined in the
Define Layers dialog box.
Show source and destination markers on cable wires | 2323
Setting up layers
1 In a blank AutoCAD Electrical drawing,
Click Schematic tab Other Tools panel Drawing Properties
drop-down Drawing Properties.
2 On the Alert dialog box, click OK to add the WD_M block.
3 In the Drawing Properties dialog box, click the Style tab.
You can select the default Fan-In/Out marker style here along with
defining the layers for the wires. Notice that the default layer name for
fan in/out single line layers is "_MULTI_WIRE."
4 In the Drawing Properties dialog box, click OK.
5 Click the AutoCAD Layer Properties Manager tool.
6 In the Layer Properties Manager dialog box, change the color of
"_MULTI_WIRE" to red and the color of "WIRES" to blue for this example.
The color difference illustrates how the feature works.
7 In the Layer Properties Manager dialog box, click OK.
Inserting components
1 Click Schematic tab Insert Components panel Insert Components
drop-down Icon Menu.
2 In the Insert Component: JIC Schematic Symbols dialog box, select Push
Buttons.
3 In the JIC: Push Buttons dialog box, select Push Button N.O.
4 Press F9 to turn on SNAP.
5 Insert the push button anywhere on the left-hand side of the drawing.
6 In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, click OK-Repeat to insert two
more push buttons directly below the first one.
7 In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, click OK after the last push
button is inserted on the drawing.
2324 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
8 Repeat to insert three Limit Switches N.O. Insert the limit switches
anywhere on the right-hand side of the drawing (slightly below the push
buttons you inserted).
Adding wires
1 Click Schematic tab Insert Wires/Wire Numbers panel Insert Wires
drop-down Wire.
2 Add a wire to the top push button. Drag the wire to the right.
3 Repeat for the other two push buttons.
4 Add a wire to each of the limit switches. Drag the wires to the left.
5 Press F9 to turn off SNAP.
6 Select all of the wires and verify that they were created on the WIRES
layer.
Show source and destination markers on cable wires | 2325
Adding source and destination markers
1 Click Schematic tab Insert Wires/Wire Numbers panel Signal
Arrows drop-down Fan In Source.
2 In the Fan In/Out Source dialog box, select Solid as the Source marker
style.
4 Click the left button to set the wire connection orientation.
5 Select in the middle of the wire that is connected to the top push button.
6 In the Signal - Source Code dialog box, enter "cbla" as the code and "RED"
as the description.
If you enter the color of the wire in the Description field, AutoCAD
Electrical reports use this information in the Wire Color field.
7 Click OK.
8 In the Source/Destination Signal markers (for Fan In/Out) dialog box,
click Yes to insert the matching destination marker now.
2326 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
NOTE Because the destination wires are nearby, it is easier to insert them
right away. If the wires were on another drawing you could wait until later
to add the destination markers.
9 In the Fan-In/Fan-Out Signal Destination dialog box, select Solid as the
destination marker style.
10 Click the right button to set the wire connection orientation.
11 Select in the middle of the wire connected to the top limit switch.
Notice that the wires for both change from blue to red, and the description
RED appears on both.
AutoCAD Electrical breaks the wire and changes the appropriate wire
piece to the defined layer. When inserting a source marker the wire
coming out of the marker changes; when inserting a destination marker,
the wire going into the marker changes.
You are prompted to define the next source.
12 Repeat for the middle and bottom wires for each group.
Show source and destination markers on cable wires | 2327
For the middle wire: In the Signal - Source Code dialog box, click Use to
enter "CBLA-01" as the code and enter "BLUE" as the description.
For the bottom wire: In the Signal - Source Code dialog box, click Use to
enter "CBLA-02" as the code and enter "WHT" as the description.
Notice that the wires change from blue to red, and the descriptions BLUE
and WHT display on both sets of wires.
13 Press Esc to exit the command.
14 Select all of the wires and verify that they are on the _MULTI_WIRE layer.
Creating connecting wires
1 At the command line, type L and press Enter.
2 Click the end of the uppermost wire and drag down across each of the
wires connected to the push buttons. Continue dragging past the push
buttons and click.
3 Drag your cursor to the right to create a horizontal line, and click.
4 Drag down across the ends of the wires connected to the limit switches,
ending on the bottom wire and click. Press Enter to create the lines.
2328 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
5 Type MA at the command prompt to run the AutoCAD MATCHPROP
command.
6 Click the wire connected to the top limit switch.
7 Click each of the lines you just created. The lines change from black to
red since they are taking on the properties of the wire you selected.
Press Enter to exit the command.
Adding cable markers
At this point, you have established the link between the push buttons and
the limit switches. You can now include a cable marker identifier that is
associated with these wire connections in various wire and cable reports.
Show source and destination markers on cable wires | 2329
1 Click Schematic tab Insert Wires/Wire Numbers panel Cable
Markers drop-down Cable Markers.
2 Select to insert a cable marker.
3 Insert the cable marker on the horizontal line.
4 In the Insert/Edit Cable Marker (Parent wire) dialog box, click Catalog
Data Lookup.
5 In the Parts Catalog dialog box, select the 3 conductor (second item in
list) and click OK.
6 In the Insert/Edit Cable Marker (Parent wire) dialog box, delete the wire
color/id value (BLK), and click OK.
7 In the Insert Some Child Components dialog box, click Close.
Use the PLC Database File Editor
AutoCAD Electrical can generate any of hundreds of different PLC I/O modules
on demand, in a variety of different graphical styles, all without a single,
complete I/O module library symbol resident on the system. Modules
automatically adapt to the underlying ladder rung spacing, whatever that
value might be, and can even be stretched or broken into two or more pieces
at insertion time. This is all possible because AutoCAD Electrical generates
PLC I/O modules via a parametric generation technique driven by a PLC
database (ACE_PLC.MDB).
2330 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
Creating new PLC modules
By default, when creating a PLC module the PLC Database File Editor lists as
many blank field Terminal Types as there are terminals defined in the New
Module dialog box.
1 Click Schematic tab Other Tools panel Database Editors
drop-down PLC Database File Editor.
2 Click the PLC Database File Editor tool.
3 In the PLC Database File Editor dialog box, highlight PLCs in the PLC
selection list and click New Module.
4 In the New Module dialog box, specify the following:
Manufacturer: Allen-Bradley
Series: 1746
Series Type: Discrete Input
Code (Catalog Number): 1746-IA9
Terminals: 9
Addressable Points: 8
5 Click OK.
You now have a new blank input module with nine terminals and eight
addressable I/O points. You now need to define some information for
each terminal in the module, the most important being what symbols
AutoCAD Electrical should stack together to build the module. Usually
the top-most symbol for the module is a little different from the rest so
Use the PLC Database File Editor | 2331
that it can carry some basic information for the module that only needs
to occur once in the final symbol.
Assigning Terminal Types
1 In the PLC Database File Editor dialog box, right-click Terminal Type 1
and select Edit Terminal from the context menu.
The Select Terminal Information dialog box appears. There are 3 categories
for top symbols: Top Input, Top Output, and Top Terminal. Top Input
and Top Output are addressable terminals, while the Top Terminal
category consists of non-addressable terminals.
2 In the Select Terminal Information dialog box, select Top Input.
The available terminals for that category appear along with any recently
used terminals. Each terminal shown is slightly different. It may have an
input wire connection terminal or have terminals for both input and
output, or it may not have a wire connection.
3 Select to use Module Info Input I/O Point Wire Left by selecting the
picture and then click OK.
The selected terminal is assigned to the Terminal Type in the PLC Database
File Editor dialog box. AutoCAD Electrical looks at the block to see what
attributes come in when the block is inserted. Some of the attributes come
in with predefined values that can be overwritten. You will see these
predefined values in the grid below the terminal type list.
4 In the PLC Database File Editor dialog box, multiple-select the next seven
terminals, right-click, and select Edit Terminal.
2332 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
NOTE You can select multiple fields to edit at the same time by dragging
your mouse across contiguous fields or by holding down the Control key
while selecting non-contiguous fields.
5 In the Select Terminal Information dialog box, select the Input category
and look at the available terminals.
6 Select the Input I/O Point Wire Left terminal and click OK.
All seven terminals are assigned at the same time.
7 In the PLC Database File Editor dialog box, right-click on the last terminal
and select Edit Terminal.
8 In the Select Terminal Information dialog box, select the Terminal
category.
9 Click the Terminal Point Wire Right terminal and click OK.
As an alternative to the Select Terminal Information dialog box, you can use
the drop-down list of predetermined Terminal Types. Click the arrow for the
Terminal Type and select from the list of available terminal types.
Use the PLC Database File Editor | 2333
Setting additional terminal information
Some modules may have terminals that are not used. When you build your
PLC module on an AutoCAD Electrical drawing there is a choice inside the
Module Layout dialog box to include unused/extra connections. When this
toggle is not selected, all terminal entries marked as "Show: When Including
Unused" in the PLC Database File Editor are skipped. When this toggle is
selected, all entries marked with "Show: When Excluding Unused" are skipped.
This gives flexibility to how a module is represented.
1 In the PLC Database File Editor dialog box, make sure all of the terminals
are set to Show: Always.
2 Make sure all of the terminals are set to Optional Re-prompt: No.
You can trigger AutoCAD Electrical to prompt for a new beginning address
number when the parametric build flips from inputs to outputs or vice
versa. On the line where you want AutoCAD Electrical to re-prompt for
a new output address, select Output. If you want a re-prompt for a new
input address, select Input from the list.
3 If you want a prompt for an automatic break in the PLC module, select
the toggle in the Break After column.
4 If you want to override the rung spacing for the I/O and wire connection
point spacing, enter a value in the Spacing Factor column.
When AutoCAD Electrical generates a PLC module, it uses the current
rung spacing for I/O and wire connection point spacing. When a Spacing
Factor is specified, AutoCAD Electrical sees this spacing factor value on
any terminal type I/O point or wire connection entry line, it uses a factor
of the rung spacing. For example, a 2 for a given entry inserts this point
down two times the rung spacing instead of a full rung spacing. A value
of 1.5 inserts the point down an extra half rung spacing. A value of 0.0
puts the particular I/O point at the same location as the preceding one.
Modifying the terminal box dimensions
The Style Box Dimensions dialog box defines the module box dimensions
(such as the offset values and line properties) based upon the style number
used when the PLC was created.
1 In the PLC Database File Editor dialog box, click Style Box Dimensions.
2 Select Style 2 as the graphic style for your plc module. Styles 1-5 are
predefined, styles 6-9 may be user-defined. Select a style number - a sample
portion of a PLC module appears.
2334 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
There are about two dozen symbols (with a file name "HP?*.dwg" where
"?" is the style number) associated with each style in the library folder.
To create a style, copy an existing style's symbols to one of the unused
style numbers (6-9) and edit each library symbol.
Library folder:
Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\All
Users\Documents\Autodesk\Acade {version}\Libs\{library}\
Windows Vista, Windows 7: C:\Users\Public\Documents\Autodesk\Acade
{version}\Libs\{library}\
3 Specify the module box dimensions for the selected style.
These values set the right, left, top, and bottom offsets for the rectangle
that surrounds the module. The optional Split Top and Split Bottom
specify the offsets for a split module where Split Top specifies the offset
for the top of a split module and Split Bottom specifies the offset for the
bottom of the split module. If left blank, the rectangle Top and Bottom
values are used.
4 Specify any properties for the lines that make up the box. You can set
the color and linetype using the properties fields. To predefine the color,
enter "COLOR colorname" into the box. For linetype, enter "LTYPE
linetypename" in the box.
5 Click OK.
Modifying the terminal block settings
The Terminal Block Settings dialog box is used to manage the library symbols
in the PLC Database File Editor. You can add a terminal to the list by clicking
in any box in the last entry of the list. A blank entry line is added to the bottom
of the list. You must define the block name, assign it to a terminal category
for selection, give it a description, and assign a bitmap to be used for dialog
box appears.
The list shows the block name, category, unique description, and sample
bitmap file for each terminal type.
As defined when creating the parametric PLC blocks. Block
file names adhere to the naming conventions to identify
Block Name
the PLC style numbering in the third position and the ori-
entation in the first position.
Use the PLC Database File Editor | 2335
Used in the PLC Database File editor to easily find specific
types of terminals.
Category
These descriptions are used during the terminal type selec-
tion process. They need to be maintained as unique
Unique Description
This file is also used by the PLC database File editor to dis-
play a view of the terminal for selection.
Sample Bitmap File
Symbols and BMP files need to be created outside of the
PLC database file editor. Symbols are found in the standard
library search path, while PLC Bitmap images are main-
tained in the same OS folder as the PLC Database itself
Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\{username}\My
Documents\Acade {version}\AeData\
Windows Vista, Windows 7: C:\Users\{username}\Docu-
ments\Acade {version}\AeData\
1 In the PLC Database File Editor dialog box, click Settings.
The Terminal Block Settings dialog box lists the library symbols for the
terminal blocks that appeared in the Select Terminal Information dialog
box. Notice that row 1 lists the block file name and sample bitmap file
for the terminal we selected for Terminal Type 1.
2 Switch between the various graphic styles. Notice that the block name
updates depending on the style and orientation you select. For example,
the block name is "HP1WA-DL" for Style 1, Horizontal. If you select Style
4, Vertical the block name changes to "VP4WA-DL".
Graphical styles are used during the operation of the PLC Parametric
Selection process. These bitmap images appear during normal operation
and selection of PLC entries and are found at C:\Program
Files\Autodesk\Acade {version}\Acade. Use the same file names that are
already there: P_STYLEx.bmp where 'x' is the plc style 1-9.
3 Click View DWG or View Bitmap to view the PLC parametric symbols.
4 After you are done viewing the various symbols, click Cancel.
Adding terminal attributes
1 Select the first terminal in the list of terminals.
The attributes associated to the block, along with any predefined values,
appear below the Tree Structure section of the dialog box.
2336 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
Notice that the value for the LINE1 is RACK %%1 and LINE2 is SLOT
%%2. The prompting values of %%1 and %%2 are populated with what
you type into the text box when prompted. The static text of Rack and
Slot appears in the attribute once the PLC module is created. There are
multiple prompting variables from %%1 through %%9. Prompting strings
can be added to any existing attributes on the terminal block. If you
wanted to add additional prompts with out using the existing attributes
you would have to modify the block file to add additional attributes such
as Line3.
Top terminals are the only symbols which can accept prompts during
the parametric PLC insertion process.
2 Edit each attribute value for the TAG attributes to read "IN-%%N."
Besides the Module Prompt variables, AutoCAD Electrical also supports
the use of an address variable. When the module is inserted, the PLC I/O
addresses are calculated based on some AutoCAD Electrical settings and
the module settings. You can trigger AutoCAD Electrical to include a
prefix or suffix to each address value it inserts.
The %%N represents the calculated I/O address and the IN- is the prefix
that gets added to the address value. You can also use the prompt values.
For example, if you want to permanently encode the rack and group
numbers (%%1 and %%2 prompts) into each I/O address value, encode
each I/O address entry in the date file with "TAGA_=%%1%%2%%N."
3 If you want to assign a text constant to any attribute value, combine a
text constant with the variables as shown in the module prompts and
addressing examples above.
Inserting the PLC module into the drawing
1 Click Save Module to save the module to the PLC database file.
2 Click Done/Insert.
The PLC Parametric Selection dialog box appears.
3 Click OK to insert the new PLC module onto the drawing.
4 Specify the insertion point on the drawing.
5 In the Module Layout dialog box, click OK.
Use the PLC Database File Editor | 2337
6 In the I/O Address dialog box, specify a beginning I/O address or use the
quick picks to select an address (such as I:/00).
7 Click OK.
Your module should look like the following. The Manufacturer, Catalog
Number, and Description attributes also display at the top of the module
(not shown).
2338 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
Customize Circuit Builder
Circuit Builder overview
The Circuit Builder tool comes prepopulated with data to build and annotate
a sampling of motor control circuits and power feed circuits. Circuits include
3-phase, single-phase, and one-line circuit representations. Each circuit is built
dynamically, adjusting the power bus to match the wire bus for the drawing,
adding wiring between components, and annotating the elements with
suggested values based upon the selected load. Each time a circuit is configured,
it is added to a history list of circuits. This list provides for quick reinsertion
at a later time.
Three items control this feature:
The spreadsheet on page 2340 defines the available circuits, circuit types,
and defaults for each option within a circuit.
The template on page 2344 (.dwg file) for a selected circuit defines the
placement for the individual components and the wiring.
The electrical standards database on page 2349 provides the values used to
annotate the circuit, size circuit components, and provide the appropriate
motor wire type.
Workflow
1 Circuit Builder opens the spreadsheet and reads in the first sheet named
ACE_CIRCS.
2 Circuit Builder shows the list of defined circuits in the Circuit Selection
dialog box.
3 Select a circuit to insert or configure. The associated line from the
ACE_CIRCS sheet provides the base drawing template name, and the
name of a circuit code sheet. The circuit code sheet is a separate sheet
within the Circuit Builder spreadsheet.
4 The base drawing template for the circuit inserts at your selected location.
5 Circuit Builder finds and reads the attributes on all the special marker
blocks on the inserted drawing template.
6 Circuit Builder matches each marker block to a specific section in the
circuit codes sheet. This section can be a single spreadsheet row or
Customize Circuit Builder | 2339
multiple consecutive rows in the circuit codes sheet. The section identifies
one of the following:
The action taken at this marker block location in the circuit. For
example, calculate a wire type, insert a wire number, or adjust rung
spacing.
Provides a list of component insertion options that can be inserted
at this point in the circuit. For example, presents a selection list
containing a fuse, circuit breaker, or disconnect switch symbol.
Each marker block is processed in sequence, controlled by an ORDER
attribute value carried on each marker block
7 A marker block can insert a nested template into the main circuit
template. If the nested template carries its own marker blocks, these
marker blocks are added to the overall list to process. When all marker
blocks have been processed, the circuit is complete.
Circuit Builder spreadsheet
The Circuit Builder spreadsheet, ace_circuit_builder.xls, along with the template
drawings that it references, control what is displayed in the Circuit Selection
and Circuit Configuration dialog box options. The first sheet in the
spreadsheet, ACE_CIRCS, contains the main circuit categories, for example
3ph Motor Circuit, and types, for example Horizontal - FVNR - non
reversing. Along with this first sheet, are one or more circuit code sheets.
These sheets contain the information necessary to insert or configure a specific
circuit selected from the first sheet.
The ace_circuit_builder.xls circuit builder spreadsheet can be relocated into
any of the normal AutoCAD Electrical or AutoCAD support paths.
The default location for the spreadsheet is:
Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\All
Users\Documents\Autodesk\AcadE {version}\Support\
Windows Vista, Windows 7: C:\Users\Public\Documents\Autodesk\AcadE
{version}\Support\
The default spreadsheet name, ace_circuit_builder.xls, can be overridden
by setting the environment variable, WD_CIRCBUILDER_FNAM, in the wd.env
on page 2318 file.
2340 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
ACE_CIRCS sheet
Circuit Builder reads the list of circuit categories and types from the first sheet
in the spreadsheet, ACE_CIRCS. This information appears in a tree-structure
selection window in the Circuit Selection dialog box. The ACE_CIRCS sheet
contains the following columns.
A major circuit category displayed at the highest level of the tree structure
in the Circuit Selection dialog box.
CATEGORY
The specific type of circuit within a major category. The circuit types appear
at the second level of the tree structure.
TYPE
The drawing template that is inserted when this circuit is selected. If a
.dwg extension is not present, it is assumed.
DWG_TEMPLATE
The circuit code sheet name that is referenced for the selected circuit
template. This circuit code sheet carries the definitions for all the marker
blocks in the selected drawing template and any nested templates.
SHEET_NAME
Code maps to the ANNO_CODE table in the spreadsheet. Allows you to
predefine the description, installation, location, and other key information,
ANNO_CODE
for the motor or load and the individual components that might be inserted
into the circuit.
Circuit code sheets
Once a circuit is selected from the Circuit Selection dialog box (the CATEGORY
and TYPE fields from the ACE_CIRC sheet), the associated drawing template
is inserted (the DWG_TEMPLATE field), and a related circuit code sheet is
ready for reference (the SHEET_NAME field).
The inserted drawing template on page 2344 contains special marker blocks.
Each marker block contains a CODE attribute with a value. This CODE value
is used to match up with a section in the circuit code sheet. The matching
section in the circuit code sheet provides the key information on what action
is required at this physical location in the circuit.
Each circuit code sheet contains the following columns.
Value is matched to the CODE attribute value on the marker block. Each
code corresponds to one circuit element in the list or an action/decision
that takes place at the insertion point of the marker block.
CODE
Circuit Builder spreadsheet | 2341
Text displayed in the Circuit Elements list in the Circuit Configuration dialog
box.
COMMENTS
The default option for a circuit element is marked with an X. When a
circuit is inserted rather than configured, all elements marked with "X" are
used to build the selected circuit.
UI_DEF
Title for the group of options in the middle Select section of the Circuit
Configuration dialog box. Each circuit element can have one or more
UI_TITLE
groups of options. For example, the main disconnecting means might
have two groups of options, the disconnecting means itself and an optional
auxiliary contact.
This field can also contain a predefined code to bring up a separate dialog
instead of driving the middle Select section of the main Circuit Configura-
tion dialog box. There are two pre-defined codes:
!MCC_CTRL - invokes the Select Motor on page 1034 dialog box when
the Browse button on the Motor Setup section of the Circuit Configur-
ation on page 1032 dialog box is selected. It must be combined with
the ace_cb_motor_select API call in the LOOKUP_CMD entry.
!PF_CTRL - invokes the Select Load on page 1035 dialog box when the
Browse button on the Load Setup section of the Circuit Configuration
on page 1032 dialog box is selected. It must be combined with the
ace_cb_power_feed_select API call in the LOOKUP_CMD entry.
NOTE Include the ace_cb_wire_select API call in the LOOK-
UP_CMD entry to invoke the Wire Size Lookup on page 1036
dialog box when the Browse button in the Wire Setup section
of the Circuit Configuration dialog box is selected.
The text to display in the middle Select section for each option within this
group.
UI_PROMPT_LIST
A numerical value assigned to the selection from each group. These numer-
ical values are added up and matched to the value in the UI_SEL column.
UI_VAL
NOTE This value must be inserted as a text value in the spreadsheet and
not as a number. An apostrophe character in front of the number forces
the spreadsheet software to interpret it as a text value. You can also format
the cells specifically as text. The text appears left justified in the cell.
2342 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
A numerical value matched to the sum total of the values in the UI_VAL
column for each selection made within a group. The COMMAND_LIST
value from this row is used to insert the selected options.
UI_SEL
NOTE This value must be inserted as a text value in the spreadsheet and
not as a number. An apostrophe character in front of the number forces
the spreadsheet software to interpret it as a text value. You can also format
the cells specifically as text. The text appears left justified in the cell.
The command calls to insert the selected options. COMMAND_LIST
NOTE These calls are generally set up using standard AutoLISP format.
Multiple calls can be concatenated in the same cell or in subsequent rows
of the sheet. If multiple rows are used, the UI_SEL value cell is repeated.
Anything after a semi-colon character is interpreted as a comment
Optional command calls to annotate the circuit element. The ANNOT-
ATE_LIST calls execute after all rows of the COMMAND_LIST calls have
executed.
ANNOTATE_LIST
Optional command calls to perform the electrical standards database or
catalog lookups for the selected circuit element. This field controls the
right-hand side of the Circuit Configuration dialog.
LOOKUP_CMD
Optional catalog lookup table name. If the option contains multiple com-
ponents, such as a disconnect switch and a fuse, there are multiple columns
where n increments for each component.
TABLEn
The title for the component within the Setup & Annotation section on the
Configuration dialog box. If the option contains multiple components,
TITLEn
such as a disconnect switch and a fuse, there are multiple columns where
n increments for each component.
ANNO_CODE sheet
Allows you to predefine the description, installation, location, and other key
information for the motor or load and the individual components inserted
into the circuit.
Value is matched to the ANNO_CODE value from the ACE_CIRCS sheet. ANNO_CODE
Value is matched to the CODE value of the marker block on the circuit
template.
CODE
Circuit Builder spreadsheet | 2343
Attribute name on the component inserted at the position of the marker
block.
ATTRIBUTE
Text prompt displayed in the Annotation Presets dialog box. PROMPT
The default value for the attribute if annotation presets are listed on page
1032 or applied on page 1030. This value can be a text value or an AutoLISP
expression that returns a text value.
DEFAULT
Future OPTIONS
How Annotation Presets work
1 Make a selection from the Circuit Selection dialog box, for example
"Horizontal - FVNR - non reversing". This selection has a value in the
ANNO_CODE cell, "ANNO_3M".
2 Circuit Builder finds the group of entries that match up with code
"ANNO_3M" in the ANNO_CODE sheet of ace_circuit_builder.xls.
3 If any matching entries are found, the Special Annotation: Presets section
of the Circuit Selection dialog box, is enabled.
4 If you select Presets and click the Presets List button, the Annotation
Presets dialog box displays. The rows displaying the entries with non-blank
DEFAULT values are initially marked as Selected.
5 Edit the attribute values as necessary and click OK.
6 Select to Insert or Configure the circuit.
7 Circuit Builder processes each marker block on the circuit template. If
the CODE value matches the CODE value from the ANNO_CODE rows,
the attribute values marked as Selected in the Annotation Presets dialog
box are applied to the target attributes of the inserted component. If a
target attribute is not found, the value is inserted as an Xdata value.
Circuit Builder drawing templates
Each circuit starts with a main drawing template. These main circuit template
drawings are named ace_cb1*.dwg. Branching or nested circuit drawing
templates are named ace_cb2*.dwg. A branching circuit is a circuit inserted
as an option on to the main circuit, for example a control transformer circuit
or a power factor correction circuit.
2344 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
The circuit drawing templates use the following naming convention.
ace_cb1_*.dwg - primary circuit drawing templates
ace_cb2_*.dwg - branching or nested circuit drawing templates
The default location for the circuit drawing templates is the schematic library
folder:
Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\All
Users\Documents\Autodesk\AcadE {version}\Libs\{library}\
Windows Vista, Windows 7: C:\Users\Public\Documents\Autodesk\AcadE
{version}\Libs\{library}\
One-line template drawings have a 1- suffix. The default location is in a
1- folder under the schematic library folder.
Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\All
Users\Documents\Autodesk\AcadE {version}\Libs\{library}\1-
Windows Vista, Windows 7: C:\Users\Public\Documents\Autodesk\AcadE
{version}\Libs\{library}\1-
NOTE This template drawing naming convention is recommended but is not
required for Circuit Builder to function.
A circuit template contains the wiring framework for the circuit and special
marker blocks. These marker blocks are nothing more than instances of a
standard AutoCAD block, ace_cb_marker_block, carrying three attributes.
These marker blocks tell Circuit Builder that some action or decision is required
at the insertion point of the marker block. The action can be:
Insert a component.
Insert a multi-pole component.
Make a wire type assignment to the underlying wire.
Insert a wire number on the underlying wire.
Decide if a branching circuit is needed.
Decide if an underlying wire stretches and connects to a nearby power
bus.
Decide if underlying wire bus spacing adjusts.
Circuit Builder drawing templates | 2345
Decide if an underlying wire is trimmed.
Set up the circuit annotation.
NOTE If you choose to Insert a circuit, bypassing the Circuit Configuration dialog
box, the default options, as defined in the Spreadsheet on page 979, for each circuit
element are used.
Marker block attributes
This attribute value provides the link between the marker block on the circuit template
drawing and a section in the circuit codes sheet. The value on this attribute matches
with the CODE column value in the circuit codes sheet for the selected template.
CODE
This attribute value controls the sequence of circuit element display and insertion
within the circuit. Marker blocks are processed in order, from low to high. Assigning
ORDER
the same order value to multiple marker blocks links multiple marker blocks together
for processing as a group. For example, to adjust the spacing between multiple wires
of a 3-phase bus there are three marker blocks with a common CODE value and a
common ORDER value. The ORDER value can be an integer or a decimal number
value. Support for decimal number order values makes it easy to add a marker block
between two others without having to reorder everything.
This attribute value contains miscellaneous annotation values, actions, and flags.
Annotation values are in the format <attribute name>=<attribute value>. Actions can
MISC1
include embedded AutoLISP expressions or programs. Flags are key words that include
enabling child contacts to link to parents and overriding multi-pole build directions.
Flag codes include the following
_TAGFMT=<value> - override the drawing property component tag format or
wire number format setting for this one instance.
_PRETAG=<value> - predefine a default alias tag for parent child linking. This
option can be used for situations when the child component is inserted before
the parent. For example, the marker block for the child contact has
"_PRETAG=MR". When the parent coil is inserted, its marker block also has
"_PRETAG=MR". As the circuit completes, the actual tag value of the parent an-
notates on to the child contact. This action is based upon the matching "MR"
alias assigned to each.
_WIRENO=<value> - predefine a fixed wire number.
WIRENUMBERS=0 - if a required wire type does not exist, create it and mark it
as No Wire Numbering. If a required wire type does not exist and this flag is
missing or has a value of 1, create it and mark it as Wire Numbering.
_WIRETYPE=<value> - predefine the wire type layer name.
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_WIRESKIP=<value> - number of wires to skip over when trying to connect to
another wire.
_MAXTRAPCOUNT=<value> - maximum search distance to look for a wire
connection, given in wire connection trap units. The wire connection trap value
is fixed and is displayed on the Drawing properties: drawing format tab on page
227 for the active drawing.
_BASE - indicates a base wire, the one that does not move, when setting up to
adjust multiple bus wire spacing. If not defined, the wire that is co-linear with
the insertion point of the template becomes the default base wire.
_L =<value>- each sublist, delimited by "|" characters, can predefine attribute
values for individual poles of a multi-pole component, set of terminals, or set of
cable markers.
_D=<value> - define the build direction override for a multi-pole component.
1=build right, 2=build up, 4=build left, 8=build down. Without an override, the
build direction is down for horizontal inserts, and from left to right for vertical
inserts.
X=<value or AutoLISP expression> - reposition the marker block in the "X" direc-
tion. For example, "_X=(* 0.5 DIST01)" means adjust the position of this marker
block in the X direction by an amount equal to 0.5 times the bus spacing distance
defined by marker block with a CODE attribute value of "DIST01". This example
can be used to position a marker block for a single phase motor insertion point,
halfway between two power bus wires.
_Y=<value or AutoLISP expression> - reposition the marker block in the "Y" direc-
tion.
NOTE The flags defined in the circuit drawing marker blocks override any
spreadsheet settings.
Marker block functions
All marker blocks have the same block name, ace_cb_marker_block, but can
have a wide variety of functions. The specific function assigned to a marker
is based on its CODE attribute value and what this code value maps back to
in the circuit code sheet for the circuit template. Here are the categories of
marker block functions:
Blocks that define the circuit properties, such as motor selection. Setup
Blocks that define the wire type layers layer to assign to the wire network under the
block.
Wire Type
Circuit Builder drawing templates | 2347
Blocks that define a wire number to assign to the wire under the block. Wire Number
Blocks that define the placement of a branching or nested circuit such as a control
circuit at the insertion point of the marker block.
Nested Circuit
Blocks that define the placement of a component, connector, terminal, cable marker,
or a multi-pole component at the insertion point of the marker block.
Component
Blocks that control rung spacing adjustment for the wires under these blocks. Blocks
that are processed as a group must carry common CODE and ORDER attribute values.
Bus Spacing
Blocks that control stretching a wire segment to connect to another wire. Wire Connec-
tions
NOTE The name of the marker block cannot be changed. The Circuit Builder
command only processes marker blocks named "ace_cb_marker_block".
One-line circuit templates
One-line circuit templates use the same marker block concept as three-phase
motor and power feed circuit templates. However, there are a few differences.
There is a single line wire that represents a multi-wire bus. Most of the one-line
circuit templates contain a special "bus-tap" symbol.
The bus-tap symbol can have two functions:
Provide an anchor point for the one-line circuit representation that begins
at this location.
Break into the one-line bus where the circuit connects.
On a dual circuit one-line template, there are three of bus-tap symbols. One
at the normal point where the circuit ties into the bus. There is another version
of the symbol on each of the two circuit "legs", each marking the point where
that part of the dual circuit starts. These bus-tap symbols allow various reports
to report accurately on a one-line circuit, whether a single circuit or a dual
circuit representation.
The following bus-tap symbols are supplied:
HDV1_BT_1-.dwg - with dot for horizontal one-line circuit
VDV1_BT_1-.dwg - with dot for vertical one-line circuit
HDV1_BTT_1-.dwg - tee connection for dual horizontal circuit
2348 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
VDV1_BTT_1-.dwg - tee connection for dual vertical circuit
HDV1_BTL_1-.dwg - corner connection for dual horizontal circuit
VDV1_BTL_1-.dwg - corner connection for dual vertical circuit
NOTE A WDTYPE attribute with a 1-1 value, identifies a bus-tap symbol.
Circuit Builder database
Circuit Builder uses an electrical standards database to define default values,
define engineering calculations, annotate circuits, and provide wire size
recommendations. The electrical standards database,
ace_electrical_standards.mdb, is located in the catalog folder. The default
location is:
Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\{username}\My
Documents\Acade {version}\AeData\Catalogs\
Windows Vista, Windows 7: C:\Users\{username}\Documents\Acade
{version}\AeData\Catalogs\
Sizing and wire type values are based on information from the electrical
standards database. Circuit Builder looks for a match on the motor size, supply
voltage, and phase. On a match, Circuit Builder provides the Full Load Amp
value, recommended motor power conductor size, and suggested rating values
for various branch circuit protection elements such as circuit breakers, fuses,
and disconnect switches.
The electrical standards database also allows Circuit Builder to provide
engineering estimates and green calculations in the area of power conductor
size versus energy losses. Designing to meet minimum code requirements can
conflict with green design. For example, designing to the minimum conductor
size for a given load can provide short-term savings on material cost but run
up longer-term expense due to higher heating loses in the wiring. Over the
life of the installation, the energy lost in heating up the minimum-sized wiring,
instead of reaching the load to do useful work, could be substantial.
During wiring sizing, Circuit Builder displays not only a list of the valid wire
sizes meeting the ampacity requirements of the load, but also a list of the
estimated maximum energy loss cost for each wire size. This set of calculations
allows you to make better green design decisions. For example, you decide to
oversize the conductors for a motor to reduce conductor heating losses. This
results in a higher initial cost for material and installation labor. However,
Circuit Builder database | 2349
this cost is recovered many times over in reduced energy losses in the wiring
during the life of the installation.
NOTE The ace_electrical_standards.mdb file replaces the mcc.mdb file used in
previous versions of Circuit Builder.
The electrical standards database contains multiple tables used by Circuit
Builder.
Contains the values used to populate the Select Motor on page
1034 dialog box.
MOTOR
Contains the values used to populate the Select Load on page
1035 dialog box. This table name can have an optional suffix to
relate it to a specific electrical standards code.
FEED
Options tables contain values defining defaults and options lists
specific to an electrical standard. For example, default to copper
wiring, AWG size standard, and feet for conductor length units.
OPT
Wire ampacity tables contain the ampacity ratings for different
conductor sizes and insulation temperature ratings.
AMP_{wire type}_{wire size stand-
ard}
Grounding conductor sizing tables contain the maximum ampa-
city ratings for different grounding conductor sizes. This inform-
AMPG_{wire type}_{wire size stand-
ard}
ation is used to retrieve the minimum grounding conductor size
and provide a selection list of larger sizes.
Wire insulation tables lists the insulation types, the maximum
temperature rating for each, and de-rating factors for each based
on a series of temperatures.
INSUL_{wire type}_{wire size stand-
ard}
Conductor Reactance/AC Resistance tables contain values used
to estimate single-phase and three-phase voltage drop values.
XL&R_{wire type}_{wire size stand-
ard}
Conduit/raceway descriptions list used with the XL&R_{wire
type}_{wire size standard} tables.
XL&R_DESC
Fill tables contain the ampacity de-rating factors used when
there is more than one current carrying conductor (power wiring,
FILL
not ground, neutral, or control wires) in the same conduit, duct,
or raceway.
2350 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
Lists the component type descriptions whose sizing ties directly
into the full load amps value (FLA) of the motor or load. The
MOTOR_I_DESC
CODE value maps to the MOTOR_I_CALC and MOTOR_I_MAP
tables.
Lists the formula to calculate the maximum amp value for various
types of components on a per motor type basis.
MOTOR_I_CALC
Maps the calculated FLA for a component to a specific rating
value and an optional catalog assignment.
MOTOR_I_MAP
NOTE Each table name can have an optional suffix to relate it to a specific electrical
standards code.
Motor table
The data in the Motor table is used to populate the Select Motor on page 1034
dialog box. Filter the selection list by type, voltage, and frequency. The load
and FLA values for the selected motor are passed back to the Circuit
Configuration dialog box and are used in wire size calculations. The values
are also used to calculate breaker size, fuse size, and disconnect switch rating,
for the selected motor.
The MOTOR table follows this table naming convention:
MOTOR - if no specific electrical standards table is found, the default table
name to use.
_{standard} - optional suffix to relate it to a specific electrical standards
code. For example, an _NEC suffix could mean that the data for the table
parallels the National Electrical Code. A suffixed MOTOR table name is
not necessary unless you plan to set up the electrical standards database
to support multiple standards.
Feed table
The data in the Feed table is used to populate the Select Load on page 1035
dialog box. Filter the selection list by type, voltage, and frequency. The load
and FLA values for the selected feed are passed back to the Circuit
Configuration dialog box and are used in wire size calculations. The values
are also used to calculate breaker size, fuse size, and disconnect switch rating,
for the selected load.
Circuit Builder database | 2351
The FEED table follows this table naming convention:
FEED - if no specific electrical standards table is found, the default table
name to use.
_{standard} - optional suffix to relate it to a specific electrical standards
code. For example, an _NEC suffix could mean that the data for the table
parallels the National Electrical Code. A suffixed FEED table name is not
necessary unless you plan to set up the electrical standards database to
support multiple standards.
Options tables
Options tables contain values defining defaults and options lists specific to
an electrical standard. For example, default to copper wiring, AWG size
standard, and feet for conductor length units.
The OPT table follows this table naming convention:
OPT - if no specific electrical standards table is found, the default table
name to use.
_{standard} - optional suffix to relate it to a specific electrical standards
code. For example, an _NEC suffix could mean that the data for the table
parallels the National Electrical Code. A suffixed OPT table name is not
necessary unless you plan to set up the electrical standards database to
support multiple standards.
Description Name
Default full load amps multiplier value used to determine a maximum load. For
example, the full load amps for a motor is rated at 10 amps and the FLA_MULT
FLA_MULT
default is set to 1.25. The minimum wire size calculation for the wiring for the
motor is based upon an ampacity rating of not 10 amps but 12.5 amps (10
amps x 1.25).
The FLA_MULT factor displays in the Select Motor on page 1034 and Wire Size
Lookup on page 1036 dialog boxes.
Continuous load correction factor for wire size ampacity de-rating. If the elec-
trical load is anticipated to be a continuous load, a default de-rating factor can
be automatically applied to the wire size ampacity calculation.
C_LOAD
For example, a given electrical code defines the Continuous load correction
factor at a value of 0.8. This means that a given wire size that normally has a
maximum rated ampacity value of 20 amps is de-rated to a maximum ampacity
of 16 amps when the wiring is to power a motor that is expected to be a con-
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Description Name
tinuous load. The wire size calculation may need to select the next larger wire
size.
Default wire metal value used to determine appropriate wire ampacity and wire
insulation table names. For example, CU to define copper wiring as the default,
AL to define aluminum wiring as the default.
W_METAL
Default wire type standard used to determine appropriate wire ampacity and
wire insulation table names. For example, AWG or MM2.
W_STD
Maximum allowable % voltage drop in power wiring. This value can be used
to help calculate an appropriate wire size when the wire run distance is also
defined.
V_DROP
Default insulation type used to determine the ambient temperature correction
factor.
W_INSUL
Wire run distance values for pick list in the Wire Size Lookup dialog box. The
run distance is used for estimated voltage drop calculations in the motor or load
power wiring.
LEN_LIST
Run distance units for power conductors and values for units pick list in the Wire
Size Lookup dialog box. Run distance is used in the estimated voltage drop
calculation. Units are either "FT" for feet or "M" for meters.
LEN_UNITS
Unit cost per kWh. This value is used for estimating a maximum annual cost of
energy loss in the power wiring for a motor or load, assuming a continuous full
load.
KWH_COST
KWh cost units character used in the Wire Size Lookup dialog box showing the
wire loss estimates. For example, $ for dollar, for euro.
KWH_COST_UNITS
The code for the electrical standards name for this table. This code on page 178
is saved in the project .wdp file when the standard is applied to a project.
SHORTNAME
The full name of the electrical standards name for this table. This value, extracted
from all the OPT tables, provides the values for the pick list when setting an
FULLNAME
Electrical Code Standard for a project from the Project properties: project settings
tab on page 200.
Run distance units for power conductors and values for units pick list in the Wire
Size Lookup dialog box. Run distance is used in the voltage drop calculation.
LEN_UNITS
Circuit Builder database | 2353
Description Name
Default supply voltage value and values for voltage pick list in the Wire Size
Lookup dialog box.
VOLTS
Default supply phase value and values for phase pick list in the Wire Size Lookup
dialog box. For example, 1 for single-phase, 3 for three-phase.
PHASE
Default value for the minimum wire size when displaying paralleled wire option
in the Wire Size Lookup dialog box. For example, 1-0 AWG.
PARALLEL_MIN_SIZE
Default value for the maximum number of wire conductors when displaying
paralleled wire option in the Wire Size Lookup dialog box. For example, 4 for
up to four paralleled wires per phase.
PARALLEL_MAX_CNT
Default ambient temperature correction factor. This value is used in wire type
sizing. It must match up with one of the temperature de-rating column labels
found in the INSUL_* tables. For example, 30C.
T_AMBIENT
Default power factor for a motor. This value is used in estimated voltage drop
calculations. For example, 0.85.
M_POWERFACTOR
Default power factor for a power feed. This value is used in estimated voltage
drop calculations. For example, 0.85.
F_POWERFACTOR
Defines the expression to calculate the minimum grounding conductor ampacity
size. The I in the expression represents the motor or load full load amps (FLA).
AMPG_MAX
The result of the expression is then applied to the appropriate AMPG table to
determine the minimum grounding conductor size.
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Wire ampacity tables
The wire ampacity tables provide the wire conductor sizes, descriptions, and
maximum FLA ampacity values based on wire size and standard insulation
temperature ratings. This information is used in the following ways:
Automatically select a default wire size based upon the maximum load
amp value displayed in the Select Motor on page 1034 or Select Load on page
1035 dialog boxes.
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Automatically calculate or recalculate suggested wire sizes in the Wire Size
Lookup on page 1036 dialog box as various parameters and de-rating factors
are applied.
The wire ampacity tables use the following naming convention:
AMP - the table name prefix.
_{type} - the wire metal type such as CU for copper, or AL for aluminum.
_{size} - wire size standard such as AWG, or MM2 for metric.
_{standard} - optional suffix to relate it to a specific electrical standards
code. For example, an _NEC suffix could mean that the data for the table
parallels the National Electrical Code. A suffixed table name is not necessary
unless you plan to set up the electrical standards database to support
multiple standards.
For example, a table named AMP_CU_AWG_NEC contains the wire ampacity
information for copper, AWG sizes, and parallels what is found in the National
Electrical Code.
Description Name
Wire size code. This value can be automatically pushed into a wire type layer
name. For example, 12, 250KCMIL.
SIZE
Wire size description shown on the Wire Size Lookup dialog box. For example,
12 AWG, 250 KCMIL.
SIZE_DESC
Imperial cross-section value for the wire conductor size. CIRC_MIL
Maximum ampacity rating values for the wire conductor size for each of these
standard ambient temperature ratings. Additional columns can be added or an
60C, 75C, 90C
existing column can be deleted. For example, if local electrical codes do not
support 90C, this field can be removed from the table and does not show up
as an option in the Wire Size Lookup dialog box.
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Grounding conductor sizing tables
The grounding conductor sizing tables provide the grounding wire conductor
sizes and maximum FLA ampacity values. This information is used in the
following ways:
Provide a suggested minimum grounding conductor size based on the amp
value returned by the expression defined in the AMPG_MAX entry in the
OPT table.
Circuit Builder database | 2357
Provide a selection list on the Wire Size Lookup on page 1036 dialog box
giving this minimum suggested size plus all larger grounding conductor
sizes.
The grounding conductor sizing tables use the following naming convention:
AMPG - the table name prefix
_{type} - the wire metal type such as CU for copper, or AL for aluminum.
_{size} - wire size standard such as AWG, or MM2 for metric.
_{standard} - optional suffix to relate it to a specific electrical standards
code. For example, an _NEC suffix could mean that the data for the table
parallels the National Electrical Code. A suffixed table name is not necessary
unless you plan to set up the electrical standards database to support
multiple standards.
For example, a table named AMPG_CU_AWG_NEC contains the grounding
conductor sizing information for copper, AWG sizes, and parallels values
found in the National Electrical Code.
Description Name
Wire size code. This value can be automatically pushed into a wire type layer
name for the ground wire. For example, 12, 250KCMIL.
SIZE
Wire size description shown on the Wire Size Lookup dialog box. For example,
12 AWG, 250 KCMIL.
SIZE_DESC
Maximum amp value associated to this grounding wire size. The value comes
from the result of the expression held in the AMPG_MAX entry of the OPT table.
MAX
Wire insulation tables
The wire insulation tables provide the option to de-rate wire conductor
ampacity based upon expected maximum ambient temperature.
Automatically select a default wire size based upon the maximum load
amp value, displayed in the Select Motor on page 1034 or Select Load on
page 1035 dialog boxes, and the default insulation type and ambient
temperature rating defined in the W_INSUL and T_AMBIENT entries of
the OPT table.
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Automatically calculate or recalculate suggested wire sizes in the Wire Size
Lookup on page 1036 dialog box as various insulation and temperature
de-rating factors are applied.
The wire insulation tables use the following naming convention:
INSUL - the table name prefix.
_{type} - the wire metal type such as CU for copper, or AL for aluminum.
_{size} - wire size standard such as AWG, or MM2 for metric.
_{standard} - optional suffix to relate it to a specific electrical standards
code. For example, an _NEC suffix could mean that the data for the table
parallels the National Electrical Code. A suffixed table name is not necessary
unless you plan to set up the electrical standards database to support
multiple standards.
For example, a table named INSUL_CU_AWG_NEC contains the wire insulation
information for copper, AWG sizes, and parallels values found in the National
Electrical Code.
Description Name
Insulation type code. INSUL
Insulation type description shown on the Wire Size Lookup dialog box. INSUL_DESC
Standard, maximum temperature rating for the insulation type. TEMP
A series of wire conductor ampacity de-rating factor values for maximum ambient
temperature. Columns can be added or deleted. For example, if 30C is the
minimum ambient temperature rating, the 25C column can be removed.
25C-80C
Circuit Builder database | 2359
Conductor Reactance / AC Resistance tables
The optional conductor reactance/AC resistance tables provide the reactance
and resistance values for wire size based on conduit type. These values are
used to calculate the voltage drop percentage in power wiring when a run
distance is supplied.
There are two types of tables for this feature. A conduit type description table
and the reactance/resistance data tables.
Conduit type description table
2360 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
The description table, XL&R_DESC, contains the labels used on the Wire Size
Lookup on page 1036 dialog box for the conduit or raceway type selection list.
The labels also map to the columns in the data tables.
Data tables
The conductor reactance/AC resistance data tables use the following naming
convention:
XL&R - the table name prefix
_{type} - the wire metal type such as CU for copper, or AL for aluminum.
_{size} - wire size standard such as AWG, or MM2 for metric.
_{standard} - optional suffix to relate it to a specific electrical standards
code. For example, an _NEC suffix could mean that the data for the table
parallels the National Electrical Code. A suffixed table name is not necessary
unless you plan to set up the electrical standards database to support
multiple standards.
Circuit Builder database | 2361
For example, a table named XL&R_CU_AWG_NEC contains the conductor
reactance/AC resistance information for copper, AWG sizes, and parallels
values found in the National Electrical Code.
Description Name
Wire size code. SIZE
A set of reactance and resistance values, semi-colon delimited for the conduit
type. The first element is the estimated reactance and the second element is
the AC resistance.
C1-C3
NOTE see the XL&R_DESC table for the corresponding label for each. Data for
additional conduit/raceway types can be added to this table with a correspond-
ing entry added to the XL&R_DESC table.
NOTE See Wire Size Lookup on page 1036 for the voltage drop calculation.
2362 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
Fill tables
When multiple current carrying wire conductors are in the same conduit,
duct, or raceway, the wire ampacity may need to be de-rated. Current carrying
wire conductors are defined as power wiring, not ground, neutral, or control
wires. The Fill table provides the de-rating factor based on the maximum
number of power wire conductors.
The FILL table follows this naming convention:
FILL - the table name prefix.
_{standard} - optional suffix to relate it to a specific electrical standards
code. For example, an _NEC suffix could mean that the data for the table
parallels the National Electrical Code. A suffixed FILL table name is not
necessary unless you plan to set up the electrical standards database to
support multiple standards.
Circuit Builder database | 2363
MOTOR_I* tables
A set of three tables containing values used for calculating suggested breaker
size, fuse size, and disconnect switch ratings for a given motor or load amp
value. Each table name can have an optional suffix to relate it to a specific
electrical standards code such as _NEC for National Electrical Code.
MOTOR_I_DESC
Lists the component type descriptions whose sizing ties directly into the full
load amps value (FLA) of the motor or load. The CODE value maps to the
MOTOR_I_CALC and MOTOR_I_MAP tables.
2364 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
MOTOR_I_CALC
Lists the formula to calculate the maximum amp value for various types of
components on a per motor type basis. Each row gives a motor type followed
by columns marked with the codes given in the MOTOR_I_DESC table. Each
cell contains an expression to calculate a FLA value. The FLA value for the
selected motor corresponds to the symbol "I" in the expression.
Valid operations are +-*/^. The ^ character is the exponential function. For
example, I^2 is I squared, while I^0.5 is the square root of I.
If-then-else statements are supported including one level of nested statements.
For example,
(if (I > 400) then (I * 8) else (I * 11)) - the calculated amp value is eight
times FLA current for 0-400 amps and 11 times for greater than FLA of 400
amps. One level of nesting is supported.
(if (I >= 9.0) then (I * 1.25) else if (I < 2.0) then (I * 3.0) else (I * 1.67) - the
calculated value is set to (I * 1.67) if I is less than 9 but greater or equal to
2.0 amps. If I is less than 2.0 amps the calculated value is (I * 3.0), and if
greater than or equal to 9.0 amps, it is (I * 1.25).
Valid Boolean operations are >, <. >=. <=, =.
MOTOR_I_MAP
Maps the calculated FLA for a component to a specific rating value and an
optional catalog assignment. The rating value is annotated to the symbol
using the API call c:ace_cb_anno2 in the circuit builder spreadsheet.
The optional catalog assignment is defined in the Default field. Use the
following format:
MFG={manufacturer};CAT={catalog};ASSYCODE={assembly code}
If the ASSYCODE value is not needed, use the format:
MFG={manufacturer};CAT={catalog}
CATALOGSEL table
Circuit Builder uses the CATALOGSEL table to save the catalog selections made
for the motor and other components. The catalog information is saved based
on the motor size. If this same motor size is used later on another circuit, these
previous catalog selections become the default values when they match up
with the configured selections. For example, if the previous circuit was
configured with a 10HP motor with time-delay fuses, and a 10HP motor with
Circuit Builder database | 2365
time-delay fuses is selected for the new circuit, the previously used catalog
selection appears as the default.
If the circuit is configured using the Reference an existing circuit on page 1045
feature, the values are not used from the CATALOGSEL table but from the
referenced circuit. However, if a new motor is then selected from the Select
Motor on page 1034 dialog box, the CATALOGSEL tables values are checked for
a match.
Add a new circuit
To add a new circuit to Circuit Builder there are three main tasks:
Create the circuit drawing template on page 2366 (an AutoCAD .dwg file).
Add a reference to this new circuit in the ACE_CIRCS on page 2372 sheet in
the ace_circuit_builder.xls spreadsheet.
Create or modify a circuit codes on page 2373sheet in the
ace_circuit_builder.xls spreadsheet.
NOTE This exercise demonstrates the capabilities of Circuit Builder and the result
may not necessarily be electrically valid.
Create the circuit template
It is recommended that you read the Circuit Builder drawing templates on
page 2344 topic before continuing.
A circuit template drawing is an AutoCAD .dwg file that contains the wiring
framework for the circuit. On this wiring framework are positioned special
marker blocks. These marker blocks are configured, using attribute values, to
tell Circuit Builder that some action or decision is required at the insertion
point of each marker block. One marker block might identify where to place
he power disconnecting means for the circuit. Another marker block might
identify that an underlying wire must be appropriately sized to the motor
inserted at yet another marker block on the wire framework of the circuit
template.
The easiest way to create a circuit template is to copy a similar template to a
new name and modify the marker blocks on this copied template. For this
example you copy the circuit template ace_cb1_FVNR_H.dwg to a new name.
It is the main template for a 3-phase, horizontal, full-voltage, non-reversing
motor circuit. You modify this template to create a custom circuit template.
2366 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
1 Locate the existing circuit template drawing file ace_cb1_FVNR_H.dwg.
Copies of the circuit builder templates are installed in each of the
schematic library folders, JIC125, IEC2, and so onto. Copy this file to
ace_cb1_FVNR_H_custom.dwg.
NOTE The circuit template name is not critical and does not affect
functionality of Circuit Builder.
2 Open the copied and renamed circuit template,
ace_cb1_FVNR_H_custom.dwg, in AutoCAD. Make sure that you have
write access to the drawing.
This template consists of three wires and some marker blocks.
3 Open ace_circuit_builder.xls in a spreadsheet software for reference. See
Circuit Builder spreadsheet overview on page ? for the location of this
file.
Use standard AutoCAD commands to modify the template and not AutoCAD
Electrical commands. It avoids creating a template that contains an extra copy
of the AutoCAD Electrical WD_M block. If you accidentally use a command
that inserts the invisible WD_M block, either UNDO or erase and purge the
WD_M block instance. To erase and purge the invisible block, follow these
steps:
1 Enter ATTDISP at the command prompt.
2 Enter ON to make all attributes visible.
3 Locate the block at 0,0.
4 Click Home tab Modify panel Erase.
5 Select the block and press enter.
6 Enter PURGE at the command prompt.
7 Select WD_M in the Block s section.
8 Click Purge.
9 Click Close.
Add a new circuit | 2367
Define wires stretching to connect to bus
The first modification is to change the way the horizontal wires connect to
the vertical bus when inserted. The copied template is defined as follows:
Top wire skips over two wires and connects to the left-most vertical bus
wire.
Middle wire skips over one wire and connects to the middle vertical bus
wire.
Bottom wire connects to the first vertical bus wire it encounters.
The following changes to the marker blocks reverse it.
1 Zoom in on the left-hand side of the template.
You should see three marker blocks, each with a CODE value of WCON.
Each one is directly on top of and near the end of one of the wires.
2 Enter ATTEDIT and select the top WCON marker block.
You should see the following values:
CODE = WCON - maps back to a row in the circuit codes sheet with
a function to stretch the end of the underlying wire to try to make a
connection.
ORDER = 1.02 - indicates the order of processing for the marker block
relative to all the other marker blocks in the template. The order value
can be an integer number or a decimal number. The blocks are
processed low to high starting at 0. Blocks with the same ORDER value
are processed as a group.
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MISC1 = _WIRESKIP=2;_MAXTRAPCOUNT=200 - defines any special
handling of the marker block. See the Marker block attributes on page
984 topic for a complete list of supported values.
3 Change the MISC1 value to _MAXTRAPCOUNT=200, removing
_WIRESKIP=2.
The _WIRESKIP value defines the number of wires to skip over when
trying to connect to the vertical bus when inserted. Removing this value
directs Circuit Builder to connect to the first vertical wire it finds.
The _MAXTRAPCOUNT limits the relative distance that circuit builder
searches to find a wire to connect to. It is measured in an integer number
of wire connection trap on page 228 distance units. If _MAXTRAPCOUNT
is not defined or is zero, the search is across the whole extents of the
drawing.
4 Click OK.
5 Enter ATTEDIT and select the bottom WCON marker block.
6 Change the MISC1 value to _WIRESKIP=2;_MAXTRAPCOUNT=200, making
sure to enter the semi-colon character between the values.
It tells Circuit Builder to skip over two vertical wires when trying to
connect to the vertical bus and to search up to 200 times the trap distance
for a vertical wire to connect to. If none are found within that distance,
Circuit Builder will not stretch this wire.
7 Click OK.
Remove unnecessary marker blocks
The copied circuit has marker blocks for a control transformer and power
factor correction capacitor. For this custom circuit, these options are not
needed and the marker blocks can be removed.
1 To verify which marker block is for the control transformer, switch over
to ace_circuit_builder.xls.
2 Open the ACE_CIRCS worksheet.
Find which circuit codes sheet is used for the original template you copied
over, ace_cb1_FVNR_H.dwg.
3 Locate a row with the name of the original template you copied over,
ace_cb1_FVNR_H.dwg, in the DWG_TEMPLATE field.
4 Find the SHEET_NAME value for this row, 3ph_H.
Add a new circuit | 2369
5 Open the 3ph_H worksheet.
6 Find the entry for Control transformer and circuit - non-reversing in the
COMMENTS column.
7 Find the CODE value for this row, XF01.
This CODE value links the marker block to the circuit code sheet.
8 Switch back to the drawing and locate the marker block with the CODE
value of XF01.
9 Erase the marker block using the AutoCAD ERASE command.
10 Repeat the steps to locate and delete the power factor correction marker
block, CODE=KVAR1.
Add a marker block
You can add a marker block by inserting the library symbol,
ace_cb_marker_block.dwg, or by copying an existing marker block and
modifying the attribute values. In this section, you will insert a marker block
that directs Circuit Builder to display a list of possible components to insert
in the Circuit Configuration dialog box.
NOTE This exercise demonstrates the capabilities of Circuit Builder and the result
may not necessarily be electrically valid.
1 Determine exactly where in the template you want this specific
component inserted as the circuit is built.
2 Enter INSERT at the command line to launch the AutoCAD block insert
command.
3 Browse to ace_cb_marker_block.dwg and insert this block at the desired
location.
A copy of this block is installed in each of the schematic library folders,
JIC125, IEC2, and so on.
NOTE You could also use the AutoCAD COPY command and copy a nearby
marker block into the desired location.
4 Enter ATTEDIT and select the marker block.
5 Enter a value for the CODE attribute, for example USR001.
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Use letters or numbers for the value. There is no code naming convention.
Make sure it is unique within the circuit codes spreadsheet. This marker
block code value maps a row or group of rows in to the spreadsheet. The
information in the spreadsheet directs Circuit Builder to perform a specific
action at the XY coordinate of this marker block.
6 Enter a value for the ORDER attribute, for example 12.
This value can be an integer or decimal number and defines the order
that the marker blocks are processed. In this example, 12 is the highest
ORDER value on the template. This means that the action defined by
this marker block is the last one processed as the circuit is built.
7 Enter an optional value for the MISC1 attribute, such as
LOC=FIELD;DESC1=ADDED COMPONENT.
This value can carry a number of flags on page 2344 as well as predefine
attribute values. When more than one, they are to be semi-colon
delimited.
Modify existing marker block
The template has a marker block with a CODE value of X001. Finding the
matching code in the circuit codes sheet indicates a multi-pole component
insertion. Three terminals are inserted at the location of this marker block. In
this section, you add a MISC1 value to predefine the terminal numbers.
1 Enter ATTEDIT and select the marker block with the CODE value of X001.
2 Enter _L=|TERM01=T1|TERM01=T2|TERM01=T3|.
This " _L= " prefix marks the beginning of a list of data to annotate on
to a multi-pole insertion triggered by the single marker block. In the
example here, a multi-pole insertion of three terminals into the three
phase bus defined in the template drawing.
The "|" symbol separates the attribute groups for each pole of the
multi-pole insertion. Multiple attributes within a group are separated by
a ";", the second-level delimiter. This example directs Circuit Builder to
assign T1 to the TERM01 attribute on the first terminal inserted, T2 on
the second, and T3 on the third.
NOTE See Assign different attribute values on a multi-pole insert on page
2379 for more information.
3 Click OK.
Add a new circuit | 2371
NOTE Save the circuit template drawing after all the modifications are made.
ACE_CIRCS sheet
The ACE_CIRCS sheet in the ace_circuit_builder.xls spreadsheet controls the
circuit options displayed on the Circuit Selection dialog box. In this exercise,
you add entry to this ACE_CIRCS sheet so your new circuit option shows up
in the Circuit Selection dialog box.
1 Open ace_circuit_builder.xls for edit using a spreadsheet software. See
Circuit Builder spreadsheet overview on page ? for the location of this
file.
2 Open the ACE_CIRCS sheet.
The structure of this sheet controls the tree structure used by Circuit
Builder on the Circuit Selection dialog box. You will add a new category,
Custom Circuits, with one custom circuit option, My 3-ph motor,
within that category.
3 Enter Custom Circuits in the CATEGORY field of the first blank row below
the existing entries.
It adds a new category to the highest level of the tree display.
4 Enter My 3-ph motor in the TYPE field for the same row.
It adds an option within this new category.
5 Enter ace_cb1_FVNR_H_custom.dwg in the DWG_TEMPLATE field in
this row.
It defines which circuit template drawing to use for this option. This is
the circuit template drawing created in the Create the circuit template
on page 2366 exercise.
6 Enter 3ph_H_custom in the SHEET_NAME field in this row.
It defines the circuit codes sheet name. This is created in the Circuit codes
sheet on page 2373 exercise.
7 Save the spreadsheet.
NOTE Leave the ANNO_CODE field blank. See Predefine attribute values using
annotation presets on page 2406 to learn how to define annotation.
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Circuit codes sheet
Once a circuit is selected from the Circuit Selection dialog box (the CATEGORY
and TYPE fields from the ACE_CIRC sheet), the associated circuit template
drawing, with the marker blocks, is inserted (the DWG_TEMPLATE field). A
related circuit code sheet is ready for reference (the SHEET_NAME field). Each
marker block contains a CODE attribute with a value. This CODE value is used
to match up with a section in the circuit code sheet which defines what to do
at the location of this marker block in the template.
You can create a sheet or copy an existing, similar sheet. Since the circuit
template drawing was copied from ace_cb1_FVNR_H.dwg, it is easier to copy
the circuit codes sheet, 3ph_H, and modify it.
1 Open ace_circuit_builder.xls for edit using a spreadsheet software. See
Circuit Builder spreadsheet overview on page ? for the location of this
file.
2 Copy the 3ph_H sheet and rename it 3ph_H_custom as referenced in the
ACE_CIRCS sheet.
The changes in the circuit codes sheet must correspond to the changes made
to the marker blocks in the circuit template drawing. You can delete the lines
in the sheet that match the code values from the marker blocks you deleted,
XF01 and KVAR1. If you decide not to delete them from this sheet, it is not
a problem. These lines are ignored and not displayed on the Circuit
Configuration dialog box if the corresponding marker blocks are not found.
3 Locate the CODE value XF01.
4 Delete all the spreadsheet rows to the point where the next non-blank
CODE value begins, such as XF02.
5 Repeat for CODE value KVAR1.
Add a section for the new marker block you added with a CODE value of
USR001. Add this new section at the bottom of the sheet after the last
non-blank row.
6 Enter USR001 in the CODE field in the blank row.
7 Enter Extra Component in the COMMENT field.
It is displayed in the left-hand Circuit Elements section of the Circuit
Configuration dialog box and is used for selection.
8 Enter Component in the UI_TITLE field.
Add a new circuit | 2373
It is the label that shows up above the selection list in the middle part of
the Circuit Configuration dialog box.
9 Enter Red Light in the UI_PROMPT_LIST field in the same row.
It is the text shown in the selection list for this item, displayed in the
middle part of the dialog box.
10 Enter 1 in the UI_VAL field in the same row.
It is a numerical value assigned to the selection from each group. These
numerical values are added up and matched to the value in the UI_SEL
column. This example only has one value.
11 Enter 1 in the UI_SEL field in the same row.
NOTE All UI_VAL and UI_SEL values must be inserted as text values in the
spreadsheet and not as numbers. An apostrophe character in front of the
number forces the spreadsheet software to interpret it as a text value. You
can also format the cells specifically as text. The text should appear left justified
in the cell. If any values appear right justified, they must change from numeric
to text values.
It is a numerical value matched to the sum total of the values in the
UI_VAL column for each selection made within a group. The
COMMAND_LIST value from this row is used to insert the selected
options.
12 Enter (c:ace_cb_insym #xyz nil HLT1R #scl 8 nil) in the COMMAND_LIST
field.
It is the API call Circuit Builder uses to insert a component. See the API
documentation for more information.
13 Enter Selector Switch in the UI_PROMPT_LIST field in the next row.
It is the second option within the Extra Component option. The CODE,
COMMENTS, and UI_TITLE fields should remain blank.
14 Enter X in the UI_DEF field in this row. It defines the entry as the default
option. The default is used when the circuit is inserted using the Insert
button on the Circuit Selection dialog box. If the Configure button is
selected, the "X" entry is the preselected default in the Circuit
Configuration dialog box when the options for this marker block are
displayed
15 Enter 2 in the UI_VAL field in the same row.
16 Enter 2 in the UI_SEL field in the same row.
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17 Enter (c:ace_cb_insym #xyz nil HSS112 #scl 8 nil) in the
COMMAND_LIST field.
18 Enter NO Contact in the UI_PROMPT_LIST field in the next row.
19 Enter 3 in the UI_VAL field in the same row.
20 Enter 3 in the UI_SEL field in the same row.
21 Enter (c:ace_cb_insym #xyz nil HCR21 #scl 8 nil) in the
COMMAND_LIST field.
22 Enter None in the UI_PROMPT_LIST field in the next row.
23 Enter 0 in the UI_VAL field in the same row.
24 Enter 0 in the UI_SEL field in the same row.
Leave the COMMAND_LIST field blank, meaning that if this option is
selected no action is needed.
25 Save the spreadsheet.
NOTE A new circuit codes sheet is not always needed. Depending on the circuit
and the circuit options, the information can be added to an existing sheet. In this
example, a new sheet was created to demonstrate the procedure.
Testing the circuit
Once you create the circuit template on page 2366, modified ACE_CIRCS on
page 2372 sheet, and added the circuit codes on page 2373 sheet, you are ready to
test your custom circuit.
1 Make sure that you save the spreadsheet changes and close the spreadsheet
file.
2 Open a new or existing drawing to insert the circuit. Make sure that the
drawing has a vertical 3-phase bus.
3 Click Schematic tab Insert Components panel Circuit Builder
drop-down Circuit Builder.
Add a new circuit | 2375
4 Look for the new category you added, Custom Circuits, on the Circuit
Selection dialog box.
If it is not there, or is not in the place you wanted, go back to the
ACE_CIRCS on page 2372 exercise.
5 Expand the Custom Circuits category and select the circuit you added,
My 3-ph motor.
If it is not there or is not in the place you wanted, go back to the
ACE_CIRCS on page 2372 exercise.
6 Click Configure.
7 Select a location on the 3-phase bus.
If the wires do not connect to the bus in the way defined, go back to
Define wires stretching to connect to bus on page 2368.
8 Look through the circuit elements on the Circuit Configuration dialog
box. If the circuit element for the new marker block, Extra Component,
is not there, go back to Circuit codes sheet on page 2373.
9 Select Extra Component in Circuit Elements.
If the options, Red Light, Selector Switch, NO Contact, and None are not
displayed in the Select section, go back to Circuit codes sheet on page
2373.
If the default value for the Extra Component is not Selector Switch, go
back to Circuit codes sheet on page 2373.
10 Select a component from the list.
11 Select to insert all the circuit elements.
12 If the component selected for the new Extra Component option was not
inserted, go back to Circuit codes sheet on page 2373.
13 If the attribute values for the component are not predefined, LOC=FIELD
and DESC1=ADDED COMPONENT, go back to circuit template on page
2366.
14 If the three terminals are not numbered, T1, T2, and T3, go back to circuit
template on page 2366.
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Circuit Builder - How to
Overview
Circuit Builder is controlled by a spreadsheet, a set of circuit template drawings,
and the electrical standards database file. The spreadsheet, circuit template
drawings, and the electrical standards database file can be modified to
customize Circuit Builder.
Spreadsheet
The spreadsheet defines the available circuits, circuit types, and defaults for
each option within a circuit. The default name for the Circuit Builder
spreadsheet is ace_circuit_builder.xls. The default location for the spreadsheet
is:
Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\All
Users\Documents\Autodesk\AcadE {version}\Support\
Windows Vista, Windows 7: C:\Users\Public\Documents\Autodesk\AcadE
{version}\Support\
The ace_circuit_builder.xls spreadsheet can be relocated into any of the normal
AutoCAD Electrical or AutoCAD support paths.
The circuit builder spreadsheet name can be overridden by setting the
environment variable, WD_CIRCBUILDER_FNAM, in the wd.env on page 2318
file.
circuit template drawings
The template for a selected circuit defines the placement for the individual
components and the wiring. The circuit template drawings use the following
naming convention.
ace_cb1_*.dwg - primary circuit template drawings
ace_cb2_*.dwg - branching or nested circuit template drawings
The default location for the circuit template drawings is the schematic library
folder:
Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\All
Users\Documents\Autodesk\AcadE {version}\Libs\{library}\
Circuit Builder - How to | 2377
Windows Vista, Windows 7: C:\Users\Public\Documents\Autodesk\AcadE
{version}\Libs\{library}\
One-line circuit templates have a 1- and the default location is in a 1-
folder under the schematic library folder.
Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\All
Users\Documents\Autodesk\AcadE {version}\Libs\{library}\1-
Windows Vista, Windows 7: C:\Users\Public\Documents\Autodesk\AcadE
{version}\Libs\{library}\1-
NOTE New templates do not have to follow this naming convention.
Electrical Standards database file
Circuit Builder uses an electrical standards database to define default values,
define engineering calculations, annotate circuits, and provide wire type
analysis. The electrical standards database, ace_electrical_standards.mdb, is
located in the catalog folder. The default location is:
Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\{username}\My
Documents\Acade {version}\AeData\Catalogs\
Windows Vista, Windows 7: C:\Users\{username}\Documents\Acade
{version}\AeData\Catalogs\
See also:
Circuit Builder spreadsheet on page 2340
Circuit Builder drawing templates on page 2344
Circuit Builder database on page 2349
Add a multiple catalog option
Some components need multiple catalog entries. Define them in the Circuit
Builder spreadsheet to add them in the Setup & Annotation section of the
Circuit Configuration dialog box.
1 Open the Circuit Builder spreadsheet, ace_circuit_builder.xls.
2 Find the circuit CATEGORY and TYPE, for example CATEGORY: 3ph
Motor Circuit and TYPE: Horizontal - FVNR - non reversing.
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3 Open the circuit code sheet with the same name as the SHEET_NAME
value, for example SHEET_NAME: 3ph_H.
4 Find the component, for example CODE: PB01, COMMENTS: Stop,
UI_PROMPT_LIST: Stop.
Notice the values in TABLE0: PB and TITLE0: Push Button.
It indicates that the component can have a main catalog value. The
TABLE0 value is the table name for the catalog lookup. The TITLE0 value
is the title for the section in the Setup & Annotation area of the Circuit
Configuration dialog box.
5 Add a value in the TABLE1 and TITLE1 cells. For example, if the push
button requires a cover and it is found in the MISC_CAT table of the
catalog lookup database file, enter TABLE1: MISC_CAT and TITLE1: Cover.
6 Save the spreadsheet.
The next time Circuit Builder is run using the configure option, an extra
catalog section appears for this component.
Assign different attribute values on a multi-pole insert
There are two ways to predefine attribute values for a multi-pole component.
On the marker block for the component in the circuit template drawing.
In the Circuit Builder spreadsheet circuit codes sheet.
NOTE The attribute value defined on the marker block overrides any value defined
in the spreadsheet.
Marker block method
1 Open the circuit template drawing that contains the marker block for
the component.
2 Find the correct marker block for the component.
3 Edit its MISC1 attribute value using the format _L=|{attribute
name}={attribute value} | {attribute name}={attribute value}. For example,
to assign different terminal numbers to the multi-pole insertion of three
motor terminals, enter _L=|TERM01=T1|TERM01=T2|TERM01=T3|.
Circuit Builder - How to | 2379
NOTE The MISC1 attribute value can contain multiple special text flags which
direct Circuit Builder to handle the component or underlying wire in a special
way. When you add new values, do not overwrite any other special flag values.
Separate each one with a semicolon.
4 Save the circuit template drawing.
Spreadsheet method
1 Open the Circuit Builder spreadsheet, ace_circuit_builder.xls.
2 Find the circuit CATEGORY and TYPE, for example CATEGORY: 3ph
Motor Circuit and TYPE: Horizontal - FVNR - non reversing.
3 Open the circuit code sheet with the same name as the SHEET_NAME
value, for example SHEET_NAME: 3ph_H.
4 Find the specific component, for example CODE: X001, COMMENTS:
Motor terminal connections, UI_PROMPT_LIST: Square.
There can be multiple selections within the group. For example, there is
a selection for the type of disconnecting means, and a selection to include
an auxiliary contact. Each selection is assigned a numerical value from
the UI_VAL field. The values are added to determine the appropriate
action for this combination of selections. The sum is matched to a value
in the UI_SEL field. Once this match is made, the COMMAND_LIST value,
ANNOTATE_LIST value, and so on, are used to insert and annotate the
selections.
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5 Edit the API call in the COMMAND_LIST column for this component.
For example, the last argument of this Insert Multi-pole Component API
call is used to predefine MISC1 coded values with nil when nothing extra
is defined.
Before and after are shown:
Before: (c:ace_cb_multipole #xyz nil "HT0001" 3 #scl 4 nil)
After: (c:ace_cb_multipole #xyz nil "HT0001" 3 #scl 4
_L=|TERM01=T1|TERM01=T2|TERM01=T3|)
NOTE See the API documentation for more information.
6 Save the spreadsheet.
Assign attribute values using AutoLISP
An AutoLISP expression can be used to define a calculated or special value for
an attribute on a component. For example, you can calculate related values
such as Kilowatt (KW) based upon a selected horsepower value.
See Map motor parameters to the motor symbol attributes on page 2397 to map
the entered horsepower.
1 Open the circuit template drawing that contains the marker block for
the motor symbol.
2 Find the correct marker block for the motor symbol.
3 Edit its MISC1 attribute value using the format {attribute
name}=(AutoLISP expression). For example, convert the HP value to
Kilowatts and push this value out to attribute RATING5 on the motor
symbol. Enter this expression on the MISC1 attribute of the marker block:
RATING5=(rtos (* @1@ 0.746) 2 2)
The "@1@" maps to the second entry (list is zero based) held in the #data
global variable, which is the entered horsepower value. Multiplying by
0.746 converts the horsepower (HP) to Kilowatts (KW).
Circuit Builder - How to | 2381
NOTE The MISC1 attribute value can contain multiple special text flags which
direct Circuit Builder to handle the component or underlying wire in a special
way. When you add new values, do not overwrite any other special flag values.
Separate each one with a semicolon.
4 Save the circuit template drawing.
Conditionally trim or remove a wire segment
As Circuit Builder dynamically builds the circuit, a circuit element selection
can require that a wire is trimmed back or removed. For example, the circuit
can include an option for an indicator light. If no indicator light is selected,
the wire framework for it must be removed.
1 Open the circuit template drawing that contains the marker block for
the optional component. Take note of the value of the ORDER attribute.
2 Find the wires to remove or trim if the optional component is not selected.
3 Add marker blocks on each wire with the same ORDER attribute value as
the optional marker block for the component.
4 Assign the same CODE value to each trim wire marker block, for example
XY01.
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5 Save the circuit template drawing.
6 Open the Circuit Builder spreadsheet, ace_circuit_builder.xls.
7 Find the circuit CATEGORY and TYPE, for example CATEGORY: 3ph
Motor Circuit and TYPE: Horizontal - FVNR - non reversing.
8 Open the circuit code sheet with the same name as the SHEET_NAME
value, for example SHEET_NAME: 3ph_H.
9 Find the optional component, for example CODE: LT01, COMMENTS:
Light, UI_PROMPT_LIST: Light.
10 Edit the API call in the COMMAND_LIST column for the option that
would require a wire trim or removal. For example, add this command
call for the "No light" option in the spreadsheet:
(c:ace_cb_trim "XY01" nil) where XY01 is the CODE attribute value
assigned to each wire marker block.
NOTE See the API documentation for more information.
11 Save the spreadsheet.
Circuit Builder - How to | 2383
Conditional component insertion
As Circuit Builder dynamically builds the circuit, a circuit element selection
may require a conditional component insertion. For example, there may be
an option to insert either a start push button or a N.O. relay contact at the
insertion point of a marker block. If a momentary push button is selected then
a seal contact should be inserted around the push button at the location
marked with a separate marker block. However, if the N.O. relay contact option
is selected, then no seal contact is needed and wires must be trimmed or
removed.
1 Open the circuit template drawing that contains the marker block for
the selected component, for example the momentary push button. Take
note of the value of its ORDER attribute.
2 Find the wire that should receive the conditional component. Add a
marker block with the same ORDER attribute value.
3 Assign a unique CODE attribute value to this conditional marker block,
for example XY02.
4 Find the wires to remove or trim if the conditional component is not
needed.
5 Add marker blocks on each of these wire segments. Edit the ORDER
attribute value to match the one on the marker block for the conditional
component.
6 Assign the same CODE value to each wire marker block, for example
XY01. This CODE value should not be the same as the one assigned to
the conditional component marker block.
7 Save the circuit template drawing.
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8 Open the Circuit Builder spreadsheet, ace_circuit_builder.xls.
9 Find the circuit CATEGORY and TYPE, for example CATEGORY: 3ph
Motor Circuit and TYPE: Horizontal - FVNR - non reversing.
10 Open the circuit code sheet with the same name as the SHEET_NAME
value, for example SHEET_NAME: 3ph_H.
11 Find the optional component, for example CODE: PB02, COMMENTS:
Start, UI_PROMPT_LIST: Start.
12 Edit the API call in the COMMAND_LIST column for the option that
would require the conditional insert. Multiple API calls can be used to
insert multiple components. For example:
(c:ace_cb_insym #xyz nil "HPB11" #scl 8 nil)(c:ace_cb_insym "XY02" nil
"HMS21" #scl 8 nil)
Note the difference in the second call. Instead of passing the #xyz global
variable name that carries the XY coordinate of the main marker block,
it passes the "XY02" code name. This means that the "HMS21" symbol
will insert wherever marker block "XY02" is located in the inserted
template.
13 Edit the API call in the COMMAND_LIST column for the option that
requires a wire trim or removal. For example:
(c:ace_cb_trim "XY01" nil) where XY01 is the CODE attribute value
assigned to each wire marker block.
Instead of passing the XY coordinate as the first argument, the "XY01"
code name is passed. It instructs Circuit Builder to find all marker blocks
with CODE attribute value "XY01" and with the target ORDER value and
trim or remove their underlying wires
NOTE See the API documentation for more information.
14 Save the spreadsheet.
Control the multi-pole insertion direction
The default build direction for a multi-pole component is down for horizontal
bus wires, and left to right for vertical bus wires. You can override the default
build direction.
1 Open the circuit template drawing that contains the marker block for
the multi-pole component.
2 Find the correct marker block for the component.
Circuit Builder - How to | 2385
3 Edit its MISC1 attribute value using the format _D={digit}, where 1=build
left to right, 2=build up, 4=build right to left, and 8=build down.
For example, if the template has a vertical 3-phase bus and the
disconnection means that marker block is located over the right-hand
wire, give its MISC1 attribute a value of "_D=4". It causes the child poles
of the multi-pole insert to move to the left to pick up the remaining two
bus wires.
NOTE The MISC1 attribute value can contain multiple special text flags which
direct Circuit Builder to handle the component or underlying wire in a special
way. When you add new values, do not overwrite any other special flag values.
Separate each one with a semicolon.
4 Save the circuit template drawing.
Control the bus wire spacing
You can set up a circuit template so the wire spacing between two or more
parallel bus wires is auto-adjusted. A marker block is positioned on each wire
and its CODE value references the (c:ace_cb_rung_spacing) API call in the
spreadsheet. The marker blocks with a common ORDER value are processed
as a group. One of the marked wires is designated as the "base" wire, meaning
that it is the one that does not move. The other marked bus wires in the group
are then positioned set distances away from the base wire.
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The base wire is determined in one of two ways:
The base wire is the marker block that has a MISC1 attribute with a value
of "_BASE".
If no MISC1 attribute has a _BASE value, the underlying wire that comes
closest to being colinear with the insertion point of the template is the
one that becomes the base wire.
A template can carry multiple groups of marker blocks indicating that the
underlying bus wires should auto-adjust. The CODE value can be the same
for all groups, but each group must have its own ORDER value.
Define the wire type
There are three ways to define the wire type.
On the marker block for the wire in the circuit template.
In the Circuit Builder spreadsheet circuit codes sheet.
Based on motor size selection.
NOTE The attribute value defined on the marker block overrides any value defined
in the spreadsheet.
Marker block method
1 Open the circuit template drawing that contains the marker block for
the wire.
2 Find the correct marker block for the wire.
3 Edit its MISC1 attribute value using the format _WIRETYPE={layer
name}, for example, _WIRETYPE=BRN_10AWG.
Circuit Builder - How to | 2387
NOTE The MISC1 attribute value can contain multiple special text flags which
direct Circuit Builder to handle the component or underlying wire in a special
way. When you add new values, do not overwrite any other special flag values.
Separate each one with a semicolon.
4 Save the circuit template drawing.
Spreadsheet method
1 Open the Circuit Builder spreadsheet, ace_circuit_builder.xls.
2 Find the circuit CATEGORY and TYPE, for example CATEGORY: 3ph
Motor Circuit and TYPE: Horizontal - FVNR - non reversing.
3 Open the circuit code sheet with the same name as the SHEET_NAME
value, for example SHEET_NAME: 3ph_H.
4 Find the specific wire, for example CODE: WT01, and COMMENTS: Assign
motor wire type - phase 1.
5 Edit the API call in the COMMAND_LIST column for this wire. For
example, the last argument of this Set Wire type API call is used to
predefine MISC1 coded values with nil when nothing extra is defined.
Before and after are shown:
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Before: (c:ace_cb_set_wiretype #data 1 nil nil)
After:(c:ace_cb_set_wiretype #data 1 nil _WIRETYPE=BRN_10AWG)
NOTE See the API documentation for more information.
6 Save the spreadsheet.
Based on motor size selection
You can apply the minimum wire size for a selected motor load to the wire
type layer name. The value, which is extracted from the
ace_electrical_standards.mdb database, can be substituted for any @WSIZE@
string found in the _WIRETYPE= value. Use this variable in the MISC1
attribute on the wire marker block or in the spreadsheet as part of the wire
type API call.
Marker block method
1 Open the circuit template drawing that contains the marker block for
the wire.
2 Find the correct marker block for the wire.
3 Edit its MISC1 attribute value using the format _WIRETYPE=@WSIZE@,
for example, _WIRETYPE=BRN_@WSIZE@.
NOTE The MISC1 attribute value can contain multiple special text flags which
direct Circuit Builder to handle the component or underlying wire in a special
way. When you add new values, do not overwrite any other special flag values.
Separate each one with a semicolon.
4 Save the circuit template drawing.
Spreadsheet method
1 Open the Circuit Builder spreadsheet, ace_circuit_builder.xls.
2 Find the circuit CATEGORY and TYPE, for example CATEGORY: 3ph
Motor Circuit and TYPE: Horizontal - FVNR - non reversing.
3 Open the circuit code sheet with the same name as the SHEET_NAME
value, for example SHEET_NAME: 3ph_H.
4 Find the specific wire, for example CODE: WT01, and COMMENTS: Assign
motor wire type - phase 1.
Circuit Builder - How to | 2389
5 Edit the API call in the COMMAND_LIST column for this wire. For
example, the last argument of this Set Wire type API call is used to
predefine MISC1 coded values with nil when nothing extra is defined.
Before and after are shown:
Before: (c:ace_cb_set_wiretype #data 1 nil nil)
After:(c:ace_cb_set_wiretype #data 1 nil _WIRETYPE=BRN_@WSIZE@)
NOTE See the API documentation for more information.
6 Save the spreadsheet.
Define the wire type as no wire numbering
There are two ways to define the wire type and set it to no wire numbering.
On the marker block for the wire in the circuit template.
In the Circuit Builder spreadsheet circuit codes sheet.
NOTE The attribute value defined on the marker block overrides any value defined
in the spreadsheet.
Marker block method
1 Open the circuit template drawing that contains the marker block for
the wire.
2 Find the correct marker block for the wire.
3 Edit its MISC1 attribute value using the format
_WIRENUMBERS=0;_WIRETYPE={layer name}.
_WIRENUMBERS=0 defines the layer as No Wire Numbering. Any
wire without this flag is created as a normal wire numbering layer by
default.
NOTE This flag applies only if the wire layer does not exist and is created
when the circuit is inserted.
_WIRETYPE={layer name} defines the layer name.
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NOTE The MISC1 attribute value can contain multiple special text flags which
direct Circuit Builder to handle the component or underlying wire in a special
way. When you add new values, do not overwrite any other special flag values.
Separate each one with a semicolon.
4 Save the circuit template drawing.
Spreadsheet method
1 Open the Circuit Builder spreadsheet, ace_circuit_builder.xls.
2 Find the circuit CATEGORY and TYPE, for example CATEGORY: 3ph
Motor Circuit and TYPE: Horizontal - FVNR - non reversing.
3 Open the circuit code sheet with the same name as the SHEET_NAME
value, for example SHEET_NAME: 3ph_H.
4 Find the specific wire, for example CODE: WT01, and COMMENTS: Assign
motor wire type - phase 1.
5 Edit the API call in the COMMAND_LIST column for this wire. For
example, the last argument of this Set Wire type API call is used to
predefine MISC1 coded values with nil when nothing extra is defined.
Before and after are shown:
Before: (c:ace_cb_set_wiretype #data 1 nil nil)
After:(c:ace_cb_set_wiretype #data 1 nil
_WIRENUMBERS=0;_WIRETYPE=BRN_10AWG)
_WIRENUMBERS=0 defines the layer as No Wire Numbering. Any
wire without this flag is created as a normal wire numbering layer by
default.
NOTE This flag applies only if the wire layer does not exist and is created
when the circuit is inserted.
_WIRETYPE=BRN_10AWG defines the layer name.
NOTE See the API documentation for more information.
6 Save the spreadsheet.
Circuit Builder - How to | 2391
Format the numeric tag of the motor symbol in a wire
number
You can include the motor symbol tag number assignment in connected wire
number assignments. It requires coordination between the motor symbol
insertion and the wire number insertion. The motor symbol must insert before
the wire number. The order of insertion is controlled by the ORDER attribute
value on the marker blocks within the circuit template drawing. The marker
block ORDER attribute value for the motor symbol must be a lower number
than the ORDER value of the marker block for the wire number in the circuit
template drawing. When the wire number is inserted, the motor tag value can
be incorporated in to the wire number.
1 Open the Circuit Builder spreadsheet, ace_circuit_builder.xls.
2 Find the circuit CATEGORY and TYPE, for example CATEGORY: 3ph
Motor Circuit and TYPE: Horizontal - FVNR - non reversing.
3 Open the circuit code sheet with the same name as the SHEET_NAME
value, for example SHEET_NAME: 3ph_H.
4 Find the motor symbol, for example CODE: MTR03, COMMENTS: Motor
symbol, UI_PROMPT_LIST: 3ph motor.
There can be multiple selections within the group. For example, there is
a selection for the type of disconnecting means, and a selection to include
an auxiliary contact. Each selection is assigned a numerical value from
the UI_VAL field. The values are added together to determine the
appropriate action for this combination of selections. The sum is matched
to a value in the UI_SEL field. Once this match is made, the
COMMAND_LIST value, ANNOTATE_LIST value, and so on, are used to
insert and annotate the selections.
5 Edit the API call in the ANNOTATE_LIST column for this component.
For example, it might look like this with two API calls concatenated:
(c:ace_cb_anno #data 0)(c:ace_cb_save "@MOTOR_NUM@" "TAG1*" nil
1)
The second one, c:ace_cb_save, saves the TAG1 attribute value on the
motor in to memory under an index tag of @MOTOR_NUM@. This
value can be referenced when the subsequent wire number marker blocks
are processed.
NOTE See the API documentation for more information on c:ace_cb_save.
6 Save the spreadsheet.
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7 Find the marker blocks for the wire numbers that are tied to the motor
tag. These could be on the main circuit template or on a nested template
drawing. Open the circuit template drawing.
8 Find the correct marker block for the wire number.
9 Edit its MISC1 attribute value using the @MOTOR_NUM@ in the format
where you want the motor tag value. For example,
_TAGFMT=@MOTOR_NUM@-%N or to predefine a wire number,
_TAGFMT=@MOTOR_NUM@-T1A.
NOTE The MISC1 attribute value can contain multiple special text flags which
direct Circuit Builder to handle the component or underlying wire in a special
way. When you add new values, do not overwrite any other special flag values.
Separate each one with a semicolon.
10 Save the circuit template drawings.
Format the numeric tag of the motor symbol into other
component tags
You can include the motor symbol tag number assignment in other
components in the circuit. It requires coordination between the motor symbol
insertion and the insertion of the other components. The motor symbol must
Circuit Builder - How to | 2393
insert before these other components. The order of insertion is controlled by
the ORDER attribute value on the marker blocks within the circuit template
drawing. The marker block ORDER attribute value for the motor symbol must
be a lower number than the ORDER values of the marker blocks for the other
components in the circuit template drawing. When the other components
are inserted, the motor tag value can be incorporated into the subsequent
component tags.
1 Open the Circuit Builder spreadsheet, ace_circuit_builder.xls.
2 Find the circuit CATEGORY and TYPE, for example CATEGORY: 3ph
Motor Circuit and TYPE: Horizontal - FVNR - non reversing.
3 Open the circuit code sheet with the same name as the SHEET_NAME
value, for example SHEET_NAME: 3ph_H.
4 Find the motor symbol, for example CODE: MTR03, COMMENTS: Motor
symbol, UI_PROMPT_LIST: 3ph motor.
There can be multiple selections within the group. For example, there is
a selection for the type of disconnecting means, and a selection to include
an auxiliary contact. Each selection is assigned a numerical value from
the UI_VAL field. The values are added together to determine the
appropriate action for this combination of selections. The sum is matched
to a value in the UI_SEL field. Once this match is made, the
COMMAND_LIST value, ANNOTATE_LIST value, and so on, are used to
insert and annotate the selections.
5 Edit the API call in the ANNOTATE_LIST column for this component.
For example, it might look like this with two API calls concatenated:
(c:ace_cb_anno #data 0)(c:ace_cb_save "@MOTOR_NUM@" "TAG1*" nil
1)
The second one, c:ace_cb_save, saves the TAG1 attribute value on the
motor in to memory under an index tag of @MOTOR_NUM@. This
value can be referenced when the subsequent component marker blocks
are processed.
NOTE See the API documentation for more information on c:ace_cb_save.
6 Find the component you want the tag to follow the motor tag, for
example CODE: CAP01, COMMENTS: Power factor correction capacitor.
7 Edit the API call in the COMMAND_LIST column for this component.
For example, it might look like this:
(c:ace_cb_insym #xyz nil "VCA113_1-" #scl 8 "%N=@MOTOR_NUM@")
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The last argument of this API call, %N=@MOTOR_NUM@, tells Circuit
Builder to use the TAG1 value from the motor, saved as
@MOTOR_NUM@, as the number part of the tag for this component.
For example, if the component tag format is defined on page 218 as
%S-%F-%N, the numeric part of the motor tag is used for the %N
part of the generated component tag.
You can also define this using a fixed _TAGFMT option. Using this
approach overrides the component tag format defined on page 218 for
the drawing. Some examples:
"_TAGFMT=%F@MOTOR_NUM@" - used with the component family
code string, %F.
"_TAGFMT=%S-@MOTOR_NUM@%F" - used with the SHEET_NAME
value of the drawing, %S.
"_TAGFMT=CA@MOTOR_NUM@" - used with a defined text prefix.
8 Repeat for each component that should base the tag value off the motor
tag value.
9 Save the spreadsheet.
NOTE It can also be done by defining the MISC1 attribute on the marker blocks
for each component as described in Format the numeric tag of the motor symbol
in a wire number on page 2392.
Link a child contact to the parent
As Circuit Builder dynamically builds the circuit, each component receives a
component tag. A child contact must link to a parent component to receive
the same component tag as the parent.
The parent and child components are automatically linked by Circuit Builder
if they each have the same default tag value. For example, the motor starter
coil and auxiliary contacts both have a default value M.
There can be more than one parent/child relationship within the overall circuit
with the same default tag. The overall circuit includes the main circuit template
and any branching or nested circuit templates. For example, a reversing motor
starter has two starter coils, forward and reverse. Each parent coil must link
to the correct child auxiliary contacts and power contacts but they might all
have the same default tag value, M. To accomplish the correct parent/child
links follow these steps.
Circuit Builder - How to | 2395
1 Open the circuit template drawings that contain the parent and child
marker blocks. There can be more than one circuit template drawing
involved, for example a main template with power contacts and a nested
template with the starter coils and interlocking auxiliary contacts.
2 Find the correct marker block for each component that requires a new
default tag link.
3 Edit the MISC1 attribute value adding _PRETAG={new default tag link}.
For example, add _PRETAG=MF for the forward motor coil and contacts,
and _PRETAG=MR for the reverse motor coil and contacts.
NOTE The MISC1 attribute value can contain multiple special text flags which
direct Circuit Builder to handle the component or underlying wire in a special
way. When you add new values, do not overwrite any other special flag values.
Separate each one with a semicolon (:).
4 Save the circuit template drawings.
When Circuit Builder inserts the nested circuit containing the child
contacts, it matches these predefined tag values with the correct parent
coil.
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Map motor parameters to the motor symbol attributes
When a motor circuit is selected, a special motor setup/annotation function
is called. This special function is flagged by a marker block on the template
with a CODE value which maps to a line in the circuit codes sheet marked
"!MCC_CTRL" in the UI_TITLE field. This function references the
ace_electrical_standards.mdb file to determine full load current and wire size
values for a selected set of motor input parameters.
The values generated by this motor setup/annotation function are not
automatically written to attributes on the components or wire types on the
circuit. These values are saved as an indexed list in an AutoLISP global variable
called #data. Global means that the data is saved in memory and is available
while the Circuit Builder continues to construct the circuit. As Circuit Builder
processes subsequent marker blocks of the circuit, it can be set up to pull one
or more of these saved values from the global and push them out to attributes
on the components or used to format appropriate wiretype layer names
This motor setup/annotation must be flagged to happen early on. It is done
with an ORDER value which is set to a low number or 0. For example, if the
motor full load amps value is used to determine the main disconnect circuit
breaker sizing, this data must be in memory before the main disconnecting
means marker block is processed.
Circuit Builder - How to | 2397
The elements in the first sublist of the "#data" list are held in memory in the
following order. The values related to the motor are held in the first eight
elements. See the API documentation for a complete list of elements.
0 Motor Type
1 Power
2 Units
3 Voltage
4 Phase
5 Hertz (Hz)
6 Speed (RPM)
7 Full Load Amps (FLA)
NOTE Circuit Builder numbers this indexed list starting at 0 rather than 1.
There are two ways to map these values to the attributes on a component.
On the marker block for the motor, fuse, or circuit breaker symbol in the
circuit template drawing.
In the Circuit Builder spreadsheet circuit codes sheet.
NOTE The attribute value defined on the marker block overrides any value defined
in the spreadsheet.
Marker block method
1 Open the circuit template drawing that contains the marker block for
the motor, fuse, or circuit breaker symbol.
2 Find the correct marker block for the symbol.
3 Edit its MISC1 attribute value using the format {attribute name}=@#@.
Replace the # with the appropriate index digit to map the correct
element. For example, to map the horsepower to the RATING2 attribute,
enter "RATING2=HP: @1@". To also map the full load amp value to the
RATING4 attribute, enter "RATING2=HP: @1@;RATING4=Full load: @7@
amps". Remember, the indexed list of values is zero based.
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NOTE The MISC1 attribute value can contain multiple special text flags which
direct Circuit Builder to handle the component or underlying wire in a special
way. When you add new values, do not overwrite any other special flag values.
Separate each one with a semicolon.
4 Save the circuit template drawing.
Spreadsheet method
1 Open the Circuit Builder spreadsheet, ace_circuit_builder.xls.
2 Find the circuit CATEGORY and TYPE, for example CATEGORY: 3ph
Motor Circuit and TYPE: Horizontal - FVNR - non reversing.
3 Open the circuit code sheet with the same name as the SHEET_NAME
value, for example SHEET_NAME: 3ph_H.
4 Find the motor symbol section, for example CODE: MTR03, COMMENTS:
Motor symbol, UI_PROMPT_LIST: 3ph motor.
There can be multiple selections within the group. For example, there is
a selection for the type of disconnecting means, and a selection to include
an auxiliary contact. Each selection is assigned a numerical value from
the UI_VAL field. The values are added to determine the appropriate
Circuit Builder - How to | 2399
action for this combination of selections. The sum is matched to a value
in the UI_SEL field. Once this match is made, the COMMAND_LIST value,
ANNOTATE_LIST value, and so on, are used to insert and annotate the
selections.
5 Edit the API call in the COMMAND_LIST column for this motor symbol.
For example, the last argument of this Insert Component API call is used
to predefine MISC1 coded values with nil when nothing extra is defined.
Before and after are shown:
Before:(c:ace_cb_insym #xyz nil "HMO13" #scl 8 nil)
After:(c:ace_cb_insym #xyz nil "HMO13" #scl 8 RATING2=HP: @1@)
NOTE See the API documentation for more information.
6 Save the spreadsheet.
Override the default tag format
There are two ways to override the drawing tag format for a component.
On the marker block for the component in the circuit template drawing.
In the Circuit Builder spreadsheet circuit codes sheet.
NOTE The attribute value defined on the marker block overrides any value defined
in the spreadsheet.
Marker block method
1 Open the circuit template drawing that contains the marker block for
the component.
2 Find the correct marker block for the component.
3 Edit its MISC1 attribute value using the format _TAGFMT={format}, for
example, _TAGFMT=DISC-%N.
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NOTE The MISC1 attribute value can contain multiple special text flags which
direct Circuit Builder to handle the component or underlying wire in a special
way. When you add new values, do not overwrite any other special flag values.
Separate each one with a semicolon.
4 Save the circuit template drawing.
Spreadsheet method
1 Open the Circuit Builder spreadsheet, ace_circuit_builder.xls.
2 Find the circuit CATEGORY and TYPE, for example CATEGORY: 3ph
Motor Circuit and TYPE: Horizontal - FVNR - non reversing.
3 Open the circuit code sheet with the same name as the SHEET_NAME
value, for example SHEET_NAME: 3ph_H.
4 Find the specific component, for example CODE: Q001, COMMENTS:
Disconnecting means, UI_PROMPT_LIST: Disconnect switch and fuses.
There can be multiple selections within the group. For example, there is
a selection for the type of disconnecting means, and a selection to include
an auxiliary contact. Each selection is assigned a numerical value from
the UI_VAL field. The values are added to determine the appropriate
Circuit Builder - How to | 2401
action for this combination of selections. The sum is matched to a value
in the UI_SEL field. Once this match is made, the COMMAND_LIST value,
ANNOTATE_LIST value, and so on, are used to insert and annotate the
selections.
5 Edit the API call in the COMMAND_LIST column for this component.
For example, the last argument of this Insert Multi-pole Component API
call is used to predefine MISC1 coded values with nil when nothing extra
is defined.
Before and after are shown:
Before: (c:ace_cb_multipole #xyz nil "HDS11F" 3 #scl 4 nil)
After: (c:ace_cb_multipole #xyz nil "HDS11F" 3 #scl 4
_TAGFMT=DISC-%N)
NOTE See the API documentation for more information.
6 Save the spreadsheet.
Override the default wire number format
There are two ways to override the drawing wire number format for a wire
number.
On the marker block positioned over the wire in the circuit template
drawing.
In the Circuit Builder spreadsheet circuit codes sheet.
NOTE The attribute value defined on the marker block overrides any value defined
in the spreadsheet.
Marker block method
1 Open the circuit template drawing that contains the marker block for
the wire number.
2 Find the correct marker block for the wire number.
3 Edit its MISC1 attribute value using the format _TAGFMT={format}, for
example, _TAGFMT=%N-T1.
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NOTE The MISC1 attribute value can contain multiple special text flags which
direct Circuit Builder to handle the component or underlying wire in a special
way. When you add new values, do not overwrite any other special flag values.
Separate each one with a semicolon.
4 Save the circuit template drawing.
Spreadsheet method
1 Open the Circuit Builder spreadsheet, ace_circuit_builder.xls.
2 Find the circuit CATEGORY and TYPE, for example CATEGORY: 3ph
Motor Circuit and TYPE: Horizontal - FVNR - non reversing.
3 Open the circuit code sheet with the same name as the SHEET_NAME
value, for example SHEET_NAME: 3ph_H.
4 Find the specific wire number, for example CODE: WN01F, and
COMMENTS: Insert wire number on network, use drawing defaults, mark
it as fixed.
5 Edit the API call in the COMMAND_LIST column for this component.
For example, the last argument of this Insert Wire Number API call is
used to predefine MISC1 coded values with nil when nothing extra is
defined.
Before and after are shown:
Before: (c:ace_cb_wnum nil nil 1 nil)
Circuit Builder - How to | 2403
After:(c:ace_cb_wnum nil nil 1 _TAGFMT=%N-T1)
NOTE See the API documentation for more information.
6 Save the spreadsheet.
Predefine attribute values
There are three ways to predefine attribute values for a component.
On the marker block for the component in the circuit template drawing.
In the Circuit Builder spreadsheet circuit codes sheet.
Annotation presets on page 2406 - provides the ability to select which
attribute values to apply when the circuit is inserted.
NOTE An annotation preset value overrides the attribute value defined on the
marker block. The attribute value defined on the marker block overrides any value
defined in the spreadsheet.
Marker block method
1 Open the circuit template drawing that contains the marker block for
the component.
2 Find the correct marker block for the component.
3 Edit its MISC1 attribute value using the format {attribute name}={attribute
value}, for example, DESC1=MOTOR.
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NOTE The MISC1 attribute value can contain multiple special text flags which
direct Circuit Builder to handle the component or underlying wire in a special
way. When you add new values, do not overwrite any other special flag values.
Separate each one with a semicolon.
4 Save the circuit template drawing.
Spreadsheet method
1 Open the Circuit Builder spreadsheet, ace_circuit_builder.xls.
2 Find the circuit CATEGORY and TYPE, for example CATEGORY: 3ph
Motor Circuit and TYPE: Horizontal - FVNR - non reversing.
3 Open the circuit code sheet with the same name as the SHEET_NAME
value, for example SHEET_NAME: 3ph_H.
4 Find the specific component, for example CODE: PB01, COMMENTS:
STOP, UI_PROMPT_LIST: Push button - Standard.
There can be multiple selections within the group. For example, there is
a selection for the type of disconnecting means, and a selection to include
an auxiliary contact. Each selection is assigned a numerical value from
the UI_VAL field. The values are added to determine the appropriate
action for this combination of selections. The sum is matched to a value
in the UI_SEL field. Once this match is made, the COMMAND_LIST value,
ANNOTATE_LIST value, and so on, are used to insert and annotate the
selections.
Circuit Builder - How to | 2405
5 Edit the API call in the COMMAND_LIST column for this component.
For example, the last argument of this Insert Component API call is used
to predefine MISC1 coded values with nil when nothing extra is defined.
Before and after are shown:
Before: (c:ace_cb_insym #xyz nil "HPB12" #scl 8 nil)
After: (c:ace_cb_insym #xyz nil "HPB12" #scl 8
DESC1=CONVEYOR;DESC2=SYSTEM RESET)
NOTE See the API documentation for more information.
6 Save the spreadsheet.
See also:
Predefine attribute values using annotation presets on page 2406
Predefine attribute values using annotation presets
Annotation presets allow you to:
Predefine description text, installation, location values for individual
components in the circuit.
Select which attribute values to apply to the circuit when it is built.
Edit the attribute values before the circuit is built.
1 Open the Circuit Builder spreadsheet, ace_circuit_builder.xls.
2 Open the ACE_CIRCS sheet.
3 Find the circuit CATEGORY and TYPE, for example CATEGORY: 3ph
Motor Circuit and TYPE: Horizontal - FVNR - non reversing.
4 Assign a code value in the ANNO_CODE field if there isnt one, for
example ANNO_3M.
5 In AutoCAD Electrical, open the circuit template drawing listed in the
DWG_TEMPLATE field, for example ace_cb1_FVNR_H.dwg.
6 Open the ANNO_CODE sheet in the spreadsheet.
This sheet provides a link between the circuit you select (identified by
the ANNO_CODE value), a specific marker block (identified by its CODE
value), and a specific attribute on the marker block.
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7 Enter the ANNO_CODE value from earlier in the ANNO_CODE field of
a blank row, ANNO_3M.
For this example, you define some attribute values for the motor symbol.
8 In AutoCAD Electrical, find the marker block that defines the insertion
point for the motor symbol. Find the CODE attribute value, for example
MTR03.
9 In the spreadsheet, add a new line in the ANNO_CODE table for each
attribute you wish to predefine. For example:
ANNO_CODE = ANNO_3M. It is the value from the ACE_CIRCS sheet
for this circuit.
CODE = MTR03. It is the value from the CODE attribute on the marker
block.
ATTRIBUTE = LOC. It is the attribute name you want to predefine.
PROMPT = Motor - Location code. This is the text used on the
Annotation Presets on page 1032 dialog box. This dialog box is displayed
if you select the Presets - List button when the circuit is inserted.
Default = FIELD. It is the attribute value to apply to the LOC attribute
when the motor symbol is inserted.
10 Repeat for each attribute value you want to predefine. The ANNO_CODE
and CODE values should be the same for each attribute on this motor
symbol.
11 Save and close the spreadsheet.
You are now ready to test the changes.
12 Click Schematic tab Insert Components panel Circuit Builder
drop-down Circuit Builder.
13 Select the circuit CATEGORY and TYPE, CATEGORY: 3ph Motor Circuit
and TYPE: Horizontal - FVNR - non reversing.
14 Select the Presets button in the Special Annotation section.
15 Select the Lists button next to Presets.
The Annotation Presets dialog box displays. Any attributes with non-blank
values are selected by default and applied to the symbol when it is
Circuit Builder - How to | 2407
inserted. You can select which attribute values to apply or edit the values
as necessary.
16 Select OK.
17 On the Circuit Selection dialog box, select Insert.
The circuit is built and the attribute values are applied.
Predefine a wire number
Predefine a wire number on the wire number marker block on the circuit
template drawing.
1 Open the circuit template drawing that contains the marker block for
the wire number.
2 Find the correct marker block for the wire number.
3 Edit its MISC1 attribute value using the format _TAGFMT={wire
number}, for example, _TAGFMT=24COM.
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NOTE The MISC1 attribute value can contain multiple special text flags which
direct Circuit Builder to handle the component or underlying wire in a special
way. When you add new values, do not overwrite any other special flag values.
Separate each one with a semicolon.
4 Save the circuit template drawing.
NOTE To get a fixed wire number, you must adjust the API call in the spreadsheet
to indicate it. See the API documentation for more information.
Set circuit element defaults
The first sheet of the Circuit Builder spreadsheet, ACE_CIRCS, defines circuit
categories, types, main templates, and associated circuit code sheet names.
These circuit code sheets include a default option for each circuit element.
For example, the circuit template has a marker block that references a main
disconnecting means in the circuit code sheet for the template. The circuit
code sheet lists four options:
Circuit Breaker
Fuses
Fused Disconnect
Disconnect Switch (non-fused)
Circuit Builder - How to | 2409
When the Circuit Configuration dialog box opens, and you select Main
Disconnecting Means from the Circuit Elements tree structure, the Fused
Disconnect option is selected. If you select Insert, instead of Configure, to
insert the circuit without user prompts, the Fused Disconnect is used for the
main disconnecting means.
If you always want a different option selected or used as the default, this value
can be changed.
1 Open the Circuit Builder spreadsheet, ace_circuit_builder.xls.
2 Find the circuit category and type in the ACE_CIRCS sheet, for example
Category: 3ph Motor Circuit and Type: Horizontal - FVNR - non reversing.
3 Find the value in the SHEET_NAME column, for example 3ph_H. Open
the worksheet by selecting on the 3ph_H tab.
4 Find the circuit element by looking at the values in the COMMENTS and
UI_TITLE columns. For example, COMMENTS: Disconnecting Means and
UI_TITLE: Main Disconnect.
Notice there are multiple options for this circuit element as listed in the
UI_PROMPT_LIST column. The current default option is indicated by an
X in the UI_DEF column.
5 Move the X in the UI_DEF column to the row containing the option
you want as the default, for example Circuit Breaker. Make sure that only
one row for the group contains an X.
6 Save the spreadsheet.
Set up component auto-sizing
Circuit Builder can calculate the rating for components in the circuit based
upon some multiple of the full load amp value of the motor or load. For
example, the electrical code standard might state that a disconnect switch
must be rated not less than 115% of the load amperage. An expected maximum
load of 28 amps would require a disconnect switch rated at not less than 115%
of 28 amps, or 32.2 amps. If standard switch ratings are 30 and 60 amps, a 60
amp switch would be selected.
Such an automatic calculation can be accomplished by creating a relationship
between the call in the ANNOTATE_LIST field value in the circuit codes sheet
on page 2340 of the circuit builder spreadsheet, and the MOTOR_I_* tables in
the electrical standards database on page 2349.
2410 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
Here is how it is defined:
The CODE value of the marker block on the inserted circuit template
drawing, points at a group of rows in the circuit codes sheet. These rows
define the types of components that can be inserted at the location of this
marker block.
The row for the inserted component, either the default component or the
component selected on the Circuit Configuration dialog box, contains an
ANNOTATION_LIST column value.
The ANNOTATE_LIST column value contains a call to the API function
c:ace_cb_anno2. This function includes a code argument like A1.
The code argument should match a code value in the MOTOR_I_DESC
table of the electrical standards database file.
Here is an example for a disconnect switch entry:
(c:ace_cb_anno2 nil A1 RATING1 0 nil)
In this example, A1 is the code to match in the MOTOR_I_DESC table
(for Disconnect switch non-fused), and RATING1 is the attribute on
the inserted disconnect switch symbol to receive the final calculated amp
value.
The MOTOR_I_CALC table also has a column of data with a label that
matches the code used in the C:ace_cb_anno2 call.
Circuit Builder - How to | 2411
The cell in the MOTOR_I_CALC table contains an expression using I to
represent the full load amps of the motor. This expression is evaluated
using the actual full load amps for the motor. The calculated value is used
to determine the value to assign to the attribute.
Valid operations are +-*/^. The ^ character is the exponential function.
For example, I^2 is I squared, while I^0.5 is the square root of I.
If-then-else statements are supported including one level of nested
statements. For example, (if (I > 400) then (I * 8) else (I * 11)) means the
calculated amp value is eight times FLA current for 0-400 amps and 11
times for greater than FLA of 400 amps. One level of nesting is supported.
(if (I >= 9.0) then (I * 1.25) else if (I < 2.0) then (I * 3.0) else (I * 1.67)
means the calculated value is set to (I * 1.67) if I is less than 9 but greater
or equal to 2.0 amps. If less than 2.0 amps it is (I * 3.0) and if greater than
or equal to 9.0 amps it is (I * 1.25).
Valid Boolean operations are >, <. >=. <=, =.
The MOTOR_I_MAP table contains a row with a matching code value,
such as A1.
The result of the calculation, made from the expression in the
MOTOR_I_CALC table, is compared to the MAX values in the
MOTOR_I_MAP table to determine the appropriate RATING value. In the
earlier example, the 28 amp motor load multiplied by 1.15 yields 32.2
amps minimum for A1. This means that a match is made on the record
with a MAX value of 60 and yields a 60A switch rating.
The RATING value is assigned to the attribute specified in the
c:ace_cb_anno2 call, for example RATING1.
Define an optional catalog assignment to the component by adding a value
in the DEFAULT field in the MOTOR_I_MAP table. The format is
2412 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
MFG={manufacturer};CAT={catalog}. For example, an A3 entry for 15A
time-delay fuses might look like the following example:
MFG=BUSSMAN;CAT=KTK-R-15
When a component has multiple calculated values such as a disconnect switch
with fuses, the two RATING attributes for the component are semicolon
delimited, as shown in this example:
(c:ace_cb_anno2 nil A7 RATING1;RATING2 nil 0)
The MOTOR_I_MAP table contains corresponding semicolon delimited values
in the RATING column.
NOTE See the API documentation for more information on the Circuit Builder API
calls.
Stretch and connect wiring from a nested template
A marker block is placed at or near the end of a wire on the circuit template
that indicates to Circuit Builder that the wire should try and connect to a
nearby wire. The marker block should be placed at or near the end of the wire
that must stretch.
There are two options that can be used in the MISC1 attribute value.
n is the number of wires to skip over before connection is at-
tempted. If the _WIRESKIP flag is missing or set to 0, Circuit
_WIRESKIP=n
Builder stretches and connects to the first wire it encounters. If
the value is 1, it skips over one wire before trying to make a
connection.
n is the number of trap distance units to search for a wire
connection. To see the trap distance value for a drawing, look
_MAXTRAPCOUNT=n
on the Drawing Properties dialog box, Drawing format tab. The
Circuit Builder - How to | 2413
trap distance cannot be set. It is calculated from the drawing
scale.
NOTE If this value is not defined on the marker block, Circuit
Builder uses a distance value equal to 200 times the trap distance
value of the drawing.
The CODE value of the marker block must tie in to the
(c:ace_cb_stretch_wire_connect #xyz nil #misc1) API call in the spreadsheet.
The values on the MISC1 attributes are used for the #misc1 argument.
2414 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
Circuit Builder - How to | 2415
NOTE If the marked wire has a terminal at its end, Circuit Builder stretches the
wire and moves the terminal. It stretches based on the origin of the connected
terminal rather than the end of the wire.
Build your own symbols
Build your own symbols
You can use the Symbol Builder to create an AutoCAD Electrical symbol or to
convert existing non-AutoCAD Electrical symbols. This utility builds an
AutoCAD Electrical symbol by either adding AutoCAD Electrical attributes to
2416 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
the geometry of the symbol or by converting text entities to AutoCAD Electrical
attributes.
You can also use AutoCAD attribute definition and editing commands to do
the same thing. Use this tool to quickly pick and place attributes. It tracks
what attributes are present and checks your work to make sure that any
AutoCAD Electrical required attributes are not omitted. For this exercise, you
create a symbol and add AutoCAD Electrical attributes to the new geometry.
Symbol Builder works in the Block Editor environment. You can add or modify
the geometry of the symbol using standard AutoCAD commands within this
environment.
Create a parent schematic symbol
In this exercise, you create a power supply using the Symbol Builder tool.
NOTE If you exit out of the Symbol Builder, restart it, and on the Select
Symbol/Objects dialog box, click Select objects and select any graphics and
attributes you added so far. You can then resume from where you left off.
1 In an AutoCAD drawing, draw a rectangle on the drawing.
NOTE You can also create and modify the graphics for the symbol in the
Block Editor environment.
2 Click Schematic tab Other Tools panel Symbol Builder drop-down
Symbol Builder.
3 In the Select Symbol/Objects dialog box, Attribute template section,
browse to the Library path
Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\All
Users\Documents\Autodesk\Acade {version}\jic125
Windows Vista, Windows 7: C:\Users\Public\Documents\Autodesk\Acade
{version}\jic125
4 In the Attribute template section, choose Symbol: Horizontal Parent.
Build your own symbols | 2417
5 In the Attribute template section, choose Type: Generic.
6 In the Select from drawing section, click Select objects and select the
rectangle.
7 Select OK.
Add attributes
In this part of the exercise, you insert some AutoCAD Electrical attributes from
the Symbol Builder Attribute Editor. You are not limited to these attributes,
and you can include your own user-defined attributes on the AutoCAD
Electrical block files.
NOTE The TAG1 attribute is the only one required for a parent schematic symbol.
The other attributes in the Required section are expected on a parent schematic
symbol, however the symbol is recognized as a parent symbol without them.
1 If the Symbol Builder Attribute Editor is not visible,
Click Symbol Builder tab Edit panel Palette Visibility Toggle.
2 Select the TAG1 attribute.
3 Select the Properties tool to launch the Insert/Edit Attributes dialog
box.
4 Change the height to 0.125 and Justify to Center.
5 Enter PS as the Value. It is the default code used as the %F value of the
tag format (such as CR , PB, LT)
6 Select OK.
7 Click the Insert Attribute tool.
8 Select an insertion point for the attribute.
NOTE You can also right-click and select Insert Attribute or drag the attribute
to insert it.
2418 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
9 Select DESC1, click the Insert Attribute tool, and insert it below
TAG1.
10 Repeat to insert the INST and LOC attributes above TAG1.
11 Select MFG, CAT, and ASSYCODE. Click the Insert Attribute tool, and
insert them near the center of the rectangle.
NOTE If the CAT and ASSYCODE attributes are not listed they are inserted
with MFG as a group.
12 Repeat to insert the FAMILY attribute near the center of the rectangle.
13 With FAMILY still highlighted in the Symbol Builder Attribute
Editor, select the Properties tool. Enter PS as the Value and OK. This
assigns the %F value to the FAMILY attribute inserted.
Add wire connection attributes
You can define wire connection points and terminal text for the library symbol.
When you add a wire connection, you select the style, the direction the wire
connects from, and whether to include the optional TERMxx and TERMDESCxx
attributes. In this exercise, wire connection attributes are inserted at the left,
bottom, and right side of the symbol.
1 If the Symbol Builder Attribute Editor is not visible,
Build your own symbols | 2419
Click Symbol Builder tab Edit panel Palette Visibility Toggle.
2 Expand the Wire Connection section of the Symbol Builder Attribute
Editor.
3 Expand the Direction/Style list and select Others to launch the Insert
Wire Connections dialog box.
4 On the Insert Wire Connections dialog box, select Terminal Style: Screw.
5 Select Connection Direction: Left.
6 Check Use this configuration as default. This directs Symbol Builder to
use the current Terminal Style and Scale as the default in the drop-down
list.
7 (Optional) Enter L1 as the TERM01 value. This sets L1 as the default
terminal pin number when the symbol is used.
8 (Optional) Select TERMDESC01 in the Pin Information section and click
Delete. This directs Symbol Builder not to insert the optional
TERMDESCxx attribute with the wire connection attribute.
9 Click Insert and select in the center of the left-hand side of the rectangle
as shown. The wire connection attribute, X4TERM01, and the terminal
pin attribute, TERM01, are inserted.
2420 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
10 Back on the Symbol Builder Attribute Editor, expand the Wire Connection
list and select Bottom/Screw.
11 Select the Insert Wire Connection tool and insert the terminal in
the bottom center of the rectangle.
12 Select Right/Screw from the Wire Connection Direction/Style list.
13 Select the Insert Wire Connection tool and insert the terminal in the
center of the right-hand side of the rectangle.
14 In the Pins section, enter GND in the TERM02 value, and L2 in the
TERM03 value.
Build your own symbols | 2421
Finishing the parent symbol
1 Click Symbol Builder tab Edit panel Done.
2 Click Base Point: Pick point and select the center of the rectangle.
3 Select Wblock. Wblock creates the symbol .dwg file, while Block creates
the symbol for this drawing file only.
4 Enter the Name and file path or keep the default. AutoCAD Electrical
provides a default name for the new symbol based on the attribute
template selected. Avoid changing the first four letters of the file name
and limit the total length to 32 characters.
5 (Optional) If you are going to add the symbol to the icon menu at a later
time using the Icon Menu Wizard on page 1561, check Icon image. Enter
the image name and folder.
6 (Optional) Click Details to see the Symbol Audit on page 356 dialog box
listing potential issues with your symbol.
7 Select OK.
8 Select Close Block Editor from the block editor toolbar.
9 (Optional) Select Yes to insert the symbol on the drawing and select a
location. If you place the component on an existing wire, the wire breaks.
The component tag is assigned.
Additional options
The additional options for creating a symbol listed are not used for this
example, but you can use them when creating your own symbol.
Optional Attributes: The attributes listed in this section are allowed on a
parent symbol. You can also add attributes to the Required or Optional
list using the following steps.
1 Select the Add Attribute tool to launch the Insert/Edit Attributes
dialog box.
2 Enter the attribute name as the Tag value.
3 Enter all property values.
2422 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
4 Click Insert to insert the attribute or OK to add it to the list without
inserting it.
Link Lines: Inserts Link Line attributes so the program can draw dashed
link lines between a parent symbol and its related child contact. It requires
special attributes at the point where the dashed line connects to the symbol.
1 Expand the Link Lines section.
2 Select a direction from the Direction list.
3 Select the Insert Link Lines tool.
4 Select a location for the Link Line attribute.
RATING or POS sections: You can add up to 12 Rating and Position
attributes. If the attribute template contains a RATING1 or POS1 attribute,
or you add one, these sections are available on the Symbol Builder Attribute
Editor.
1 Expand the RATING or POS section.
2 Select the Add Next tool.
3 Pick an insertion point.
Convert Text to Attribute dialog box: If you selected existing text entities
from the Select Symbol/Objects dialog box, or added text while in the
Block Editor environment, this option converts existing text entities to
AutoCAD Electrical attributes in the same location as the original text.
1 Select the Convert Text to Attribute tool from the Symbol
Builder toolbar to launch the dialog box.
2 Select a text entry in the list and click the arrow pointing at the
attribute name.
3 Repeat for all text entities.
4 Click Done. The text entity is converted to the attribute. The text
value becomes the default value for the attribute.
Build your own symbols | 2423
Convert text: If you selected existing text entities from the Select
Symbol/Objects dialog box, or added text while in the Block Editor
environment, this option converts a single text entity to an AutoCAD
Electrical attribute in the same location as the original text.
1 Select an attribute on the Symbol Builder Attribute Editor.
2 Select the Convert Text tool.
3 Select the text entity. The text entity is converted to the attribute.
The text value becomes the default value for the attribute.
Audit Symbol: At any time you can audit on page 356 the symbol to find
any potential issues with your symbol and symbol name.
Create a schematic terminal symbol
In this exercise, you create a schematic terminal using the Symbol Builder
tool.
NOTE If you exit out of the Symbol Builder, restart it, and on the Select
Symbol/Objects dialog box, click Select objects and select any graphics and
attributes you added so far. You can then resume from where you left off.
1 In an AutoCAD drawing, draw a rectangle on the drawing.
NOTE You can also create and modify the graphics for the symbol in the
Block Editor environment.
2 Click Schematic tab Other Tools panel Symbol Builder drop-down
Symbol Builder.
3 In the Select Symbol/Objects dialog box, Attribute template section,
browse to the Library path
2424 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\All
Users\Documents\Autodesk\Acade {version}\jic125
Windows Vista, Windows 7: C:\Users\Public\Documents\Autodesk\Acade
{version}\jic125
4 In the Attribute template section, choose Symbol: Horizontal Terminal.
5 In the Attribute template section, choose Type: Terminal with wire
number.
6 In the Select from drawing section:, click Select objects and select the
rectangle.
7 Select OK.
Add attributes
In this part of the exercise, you insert some AutoCAD Electrical attributes from
the Symbol Builder Attribute Editor. You are not limited to these attributes,
and you can include your own user-defined attributes on the AutoCAD
Electrical block files.
NOTE The TAGSTRIP attribute is the only one required for a schematic terminal.
The other attributes in the Required section are expected on a schematic terminal,
however the symbol is recognized as a schematic terminal without them.
1 If the Symbol Builder Attribute Editor is not visible,
Click Symbol Builder tab Edit panel Palette Visibility Toggle.
2 Select the TAGSTRIP attribute.
3 Select the Properties tool to launch the Insert/Edit Attributes dialog
box.
4 Change the height to 0.125 and Justify to Center.
5 Select OK.
6 Click the Insert Attribute tool.
Build your own symbols | 2425
7 Insert the attribute above the rectangle.
8 Select WIRENO, click the Insert Attribute tool, and insert it above
TAGSTRIP. Use the Properties tool to change it to Justify = Center.
9 Select MFG, CAT, and ASSYCODE. Click the Insert Attribute tool, and
insert them near the center of the rectangle.
NOTE If the CAT and ASSYCODE attributes are not listed they are inserted
with MFG as a group.
Add wire connection attributes
You can define wire connection points for the library symbol. When you add
a wire connection, you select the style and the direction the wire connects
from. In this exercise, wire connection attributes are inserted at the left, right,
top, and bottom of the terminal so that it can be inserted in either horizontal
or vertical wires.
1 If the Symbol Builder Attribute Editor is not visible,
Click Symbol Builder tab Edit panel Palette Visibility Toggle.
2 Expand the Wire Connection section of the Symbol Builder Attribute
Editor.
3 Select Left/None.
NOTE If the default terminal style is not None, select Others and change the
default style to None. This wire connection style contains attributes only.
2426 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
4 Select the Insert Wire Connection tool and insert the wire
connection in the center of the left-hand side of the rectangle. Use the
Midpoint OSnap to insert the wire connection attribute in the middle of
the line.
5 The wire connection insertion remains active until you press Enter. Press
R{spacebar} and insert the wire connection in the center of the
right-hand side of the rectangle.
6 Press T{spacebar} and insert the wire connection in the center of the
top of the rectangle.
7 Press B{spacebar} and insert the wire connection in the center of the
bottom of the rectangle. Press Enter.
Finishing the terminal symbol
1 Click Symbol Builder tab Edit panel Done.
2 Click Base Point: Pick point and select the center of the rectangle.
3 Select Wblock. Wblock creates the symbol .dwg file, while Block creates
the symbol for this drawing file only.
4 Enter the Name and file path or keep the default. AutoCAD Electrical
provides a default name for the new symbol based on the attribute
template selected. Avoid changing the first four letters of the file name
and limit the total length to 32 characters.
One-line symbols follow the same naming convention as schematic
parent and child symbols. For convenience the one-line symbols provided
have a 1- suffix. However, the symbol name does not define the symbol
Build your own symbols | 2427
as a one-line symbol. This is defined by the WDTYPE attribute on page
322 value of 1- on the symbol, or a 1-1 on a one-line bus-tap symbol.
5 (Optional) If you are going to add the symbol to the icon menu at a later
time using the Icon Menu Wizard on page 1561, check Icon image. Enter
the image name and folder.
6 (Optional) Click Details to see the Symbol Audit on page 356 dialog box
listing potential issues with your symbol.
7 Select OK.
8 Select Close Block Editor from the block editor toolbar.
9 (Optional) Select Yes to insert the symbol on the drawing and select a
location. If you place the terminal on an existing wire, the wire breaks.
The terminal tag is assigned.
Create a one-line parent symbol
In this exercise, you create a one-line circuit breaker parent using the Symbol
Builder tool.
NOTE If you exit out of the Symbol Builder, restart it, and on the Select
Symbol/Objects dialog box, click Select objects and select any graphics and
attributes you added so far. You can then resume from where you left off.
1 In an AutoCAD drawing, draw the symbol graphics.
NOTE You can also create and modify the graphics for the symbol in the
Block Editor environment.
2 Click Schematic tab Other Tools panel Symbol Builder drop-down
Symbol Builder.
3 In the Select Symbol/Objects dialog box, Attribute template section,
browse to the Library path where the one-line symbols are stored:
Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\All
Users\Documents\Autodesk\Acade {version}\jic125\1-
Windows Vista, Windows 7: C:\Users\Public\Documents\Autodesk\Acade
{version}\jic125\1-
4 In the Attribute template section, choose Symbol: Vertical Parent.
2428 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
5 In the Attribute template section, choose Type: (CB) Circuit breakers.
6 In the Select from drawing section, click Select objects and select the
graphics.
7 Select OK.
Add attributes
In this part of the exercise, you insert some AutoCAD Electrical attributes from
the Symbol Builder Attribute Editor. You are not limited to these attributes,
and you can include your own user-defined attributes on the AutoCAD
Electrical block files.
The TAG1 and WDTYPE attributes are the only required attributes for a one-line
parent symbol. The other attributes in the Required section are expected on
a one-line parent symbol, however the symbol is recognized as a one-line
parent symbol without them.
The WDTYPE on page 322 attribute value must have a value of 1- for a
one-line symbol or 1-1 for a one-line bus-tap on page 983 symbol.
1 If the Symbol Builder Attribute Editor is not visible,
Click Symbol Builder tab Edit panel Palette Visibility Toggle.
2 Select the TAG1 attribute.
3 Select the Properties tool to launch the Insert/Edit Attributes dialog
box.
4 Change the height to 0.125 and Justify to Center.
The value is predefined as CB since the Circuit breaker template was
selected. It is the default code used as the %F value of the tag format (such
as CR , PB, LT)
5 Select OK.
6 Click the Insert Attribute tool.
7 Select an insertion point for the attribute.
Build your own symbols | 2429
NOTE You can also right-click and select Insert Attribute or drag the attribute
to insert it.
8 Select WDTYPE, click the Insert Attribute tool, and insert it.
The WDTYPE attribute has a value of 1- and is invisible by default. It
is required to identify the symbol as a one-line symbol.
9 Select DESC1, click the Insert Attribute tool, and insert it below
TAG1.
10 Repeat to insert the INST and LOC attributes above TAG1.
11 Select MFG, CAT, and ASSYCODE. Click the Insert Attribute tool, and
insert them near the center of the rectangle.
NOTE If the CAT and ASSYCODE attributes are not listed they are inserted
with MFG as a group.
12 Repeat to insert the FAMILY attribute near the center of the rectangle.
Add wire connection attributes
You can define wire connection points for the library symbol. When you add
a wire connection, you select the style, the direction the wire connects from,
and whether to include the optional TERMxx and TERMDESCxx attributes.
In this exercise, wire connection attributes are inserted at the top and bottom
of the symbol.
1 If the Symbol Builder Attribute Editor is not visible,
Click Symbol Builder tab Edit panel Palette Visibility Toggle.
2 Expand the Wire Connection section of the Symbol Builder Attribute
Editor.
3 Expand the Direction/Style list and select Top/None.
2430 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
This style contains just the wire connection attributes with no graphics.
Select Others to display the Insert Wire Connections dialog box for
selecting other styles.
4 Select the Insert Wire Connection tool and insert the wire
connection attributes. The wire connection attribute, X2TERM01, and
the terminal pin attribute, TERM01, are inserted.
5 Back on the Symbol Builder Attribute Editor, expand the Wire Connection
list and select Bottom/None.
6 Select the Insert Wire Connection tool and insert the wire
connection attributes. The wire connection attribute, X8TERM02, and
the terminal pin attribute, TERM02, are inserted.
Finishing the one-line parent symbol
1 Click Symbol Builder tab Edit panel Done.
2 Click Base Point: Pick point and select the center of the symbol.
3 Select Wblock. Wblock creates the symbol .dwg file, while Block creates
the symbol for this drawing file only.
4 Enter the Name and file path or keep the default. AutoCAD Electrical
provides a default name for the new symbol based on the attribute
template selected. Avoid changing the first four letters of the file name
and limit the total length to 32 characters.
NOTE One-line symbols follow the same naming convention as schematic
parent and child symbols. For convenience the one-line symbols provided
have a 1- suffix. However, the symbol name does not define the symbol
as a one-line symbol.
5 (Optional) If you are going to add the symbol to the icon menu at a later
time using the Icon Menu Wizard on page 1561, check Icon image. Enter
the image name and folder.
6 (Optional) Click Details to see the Symbol Audit on page 356 dialog box
listing potential issues with your symbol.
Build your own symbols | 2431
7 Select OK.
8 Select Close Block Editor from the block editor toolbar.
9 (Optional) Select Yes to insert the symbol on the drawing and select a
location. If you place the component on an existing wire, the wire breaks.
The component tag is assigned.
See also:
Create a parent schematic symbol on page 2417
Convert a non-AutoCAD Electrical block
1 Click Schematic tab Other Tools panel Symbol Builder drop-down
Symbol Builder.
2 Browse to the existing block to select the symbol to create or edit.
3 In the Select Symbol/Objects dialog box, Attribute template section:
Browse to the Library path for example
Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\All
Users\Documents\Autodesk\Acade {version}\jic125
Windows Vista, Windows 7: C:\Users\Public\Documents\Autodesk\Acade
{version}\jic125
4 In the Attribute template section: Choose Symbol: Horizontal Parent for
example.
5 In the Attribute template section: Choose Type: Generic for example.
6 Select OK.
7 Convert existing attribute or text objects to AutoCAD Electrical attributes.
8 Add wire connections on page 347 as needed.
9 Click Symbol Builder tab Edit panel Done.
A default symbol name is supplied which you can keep or change as
needed depending on the symbol type and symbol naming conventions
on page 279
2432 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
Converting attribute definition or text objects
If the existing symbol contains attribute or text objects you can convert these
to the expected attributes for the symbol type.
1 If the Symbol Builder Attribute Editor is not visible,
Click Symbol Builder tab Edit panel Palette Visibility Toggle.
2 Select the Convert Text to Attribute tool to open the dialog box.
All the attributes and text objects contained in your non-AutoCAD
Electrical block are in the left-hand list. The AutoCAD Electrical attribute
names are in the right-hand list.
3 Select an existing attribute/text from the left-hand list. Click the arrow
next to the attribute in the right-hand list.
4 Repeat for each non-AutoCAD Electrical attribute or text object you want
to convert.
5 Select Done.
Create a panel footprint
A panel footprint symbol can be in either of two general forms: a to-scale
physical representation of the device or a generic wiring diagram representation
whose main purpose is to show wire connection annotation information.
The procedure for creating a panel footprint is like that of creating a schematic
symbol with the following differences:
Panel footprint symbols do not have to carry the wire connection attributes
that schematic symbols almost always carry.
There are no parent/child versions of a symbol for panel footprint symbols.
Some of the attribute names are different. A panel symbol must have the
P_TAG1 or P_TAGSTRIP attribute rather than the TAG1 or TAGSTRIP
attribute.
Build your own symbols | 2433
The symbol block naming for the panel footprint does not follow the
special naming convention. The first four or five characters of the block
name for a panel symbol is not as critical as it is for schematic symbols.
In this example, you take geometry (either geometry you just drew, existing
geometry, or a vendor representation) and convert it to an AutoCAD Electrical
panel footprint using the Symbol Builder.
1 Click Schematic tab Other Tools panel Symbol Builder drop-down
Symbol Builder.
2 In the Select Symbol/Objects dialog box, Attribute template section,
browse to the Library path
Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\All
Users\Documents\Autodesk\Acade {version}\jic125
Windows Vista, Windows 7: C:\Users\Public\Documents\Autodesk\Acade
{version}\jic125
3 In the Attribute template section, choose Symbol: Panel Footprint.
4 In the Attribute template section, choose Type: Generic.
5 In the Select from drawing section, click Select objects and select the
existing objects or an existing block.
6 Select OK.
2434 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
Add attributes to the symbol
In this part of the exercise, you insert some AutoCAD Electrical attributes from
the Symbol Builder Attribute Editor. You are not limited to these attributes
and you can include your own user-defined attributes on the AutoCAD
Electrical block files.
NOTE The P_TAG1 attribute is the only one required for a panel footprint symbol.
The other attributes in the Required section are expected on a panel footprint,
however the symbol is recognized as a panel footprint without them.
1 If the Symbol Builder Attribute Editor is not visible,
Click Symbol Builder tab Edit panel Palette Visibility Toggle.
2 Select the P_TAG1 attribute.
3 Select the Properties tool to launch the Insert/Edit Attributes dialog
box.
4 Change the height to 0.125, Justify to Center, and Visible.
5 Select OK.
6 Click the Insert Attribute tool.
7 Insert the attribute above the symbol graphics.
NOTE You can also right-click and select Insert Attribute or drag the attribute
to insert it.
8 Select DESC1 and DESC2, click the Insert Attribute tool, and insert
them below the P_TAG1. Use the Properties tool to change them to Height
= 0.125, Justify = Center, and Visible.
Build your own symbols | 2435
9 Insert the LOC, INST, MFG, CAT, and ASSYCODE attributes.
NOTE If the CAT and ASSYCODE attributes are not listed they are inserted
with MFG as a group.
Finishing the panel symbol
1 Click Symbol Builder tab Edit panel Done.
2 Click Base Point: Pick point and select the insertion point for the graphics.
3 Select Wblock. Wblock creates the symbol .dwg file, while Block creates
the symbol for this drawing file only.
4 Enter the Name and file path or keep the default. AutoCAD Electrical
provides a default name for the new symbol based on the attribute
template selected.
2436 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
5 (Optional) If you are going to add the symbol to the icon menu at a later
time using the Icon Menu Wizard on page 1561, check Icon image. Enter
the image name and folder.
6 (Optional) Click Details to see the Symbol Audit on page 356 dialog box
listing potential issues with your symbol.
7 Select OK.
8 Select Close Block Editor from the block editor toolbar.
9 (Optional) Select Yes to insert the symbol on the drawing and select a
location.
Additional Options
The additional options for creating a symbol listed are not used for this
example, but you can use them when creating your own symbol.
Optional Attributes: The attributes listed in this section are allowed on a
panel footprint. You can also add attributes to the Required or Optional
list using the following steps.
1 Select the Add Attribute tool to launch the Insert/Edit Attributes
dialog box.
2 Enter the attribute name as the Tag value.
3 Enter all property values.
4 Click Insert to insert the attribute or OK to add it to the list without
inserting it.
RATING section: You can add up to 12 Rating attributes. If the attribute
template contains a RATING1 attribute, or you add one, this section is
available on the Symbol Builder Attribute Editor.
1 Expand the RATING section.
2 Select the Add Next tool.
3 Pick an insertion point.
Convert Text to Attribute dialog box: If you selected existing text entities
from the Select Symbol/Objects dialog box, or added text while in the
Build your own symbols | 2437
Block Editor environment, this option converts existing text entities to
AutoCAD Electrical attributes in the same location as the original text.
1 Select the Convert Text to Attribute tool from the Symbol
Builder toolbar to launch the dialog box.
2 Select a text entry in the list and click the arrow pointing at the
attribute name.
3 Repeat for all text entities.
4 Click Done. The text entity is converted to the attribute. The text
value becomes the default value for the attribute.
Convert text: If you selected existing text entities from the Select
Symbol/Objects dialog box, or added text while in the Block Editor
environment, this option converts a single text entity to an AutoCAD
Electrical attribute in the same location as the original text.
1 Select an attribute on the Symbol Builder Attribute Editor.
2 Select the Convert Text tool.
3 Select the text entity. The text entity is converted to the attribute.
The text value becomes the default value for the attribute.
Audit Symbol: At any time you can audit on page 356 the symbol to find
any potential issues with your symbol.
Adding attributes using templates
An alternative to using the Symbol Builder to add attributes to the panel
footprint, is to use an attribute template to add attributes automatically. You
can have certain attributes added to any footprint automatically at footprint
insertion time. The templates are located
Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\All
Users\Documents\Autodesk\Acade {version}\Libs\panel\
Windows Vista, Windows 7: C:\Users\Public\Documents\Autodesk\Acade
{version}\Libs\panel\
2438 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
You can set up to have visible attributes added to any footprint automatically
at footprint insertion time. There are five attribute template drawings:
component footprints wd_ptag_addattr_comp.dwg
terminal with terminal number wd_ptag_addattr_trm.dwg
terminal with wire number as terminal number wd_ptag_addattr_wtrm.dwg
balloons wd_ptag_addattr_itemballoon.dwg
terminal footprints (when inserted by Level/Sequen-
cing tools)
Wd_ptag_addattr_pnltermstrip.dwg
When a panel footprint is inserted, the following steps are performed if the
appropriate attribute template exists.
1 Find the center of the footprint by collecting and averaging the objects
that make up the footprint.
2 Insert the attribute template at the calculated center of the footprint.
3 Make sure there are no duplicate attributes. If duplicate attributes are
found, the attribute from the footprint is kept.
4 Re-block the added attributes with the inserted footprint.
5 Add the schematic data to the footprint. The data is added as attribute
data if the target attribute exists. If the target attribute does not exist, the
data is added as invisible xdata.
Create a Symbol Builder attribute template
Symbol Builder provides some family attribute templates. Each template
contains the required and optional attributes for a certain type of symbol.
Based on the options selected on the Select Symbol/Objects dialog box in
Symbol Builder, an attribute template is used. The attributes on the template
are listed in the Symbol Builder Attribute Editor making it easy to insert them
on your symbol.
AutoCAD Electrical does not provide an attribute template for every type of
symbol. Consider creating your own if you expect to create a number of new
symbols. There are three basic steps to creating a Symbol Builder attribute
template.
Build your own symbols | 2439
NOTE Wire connection attributes are not included in the symbol attribute
templates but are in separate wire connection templates on page 2441.
1 Create a drawing file following the naming convention
AT_{symbol}_{type}.dwg containing the AutoCAD Electrical attribute
definitions.
2 (Optional) Add the xdata and indexed attributes which tell the Symbol
Builder Attribute Editor how to handle each attribute.
3 (Optional) Add the symbol type to the _FAMILY_DESCRIPTION table
in the catalog database file.
Attribute template naming convention
Attribute templates follow the naming convention, AT_{symbol}_{type}. The
{symbol} and {type} values appear in the lists on the Select Symbol / Objects
on page 339 dialog box. The selections from these lists direct Symbol Builder
to the appropriate attribute template.
The {symbol} value appears in the Symbol list in the Select Symbol/Objects
dialog box. Certain codes are recognized by Symbol Builder, such as HP for
Horizontal Parent. You can use an existing recognized code or use the full
text, such as AT_Horizontal Parent_{type}.dwg.
The {type} value appears in the Type list in the Select Symbol/Objects dialog
box. You can also map abbreviations for the {type} in the
_FAMILY_DESCRIPTION table of the catalog database, default_cat.mdb.
Indexed attributes and xdata
An attribute template can contain an attribute definition that can be indexed.
For example, AutoCAD Electrical allows up to 12 Rating attributes. If the
attribute template contains an attribute RATING(x) this attribute can be
indexed in Symbol Builder.
Certain optional xdata directs the attribute display in the Symbol Builder
Attribute Editor. Use the Xdata Editor on page 2026 to add or modify the xdata
on an attribute definition.
Possible values "Required" or "Optional". The default value is Re-
quired if the xdata is not present.
VIA_WD_GROUP
The value provides an attribute description inside the Symbol Builder
Attribute Editor.
VIA_WD_TOOLTIP
2440 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
The value defines a group of attributes to insert together. The value
lists all the attributes which are inserted along with the attribute with
VIA_WD_MULTIATT
this xdata. The attributes listed are not displayed in the Symbol
Builder Attribute Editor. For example, if you want DESC2 and DESC3
inserted when you insert DESC1, add this xdata with the value
DESC2,DESC3 to the DESC1 attribute definition.
NOTE MFG, CAT, and ASSYCODE are a default group. To insert them
separately, add this xdata to the MFG attribute with a blank value.
The value provides the maximum number of times to index an attrib-
ute such as RATING. The default value is 12 if the xdata is not
present.
VIA_WD_INDXMAX
The value provides the display order. VIA_WD_SEQ
Symbol type
Edit the _FAMILY_DESCRIPTION table in the catalog database,
default_cat.mdb, to map the symbol name type value to a description. This
description is used in the Type list on the Select Symbol / Objects on page 339
dialog box. For example, if the attribute template name is AT_HP_PS.DWG
but you want Power Supply shown in the list on the dialog box, add an
entry with PS in the Family column, and Power Supply in the Description.
Creating a custom wire connection style
Symbol Builder inserts a wire connection template drawing when adding a
wire connection to your symbol. The list of wire connection styles is built
dynamically based on the template drawings found in the symbol library path.
The wire connection template name indicates that it is a wire connection
template, the wire connection type, and direction.
AutoCAD Electrical comes with some schematic wire connection styles. If
additional styles are needed, create the wire connection templates for a new
style. To create a complete style, create a wire connection template for each
wire direction. To add a new schematic style, create the following wire
connection template drawings.
BB?11.dwg
BB?12.dwg
BB?13.dwg
Build your own symbols | 2441
BB?21.dwg
BB?22.dwg
BB?23.dwg
BB?31.dwg
BB?32.dwg
BB?33.dwg
The ? is replaced with the next available digit. AutoCAD Electrical allows
up to ten styles using the digits 0-9. You can create them using new drawings
or by copying a set of existing wire connection template drawings to the
appropriate names and modifying as needed.
Starting a wire connection template from a new drawing
1 Start a blank new drawing.
2 Draw the graphics for the wire connection.
3 Use the AutoCAD ATTDEF command to add the wire connection attribute
definition. The insertion point of the attribute definition is the location
AutoCAD Electrical uses to connect the wire. The wire connection attribute
tag is X?TERM01. The "?" character position is used to identify the
preferred wire connection direction:
1: wire connects to the attribute from the right
2: wire connects to the attribute from above
4: wire connects to the attribute from the left
8: wire connects to the attribute from below
0: special for motor connections that radiate from a circle
4 (Optional) Add the TERM01 attribute definition.
5 (Optional) Add the TERMDESC01 attribute definition.
6 (Optional) Add a custom drawing property to define the style description.
This value is the text displayed in the terminal style list in Insert Wire
Connections dialog box.
Select File Drawing Properties.
Select the Custom tab.
2442 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
Select Add.
Enter Terminal style for the custom property name.
Enter the style description for the value.
Select OK to save the drawing property.
7 Save the drawing to the appropriate library folder following the wire
connection template naming convention.
Wire connection template naming convention
First two characters are BB.
Optional characters which indicate the symbol type for this wire
connection.
Parent or child schematic symbol Blank
Panel footprint or nameplate PTWN
Schematic terminal with terminal number STTN
Schematic terminal following the wire number STWN
Panel terminal PTWN_NOTERM
One or two characters indicating the terminal style. It is a single number,
0 through 9, for schematic symbols. For a panel symbol, the single number
is followed by an underscore.
Last two characters are digits that indicate the wire direction.
Radial, wire connects from an angle 00
Left and top 11
Left 12
Left and bottom 13
Top 21
Top, left, bottom, and right 22
Bottom 23
Build your own symbols | 2443
Right and top 31
Right 32
Right and bottom 33
Supplied wire connection templates
Attributes in the template Terminal Style Symbol Type Template Name
X?TERMn, TERMn None Schematic parent or
child
BB012, BB021, BB023,
BB032
X0TERMn None Schematic parent or
child
BB000
X?TERMn, TERMn Screw Schematic parent or
child
BB111 to B133
X?TERMn, TERMn Small Screw Schematic parent or
child
BB211 to BB233
X?TERMn, TERMn Circle, number
inside
Schematic parent or
child
BB311 to BB333
X?TERMn, TERMn Square, number
inside
Schematic parent or
child
BB411 to BB433
X?TERMn, TERMn, DESCA01,
DESCB01, TAGA01
Fixed PLC Schematic parent or
child
BB511 to BB533
X?TERM01, TERM01 None Schematic terminal
with terminal number
BBSTTN012,
BBSTTN021,
BBSTTN023,
BBSTTN032
X?TERM01 None Schematic terminal
following wire number
BBSTWN012,
BBSTWN021,
BBSTWN023,
BBSTWN032
X?TERMn, TERMn, TERMDESCn,
WIRENOn
One wire number Panel footprint BBPTWN0_12,
BBPTWN0_21,
2444 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
Attributes in the template Terminal Style Symbol Type Template Name
BBPTWN0_23,
BBPTWN0_32
X?TERMn, TERMn, TERMDESCn,
WIRENOn
One wire number Panel footprint BBPTWN1_12,
BBPTWN1_21,
BBPTWN1_23,
BBPTWN1_32
X?TERMn, TERMn, TERMDESCn,
WIRENOn, WIRENOnA
Two wire num-
bers
Panel footprint BBPTWN2_12,
BBPTWN2_21,
BBPTWN2_23,
BBPTWN2_32
WIRENOL, WIRENOR, TERM,
TERMDESCL, TERMDESCR
No levels Panel terminal, no
levels
BBPTWN_NOTERM0_12,
BBPTWN_NOTERM0_21,
BBPTWN_NOTERM0_23,
BBPTWN_NOTERM0_32
WIRENOL, WIRENOR, L01PINL,
L01PINR, TERM
One level termin-
al
Panel terminal, one
level
BBPTWN_NOTERM1_12,
BBPTWN_NOTERM1_21,
BBPTWN_NOTERM1_23,
BBPTWN_NOTERM1_32
WIRENOL, WIRENOR, L01PINL,
L01PINR, TERM, L02WIRENOl,
Two level termin-
al
Panel terminal, two
levels
BBPTWN_NOTERM2_12,
BBPTWN_NOTERM2_21,
L02WIRENOR, L02PINL, L02PINR,
L02TERM
BBPTWN_NOTERM2_23,
BBPTWN_NOTERM2_32
WIRENOL, WIRENOR, L01PINL,
L01PINR, TERM, L02WIRENOl,
Three level ter-
minal
Panel terminal, three
levels
BBPTWN_NOTERM3_12,
BBPTWN_NOTERM3_21,
L02WIRENOR, L02PINL, L02PINR, BBPTWN_NOTERM3_23,
BBPTWN_NOTERM3_32 L02TERM, L03WIRENOL,
L03WIRENOR, L03PINL, L03PINR,
L03TERM
The ? is replaced with the appropriate wire connection direction number
on page 309 and the n is replaced with the two digit sequential number. If
your template contains only one wire connection attribute, always use 01.
The 01 is replaced with the next available value when the wire connection
template is inserted using Symbol Builder.
Build your own symbols | 2445
Add your own symbols, circuits, and commands
to the icon menu
AutoCAD Electrical supplies two default icon menus: one for schematic symbols
and the other for panel symbols. Each menu is driven by a text file. AutoCAD
Electrical defaults to icon menu ACE_<standard>_MENU.DAT (where
<standard> = IEEE, JIC, IEC, IEC-60617, GB, HYD, JIS, PID, or PNEU) for
schematic symbols and ACE_PANEL_MENU.DAT for panel symbols. These
menu files are located in
Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\{username}\Application
Data\Autodesk\AutoCAD Electrical {version}\{release}\{country
code}\Support\
Windows Vista, Windows 7:
C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk\AutoCAD Electrical
{version}\{release}\{country code}\Support\
You modify or expand the icon menus by editing the underlying icon menu
text file. You can use a generic text editor and edit it manually or you can use
the AutoCAD Electrical Icon Menu Wizard.
Use the Icon Menu Wizard dialog box to select the function to be performed
when the icon is selected from the icon menu.
Add component: Inserts a symbol
Add circuit: Inserts a prebuilt circuit. This causes AutoCAD Electrical to
insert and explode the .dwg name supplied.
Add new submenu: Starts a new submenu.
Add command: Performs a command. Use Command for inserting
three-phase schematic symbols and panel footprints.
Add components to the icon menu
The Icon Menu Wizard can be used to add or modify icons for both the
schematic and panel symbol libraries.
1 Create an AutoCAD Electrical compatible library symbol. For schematic
symbols, follow the guidelines regarding the symbol ".dwg" file naming
convention on page 279 and required attributes on page 303.
2446 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
2 Click Schematic tab Other Tools panel Icon Menu Wizard.
3 In the Select Menu File dialog box, select to modify the schematic menu
file, and click OK.
4 In the Icon Menu Wizard dialog box, select Add Component to add
a new icon to the menu.
NOTE You can also right-click in empty space and select Add icon
Component.
Three pieces of information are needed for the new icon button.
5 On the Add Icon - Component dialog box, specify the image file name
and graphic to appear in the icon button. The image name can be
manually typed into the edit box. You can browse to an existing .sld or
.png file to assign to the icon, use an image file that matches the active
drawing name, use an image file that matches a picked block on the
drawing, or use an image with the same name as the block name entered
for the block name.
NOTE Browse cannot be used if you are using a slide library (instead of
individual <slide>.sld files). Manually enter these as "library name(slide name)".
For example, "S1(hpb11)."
If you have not created the slide image and want to have it created
automatically from the current screen image, select Create PNG from
current screen image. The Icon Menu Wizard runs the AutoCAD MSLIDE
Add your own symbols, circuits, and commands to the icon menu | 2447
command on your current screen image to create the .png and .sld file.
If the file does not exist, then Create PNG from the current screen image
is selected by default. If you do not want to create the image from the
current drawing's displayed image, switch it off. If you want to redo an
existing image, click this switch on.
6 Specify the block name to insert on the icon. The symbol's file name can
be typed into the edit box or you can browse for an existing WBlocked
".dwg" file to assign to the icon, insert the full active drawing as a block,
or select an existing block on the current drawing.
7 Click OK.
The new menu button appears in the menu and the text you entered for
the icon label appears in the tooltip or in the list if you set the viewing
option to either Icon with text or List view.
8 Select the appropriate Insert Component command and test your new
symbol insert.
Add an icon menu page
You can add new menu pages to the AutoCAD Electrical icon menu, and then
populate them with your own custom symbols. Each new page can have icon
selections that cascade down to other new menu pages. Once you click OK,
your trigger icon and new submenu page are added.
1 On the Icon Menu Wizard dialog box, select Add New submenu to
add a new icon to the menu.
NOTE You can also right-click in empty space and select New Submenu.
2448 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
The Create New Submenu dialog box appears. Here you can select the
function that will be performed when the icon is selected from the icon
menu.
Three pieces of information are needed to trigger the new menu page.
2 On the Create New Submenu dialog box, specify the image file name and
.sld or .png graphic to appear in the icon button. The image name can
be manually typed into the edit box. You can browse to an existing .sld
or .png file to assign to the icon, use an image file that matches the active
drawing name, use an image file that matches a picked block on the
drawing, or use an image file with the same name as the block name
entered for the block name.
NOTE Browse cannot be used if you are using a slide library (instead of
individual <slide>.sld files). Manually enter these as "library name(slide name)".
3 Specify the submenu's title.
4 Click OK.
5 Select the appropriate Insert Component command and test your new
symbol insert.
Add an icon to trigger a command
An icon can be configured to trigger an AutoCAD command, trigger an
AutoCAD Electrical command, or run a program. For example, "Rectangle"
can be typed into the edit box so that every time you click the box, it runs
the AutoCAD Rectangle command.
1 On the Icon Menu Wizard dialog box, click Add Command.
NOTE You can also right-click in empty space and select Add icon
Command.
2 On the Add Icon - Command dialog box, specify the name to appear on
the icon and the image file to use on the icon button.
3 Specify the command to execute when the icon button is selected.
Click List to select from a list of AutoCAD Electrical Commands for Panel
and Schematic multi-pole symbol inserts. This makes it easier for you to
build the appropriate command to insert a multi-pole symbol or a panel
symbol. To see the command line parameters for a specific AutoCAD
Electrical command, select the command in the list and the parameters
Add your own symbols, circuits, and commands to the icon menu | 2449
display at the right. If quotation marks are shown, then enclose the
parameter value within quotation marks.
NOTE If you select an API command that requires parameters you must
manually enter the additional parameters as indicated. Commands that require
parameters should be inside of parenthesis. If you use one of the AutoCAD
commands from the list, no parenthesis are needed. For example, to add an
icon that inserts a black flush push button, Allen-Bradley, catalog number
800T-A2A, with no rotation, select the command WD_INFP from the list.
When you return to the Command dialog box, you must enter in the rest of
the parameters.
"family" is used for the catalog file lookup table name
"mfg" is used for the footprint lookup
"cat" is the actual catalog number
"assycode" is the catalog number assembly code (often blank)
"footprint" is the library symbol name
WD_INFP "PB11" "AB" "800T-A2A" "" "AB/ABPB3"
4 Click OK.
Add circuits to the icon menu
Add Circuit is the same as Insert Command except that the block file is made
up of more than one AutoCAD Electrical block definitions and related wire
lines.
1 On the Icon Menu Wizard dialog box, click Add Add circuit.
NOTE You can also right-click in empty space and select Add icon Add
circuit.
Three pieces of information are needed for the new icon button.
2 On the Add Existing Circuit dialog box, specify the image file name and
.sld or .png graphic to appear in the icon button. The image name can
be manually typed into the edit box. You can browse to an existing .sld
or .png file to assign to the icon, use an image file that matches the active
drawing name, use an image file that matches a picked block on the
drawing, or use an image file with the same name as the block name
entered for the block name.
2450 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
NOTE Browse cannot be used if you are using a slide library (instead of
individual <slide>.sld files). Manually enter these as "library name(slide name)".
3 Specify the circuit name to insert on the icon. The symbol's file name
can be typed into the edit box or you can browse for an existing WBlocked
".dwg" file to assign to the icon or insert the full active drawing as a block.
4 Click OK.
The new menu button appears in the menu.
5 Select the appropriate Insert Component command and test your new
symbol insert.
Change the icon's image
There are times when you might want to change the image associated with
an icon menu choice. The AutoCAD Electrical Icon Menu Wizard provides a
quick, easy way to reassign or reshoot a slide image. Slides can be saved as
individual files in the AutoCAD Electrical search path or they can be
maintained inside of a library of slide files called the slide library.
NOTE If you make custom slides or slide libraries for the menu, copy them to the
same subdirectory as the menu file since AutoCAD Electrical looks for menu slides
in the active icon menu file's directory.
1 On the Icon Menu Wizard dialog box, right-click an icon button to edit
and select Properties.
2 On the Properties dialog box, specify the image file name and .sld or .png
graphic to appear in the icon button. The image name can be manually
typed into the edit box. You can browse to an existing .sld or .png file to
assign to the icon, use an image file that matches the active drawing
name, use an image file that matches a picked block on the drawing, or
use an image file with the same name as the block name entered for the
block name.
If you have not created the .png image and want to have it created
automatically from the current screen image, select Create PNG from
current screen image. The Icon Menu Wizard runs the AutoCAD MSLIDE
command on your current screen image to create the .png and .sld file.
If the file does not exist, then Create PNG from current screen image is
selected by default. If you do not want to create the image from the
current drawing's displayed image, switch it off. If you want to redo an
existing image, click this switch on.
Add your own symbols, circuits, and commands to the icon menu | 2451
NOTE Browse cannot be used if you are using a slide library (instead of
individual <slide>.sld files). Manually enter these as "library name(slide name)".
3 Click OK.
The new menu button appears in the menu.
4 Select the appropriate Insert Component command and test your new
symbol insert.
Edit the DAT file with a text editor
There may be times when you want to bypass the Icon Menu Wizard and edit
the menu DAT file directly. It is important to maintain the menu file structure,
otherwise your menu may not activate properly. An AutoCAD Electrical menu
".dat" file is a text file that can be viewed and edited with any text editor (ex:
WordPad or Notepad). See Overview of the icon menu file on page 1591.
Best practices for icon menu changes
We recommend that you create your own icon menu and leave the AutoCAD
Electrical icon menu intact. This provides you with easier migration when
upgrading to the next version of AutoCAD Electrical. You can set up the
AutoCAD Electrical icon menu system so that you can flip back and forth
between the default ACE_<standard>_MENU.DAT (such as
ACE_JIC_MENU.DAT) and your own "my_menu.dat."
1 Copy the standard menu into a new file name instead of creating the file
from scratch. Open the new DAT file with a text editor and remove
everything except for the top portion of the file (shown below).
**M0
D0
JIC: Schematic Symbols
NOTE The line D0 is only needed if the menu must be compatible with
AutoCAD Electrical versions prior to 2008.
Rename the title line to indicate that this is your very own personal menu
file.
2 Add a line like the following in the ACE_<standard>_MENU.DAT file.
My schematic menu|mymenu.sld|$C=(c:wd_loadmenu
"my_menu.dat")(c:wd_insym_go2menu 0)
2452 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
NOTE Make sure this text is all on one line.
3 In your new "my_menu.dat" file, add a line like the following one so that
you can jump back to the default AutoCAD Electrical icon menu.
Default AutoCAD Electrical menu|back2wd.sld|$C=(c:wd_loadmenu
"ACE_JIC_MENU.DAT")(c:wd_insym_go2menu 0)
The result should be:
**M0
D0
My Menu: My Companies Symbols
AutoCAD Electrical menu|back2wd.sld|$C=(c:wd_loadmenu
"ACE_JIC_MENU.DAT")(c:wd_insym_go2menu 0)
4 In the AutoCAD Electrical default icon menu, click the new "My menu"
entry.
Your menu should immediately appear and remains the default for
subsequent component inserts. If you want to go back to the AutoCAD
Electrical default menu, click the "AutoCAD Electrical menu" button you
added to your custom menu. AutoCAD Electrical flips back to the default
icon menu and it now remains the default for subsequent inserts.
Configure projects for various drawing standards
AutoCAD Electrical has multiple configuration options so that you can
configure your drawings in a manner that fits your needs. You can configure
drawings for IEC standard or automatically override family tag codes.
Configure for IEC standard
Below is a list of configuration options (both project properties and
drawing-specific properties) that are most commonly used when dealing with
the IEC drawing standard and a description of each.
Project Properties
Project Properties are configured by right-clicking on the project name in the
Project Manager and selecting Properties. The options configured here are
project-wide options, such as the paths to symbol libraries, or drawing default
options for new drawings that are created in the selected project. The drawing
Configure projects for various drawing standards | 2453
options defined in the Project Properties dialog box can also be applied to any
drawing in the project if needed.
Project Settings Tab
AutoCAD Electrical contains a library set that follows
the IEC-60617 standard.
Schematic Libraries
AutoCAD Electrical also contains two legacy IEC-
type symbol sets, IEC2 and IEC4. The main differ-
ence between these libraries is the size of the text
associated with them.
IEC2 symbols have a text size of 2.5 for the
main text items such as Component Tag, Install-
ation, Location, Component Description, and
so on.
IEC4 symbols have a text size of 3.5 for the
Component Tag and a text size of 2.7 for Install-
ation, Location, Component Description, and
so on.
AutoCAD Electrical contains an icon menu,
ACE_IEC-60617_MENU.DAT for the IEC-60617 lib-
Schematic Icon Menu File
rary set, and an icon menu file,
ACE_IEC_MENU.DAT, for the legacy IEC2 and IEC4
library sets.
Components Tab
In IEC you may want your components to be
tagged with Sheet Number, Family Code, fol-
Component TAG Format
lowed by a number that is either sequential or ref-
erence-based. To do this, in the Tag Format edit
box, enter: %S%F%N where %S = the sheet
number, %F = the family code defined for the
component being inserted and %N = the number-
ing scheme for the active drawing (either sequential
or reference-based).
For sequential numbering, you can enter a starting
number to use as a starting component number.
For reference-based numbering, you can use one
of the following numbering formats:
X-Y Grid
2454 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
Components Tab
X Zones
Reference Number
Defines most of the specific tagging options to
conform to the IEC tagging mode. Select the option
that best fits your needs:
Component TAG Options
Combined Installation/Location Tag Mode:
Uses the combined installation/location tag for
interpreting component tag names. For ex-
ample, 100CR relay contact marked with loca-
tion code PNL1 is interpreted as being associ-
ated with a different relay coil than relay con-
tact -100CR marked with location code PNL2.
If this setting is not selected, both contacts are
associated with the same parent relay coil, -
100CR.
By selecting this option, your compon-
ent tags are automatically prefixed with
the =, +, and - where applicable.
Suppress dash when first character of tag:
Suppresses any single dash character prefix in
an IEC tag that does not have a leading Install-
ation/Location prefix (for example, "-K101"
dash is suppressed to "K101" but "+LOC1-K101"
remains unchanged).
When switched OFF, it automatically
adds a single dash character to an IEC
tag that does not already have a single
leading dash prefix and does not have
a leading Installation/Location prefix.
For example, tag "K101" becomes "-
K101" but "+LOC1-K101" remains un-
changed.
NOTE This suppression takes place auto-
matically in reports; and takes place
graphically only when a component is in-
serted, edited, or retagged.
Configure projects for various drawing standards | 2455
Components Tab
Format Installation/Location into tag: Specifies
to exclude the Installation and Location code
values as part of the tag when displaying. For
example, if this is not on, a tag might show up
as K16 in the Surf dialog box. But if selected,
the tag might show up +AAA-K16 (where AAA
is the location).
Suppress Installation/Location in tag when
match drawing default: Suppresses Location
and Installation values on components if they
match the drawing default values.
Suppress Installation/Location in tag on reports:
Specifies to exclude Installation and Location
values as part of the tag when displayed in re-
ports.
Upon insert: automatic fill Installation/Location
with drawing default or last used: Fills the In-
stallation and Location edit boxes on the In-
sert/Edit component dialog box and the attrib-
utes on the block with drawing default or last
used values (if no drawing default).If not selec-
ted, these edit boxes and attributes are not
filled in and are assumed.
Cross-reference Tab
In IEC, you may want to configure your cross-refer-
encing text to display the Sheet Number - Refer-
Cross-reference Format
ence Number. To do this, in the Same Drawing
edit box, enter %S-%N (or click the %S-%N
button). You can also define the format of the cross-
referencing text that references other drawings in
the Between Drawings edit box.
Select this if you want to suppress IEC prefixes. Suppress Installation/Location codes when
matching the drawing defaults
NOTE You must run the Component Cross-refer-
ence command to update any existing cross-refer-
encing text.
2456 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
Cross-reference Tab
In IEC, it is common to display a representation of
the type of child component (Normally Open,
Component Cross-reference Display
Normally Closed or Form-C contact) in either a
graphical or table format. If you select the graphical
(nontable) format, you can define details of the
graphical format by clicking Setup.
Styles Tab
In IEC, it is sometimes preferable to display wire
connections as tee markers instead of connection
Wire Style
dots. To do this, in the Wire Tee section, select the
appropriate angle tee marker from the list.
Drawing Format Tab
In IEC, the most common ladder orientation is Ho-
rizontal. In the Ladder Defaults section, configure
how to display your horizontal ladders.
Ladder Defaults
Defines the type of referencing that is used to re-
place the %N value for component tag and wire
Format Referencing
number formats. In IEC, the most commonly used
format is X Zones.
NOTE If you want AutoCAD Electrical to place the
labels for the X-Y Grid or X Zones referencing style,
use the appropriate command from the Insert
Ladder toolbar.
X-Y Grid: All referencing is tied to an X-Y grid
system of numbers and letters along the left-
hand side and top of the drawing.Set your
drawing's vertical and horizontal index numbers
and letters, spacing, and origin in the X-Y grid
setup dialog box.
TIP Use negative spacing values for Hori-
zontal or Vertical if you want to change
the X-Y grid system's origin to be other
than the upper left-hand corner of the
drawing
Configure projects for various drawing standards | 2457
Drawing Format Tab
X Zones: Similar to X-Y Grid, but there is not a
Y-axis. Set your drawing's horizontal labels,
spacing, and origin on the X Zones setup dialog
box.
TIP Use negative zone spacing value if
you want the zone reference origin to be
at the right side of the drawing.
Scale for IEC drawings is normally set to mm full
size.
Scale
Drawing Properties
Drawing Properties are configured by either right-clicking on the drawing
name in the Project Manager and selecting Properties Drawing Properties,
or by selecting Properties Drawing Properties. The options configured here
are only applied to the drawing that they were configured on.
NOTE Options that are duplicated on the Drawing Properties and Project Properties
dialog boxes are not described in this section.
Drawing Settings Tab
Defines Installation and Location codes that are
used for drawing defaults when placing compon-
IEC-Style Designators
ents on the drawing and no override Installation or
Location values are given on the specific compon-
ent. These values are used when the Combined In-
stallation/Location tag mode option is selected
(described previously in Project Properties section).
Automatically override family tag codes
A components family name can be overridden at insertion time, during a
later edit, or automatically using the wd_fam.dat mapping file. The wd_fam.dat
file overrides the family tag code of library symbols by mapping the codes to
new values. The tag code of a symbol is used in generating the tag-ID of
inserted components, such as the PB of tag-ID PB101.
AutoCAD Electrical searches for this mapping file in the following order:
2458 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
1 User subdirectory
Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\{username}\Application
Data\Autodesk\AutoCAD Electrical {version}\{release}\{country
code}\Support\User\
Windows Vista, Windows 7:
C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk\AutoCAD Electrical
{version}\{release}\{country code}\Support\User\
2 Active project's .wdp file subdirectory
3 All paths defined under AutoCAD Options Files Support Files
Search Path
Depending on how you want to override component family names, you can
move the wd_fam.dat file into the various locations mentioned above.
To always substitute a new family value for all projects you create, place
the file in the User folder. (option 1)
To use AutoCAD Electrical defaults most of the time but sometimes override
them with project-specific defaults, place the file in the project folders for
the project you want to override. You can have different defaults for each
project. (option 2)
If you want a default override from the AutoCAD Electrical default values,
but sometimes want a project override to the global override, you will want
to use option 3 and 2. Place the file somewhere in the AutoCAD support
path, like C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Acade 200x\Acade, and then
when you want to override these values, place the file in the project folder.
Switch standards
You can have projects that require working in the legacy JIC standard and
other projects that require the IEC standard. To switch from one standard to
another change:
Schematic library folders
Schematic icon menu
Component tagging options
The library folders and icon menu are project settings. The component tagging
options are on a per-drawing basis and must be applied to each drawing.
Configure projects for various drawing standards | 2459
Project settings
1 Click Project tab Project Tools panel Manager.
2 Right-click on the project name in Project Manager.
3 Select Properties.
4 Select the Project Settings tab.
5 Expand the Schematic Libraries section.
6 Remove any folder names you no longer want and add any that you
need. For example, remove the JIC folder and add the IEC library folder.
NOTE AutoCAD Electrical searches for a symbol in the order the folders are
listed.
7 Expand the Schematic Icon Menu File section.
8 Remove the menu you do not want and add the menu you need. For
example, remove the ACE_JIC_MENU.DAT file and add the
ACE_IEC_MENU.DAT file.
9 Click OK.
Drawing settings - change as a project setting
Component tagging options can be changed as a project setting and applied
to a group of drawings.
1 Click Project tab Project Tools panel Manager.
2 Right-click on the project name in Project Manager.
3 Select Properties.
4 Select the Components tab.
5 In the Component TAG Options section, check the Combined
Installation/Location tag mode option for IEC tagging, uncheck it for JIC
tagging.
If using IEC tagging, set any of the other tagging options.
2460 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
6 Highlight all the drawings in Project Manager you wish to apply the
project settings to.
7 Right-click and select Properties Apply Project Defaults.
NOTE When the project settings are applied to a drawing, all settings are applied,
not specific ones.
Drawing settings - change a single drawing
Component tagging options can be changed on a per-drawing basis.
1 Click Project tab Project Tools panel Manager.
2 Highlight the drawing in Project Manager that you wish to change.
3 Right-click and select Properties Drawing Properties.
4 Select the Components tab.
5 In the Component TAG Options section, check the Combined
Installation/Location tag mode option for IEC tagging, uncheck it for JIC
tagging.
If using IEC tagging, set any of the other tagging options.
6 Click OK.
NOTE You can change the component tagging options on the active drawing by
selecting Drawing Properties.
See also:
Configure for IEC standard on page 2453
Use Autodesk Vault with AutoCAD Electrical
Autodesk Vault allows you to keep a history of your design changes. You can
review how your designs have progressed and rollback to a previous version
if necessary. Vault also acts as a central shared secured repository of drawings
Use Autodesk Vault with AutoCAD Electrical | 2461
and data with the ability to search for required information across multiple
drawings and projects.
The AutoCAD Vault add-in works within AutoCAD Electrical, adding data
management tools to the interface. Through the AutoCAD Vault add-in, you
can add files to a vault, and check files in and out. The add-in works with
both DWG and image files. In AutoCAD Electrical, you work on one project
at a time. The project file (.wdp) lists all the drawings that are part of a project.
When you make a change in one drawing, all files related to that drawing
automatically update.
Perform vault tasks with the Project Manager
When working with AutoCAD Electrical and Autodesk Vault, you check out
projects or individual drawings from a vault location to edit. You can perform
all vault tasks within the Project Manager when you are logged into the vault.
You can also manage the relationships between a project file and its dependents
in the vault, while standard project management operations continue to be
available.
NOTE Access to vault folders depends upon the permissions you are granted. You
cannot see files or folders that you do not have permissions for viewing.
AutoCAD Vault ARX adds vault features to the Project Manager once logged
into the Vault. The vault commands are available by right-clicking on a project
or drawing within the AutoCAD Electrical Project Manager. You can use the
Project Manager to:
Log in and out of the vault
Upon initial start-up of AutoCAD Electrical, you are not logged into the
vault. You must log into Autodesk Vault to work with projects in the vault.
You can also log into the vault using the File Vault menu
Check projects in and out of the vault
The most basic requirement of the vault is that you never work directly
on a file in the vault. You must check out the project to the working folder
on your local drive to edit it. When you finish working on the project, you
must check the project back into the vault.
When a project file and its related drawing files are checked out of a vault,
only the files that are not currently checked out are downloaded. If the
working copy of a file is older than the version in the vault, you are
prompted to replace the working copy. If the working copy is currently
checked out, it is not replaced.
2462 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
TIP If you want others to view updates you made to a project and you want
to continue modifying the project, select the Keep Checked Out option on the
Check In dialog box. This checks in the updates you made to the project and
keeps the project checked out to you.
NOTE You must have all references of a project file downloaded to your
working folder to edit the project file.
View the status of files in a design
The status icons indicate the status of your local files as compared to the
same files in the vault. You can tell when the local copy is in sync with
the vault and when it is not. The tooltip for each status icon describes the
state of the file and suggests the next logical step. The status of a local file
is updated when it is saved to disk.
NOTE The vault status icons are only available in the list view and only appear
when you are logged into the vault.
Setup for single user vs. multiple users
You can perform vault operations on the entire project or individual drawing
files listed within the project in AutoCAD Electrical. However, in a
multiple-user design environment, you can choose to check out and edit
individual files as they are needed rather than checking out the entire project
at once while still maintaining drawing file dependencies and versions. After
you change the files and check them back into the vault, the associated files
simultaneously update.
Use the Project Manager to perform all vaulting operations. In AutoCAD
Electrical, you can select a file (or multiple files) within a project to:
Check in (all)
Check out (all)
Get latest (all)
Workflow overview
1 Start AutoCAD Electrical.
2 Log into Vault.
Use Autodesk Vault with AutoCAD Electrical | 2463
3 In a single user environment, if you did not set a working folder yet, start
Autodesk Vault Explorer and set a working folder on your local computer
and then switch back to AutoCAD Electrical.
In a multiple-user design environment, set the working folder on a shared
network resource for the entire project team. This allows simultaneous
access for all users on the same dataset and maintains the data consistency.
4 Open a project you want to add to the vault.
5 Add the opened project to the vault using the Check In or Check In Folder
command.
6 Use the Open from Vault or Check Out command to open and check out
the file from the vault.
7 To work on more files in the project, check out multiple files to the
working folder using the Check Out All command in the Project Manager.
8 When you finish modifying the files, check them back into the vault
using the Check In All command in the Project Manager. All related files
update.
Best practices for vault commands
Below are the suggested workflows for using the most common vault
commands with AutoCAD Electrical.
Open from vault
Use Open from the Vault to access files in the vault for viewing or editing. To
modify a file from the vault, the file must be checked out to you and worked
on from your local drive. You must be logged into the Autodesk Data
Management Server to open and check out a file.
1 In the Project Manager, select Open Project from Vault from the project
selection menu.
2 In the Select file dialog box, navigate to the project definition file, and
then select it. To maintain the relationship between the drawing files
that are defined in the project file, you must check out all files specified
in a project file when opening a project from Vault.
3 Click Open.
Get latest version
2464 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
Get Latest Version retrieves a read-only copy of the most recent design data
that is checked in. You cannot modify it until you check it out using Autodesk
Vault Explorer or the Vault add-in for AutoCAD-based products.
1 In the Project Manager, select a file.
2 Right-click and select:
Get Latest Version to get the most recent version of the selected project
file.
Get Latest Version for All to get the most recent version of the selected
project file and all of the related files.
3 In the Get Latest Version dialog box, click OK.
The most recent versions of the selected files are downloaded from the
vault. If the working copy of a file is newer than the most recent version
of the file in the vault, you are prompted to chose either losing changes
made to the current working copy or to not get the latest version of that
file.
4 Click Settings to get the parents and children of the selected file.
Get previous version
Get Previous Version retrieves a past version of a file or a project and places
a read-only copy in your working folder. Historical versions can never be
modified. You can only create a new version of a file.
1 In the Project Manager, right-click a file or project, and then click Get
Previous Version.
2 In the Get Previous Version dialog box, select a version of the file or
project to retrieve.
3 If the file has parents and children to get, click Settings, and then specify
which related files are retrieved as well.
4 Click OK.
A read-only copy of the file is placed in the local working folder. You can
view the file but you cannot modify it. To modify the file, you must check
it out.
Create a project version
Project versions are controlled by project file (.wdp) versions. The project file
acts as the parent for all drawings in the project and each version of the .wdp
Use Autodesk Vault with AutoCAD Electrical | 2465
is associated to the latest versions of the drawing at that instance. You can
edit individual drawings of a project and create versions of the drawings as
needed. When you want to take a project snapshot (create a project version),
check out the .wdp and check it back in.
Even if the .wdp is not modified, if any drawings have newer versions, a newer
version of the .wdp is created, associating all newer drawing versions.
TIP Use Vault Explorer to examine the relationship between versions of the project
file and corresponding drawings.
Roll back to a previous project version
You can roll back to a previous project version using Vault Explorer, restoring
the project file (.wdp) and all associated drawing and project configuration
files to a previous version.
1 Close the project and drawings in AutoCAD Electrical.
2 Using Vault Explorer, examine the .wdp file and corresponding drawing
versions.
3 Select the desired .wdp file.
4 Click Get Previous Version.
Automatically check in drawings
Some operations in AutoCAD Electrical (such as project-wide or reporting
tools) cause Vault to automatically check out all affected drawings. These
drawings can be automatically checked in when modifications are complete.
When asked whether to check the file in, click Yes or Yes to All. If you do not
want to be prompted to check in your drawings since you want the check-in
to happen automatically, in the Options dialog box, select Check In dialog
on auto check in.
When files are checked in, comments are automatically added to help identify
and distinguish between the versions of the files that are automatically created.
You can modify the comments as desired during check-in unless you
suppressed the Check In dialog box.
Shared sandbox guidelines
A shared workspace is a working folder located on a shared server for all users
to access. The shared workspace configuration can be used with:
Autodesk Vault
2466 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
Autodesk Vault Explorer
AutoCAD Vault Add-in
Microsoft Vault Add-in
You can choose to work in a local or shared working folder according to your
design requirements. A shared working folder is highly recommended for the
AutoCAD Electrical environment, especially in a multi-user situation, because
it enables you and your design team to keep all files up-to-date.
To use a shared workspace, the system administrator should preset a consistent
working folder for all project members to use. Assign the working folder
location to the root level ($) of the vault. A shared working folder cannot be
assigned to a subfolder.
NOTE If Inventor add-in clients will access the same vault, do not enforce a shared
working folder. If Inventor and AutoCAD Electrical are sharing the same vault, the
vault administrator cannot enforce the shared working folder. Each AutoCAD
Electrical user must set the working folder individually to point to a common
network drive.
Rules For Using Shared Working Folders
Using a shared workspace means multiple users may be working on the same
files. All your vault operations are protected as long as you log into the vault
before working on the files. The following guidelines will help prevent you
from overwriting the changes made by someone else, and vice versa.
1 Remain logged into the vault at all times. You can use the Vault auto
login option so you are automatically logged into the vault when
AutoCAD Electrical starts.
2 If a file is currently checked out to another user, you cannot perform the
following operations:
Get Latest Version
Get Previous Version
Check Out
3 You cannot check out a file that is currently opened for read-write by
another user.
4 You can still check out a file that is opened for read only by another user.
Use Autodesk Vault with AutoCAD Electrical | 2467
5 You can open a file in read only when it is currently checked out to
someone else using the same working folder.
6 Ensure that the drawings are checked back into the vault after you finish
working on them so they are available to other users who need to modify
them.
2468 | Chapter 26 Advanced Productivity
AutoCAD Electrical
Command
AutoCAD Electrical Commands
Commands
These topics are called from within the command itself. If you do not find all
the information you need, look further in the Help.
3 Phase Wire Numbers on page 1301
Add Attribute on page 1201
Add Connector Pins on page 1475
Add/Edit Internal Jumper on page 1182
Add/Edit Power Source/Load Levels on page 2000
Add Geometry on page 1991
Add Rung on page 1291
Add Table to Catalog Database on page 1628
Add Wire Connections on page 1992
Adjust In-Line Wire/Label Gaps on page 1327
Align on page 1125
Associate Terminals on page 1383
Autodesk Inventor Professional Export on page 1853
27
2469
Automatic Report Selection on page 1829
Bend Wire on page 1247
Block Replacement on page 1996
Break Apart Terminal Associations on page 1385
Cable Markers on page 1261
Change Attribute Justification on page 1196
Change Attribute Layer on page 1188
Change Attribute Size on page 1199
Change/Convert Wire Type on page 271
Change Cross-reference to Multiple Line Text on page 1205
Check/Repair Gap Pointers on page 2020
Check/Trace Wire on page 2020
Child Location/Description Update on page 1208
Circuit Builder on page 1030
Clean Drawing Utility on page 2019
Component Cross-reference on page 1136
Component update from catalog on page 1636
Conduit Marker (From/To List) on page 1959
Conduit Marker (Pick) on page 1959
Conduit Marker Report on page 1966
Continue Surfer on page 1517
Convert Block to Destination Arrow on page 1978
Convert Block to Source Arrow on page 1978
Convert Ladder on page 1293
Convert Text to Attribute Definition on page 1977
Convert Text to Wire Number on page 1977
Convert to Schematic Component on page 1974
2470 | Chapter 27 AutoCAD Electrical Command
Copy/Add Component Override on page 1143
Copy Assembly on page 1896
Copy Catalog Assignment on page 1629
Copy Circuit on page 1048
Copy Component on page 1099
Copy Footprint on page 1893
Copy Installation Code on page 1914
Copy Group Code on page 1914
Copy Level Assignments on page 1945
Copy Location Code on page 1914
Copy Mount Code on page 1914
Copy Project on page 152
Copy Terminal Block Properties on page 1385
Copy Wire Number on page 1326
Copy Wire Number (In-Line) on page 1327
Create/Edit Wire Type on page 262
Create New Drawing on page 164
Create New Project on page 150
Create a project-specific catalog database on page 1609
Cross-reference Check on page 1139
Delete Component on page 1124
Delete Connector Pins on page 1476
Delete Footprint on page 1124
Delete Project on page 184
Delete Wire Gap on page 1282
Delete Wire Numbers on page 1335
Destination Signal Arrow on page 1339
AutoCAD Electrical Commands | 2471
Drawing Audit on page 2024
Drawing Properties: Components on page 218
Drawing Properties: Cross-references on page 224
Drawing Properties: Drawing Format on page 227
Drawing Properties: Drawing Settings on page 216
Drawing Properties: Styles on page 1343
Drawing Properties: Wire Numbers on page 1306
Edit Component on page 1066
Edit Conduit Marker on page 1959
Edit Footprint on page 1897
Edit Jumper on page 1450
Edit Language Database File on page 1533
Edit Selected Attribute on page 1187
Edit Wire Number on page 1319
Edit Wire Sequence on page 1361
Edit User Table Data on page 1180
Electrical Audit on page 2021
Electrical Standards Database Editor on page 1009
Export to Spreadsheet on page 1832
Fan In/Out Destination on page 1351
Fan In/Out - Single Line Layer on page 1352
Fan In/Out Source on page 1350
Find/Edit/Replace Component Text on page 1191
Find/Replace Terminal Text on page 1192
Find/Replace Wire Numbers on page 1313
Fix Wire Numbers on page 1317
Fix/UnFix Component Tag on page 1203
2472 | Chapter 27 AutoCAD Electrical Command
Flip Wire Gap on page 1282
Flip Wire Number on page 1329
Footprint Database File Editor on page 1927
Hide Attribute (Single Picks) on page 1194
Hide Attribute (Window/Multiple) on page 1194
Hide/Unhide Cross-Referencing on page 1138
Hide Wire Numbers on page 1335
Icon Menu Wizard on page 1564
IEC Tag Mode - Update on page 189
In-Line Wire Labels on page 1250
Insert 22.5 Degree Wire on page 1238
Insert 45 Degree Wire on page 1238
Insert 67.5 Degree Wire on page 1238
Insert Balloon on page 1934
Insert Component on page 1061
Insert Component (Catalog List) on page 1101
Insert Component (Equipment List) on page 1111
Insert Component (Panel List) on page 1116
Insert Connector on page 1480
Insert Connector from List on page 1505
Insert Angled Tee Markers on page 1359
Insert Dot Tee Markers on page 1359
Insert/Edit Boundary Box Assignment on page 1951
Insert/Edit Panel Level Assignment (for components) on page 1952
Insert/Edit Panel Level Assignment (for terminal strips) on page 1947
Insert Footprint (Catalog List) on page 1887
Insert Footprint (Equipment List) on page 1891
AutoCAD Electrical Commands | 2473
Insert Footprint (Icon Menu) on page 1880
Insert Footprint (Manual) on page 1884
Insert Footprint (Manufacturer Menu) on page 1876
Insert Footprint (Schematic List) on page 1869
Insert Hydraulic Components on page 2008
Insert Ladder on page 1287
Insert Panel Assembly on page 1895
Insert P&ID Components on page 2013
Insert PLC (Full Units) on page 916
Insert PLC (Parametric) on page 912
Insert Pneumatic Components on page 2003
Insert Reference Arrow - From on page 1173
Insert Reference Arrow - To on page 1172
Insert Saved Circuit on page 1059
Insert Splice on page 1512
Insert Stand Alone Cross-reference on page 1169
Insert Terminal (Manual) on page 1884
Insert Terminal (Panel List) on page 1119
Insert Terminal (Schematic List) on page 1870
Insert Terminal Strip Representation on page 1947
Insert WBlocked Circuit on page 1059
Insert Wire on page 1238
Insert Wire Gap on page 1282
Insert Wire Numbers on page 1297
Interconnect Components on page 1244
Language Conversion on page 1532
Link Catalog Number on page 1989
2474 | Chapter 27 AutoCAD Electrical Command
Link Components with Dashed Lines on page 1171
Link Description on page 1989
Link Item Number on page 1989
Link Installation Code on page 1989
Link Location Code on page 1989
Link Manufacturer on page 1989
Link PLC Address Description on page 1989
Link Rating on page 1989
Link Split Tag on page 1989
Link Terminal Number on page 1989
Link User on page 1989
List Signal Code on page 1174
Location Box on page 1215
Location Symbols on page 1211
Make Xdata Visible on page 1858
Map Attributes from Old to New on page 1974
Mark/Verify Drawings on page 1530
Mark Component to Pass Power on page 2001
Migration Utility on page 128
Missing Level/Sequence Assignments on page 1767
Modify Symbol Library on page 1219
Move Circuit on page 1049
Move Component on page 1126
Move Connector Pins on page 1478
Move/Show Attribute on page 1194
Move Wire Number on page 1323
Multiple Cable Markers on page 1275
AutoCAD Electrical Commands | 2475
Multiple Insert (Icon Menu) on page 1062
Multiple Insert (Pick Master) on page 1100
Multiple Wire Bus on page 1243
Next Project Drawing on page 1519
Panel Bill of Materials Report on page 1762
Panel Component Report on page 1765
Panel Component Exception Report on page 1764
Panel Configuration on page 1859
Panel Nameplate Report on page 1769
Panel Terminal Exception Report on page 1770
Panel Terminal Strip Report on page 1955
Panel Terminal Strip Swap Wire Text on page 1944
Panel Wire Connection Report on page 1772
Pin List Database Editor on page 1640
PLC Database File Editor on page 927
PLC Database Migration Utility on page 941
PLC I/O Wire Numbers on page 1303
Power Load Check Report on page 2002
Previous Project Drawing on page 1519
Project Manager on page 141
Project Properties: Components on page 203
Project Properties: Cross-references on page 211
Project Properties: Drawing Format on page 214
Project Properties: Project Settings on page 200
Project Properties: Styles on page 212
Project Properties: Wire Numbers on page 207
Project-Wide Utilities on page 1230
2476 | Chapter 27 AutoCAD Electrical Command
Project-Wide Update/Retag on page 1526
Promis.e Conversion on page 1971
Publish to Web on page 1535
Push Description Down on page 1193
Push Description Up on page 1193
Rebuild/Freshen Project Database on page 192
Recalculate Wire Size on page 1044
Remove Component Override on page 1144
Remove Level/Sequencing Assignment on page 1943
Rename Attribute on page 1200
Rename Panel Layers on page 257
Rename Schematic Layers on page 257
Renumber Ladder Reference on page 1526
Report Format File Setup - Missing Level/Sequence Assignments on page
1782
Report Format File Setup - Panel Bill of Material on page 1775
Report Format File Setup - Panel Component on page 1780
Report Format File Setup - Panel Component Exception on page 1778
Report Format File Setup - Panel Nameplate on page 1786
Report Format File Setup - Panel Terminal Exception on page 1788
Report Format File Setup - Panel Wire Connection on page 1790
Report Format File Setup - Schematic Bill of Material on page 1792
Report Format File Setup - Schematic Cable From/To on page 1795
Report Format File Setup - Schematic Cable Summary on page 1797
Report Format File Setup - Schematic Component on page 1810
Report Format File Setup - Schematic Component Wire List on page 1801
Report Format File Setup - Schematic Connector Details on page 1803
Report Format File Setup - Schematic Connector Plug on page 1806
AutoCAD Electrical Commands | 2477
Report Format File Setup - Schematic Connector Summary on page 1808
Report Format File Setup - Schematic Missing Bill of Material on page 1812
Report Format File Setup - Schematic PLC/IO Address and Descriptions
on page 1816
Report Format File Setup - Schematic PLC I/O Component Connection
on page 1799
Report Format File Setup - Schematic PLC Modules Used So Far on page
1823
Report Format File Setup - Schematic Terminal Numbers on page 1818
Report Format File Setup - Schematic Terminal Plan on page 1821
Report Format File Setup - Schematic Wire From/To on page 1815
Report Format File Setup - Schematic Wire Label on page 1825
Report Format File Setup - Wire Annotation Exception on page 1784
Resequence Item Numbers on page 1936
Retag Components on page 1204
Reverse Connector on page 1472
Reverse/Flip Component on page 1131
Revise Ladder on page 1293
Rotate Attribute on page 1195
Rotate Connector on page 1470
RSLogix 500 Export to Spreadsheet on page 964
Save Circuit to Icon Menu on page 1057
Schematic Bill of Material Report on page 1735
Schematic Cable From/to Report on page 1738
Schematic Cable Summary Report on page 1737
Schematic Component Report on page 1746
Schematic Component Wire List Report on page 1741
Schematic Connector Details Report on page 1742
2478 | Chapter 27 AutoCAD Electrical Command
Schematic Connector Plug Report on page 1743
Schematic Connector Summary Report on page 1745
Schematic Database File Editor on page 1108
Schematic Missing Bill of Material Report on page 1748
Schematic PLC I/O Address and Descriptions Report on page 1750
Schematic PLC I/O Component Connection Report on page 1739
Schematic PLC Modules Used So Far Report on page 1754
Schematic Terminal Numbers Report on page 1752
Schematic Terminal Plan Report on page 1753
Schematic Wire From/To Report on page 1749
Schematic Wire Label Report on page 1755
Scoot on page 1125
Set Wire Type on page 273
Settings Compare on page 236
Show Footprint Sequencing Assignments on page 1943
Show Links on page 1992
Show Missing Catalog Assignments on page 1633
Show Signal Paths on page 1175
Show Terminal Associations on page 1385
Show Terminal Strip Sequencing Assignments on page 1943
Show Wire Sequence on page 1356
Show Wires on page 1304
Signal Error/List Report on page 1345
Source Signal Arrow on page 1341
Special Explode on page 1985
Split PLC Module on page 1128
Split Connector on page 1128
AutoCAD Electrical Commands | 2479
Spreadsheet to PLC I/O Utility on page 955
Squeeze Attribute/Text on page 1197
Stretch Attribute/Text on page 1197
Stretch Connector on page 1472
Stretch PLC Module on page 1127
Stretch Wire on page 1246
Surfer on page 1517
Swap/Update Block on page 330
Swap Connector Pins on page 1477
Swap Wire Numbers on page 1326
Symbol Builder on page 339
Tag Child on page 1986
Tag Child - Form C on page 1986
Tag Child - N.C. on page 1986
Tag Child - N.O. on page 1986
Tag Nameplate on page 1988
Tag Panel Component on page 1988
Tag Panel Terminal - Terminal Number on page 1988
Tag Panel Terminal - Wire Number on page 1988
Tag PLC on page 1986
Tag Schematic Component on page 1986
Tag Schematic Terminal - Terminal Number on page 1986
Tag Schematic Terminal - Wire Number on page 1986
Tag Schematic Terminal - Wire Number Change on page 1986
Terminal: Erase Internal/External Connections on page 1458
Terminal: Mark External Connections on page 1458
Terminal: Mark Internal Connections on page 1458
2480 | Chapter 27 AutoCAD Electrical Command
Terminal: Show Internal/External Connections on page 1458
Terminal List (From File) on page 1455
Terminal List (Manual Picks) on page 1455
Terminal Properties Database Editor on page 1388
Terminal Renumber (Pick Mode) on page 1460
Terminal Renumber (Project-Wide) on page 1461
Terminal Strip Editor on page 1399
Terminal Strip Table Generator on page 1444
Title Block Setup on page 1543
Title Block Update on page 1551
Toggle Angled Tee Markers on page 1360
Toggle NO/NC on page 1134
Toggle Wire Number In-Line on page 1305
Trim Wire on page 1245
Unlink on page 1993
Unhide Attribute (Window/Multiple) on page 1195
Unhide Wire Numbers on page 1335
Unity Pro Export on page 976
Unity Pro Export to Spreadsheet on page 970
Update from Project Scratch Database on page 190
Update from Spreadsheet on page 1840
Update Signal References on page 1170
Update Stand-alone Cross-reference on page 1170
Update Symbol Library WD_M Block on page 251
Update to New WD_M Block, No Changes on page 250
Update to New WD_M Block, Values, Layers on page 250
Update to New WD_PNLM Block, No Changes on page 250
AutoCAD Electrical Commands | 2481
Update to New WD_PNLM Block, Values, Layers on page 250
User Defined Attribute List on page 1842
View/Edit Component Sequence on page 1944
Wire Annotation Exception Report on page 1768
Wire Annotation of Panel Footprint on page 1920
Wire Arrows for Reference Only on page 1062
Wire Color/Gauge Labels on page 1249
Wire/Conduit Routing Report on page 1967
Wire Number Leader on page 1324
Xdata Editor on page 2027
X-Y Grid Setup on page 230
X Zones Setup on page 229
Zip Project on page 184
2482 | Chapter 27 AutoCAD Electrical Command
Index
_LISTBOX_DEF table 1609, 1621
_PINLIST database table 1642
@MOTOR_NUM@ (motor symbol
tags) 2393, 2395
1 pole circuit breaker symbols 380, 542,
776
1-line circuits 22, 1024, 1027, 1030
1-line symbols 326
1-phase ladders 1289
1-phase motor symbols 414, 576, 810
2+ pole circuit breaker symbols 384,
546, 780
3 -phase ladders 1289
3 Phase Wire Numbering dialog
box 1303
3-phase buses 1301
3-phase motor symbols 416, 578, 812,
979, 2340
3-phase transformer symbols 400, 562,
795
3-phase wires 12431244, 1303
3-position selector switches 376, 538,
772
3-voltage-phase switch symbols 468,
632, 868
3D designs 1851
4-position selector switch symbols 378,
540, 774
A
A plug switch symbols 737
Access databases
cable conductor database 1280
PLC database format 954
accessories 1432
ace_electrical_standards.mdb file 1005,
1035
ace_plc.mdb file 2339
active power indicator symbols 475,
638, 875
Add Attribute dialog box 1202
Add Catalog Record dialog box 1628
Add Existing Circuit dialog box 1577
Add Footprint Record dialog box 1931
add geometry 2274
Add Geometry tool 1992
Add Icon - Command dialog box 1572
Add Icon - Component dialog box 1569
Add New Table to MDB dialog box 1629
Add Record dialog box 1105
Add Spare Wires dialog box 1964
add-on jumpers 14501451
Add/Modify Associations dialog
box 1378
addresses
exporting data 1837
I/O component reports 1752, 1818
PLC database information 925
PLC I/O points 948
PLC modules 920
ae_electrical_standards.mdb files 1036
AE2LADDER command 1294
AE3PHASEWIRENO command 1303
AEADDCATALOGTABLE command 1629
AEAIPEXPORT command 1854
AEATTJUSTIFY command 1197
AEATTLAYER command 1189
AEATTRIBUTE command 1202
AEATTSIZE command 1200
AEAUDIT command 2024
AEAUDITDWG command 2026
AEAUTOREPORT command 1831
AEBLK2SCH command 1976
AEBLOCKREPLACE dialog box 1997
AEBOUNDARYBOX command 1952
AEC_CIRCS sheet 2373
AECABLEMARKER command 1265,
1269, 1271, 1273
AECHILDLOCUPDATE command 1209
Index | 2483
AECIRCBUILDER command
Circuit Configuration dialog
box 1034
Circuit Selection dialog box 1032
Select Motor dialog box 1035
AECOMPONENT command
Add Record dialog box 1628
Component Annotation from External
File dialog box 1085
Component Catalog Lookup dialog
box 1624
Edit Entry dialog box 1466
Edit Multi-Connection Sequence
Terminal Symbol dialog
box 1463
Edit PLC I/O Point dialog box 948
Edit Record dialog box 1628
Insert Component dialog box 1066
Insert/Edit Child Component - IEC
dialog box 1099
Insert/Edit Child Component dialog
box 1094
Insert/Edit Component dialog
box 1072, 1078
Insert/Edit Terminal Symbol dialog
box 1374
Option - Tag Format Family Override
dialog box 1084
Panel Tag List dialog box 1083
Parts Catalog dialog box 1621
Tags in Use dialog box 1082
AECOMPONENTCAT command 1103,
1105
AECOMPONENTPNL command 1117,
1119
AECOMPONENTQ command 1113,
1115
AECONDUITMARKER command 1963
1964
AECONDUITMARKERLIST
command 1963
AECONDUITMARKERRPT
command 1664, 1967
AECONNECTOR command 1485, 1487
AECONNECTORLIST command 1502
AECONVERTWIRETYPE command 273
AECOPY2SYMLIB command 251
AECOPYGROUPCODE command 1916
AECOPYINSTcommand 1916
AECOPYLEVEL command 1947
AECOPYLOC command 1916
AECOPYMOUNTCODE command 1916
AECOPYOVERRIDE command 1144
AEDESTINATION command 1341
AEDWGCFG command 237, 239240
AEECDS2ACADEDWG command 1982
AEEDITATT command 1187
AEEDITCOMPONENT command
Add Record dialog box 1628
Add/Modify Associations dialog
box 1378
Component Annotation from External
File dialog box 1085
Connector Pin Numbers in Use dialog
box 1489
Edit Record dialog box 1628
Insert/Edit Child Component dialog
box 1094, 1099
Insert/Edit Component dialog
box 1072, 1078
Insert/Edit Terminal Symbol dialog
box 1374
Option - Tag Format Family Override
dialog box 1084
Panel Tag List dialog box 1083
Parts Catalog dialog box 1621
Pin Numbers in Use dialog
box 1090
Ratings Defaults dialog box 1134
Select Description for AutoCAD
Electrical Language Table
dialog box 1088
Select Description Text Format dialog
box 1089
Tags in Use dialog box 1082
Terminal Block Properties dialog
box 1381
AEEDITCONDUITMARKER
command 1963
AEEDITFOOTPRINT command 1901
AEEDITWIRENO command 1321
2484 | Index
AEEDITWIRESEQUENCE
command 1365
AEEXPLODE command 1986
AEEXPORT2SS command
Component Data Export dialog
box 1834
Export to Spreadsheet dialog
box 1834
General Data Export dialog
box 1835
Panel Layout Data Export dialog
box 1838
Panel Terminals Data Export dialog
box 1839
PLC I/O Address/Description Export
dialog box 1837
PLC I/O Connection Export dialog
box 1836
PLC I/O Header Information Export
dialog box 1836
Terminal Data Export dialog
box 1840
Update Drawings per Spreadsheet
Data dialog box 1841
AEFANIN command 1353
AEFANINDEST command 1352
AEFANINSRC command 1351
AEFINDCOMPTEXT command 1191
1192
AEFINDTERMTEXT command 1193
AEFINDWIRENO command 1314
AEFIXTAG command 1204
AEFLIP command 1131
AEFOOTPRINT command
Component Catalog Lookup dialog
box 1624
Din Rails dialog box 1179
Footprint dialog box 1887
Insert Footprint dialog box 1883
Panel Layout - Component Insert/Edit
dialog box 1901
AEFOOTPRINTCAT command 1889
AEFOOTPRINTDB command 1928
1929, 1931
AEFOOTPRINTEQ command 1891
AEFOOTPRINTMAN command 1887
AEFOOTPRINTMFG command 1877,
1879
AEFOOTPRINTQ command 1113
AEFOOTPRINTSCH command 1870,
1874
AEFORMATFILE command
Report Format File Setup - Missing
Level/Sequence Assignments
dialog box 1784
Report Format File Setup - Panel Bill
of Materials dialog
box 1778
Report Format File Setup - Panel
Component dialog
box 1782
Report Format File Setup - Panel
Component Exception dialog
box 1780
Report Format File Setup - Panel
Nameplate dialog box 1788
Report Format File Setup - Panel
Terminal Exception dialog
box 1790
Report Format File Setup - Panel Wire
Connection dialog
box 1792
Report Format File Setup - Schematic
Bill of Material dialog
box 1795
Report Format File Setup - Schematic
Cable From/To dialog
box 1797
Report Format File Setup - Schematic
Cable Summary dialog
box 1799
Report Format File Setup - Schematic
Component dialog
box 1812
Report Format File Setup - Schematic
Component Wire List dialog
box 1803
Report Format File Setup - Schematic
Connector Details dialog
box 1806
Index | 2485
Report Format File Setup - Schematic
Connector Plug dialog
box 1808
Report Format File Setup - Schematic
Connector Summary dialog
box 1810
Report Format File Setup - Schematic
Missing Bill of Material
dialog box 1815
Report Format File Setup - Schematic
PLC I/O Address and
Descriptions dialog
box 1818
Report Format File Setup - Schematic
PLC I/O Component
Connection dialog
box 1801
Report Format File Setup - Schematic
PLC Modules Used So Far
dialog box 1825
Report Format File Setup - Schematic
Terminal Numbers dialog
box 1821
Report Format File Setup - Schematic
Terminal Plan dialog
box 1823
Report Format File Setup - Schematic
Wire From/To dialog
box 1816
Report Format File Setup - Schematic
Wire Label dialog box 1827
Report Format File Setup - Wire
Annotation Exception dialog
box 1786
AEGEOMETRY command 1992
AEIMPORTDB command 192
AEINTERNALJUMPER command 1183
AEJUMPER command 1453, 1455
AELADDER command 1289
AELANG command 1533
AELANGDB command 1534
AELISTSIG command 1175
AELOCATIONSYMBOL command 1213
AEMAPATT command 1976
AEMARKVERIFY command 1532
AEMENUWIZ command
Add Existing Circuit dialog
box 1577
Add Icon - Command dialog
box 1572
Add Icon - Component dialog
box 1569
Create Circuit dialog box 1574
Create New Submenu dialog
box 1579
Icon Menu Wizard dialog box 1567
Properties - Circuit dialog box 1587
Properties - Command dialog
box 1584
Properties - Component dialog
box 1582
Properties - Main Menu dialog
box 1580
Properties - Submenu dialog
box 1589
AEMIGRATION command
Migration Review dialog box 132
Migration Utility dialog box 130
AEMTEXT2ATT command 1977
AEMULTI command
Insert Component dialog box 1066
Insert/Edit Child Component dialog
box 1094, 1099
AEMULTIBUS command 1244
AEMULTICABLE command 1275, 1279,
1670
AEP2E command 1971, 1973
AEPANELCONFIG command 260
Format - Schematic Layout Wire
Connection Annotation
dialog box 1863
Panel Balloon Setup dialog
box 1934
Panel Drawing Configuration and
Defaults dialog box 1861
AEPANELLEVEL command 1951, 1955
AEPANELREPORT command
generating reports 1662
Missing Level/Sequence Assignments
dialog box 1768
2486 | Index
Panel Bill of Material Data Fields to
Report dialog box 1672
Panel Bill of Materials dialog
box 1764
Panel Component Data Fields to
Report dialog box 1677
Panel Component dialog box 1767
Panel Component Exception Data
Fields to Report dialog
box 1674
Panel Component Exception dialog
box 1765
Panel Missing Level/Sequence
Assignments Data Fields to
Report dialog box 1678
Panel Nameplate Data Fields to Report
dialog box 1682
Panel Nameplate dialog box 1770
Panel Terminal Exception Data Fields
to Report dialog box 1684
Panel Terminal Exception dialog
box 1772
Panel Wire Annotation Exception
Data Fields to Report dialog
box 1680
Panel Wire Connection Data Fields to
Report dialog box 1686
Panel Wire Connection dialog
box 1773
Wire Annotation Exception dialog
box 1769
AEPANELTERMINAL command 1907
AEPANELTERMINALSCH
command 1872, 1874
AEPASSPWR command 2002
AEPINLISTTABLE command 1640, 1642,
1644
AEPLC command 920
AEPLCDB command
Module Box Dimensions dialog
box 932
Module Specifications dialog
box 940
New Module dialog box 935
PLC Database File Editor 930
PLC Selection dialog box 931
Prompts at Module Insertion Time
dialog box 941
Select Terminal Information dialog
box 934
Style Box Dimensions dialog
box 938
Terminal Block Settings dialog
box 937
AEPLCP command
Module Layout dialog box 915
PLC Parametric Selection dialog
box 914
AEPLCWIRENO command 1304
AEPOWERLOADLEVELS command 2001
AEPOWERLOADREPORT
command 2002
AEPROJECT command
about 150
Batch Plotting Options and Order
dialog box 1523
Copy Project dialog box 152
Create New Drawing dialog box 167
Create New Project dialog box 152
Cross-Reference Table Data Fields to
Display dialog box 1729
Drawing List Data Fields to Display
dialog box 1666
Drawing List Display Configuration
dialog box 170
Drawing List Report dialog box 189
Edit Cross-Reference Symbol Mapping
dialog box 1158
Graphical Cross-Reference Format
Setup dialog box 1150
Properties dialog box 202
Select Drawings to Process dialog
box 193
Table Cross-Reference Format Setup
dialog box 1156
Task List dialog box 190
Update Title Block dialog box 1554
Wire Numbers tab 1312
AEPROJUPDATE command 1529
AEPROPERTIES command
codes for replaceable
parameters 235
Index | 2487
Define Layers dialog box 257
Drawing Settings dialog box 218
Edit Cross-Reference Symbol Mapping
dialog box 1158
Wire Numbers tab 1309
AEPUBLISH2WEB command 15361537
AEREBUILDDB command 192
AERENAMELAYER command 258
AERENAMEPANELLAYER command 258
AERENUMBERLADDER command 1295
AERESEQUENCE command 1938
AERETAG command 1205
AEREVISELADDER command 1294
AERMOVERRIDE command 1145
AEROUTINGREPORT command
Wire Conduit Routing Data Fields to
Report dialog box 1728
Wire/Conduit Routing Report dialog
box 1968
AERSLOGIX command 965966
AESAVECIRCUIT command 1059
AESAVEDCIRCUIT command 1060
AESAXREF command 1170
AESCHEMATICDB command 11091110
AESCHEMATICREPORT command
Bill of Material Data Fields to Report
dialog box 1689
Cable From/To Data Fields to Report
dialog box 1695
Cable Label Data Fields to Report
dialog box 1696
Cable Summary Data Fields to Report
dialog box 1691
Component Data Fields to Report
dialog box 1710
Component Wire List Data Fields to
Report dialog box 1702
Connector Details Data Fields to
Report dialog box 1704
Connector Plug Data Fields to Report
dialog box 1706
Connector Summary Data Fields to
Report dialog box 1708
generating reports 1662
Location Code Selection for From/To
Reporting dialog box 1758
Missing Bill of Material Data Fields to
Report dialog box 1712
PLC Component Connection Data
Fields to Report dialog
box 1700
PLC I/O Address and Descriptions
Data Fields to Report dialog
box 1718
PLC Modules Used So Far Data Fields
to Report dialog box 1722
Schematic Bill of Material dialog
box 1737
Schematic Cable From/To dialog
box 1739
Schematic Cable Summary dialog
box 1738
Schematic Component dialog
box 1748
Schematic Component Wire List
dialog box 1742
Schematic Connector Details dialog
box 1743
Schematic Connector Plug dialog
box 1745
Schematic Connector Summary dialog
box 1746
Schematic Missing Bill of Material
dialog box 1749
Schematic PLC I/O Address and
Descriptions dialog
box 1752
Schematic PLC I/O Component
Connection dialog
box 1741
Schematic PLC Modules Used So Far
dialog box 1755
Schematic Terminal Numbers dialog
box 1753
Schematic Terminal Plan dialog
box 1754
Schematic Wire From/To dialog
box 1750
Schematic Wire Label dialog
box 1757
Terminal Numbers Data Fields to
Report dialog box 1720
2488 | Index
Terminal Plan Data Fields to Report
dialog box 1725
Wire From/To Data Fields to Report
dialog box 1716
Wire Label Data Fields to Report
dialog box 1726
AESHOWLINK command 1993
AESHOWSIG command 1175
AESHOWXDATA command 1859
AESHOWXREFTABLE command 1731
AESIGNALERRORREPORT
command 1346
AESOURCE command 1342
AESPLIT command 1131
AESPLITPLC command 1131
AESS2PLC command
Spreadsheet to PLC I/O utility 959
Spreadsheet to PLC I/O Utility Setup
dialog box 963
AESURF command 1519
AESWAPBLOCK command 333335
AESYMBUILDER command
Attribute Editor 346
Convert Text to Attribute dialog
box 353
Insert Wire Connections dialog
box 350
Insert/Edit Attributes dialog box 347
Save Symbol dialog box 356
Select SymbolObjects dialog
box 341
Symbol Audit dialog box 357
Symbol Configuration dialog
box 342
AETERMDBEDITOR command 1389
1390, 1392
AETERMINALPNL command 1120, 1122
AETERMINALSTRIP command 1947
AETERMINALSTRIPREPORT
command 19551956
AETERMLIST command 14571458
AETERMLISTFROMFILE command 1457
1458
AETERMRENUM command 1461
AETRIM command 1246
AETSE command
Associate Terminals dialog box 1436
Cable Information tab 1415
Catalog Code Assignment tab 1411
Edit Terminal dialog box 1428
Edit/Delete Jumpers dialog
box 1437
Insert Accessory dialog box 1432
Insert Spare Terminal dialog
box 1431
Layout Preview tab 1421
Reassign Terminal dialog box 1429
Renumber Terminal Strip dialog
box 1430
Select Row Cell Styles dialog
box 1438
Terminal Strip Definition dialog
box 1401
Terminal Strip Selection dialog
box 1400
Terminal Strip tab 1406
Terminal Strip Table dialog
box 1441
Toggle Installation Codes dialog
box 1434
Toggle Location Codes dialog
box 1433
AETSEGENERATOR command
Terminal Strip Table
Generator 1447
Terminal Strip Table Settings dialog
box 1424
AEUDA command 1844
AEUNITYPRO command 976
AEUNITYPROSS command 975
AEUNLINK command 1993
AEUPDATEIECTAG command 189
AEUPDATESIGREF command 1171
AEUPDATESYMLIB command 1219
AEUSERTABLE command 1181
AEUTILITIES command 1525
AEVIEWCOMPSEQ command 1945
AEWBCIRCUIT command 1060
AEWIREANNOTATION command 1922,
1925
AEWIRECOLORLABEL command 1250
Index | 2489
AEWIRECONN command 1992
AEWIRENO command 12991300, 1317
AEWIRETYPE command 267, 1228
AEXDATA command 2027
AEXREF command 1138
AEXREFCHECK command 1141
AEXYGRID command 232
AEXZONE command 230
AEZIPPROJECT command 184
Alert dialog box 252
alignment
components 1124, 1126
justified text 11961197
Allen-Bradley PLCs 964
alternate environment settings 275
amp meters 475, 638, 743, 875
angled tee connections 1356
angled tee markers 13601361
angled wires 1239, 1248
Annotation Presets dialog box 1032
annotations
Circuit Builder circuits 1005
circuits 1032
converting non-Electrical
blocks 1974, 1976
cross-reference symbols 1165
I/O points 946
importing from external files 1085
pins 1646
predefined symbol annotations 329
presets 1032
ratings 11331134
reports 1760, 1769, 1786
schematic wire information 1922,
1925
swapping terminal strip text 1944
terminal strips 1458
wire annotation exceptions 1680
wire connections 1863
wires 1680, 1769, 1786
annunciation symbols 512, 675, 905
archiving projects 183184
arrow symbols
converting non-Electrical
symbols 1979
cross-reference arrow symbols 1173
1174
destination signal arrows 1338
illustrated 511, 674, 753, 903
inserting 13411342
naming conventions 295
project-wide changes 1525
source signal arrows 1338
styles 1339, 1343, 1345
assemblies 18951897
ASSEMBLYCODE field 1644
Assign Wire Numbering Formats by Wire
Layers dialog box 1317
assigning
catalog information 1613, 1615,
1631
level assignments 1947, 1951, 1955
missing assignment reports 1768,
1784
missing catalog information 1634
missing level/sequence
assignments 1678, 1768,
1784
pins automatically 2318
sequencing assignments 19431945
Associate Terminals dialog box 1436
associations
adding 1383
breaking 1385
editing 1383
terminals 1374, 1378, 1383, 1385,
1406, 1436
Attribute Editor 346
attributes
adding to non-Electrical
entities 1983, 1985, 1988
1989, 1991
Attribute Editor 346
blocks 12011202
child components 317
child location codes 12081209
circuits 23812382, 2400, 2406
converting non-Electrical
blocks 1974, 1976, 2433
converting text to 352353, 1977
converting Xdata to 1859
2490 | Index
copying codes 1914, 1916
COPYTAG attribute 326
cross-references 317
editing 347, 1187, 1219
fixed component tags 12031204
footprint attributes 326, 1858
hiding 1195
hydraulic symbols 326
in-line wire labels 317
inserting 343, 347
justification 11961197
ladders 1286
layers 11881189
link lines 351
link panel descriptions 2276
link schematics 2269
linking to title blocks 1543
location boxes 1218
location codes 1207, 1218
location mark symbols 1211, 1213
mapping 329, 333, 1995
miscellaneous attributes 328
missing 357
moving 1124, 1194
moving to other layers 11881189
multi-line text 1206
non-AutoCAD Electrical 328
P&ID symbols 326
parametric build connectors 317
parent components 317, 12081209
PLC I/O symbols 317
predefined annotations 329
project-wide changes 1525
ratings 11331134
renaming 1201
rotating 1196
schematic symbols 317
splices 317
splitting tag names 296
TAG1 attribute 318
TAG2 attribute 318
target attributes for wire
information 19191920
templates 339, 1895, 2441
terminal symbols 317, 2339
text size 11991200
text styles 1197
title blocks 1543, 1551
updating 12081209
user-defined 18411842, 1844
WD_M blocks 249
WDTYPE attribute 326
wire connections 317, 348, 350,
2271
wire signal symbols 317
Xdata 2027
auditing
drawings 22, 2018, 20202021,
2024, 2026
symbols 354, 357
AutoCAD
inserting blocks in PLC
modules 935
scripts 1525
AutoCAD Electrical
commands 2482
Migration Utility 125128
new features 11, 14, 20
online help 3, 6
Vault ARX 154
AutoCAD Electrical Migration Utility
dialog box 130
AutoCAD Electrical Publish to Web -
Banner, Title Text, Options dialog
box 1537
Autodesk Inventor Professional
exporting data for Cable &
Harness 1851, 18531854
importing data from 14941495,
1502
spreadsheet structure 1503
Autodesk Inventor Professional Export
dialog box 1854
Autodesk Vault
advanced techniques 2468
collaborative design and 154
AutoLISP
circuit attribute assignments 2382
mapping values to title blocks 1557
running routines 935
automatic fill feature 1207
automatic pin assignments 2318
Index | 2491
Automatic Report Selection dialog
box 1831
automatic reports 18281829, 1831
automatic schematic/panel updates 1864
automatic wire numbering 1297
B
backing up projects 183184
ball valves 743
balloons
about 1932
inserting 19331934
resequencing item numbers 1936,
1938
banners (web pages) 1537
batch plotting 1521
Batch Plotting Options and Order dialog
box 1523
batch report generation 1828
battery symbols 475, 506, 638, 669, 745,
875, 893
beacon light symbols 429430, 591
592, 824, 826
bell symbols 506, 669, 745, 893
bending wires 1248
bi-directional updates 1864
Bill of Material Data Fields to Report dialog
box 1689
Bill of Materials (BOM)
adding part numbers to
components 1613, 1615
copying 1631
equipment lists and 1111
fields in reports 1672, 1689
missing catalog assignments 1634
missing data in reports 1712, 1749,
1815
multiple catalogs 1633
multiple part numbers 1080, 1633
performing checks 1633
reports 1734, 1737, 1749, 1764,
1778, 1795, 1815
Bill of Materials reports
about 1734
formatting 1778, 1795
generating 1737, 1764
blank lines in reports 1662
Block Editor 339
Block Replacement dialog box 1997
blocks
adding geometry to 1992
attributes 326, 12011202
balloons 19321934
catalog table data 1601
changing symbol appearance 328
converting arrow symbols 1979
converting non-Electrical
blocks 1974, 1976, 2433
converting Xdata to attributes 1859
creating 336
editing library symbols 1219
exploding 1986
footprint attributes 1858
footprint lookup files 19271928
inserting in PLC modules 935
mapping and replacing 19951997
marker blocks 23712372
nameplates 1941
naming conventions 279, 295
PLC terminal blocks 937
splitting 1124, 1128, 1131
substituting symbols 327
swapping 329330, 333335
Symbol Builder 339
terminal blocks 1381, 1393
updating 329330, 333335
values 12011202
WD_M blocks 249
BOM (Bill of Materials)
adding part numbers to
components 1613, 1615
copying 1631
equipment lists and 1111
fields in reports 1672, 1689
missing catalog assignments 1634
missing data in reports 1712, 1749,
1815
multiple catalogs 1633
multiple part numbers 1080, 1633
performing checks 1633
2492 | Index
reports 1734, 1737, 1749, 1764,
1778, 1795, 1815
borders on report tables 1654
boundary boxes
level codes 1952
sequences 1952
branches 1851
break symbols 1487, 1495
BREAK value 954
breakers 380, 384, 542, 546, 776, 780
breaking
connectors 1487, 1495
reports into sections 1650, 1662
terminal associations 1385
terminal tables 1398
terminals after modules 934
bridge rectifier symbols 493, 495, 497,
656, 659, 661, 898
build direction 2386
Build of Materials (BOM)
adding part numbers to
components 1613, 1615
equipment lists and 1111
fields in reports 1672, 1689
missing catalog assignments 1634
missing data in reports 1712, 1749,
1815
multiple catalogs 1633
multiple part numbers 1080, 1633
performing checks 1633
reports 1734, 1737, 1749, 1764,
1778, 1795, 1815
bus-tap symbols 295, 301
buses
3-phase 12431244
multiple 1491
spacing 1244, 2387
buzzer symbols 506, 669, 745, 893
C
Cable & Harness (Inventor) 1851
cable conductor database 1280
Cable From/To Data Fields to Report dialog
box 1695
Cable From/To reports
about 1734
formatting 1797
generating 1739
Cable Insert/Edit Data Fields to Display
dialog box 1670
Cable Insert/Edit dialog box 1279
Cable Label Data Fields to Report dialog
box 1696
cable markers
about 1256
cable conductor database 1280
colors 1280
database 1280
editing 1279
inserting 1066, 1257, 1265, 1269,
1271, 1273, 1275, 1279
multiple 1275, 1279
naming conventions 295
shields 1282
source and destination
markers 2330
symbols 507, 669, 749, 899
updating 1279
Cable Summary Data Fields to Report
dialog box 1691
Cable Summary reports
about 1734
formatting 1799
generating 1738
cables
cable conductor database 1280
colors 1280
exporting data for Cable &
Harness 1851
fanning wire markers 13471353
importing occurrences from
Inventor 14941495
label data in reports 1696
marker symbols 507, 669, 749, 899,
1256
multiple cables 1670
report data fields 1670, 1691, 1695
reports 1734, 17381739, 1797,
1799
Index | 2493
source and destination
markers 2330
tags 1279
terminal information 1415
capacitive switch symbols 449, 613, 849
capacitor symbols 493, 495, 497, 656,
659, 661, 748, 898
Catalog Code Assignment tab (Terminal
Strip Editor) 1411, 1415
catalog information
assigning to components 1613,
1615, 1631
cable markers 1265, 1269, 1271,
1273, 1279
component data 1072, 1078
editing footprint lookup files 1928
missing catalog assignments 1634
multi-connection sequences 1466
multiple BOM part numbers 1080
multiple part numbers 1911
part numbers 1633
pin lists 1644
PLC modules 914, 920
terminal catalog codes 1374, 1411
tracking changes to 1530
updating child codes 1209
Catalog Lookup File dialog box 203
Catalog Search Results dialog box 1623
catalog tables
creating 1624
families 1624
structure 1607
Catalog Values dialog box 1623
catalogs
adding components 1625
adding records 1628
adding tables 1629
assigning information to
components 1613, 1615,
1631, 1634
catalog lookup files 178, 202203
copying information from
projects 1613, 1631
create project-specific 1611
database structure 1607
database tables 1609
default MFG values 1609
editing 1621, 1625, 1628
family tables 1601
inserting components from 1102
inserting footprints from 1887,
1889
installing manufacturer
content 1604
linking to web pages 1607
LISTBOX_DEF table 1609, 1621
lookup tables 1624
migrating 125
miscellaneous 1613
missing assignments 1634
moving files 1602
multiple catalogs 1603, 1613, 1633,
2379
opening 1621
project-specific 1613
searching 1615, 1623
subcatalog entries 1662
tables 1601
CATEGORY field 131, 944
cblcolor.dat file 1280
cells (terminal tables) 1438
Change Attribute Size dialog box 1200
Change Attribute/Text Justification dialog
box 1197
Change/Convert Wire Type dialog
box 273, 1238
checking
attributes 357
Bill of Materials 1633
cross-references 1139, 1141
projects in or out 2468
wires 1305
Child Contact and Panel Update from
Schematic Parent dialog
box 1209
child-parent relationships
about 339
attributes 317318
child cable markers 1257
editing child components 1094,
1099
2494 | Index
inserting child components 1094,
1099
location codes 12081209
CIP (Customer Involvement Program) 6
circuit breakers 380, 384, 388, 542, 546,
550, 700, 776, 780, 784
Circuit Builder
about 1012
adding new circuits 2366
AEC_CIRCS sheet 2373
AutoLISP and 2382
build direction 2386
bus wire spacing 2387
child contacts 2397
circuit codes sheet 2375
Circuit Configuration dialog
box 1034
Circuit Selection dialog box 1032
circuit templates 2371
conditional insertion 2385
configuring circuits 1017
customizing circuits 979, 2340,
2378
defaults 2410
energy savings 20
inserting circuits 1014
mapping motor parameters 2400
MCC database 1005
mcc.mdb files 1005
motor symbol tags in wire
numbers 2393
multi-pole insertion 2386
multiple catalogs 2379
new features 21
power feed circuits 21
predefining attribute values 2381,
2406
Select Motor dialog box 1035
spreadsheets 2379
stretching and connecting
wiring 2416
tag format 2402
testing circuits 2377
trimming wires 2384
wire numbers 2404, 2409
wire types 2390
circuit code sheets 2375
Circuit Configuration dialog box 1034
Circuit Scale dialog box 1060
Circuit Selection dialog box 1032
circuit templates 2371, 2378
circuits
about 1048
adding 2366
AEC_CIRCS sheet 2373
annotations 1032
attributes 23812382, 2406
build direction 2386
bus wire spacing 2387
child contacts 2397
Circuit Builder 979, 2340
circuit codes sheet 2375
circuit templates 2378
conditional components 2385
configuring 1017, 1034
copying 1049
defaults 2410
dual one-line circuits 1030
icons 1574, 1577, 1587, 2453
inserting 1014, 1032, 1053, 1060,
1066
mapping motor parameters 2400
marker blocks 23712372
motor symbol tags in wire
numbers 2393
moving 1050
multi-pole insertion 2386
multiple catalogs 2379
one-line circuits 1024, 1027
options 2373
power feed circuits 1018, 1020,
1023
referencing existing 1048
reusing 1059
saving 1052, 1059
selecting 1032
stretching and connecting
wires 2416
tag formats 2402
templates 2371
testing 2377
trimming wires 2384
Index | 2495
WBlocked circuits 1054, 1060
wire numbers 2404, 2409
wire types 2390
cleaning drawings 2020
clients
client-specific libraries 185, 187
client-specific title blocks 186187
project setup 188
subdirectories 185
clocks 475, 638, 875
CODE attribute 2371, 2375
codes
copying values to
components 1914, 1916
drawing parameters 235
family codes 1601
filtering reports 1650
level codes 1952
COILPINS field 1644, 2318
coils
checking 1139, 1141
pin assignments 1644
collaboration
collaborative design 154
Vault setup 2468
colors
cable markers 1265, 1269, 1271,
1273, 1279
cables 1280
wires 1315, 1317
columns (database tables) 1009
columns (report tables) 1654
comma-delimited files
exported component data 1834
exported panel layout data 1838
exported PLC data 18361837
exported terminal data 18391840
exporting 18341835
updating drawings with data 1841
commands
adding icons for 1564, 1572, 1594
adding to submenus 1579
AutoCAD Electrical commands 2482
Conduit Marker commands 112
Conversion commands 111
Extra Libraries commands 113
icon properties 1584
list of 2482
Main Electrical commands 91, 101
Panel Layout commands 105
Power Check commands 113
Ribbon interface 20
submenu properties 1589
triggering with icons 2453
Vault commands 2468
comments 1530
Compare Drawing and Project Settings
dialog box 237
comparing project settings 236237
Component Annotation dialog box 1976
Component Annotation from External File
dialog box 1085
Component Catalog Lookup dialog
box 1624
Component Cross-Reference dialog
box 1138
Component Data Export dialog
box 1834
Component Data Fields to Report dialog
box 1710, 2270
Component Exception reports
about 1760
formatting 1780
generating 1765
Component Reference Listing dialog
box 1141
Component reports
about 1734, 1760
fields in 1710
formatting 1812
generating 1748, 1758
subcatalog entries 1662
component tables 1601
component tags
settings 207
WD_M block attributes 249
Component Wire List Data Fields to Report
dialog box 1702
Component Wire List reports
about 1734
fields in 1702
formatting 1803
2496 | Index
generating 1742
components
adding symbols to icon
menus 1562, 1564, 1567,
1569, 1594, 2453
adding to catalogs 1625
alignment 1124, 1126
annotations 1085
attributes 1124, 1187, 11941195
balloons 19321934
catalog data 1072, 1078, 1613,
1615, 1631
catalog lookup tables 1624
catalogs of 1621, 1628
checking coils or contacts 1139,
1141
child components 317, 1094, 1099
conditional components 2385
copying 1099
copying code values to 1914, 1916
cross-references 1072, 1078, 1135
1136, 1138, 1141
data fields for reports 1677, 1710
deleting 11241125, 1917
descriptions 1087, 1194
duplicates 2018
editing 1072, 1078
equipment lists 11081110
exceptions in reports 1674
exporting data 1834
extracting 1275, 1279
family codes 1601
fence crossing points 11001101
flipping or reversing 11311132
hydraulic 2008
icon properties 1582
importing from Inventor 14941495
inserting 1062, 1066, 10991101
inserting from catalogs 11021103
inserting from equipment lists 1115
inserting from panel lists 1115
1117, 1119
installation codes 1072, 1078
interconnecting components 1245
jumpers 11821183
layers 257
location codes 1072, 1078, 1207,
1218
location mark symbols 1211, 1213
lookup files 11081110
manipulating 1124
moving 1124, 1127
multiple catalogs 1603
naming conventions 295
panel components 18681870
parent components 317
part numbers 1613, 1615, 1623
peer-to-peer relationships 2315
pin numbers 1090
pins 1072, 1078
PLC database information 954
ratings 1072, 1078, 11331134
removing sequencing 1943
reports 1734, 1748, 1760, 1765,
1767, 1780, 1782, 1812
scooting 11241125
settings 207
signals 11741175
spacing 1876
splitting 1124, 1128, 1131
stretching 1124, 1128
surfing 1517
swapping contact states 1135
switches 1072
tables 1601
tags 1072, 1078, 10821084, 1203
1205
terminals 1368
text 11901192
updating 329330, 333335, 1209
Components tab (Drawing Properties
dialog box) 221
Components tab (Properties dialog
box) 207, 2459
conditional components 2385
conditionally trimming wires 2384
Conduit Marker Data Fields to Display
dialog box 1664
Conduit Marker Report dialog box 1967
Conduit Marker Setup dialog box 1963
Conduit Marker toolbar 112
Index | 2497
conduit markers
about 1958
data fields for reports 1664
editing 1959, 1963
inserting 1959, 1963
reports 19661968
scale 1963
support files 1965
conduits
about 1958
reports 19671968
routing data for reports 1728
size 1963
spare wires 1964
support files 1965
tags 1963
configuration
dual one-line circuits 1030
naming conventions 295
one-line circuits 1027
panel drawings 1859, 1861
power feed circuits 1020, 1023
settings lists 237
connections
angled tee wiring connections 1356
attribute information 19191920
customizing 2446
direct-to-terminal wire
connections 1356
displaying 1460
erasing connection codes 1460
exporting data 1836
from/to reports 1750, 1816
interconnecting components 1245
level/routing wire connections 1356
multi-connection sequences 1462
1463, 1466
PLC modules 915
reports 1700, 1741, 1760, 1773,
1792, 1801
schematic attributes 317
schematic wire connections 1356
sequencing 13561358, 1365, 1462
stretching wires 2416
symbols 336
tee markers 13601361
templates 348
wire connections 350
wire tools 346
Connector Details Data Fields to Report
dialog box 1704
Connector Details reports
about 1734
fields in 1704
formatting 1806
generating 1743
plug and jack options 1662
Connector Layout dialog box 1487
Connector List tab (Connector Selection
dialog box) 1502
Connector Pin Numbers in Use dialog
box 1489
Connector Plug Data Fields to Report
dialog box 1706
Connector Plug reports
about 1734
fields in 1706
formatting 1808
generating 1745
pin charts 1662
Connector Selection dialog box 1502
Connector Summary Data Fields to Report
dialog box 1708
Connector Summary reports
about 1734
fields in 1708
formatting 1810
generating 1746
connectors
adding pins to 1476
breaking 1487, 1495
connector lists 1502
data fields in reports 1704
deleting pins 1477
fixed spacing 1470
importing 15021503
in-use pin numbers 1489
inserting 1368, 1470, 1485
keyboard shortcuts 1470
layout 1487, 1495
lists 1502
moving pins 1479
2498 | Index
multi-connection sequences 1462
1463, 1466
naming conventions 295
no wirenumber changes
symbols 436, 600, 722,
725, 836
pin numbers 1478, 1480, 1489
plug report data 1706, 1745, 1808
point-to-point tools 1468
reports 1734, 1743, 17451746,
1806, 1808, 1810
reversing 1470, 1472
rotating 1470, 1472
sequencing 1462
splices 1513
splitting 1124, 1128, 1131, 1475
stretching 1474
summary report data 1708, 1746,
1810
swapping pins 1478
symbols 436, 438, 600, 602, 722,
725726, 729, 836, 839
types of 1485, 1495
wire crossings 1470
wirenumber changes symbols 438,
602, 726, 729, 839
constraints 1393
contacts
checking 1139, 1141
contact states 1135
contact switch symbols 468, 632,
868
Form C contacts 1153
graphical cross-references 1148,
1150
pin lists 16381640, 1642, 1644
skipping during
cross-referencing 1139
symbols 403, 565, 701, 798
table cross-references 1153, 1156,
1158
types of 1646
updating 1209
continuing surf sessions 1517
Conversion toolbar 111
Convert promis.e Project dialog
box 1973
Convert Text to Attribute Definition dialog
box 1977
Convert Text to Attribute dialog box 353
convert text to wire numbers 2273
Convert VIA ECDS or Jr. Project to
AutoCAD Electrical dialog
box 1982
convertible contact pin
annotations 1646
converting
geometry to Electrical-aware
blocks 1983, 1985, 1988
1989, 1991
lines 271
lines to wire connections 1983,
1985, 19881989, 1991
mapping non-Electrical
blocks 1974, 1976
non-Electrical arrow symbols 1979
non-Electrical objects 2433
non-intelligent ladders 12931294
promis.e files 19701971, 1973
replacing blocks 19951997
text to attributes 352353, 1977
text to other languages 15321533
text to wire numbers 1978
VIA drawings 1980, 1982
wires to other types 271, 273, 1238
Copy Active Drawing Settings To dialog
box 251
Copy Installation/Location/Mount/Group
to Components dialog
box 1916
Copy Level Assignments dialog
box 1947
Copy Project Step 1 - Select Existing
Project to Copy dialog box 152
copying
attributes 251, 334
catalog information 1613, 1631
circuits 1049
code values to components 1914,
1916
database tables 1006
Index | 2499
icons 1564
migration options 130
panel assemblies 1897
panel footprints 1894
PLC modules 926
projects 139
properties 1386
sequencing 1947
wire numbers 1327
COPYTAG attribute 326
costs per kwh 1044
count (components) 1633
counter relay symbols 408, 570, 803
coupling device symbols 491, 655, 891
Create New Circuit dialog box 1574
Create New Drawing dialog box 167,
2228, 2246
Create New Project dialog box 152
Create New Submenu dialog box 1579
Create Project-Specific Catalog Lookup File
dialog box 1611
Create/Edit Wire Type dialog box 267,
1228, 1238, 2234, 2247, 2273
CRM tables 1601
Cross-Reference Component Override
dialog box 1144
Cross-Reference tab (Properties dialog
box) 2459
Cross-Reference Table Data Fields to
Display dialog box 1729
cross-references
about 1135
advanced techniques 2315
annotations 1165
attributes 317
checking coils or contacts 1139,
1141
child components 1094, 1099
child location codes 12081209
component data 1072, 1078
component setup 1141
creating 1138
dashed lines 11721174
destination symbols 1135
displaying 1143
drawing properties 1138
drawing setup 1141
formatting 1143
graphical formats 1148, 1150
hiding 1139
inserting 1066
multi-line text 1206
naming conventions 295
overriding 1144
processing 1136
project properties 1138
project setup 1141
project-wide changes 1529
removing overrides 1141, 1145
reports 1135, 1729, 1731
settings 212, 225, 1141, 11441145
skipping contacts 1139
source symbols 1135
stand-alone symbols 752, 1164
1165, 11701171
surfing on reports 1138
symbols 510, 672, 902
tables 1153, 1156, 11581159
text format 1146
visibility 1139
WD_M block attributes 249
Cross-References tab (Drawing Properties
dialog box) 225
Cross-References tab (Properties dialog
box) 212
CSV files
component spreadsheet data 1868
external component lists 178
importing 1503
current converter symbols 475, 638, 875
current protection relay symbols 406,
568, 801
current switch symbols 468, 632, 868
current transformer symbols 396, 558,
791
Customer Involvement Program 6
customizing
attribute templates 2441
circuits 979, 2340
icon menus 2453
migrating older customization
files 127128
2500 | Index
panel footprints 2439
symbols 2417
terminals 2428
wire connections 2446
D
dashed lines
attributes 351
cross-references 11721174
point-to-point tools 1468
reference arrows 11731174
DAT files
alternate icon menu files 1591
editing 1567, 1594, 2453
icon menu files 1580
locking 1567
Data Fields to Display dialog box 1731
data imports 14941495
databases
cable conductor database 1280
catalog databases 1080, 1601, 1603,
1607, 1609
change-tracking tables 1530
Circuit Builder 1005
copying tables 1006
deleting tables 1007
ECDS conversions 1980, 1982
editing tables 1009
electrical standards database 2378
electrical standards database
editor 1005, 1011
exporting data to 18341840
footprint lookup files 1927
importing catalog information
from 1613, 1631
importing connector data 1503
language translation tables 1532,
1534
merging 125
migrating 125
motor lookup database 1036
moving files 1602
opening tables 1006
pin lists 16381640, 1642, 1644
PLC database 2339
rebuilding 192
scratch databases 192
terminal properties 13881390,
1392
user data 11801181
DC motor symbols 417, 579, 813
de-rating factors 1044
debugging projects 2018, 20202021,
2024, 2026
default libraries 298
default_cat.mdb files 1601
default.grp files 178
default.inst files 178
default.loc files 178
default.mnt files 178
default.wdt files 1543, 1551
Define Layers dialog box 257
deleting
components 11241125, 1917
database tables 1007
drawings 141
jumpers 1437
location mark symbols 1211
marker blocks 2371
pins from connectors 1477
projects 184185
tracking deleted objects 1530
wire gaps 1285
wire numbers 1337
deployment 2323
description defaults files 178
descriptions
adding 1087
exporting data 1837
formatting 1089
language tables 1088
moving 1194
multiple descriptions 1543, 1551
reports 1752, 1818
symbols 336
tracking changes to 1530
translating 15321533
updating 1209, 1554
destination arrows 1979
destination markers
adding 1348
Index | 2501
advanced techniques 2330
fanning 1347
layers 13491350, 13521353
styles 13491350, 1352
destination signal arrows 13381339,
1341, 1979
destination wire signal symbols 295, 317
destinations
cross-reference symbols 1135, 1170
1171
listing codes 1346
terminals 1406
toggling installation codes 1434
toggling location codes 1433
tracking changes to codes 1530
devices
box symbols 509, 671, 750, 901
operating symbols 480, 643, 880
diac diode symbols 493, 495, 497, 656,
659, 661, 898
dialog boxes
Component Data Fields to
Report 2270
Create New Drawing 2228, 2246
Create/Edit Wire Type 2234
Surf 2277
Din Rail dialog box 1179
din rails
about 1179
inserting 1179
diode symbols 493, 495, 497, 656, 659,
661, 748, 898
direct-to-terminal wire connections 1356
direction
build direction 2386
symbols 481482, 645, 880881
directories 178
disconnect 1 pole symbols 388, 550, 784
disconnects 387388, 549550, 700,
783784
Display tab (Connector Selection dialog
box) 1502
Display tab (Insert Connector dialog
box) 1485
displaying
attributes 1195
cross-references 1139, 1143
drawings 169
missing catalog assignments 1634
sequencing 1358, 1944
terminal associations 1383, 1385
terminal connections 1460
terminal strips 1457
wire numbers 1337
wires 1305
dividers 1432, 1485, 1495
dot tee markers 1360
drafting settings 2229, 2246
dragging icons on menus 1564
Drawing Audit dialog box 2026
Drawing Format tab (Drawing Properties
dialog box) 229
Drawing Format tab (Properties dialog
box) 216, 2459
Drawing List Data Fields to Display dialog
box 1666
Drawing List Display Configuration dialog
box 170
Drawing List Report dialog box 189
Drawing Properties dialog box
codes for replaceable
parameters 235
Components tab 221
Cross-References tab 225
Drawing Format tab 229
Drawing Settings tab 218, 2459
Styles tab 227
Wire Numbers tab 224
Drawing Settings tab (Drawing Properties
dialog box) 218, 2459
drawing shapes 1883, 1887
drawing standards 202, 2459, 2461
drawings
adding to projects 136
archiving 183184
auditing 2018, 20202021, 2024,
2026
batch plotting 1521
cleaning 2020
comments in 1530
creating 164
cross-references 1141
2502 | Index
defaults 198
description 141
displaying 169
generating 954955, 959, 963
grouping in projects 141
inserting reports into 1650, 1654,
1662
moving to another 1520
previewing 141
processing 193
project-wide changes 1529
properties 198199
publishing as DWF files 1538
publishing to the Web 15351537
removing 141
reordering 141
reports 189, 1666
settings 218, 229
surfing 1517
task list of changes 190
templates 241
title blocks 1543, 1551
tracking changes 1530
unavailable files 194
updating 1554
updating with imported data 1841
WD_M blocks 249
dual one-line circuits 1030
dual power feed circuits 1023
duplex receptacle symbols 507, 670,
749, 899
duplicate numbers 2018, 2020, 2026
duplicate tags 2018, 2020, 2026
DWF files
exporting 1538
publishing web pages 15351536
DXF files 1537
E
earth symbols 506, 669, 745, 893
ECDS to AutoCAD Electrical
conversions 1980, 1982
Edit Attribute dialog box 1187
Edit Catalog Record dialog box 1628
Edit Child Component dialog box 1094,
1099
Edit Component - IEC dialog box 1078
Edit Component dialog box 1072
Edit Conduit/Wire Way Label dialog
box 1963
Edit dialog box 1109, 1390, 1642
Edit Entry dialog box 1466
Edit Footprint Record dialog box 1931
Edit Language Lookup File dialog
box 1534
Edit Miscellaneous and Non-AutoCAD
Electrical Attributes dialog
box 328
Edit Multi-Connection Sequence Terminal
Symbol dialog box 1463
Edit PLC I/O Point dialog box 948
Edit PLC Module dialog box 920
Edit Record dialog box 1105, 1110,
1392, 1644
Edit Report dialog box 239, 1656
Edit Terminal dialog box 1428
Edit Terminal Jumpers dialog box 1455
Edit User Table Data dialog box 1181
Edit Wire Connection Sequence dialog
box 1365
Edit/Delete Jumpers dialog box 1437
editing
attributes 346347, 1187
cable colors 1280
cable conductor database 1280
cable markers 1265, 1269, 1271,
1273, 1279
catalogs 1621, 1625, 1628
child components 1094, 1099
components 1072, 1078
conduit markers 1959, 1963
cross-reference symbol mapping
tables 1158
database tables 1009
footprint lookup files 19271929,
1931
footprints 1897, 1901, 1907
icon menu properties 2453
icon menus 1564, 1567, 1594
ladders 12901295
Index | 2503
language database tables 1534
marker blocks 2372
multi-connection sequences 1463,
1466
multi-line text 1206
part numbers 1631
pin lists 1639, 1642, 1644
pin numbers 1468, 1480
PLC database 930
PLC modules 920, 940
records 1105
reports 1656
retagging components 1205
RSLogix data 966
schematic lookup files 11081110
sequencing 1357, 1365, 1945
signal arrows 1339
spreadsheet data 1832
symbols 328, 1219
terminal associations 1383
terminal jumpers 1437, 1451, 1455
terminal strips 1406, 1456
terminals 930, 1374, 1378, 1381,
1390, 1392, 1428, 1897,
1901, 1907
text 11901193
user-defined attributes 18411842,
1844
wire jumper assignments 11821183
wire numbers 13181319, 1321,
1334
wire types 267, 1228
Xdata 2027
effect symbols 484, 648, 884
Electrical Audit dialog box 2024
Electrical Database Builder 1980, 1982
electrical standards database 1035, 2378
electrical standards database
editor 1005, 1011
electrolytic symbols 493, 495, 497, 656,
659, 661, 898
electronic symbols 493, 495, 497, 656,
659, 661, 748, 898
enclosure light symbols 745
end barriers 1432
energy flow 483, 647, 883
energy savings 20
ENV files 275
environment files 134, 275
equipment lists
BOM data and 1111
inserting components from 1111
1113, 1115
inserting footprints from 1889
1891, 1893
schematic lookup files 11081110
equipotential bond symbols 506, 669,
893
error checking 2018, 20202021, 2024,
2026
error reports
component exceptions 1674, 1765,
1780
cross-references 1135
exception reports 1760
signal reports 1346
symbol audits 354, 357
terminal exceptions 1684, 1772,
1790
wire annotation exceptions 1680,
1769, 1786
Excel files
din rails 1179
exporting component data 1834
exporting panel layout data 1838
exporting PLC data 18361837
exporting spreadsheet data 1832,
18341835
exporting terminal data 18391840
importing 1503, 1832
mapping to blocks 19951997
PLC database content 954
reports 1650
RSLogix data 964966
structure 1503
updating drawings with data 1841
exception reports
auditing drawings 2024
component exceptions 1674, 1765,
1780
cross-references 1135
2504 | Index
terminal exceptions 1684, 1772,
1790
types of 1760
wire annotation exceptions 1680,
1769, 1786
excluding contacts 1139
expanding catalog tables 1625
exploding blocks 1986
Export to Spreadsheet dialog box 1834
exporting
comma-delimited files 18341840
component data 1834
data for Cable & Harness 1851,
18531854
database files 18341840
DWF files 1538
panel layout data 1838
PLC data 18361837
reports 1650
RSLogix data 964966
spreadsheet data 1832, 18341840
terminal data 18391840
Unity Pro data 969970, 975976
web pages 15351537
external codes 1662
external component files 178
external connections 1460
external destinations 14331434
external jumpers 14501451
Extra Libraries toolbars 113
extra wire numbers 1297
extracting
components 1275, 1279
wires 1275, 1279
F
families
family tables in catalogs 1601, 1624
family tag code map files 178
family type naming
conventions 295
overriding family tags 2459
overriding tags 1084
Fan-In/Fan-Out Signal Destination dialog
box 1352
Fan-In/Fan-Out Signal Source dialog
box 1351
Fan-In/Out Single Line Layer dialog
box 1353
fanning markers in or out
about 1347
advanced techniques 2330
destination markers 1348, 1352
layers 13491350, 1353
source markers 1348, 1351
styles 13491350
fault symbols 485, 649, 885
fence crossing points 11001101
fields
BOM data in reports 1672, 1689,
1712
cable data in reports 1670, 1691,
16951696
catalog tables 1607, 1609
component data in reports 1677,
1710
conduit marker fields in
reports 1664
connector data in reports 1704,
1706, 1708
cross-reference data 1729, 1731
drawing file data in reports 1666
missing level/sequence
assignments 1678
nameplate data in reports 1682
pin lists 1642, 1644
PLC data in reports 1700, 1718,
1722
report format files 17741775
selecting for reports 1662
terminal data in reports 1720, 1725
terminal strip tables 1441
wire data in reports 1686, 1702,
1716, 1726, 1728
file formats
project files 183
web formats 15351536
files
copying into projects 139
migrating 125
processing 194
Index | 2505
Files Unavailable for Processing dialog
box 194
filtering
catalog records 1607
contact types 1646
report data 1650
Find or Replace Wire Numbers dialog
box 1314
Find/Edit/Replace (drawing or project)
dialog box 1191
Find/Edit/Replace Component Text dialog
box 1192
Find/Replace Terminal Text dialog
box 1193
finding
drawings 1191
projects 1191
terminal property information 1388
text 11901193
wire number text 13131314
fixed component tags 12031204
fixed resistor symbols 493, 495, 497,
656, 659, 661, 748, 898
fixed spacing 1470, 1485, 1487, 1495
fixed wire numbers 1297, 13181319,
1321
Fixed/Unfix Component Tag dialog
box 1204
flashing beacon light symbols 429, 591,
824
flipping
components 11311132
connectors 1472
wire gaps 1285
wire numbers 1330
float/level switch symbols 468, 632, 868
flow
energy flow symbols 483, 647, 883
flow switch symbols 733
flow switches 468, 632, 868
symbols 483, 646, 882
folders 125
following signals 11741175
fonts 1525
foot switch symbols 468, 632, 737, 868
Footprint Database File Editor 1928
1929, 1931
Footprint dialog box 1887
Footprint Lookup dialog box 1929
footprint lookup files 178, 19271929,
1931
footprint_lookup.mdb files 1927
footprints
attribute templates 1895
attributes 326, 1858
automatic updates 1864
catalog lookup tables 1624
configuration 1861
copying 1894
copying panel assemblies 1897
creating with Symbol Builder 2439
deleting 1917
din rails 1179
displaying sequencing 1944
editing 1897, 1901, 1907
extracting footprint lists 1115
1117, 11191120, 1122
inserting 1870, 1872, 1874, 1884
inserting from catalogs 1887, 1889
inserting from equipment
lists 1113, 18891891,
1893
inserting from icon menus 1876,
1880, 1883
inserting from vendor menus 1877,
1879
inserting manually 1883, 1887
inserting panel assemblies 1896
inserting with spreadsheet
data 18681869
layers 254
level assignments 1947, 1951, 1955
lookup database file editor 1928
lookup files 1866, 19271929, 1931
mapping 1866
naming conventions 295
reports 1760
sequencing 1945
spacing 1876
types of symbols 339
2506 | Index
wire information 19191920, 1922,
1925
Xdata 1859
Force Attribute/Text to a Different Layer
dialog box 1189
force symbols 481482, 645, 880881
Form C contacts 1153
Format - Schematic Layout Wire
Connection Annotation dialog
box 1863
format files
about 1774
defining 1775
missing level/sequence assignments
reports 1784
panel bill of materials reports 1778
panel component exception
reports 1780
panel component reports 1782
panel nameplate reports 1788
panel terminal exception
reports 1790
panel wire annotation exception
reports 1786
panel wire connection reports 1792
schematic bill of material
reports 1795
schematic cable from/to
reports 1797
schematic cable summary
reports 1799, 1801
schematic component reports 1812
schematic component wire list
reports 1803
schematic connector details
reports 1806
schematic connector plug
reports 1808
schematic connector summary
reports 1810
schematic missing bill of material
reports 1815
schematic PLC I/O address and
descriptions reports 1818
schematic PLC I/O component
connection reports 1801
schematic PLC used so far
reports 1825
schematic terminal numbers
reports 1821
schematic terminal plan
reports 1823
schematic wire from/to reports 1816
schematic wire label reports 1827
formatting
cross-references 1143, 1146
description text 1089
reports 17741775
wire annotations 1863, 1925
wire numbers 1315, 1317
frequency meter symbols 475, 638, 875
frequency relay symbols 409, 571, 804
from/to reports
cable data 1695, 1739, 1797
controlling sequencing 1356
location codes in 1758
types of 1734
wire data 1716, 1750, 1816
fuse switch symbols 392, 554, 787
fuses 392, 554, 698, 787
fusible disconnect symbols 387, 549,
783
G
gaps
auditing drawings 2021
wire gaps 1285
gate valves 743
gauge
gauge label files 178
labels 12481250
wires 1315, 1317
General Data Export dialog box 1835
generating
automatic reports 1828
reports 1650, 1662, 17341735,
1760, 1762, 1829, 1831
terminal strip tables 1441
generator symbols 418, 580, 814
generic device box symbols 509, 671,
750, 901
Index | 2507
geometry
adding to blocks 1992
converting to Electrical-aware
blocks 1983, 1985, 1988
1989, 1991
exploding blocks 1986
footprint lookup files 1927
global search and replace 11901193
globe valves 743
graphic cross-references 1148, 1150,
1153, 1156, 1158
graphic layers 260
graphic terminal layout 1421
Graphical Cross-Reference Format Setup
dialog box 1150
green design 20
grids
I/O variables 975
terminal grid 930
X Zone grid 230
X-Y Grid 232
ground symbols 506, 669, 745, 893
grounding conductors 1044
group codes
copying 1916
groups 141
H
hardware files 975
HCRM values 1601
header information (PLC) 1836
headers in reports 1662
heater element symbols 493, 495, 497,
656, 659, 661, 898
help 3, 6
hiding
cross-references 1139
wire numbers 1337
horizontal ribbon 114
horn symbols 506, 669, 745, 893
hour meter symbols 475, 638, 875
HTML files 15351536
Hydraulic drawings 2228
hydraulic symbols 2229
attributes 326
by-pass flow regulator 2242
checkvalve flow left 2230, 2241,
2243
filters 2232, 2242
fixed displacement pump 2231
general valves 2230, 2239, 2243
inserting 1066, 2008
insertion 22302232, 2236, 2238
2239, 2241, 2243
libraries 303
meters 2239
motors and pumps 2231
naming conventions 295
pressure gauge 2239
pressure relief valves 2236
reservoir 2232
restrictor with variable output
flow 2242
shut off valve open 2230, 2239
single ended piston rod 2242
solenoid spring return 2241
uni-directional pump 2231
I
I/O modules
address and descriptions
reports 1718, 1752, 1818
advanced techniques 2339
annotating points 946
connection reports 1741, 1801
editing points 944, 948
exporting connection data 1836
exporting data for Unity Pro 976
I/O parametric build symbols 295
importing RSLogix data 964966
importing Unity Pro data 969970,
975
inserting points 945
PLC address database
information 925
PLC modules 915
schematic attributes 317
types of reports 1734
I/O variables
exporting 976
2508 | Index
Unity Pro data 975
Icon Menu Wizard
about 1562, 1564, 1567
circuit icons 1574, 1577, 1587
command icons 1572, 1584
component icons 1569, 1582
icon properties 1564
menu properties 1580
submenus 1579, 1589
Icon Menu Wizard dialog box 1567,
2453
icon menus
about 1562
adding circuits 1052, 1574, 1577,
1587
adding commands 1572, 1584
adding components 1569, 1582
adding icons 1564
advanced techniques 2453
alternate files 1591
best practices 2453
customizing 2453
editing 1594
file structure 1594
footprint display syntax 1931
icon properties 1564
inserting panel footprints
with 18761877, 1879
1880, 1883
locking menus 1567
menu properties 1580
migrating 2453
pages 2453
preferences 202
settings 1567
sharing with multiple users 2323
submenus 1579, 1589
icons
adding to menus 1562, 1564, 1567
changing images 2453
creating 1562, 1564, 1567
IEC mode
cable markers 1269, 1273
child components 1099
component tags 189
configuring projects for 2459, 2461
drawing settings 218
editing components 1078
IEC symbols 365, 527, 763
inserting components 1078
IEC standard 2459, 2461
IEC Tag Mode Update dialog box 189
IEC tags
new drawings 167
updating 189
IEEE standard 2459, 2461
illuminated push buttons 367, 529, 764
illuminated selector switches 696
Import Wire Type dialog box 269, 1230
importing
catalog information 1613, 1631
connector data 1503
data for I/O drawings 959, 963
RSLogix data 964966
spreadsheet data 1832, 1841
Unity Pro data 969970, 975
wire types 1230, 1233
in-line components
PLC database information 954
PLC-generated drawings 963
wiring 954
in-line wire labels
illustrated 720
inserting 1066
schematic attributes 317
symbols 595, 831
in-line wire markers
about 1251
naming conventions 295
in-line wire numbers 1306, 1329
in-use pin numbers 1489
incrementing wire numbers 1334
inductive switch symbols 446, 610, 847
information lines 1543, 1551
Insert Accessory dialog box 1432
Insert Component dialog box 1066
Insert Connector dialog box 1485
Insert Destination Code dialog box 1341
Insert dialog box 1115
Insert Footprint dialog box 1883
Insert Ladder dialog box 1289
Index | 2509
Insert Panel Wiring Diagram Terminal
Strip Representation dialog
box 1947
Insert Pneumatic Component tool 2245
Insert Spare Terminal dialog box 1431
Insert Wire Color/Gauge Labels dialog
box 1250
Insert Wire Connection dialog box 350
Insert/Edit Attributes dialog box 347
Insert/Edit Cable Marker (2nd+ wire of
cable) - IEC dialog box 1273
Insert/Edit Cable Marker (2nd+ wire of
cable) dialog box 1271
Insert/Edit Cable Marker (Parent Wire) -
IEC dialog box 1269
Insert/Edit Cable Marker (Parent Wire)
dialog box 1265
Insert/Edit Child Component - IEC dialog
box 1099
Insert/Edit Child Component dialog
box 1094
Insert/Edit Component - IEC dialog
box 1078
Insert/Edit Component dialog box 1072
Insert/Edit Conduit/Wire Way Label dialog
box 1963
Insert/Edit Panel Level Assignment
Component dialog box 1955
Terminal Strip dialog box 1951
Insert/Edit Terminal Symbol dialog
box 1374
inserting
attributes 343, 347
balloons 19321934
break symbols 1487, 1495
cable markers 1257, 1265, 1269,
1271, 1273, 1275, 1279
child components 1094, 1099
circuits 1014, 1032, 10531054,
1060
components 1062, 1066, 1099, 1870
components from catalog
lists 11021103
components from equipment
lists 11111113, 1115
conditional components 2385
conduit markers 1959, 1963
connectors 1368, 1470, 1485
cross-reference arrow symbols 1173
1174
destination wire markers 1348
footprints 1868, 1870, 1872, 1874,
1884, 1894
footprints from catalogs 1887, 1889
footprints from equipment
lists 1113, 18891891,
1893
footprints from icon menus 1876,
1880, 1883
footprints from vendor
menus 1877, 1879
footprints manually 1883, 1887
footprints with spreadsheet
data 1869
gauge labels 1250
hydraulic components 2008
ladder rungs 1292
ladders 12861287, 1289
link line attributes 351
location boxes 1218
location codes 1207
multi-connection sequences 1466
multiple components 1066
nameplates 19411943
one-line circuits 1024
P&ID symbols 2013
panel assemblies 1896
part numbers 1631
PLC I/O points 945
PLC modules 914, 916
pneumatic components 2003
power feed circuits 1018
prompts during 941
reports into drawings 1650, 1654,
1662
signal arrows 13411342
source wire markers 1348
spacers 1487, 1495
spacing inserted items 1876
spare terminals 1431
splices 1513
2510 | Index
stand-alone cross-reference
symbols 1164, 1170
tee markers 1360
terminal accessories 1432
terminal strip tables 1398, 1442
terminal strips 1394, 1947
terminals 1368, 1374, 1872, 1874
WBlocked circuits 1054, 1060
WD_M blocks 249, 252
WD_PNLM blocks 252
wire connections 348, 350
wire jumpers 11821183
wire labels 12481250
wire numbers 1297
wire tags 12991300
wire way labels 1963
wires 1239, 12431244, 1468
installation
manufacturer content 1604
network deployment 2323
symbol libraries 298
installation codes
cable markers 1265, 1269, 1271,
1273, 1279
child components 1094, 1099
component data 1072, 1078
copying 1916
installation code files 178
location boxes 1218
multi-connection sequences 1466
PLC I/O points 948
PLC modules 920
terminal strips 1393
toggling 1434
tracking changes to 1530
updating 1209
instrumentation 475, 638, 743, 875
insulating relay symbols 409, 571, 804
interconnecting components 1245
internal codes 1662
internal connections 1460
internal destinations 14331434
internal jumpers
terminal jumpers 14501451
wire jumpers 11821183
Inventor
exporting data for Cable &
Harness 1851, 18531854
importing data from 14941495
invisible extended entity data
(Xdata) 18581859, 2027
item number balloons
about 1932
inserting 19331934
resequencing 1936, 1938
Item Numbering Setup dialog box 207
item numbers
balloons 19321933, 1936
fixed 1938
per-part numbers 207
settings 207
J
jacks
jack connector pin symbols 295
report options 1662
JIC standard 2459, 2461
JIC symbols 688
JPEG files 15351536
Jr. Projects 1980, 1982
jumper charts 1399, 1421
jumpers
add-on 14501451
charts 1399, 1421
deleting 1437
editing 1437, 1451, 1455
external 14501451
internal 14501451
terminal jumpers 1406, 14501451,
1453, 1455
terminal strip assignments 1398
wire jumpers 11821183
justified text 11961197
K
key switch symbols 468, 632, 868
kwh energy loss 1044
Index | 2511
L
labels
cable labels 1696
gauge labels 12481250
reports 1734
wire labels 12481250, 1757, 1827
X-Y Grid 232
ladder schematics 1468, 1866
ladders
about 1287
attributes 1286
converting non-intelligent
ladders 12931294
defaults 1286
format settings 216, 229
inserting 12861287, 1289
ladder master line references 295
line reference numbers 12931294
moving 1291
naming conventions 295
phases 1289
PLC-generated drawings 959, 963
project-wide changes 1529
renumbering 1290, 1295
resizing 1291
rungs 1289, 12911292, 1294
spacing 1286, 1289, 1291
tracking changes to reference
numbers 1530
WD_M block attributes 249
Language Conversion dialog box 1533
language tables
descriptions 1089, 1532
editing 1534
opening 1088
language translation 15321533
last-used assignments 1613
latch relay coils 702
latching device symbols 490, 654, 890
layers
about 254
attribute assignment 328, 1188
1189
component block layers 257
configuring for export 1853
exporting wire data to Cable &
Harness 1851
fanning markers 13491353
footprints 254
moving text to other 1189
multi-wire layers 2330
nameplate layers 260
non-text graphic layers 260
panel layers 254, 260
renaming 254, 258
report tables 1654
schematic layers 254
settings 216, 229
WD_M block attributes 249
wire layers 261262, 267, 1228,
12491250, 1315, 1317, 1525
wire number layers 257, 1297
Layout Preview tab (Terminal Strip
Editor) 1421
Layout tab (Connector Selection dialog
box) 1502
Layout tab (Insert Connector dialog
box) 1485
layouts
about 1855
automatic updates 1864
batch plotting 1521
configuration 1859, 1861
editing 1897, 1901, 1907
exporting data 18381839
footprint lookup files 1927
item number balloons 19321934
level assignments 1947, 1951, 1955
level/routing wire connections 1356
nameplates 339, 1941
naming conventions 295
relationships to schematic
drawings 1866
reports 1760
resequencing item number
balloons 1938
sequencing assignments 19431945
surfing references 1517
tag lists 1083
tagging 1989
templates 1895
2512 | Index
tools 1856
wire annotation format 1863
Xdata 18581859
leaders
wire leaders 1248
wire numbers 1325
LED light symbols 428, 590, 823
level assignments
boundary boxes 1952
components 1955
copying 1947
displaying 1944
missing assignments 1678, 1760,
1768, 1784
removing 1943
reports 1760, 1768, 1784
terminal strips 1951
Level Code Edit - Boundary Box dialog
box 1952
level codes 1947
level switches 733
level/routing wire connections 1356
lever switch symbols 468, 632, 868
libraries
changing symbol appearance 328
client-specific 185, 187
default 297298
editing symbols in 1219
hydraulic symbols 303
installing 298
multiple 297298
P&ID symbols 303
paths 297
preferences 202
substituting symbols 327
Library Swap -- All Drawing dialog
box 334
library symbols
attributes 342, 346
auditing 354, 357
changing appearance 328
client-specific 185186
converting existing 1974
COPYTAG attribute 326
creating 336, 339, 341
default 298
editing attributes 1219
editing text 1219
family types 295
hydraulic 303
layers and 328
location 297
multiple 297298
naming conventions 279, 295
P&ID 303
predefined annotations 329
saving 354, 356
schematic attributes 317
splitting tag names 296
substituting 327
swapping blocks 329330, 333335
Symbol Builder 339
TAG1 attribute 318
TAG2 attribute 318
text size 1219
types 339
updating blocks 329330, 333335
light dependent electronics
symbols 493, 495, 497, 656,
659, 661, 898
limit switches 442, 606, 730, 842
line reference numbers 12931294
linear direction 481, 645, 880
lines
blank lines in reports 1662
link lines 346, 351
PLC module boxes 932, 938
wire number leader lines 1248
LINEx labels 1555
link lines
attributes 351
cross-references 11721174
dashed 11721174
point-to-point tools 1468
tools 346
Link Schematic tools 1991
link symbols 1993
linking
catalogs to web pages 1607
displaying links 1993
replacing text with Electrical-aware
entities 1983, 1985, 1991
Index | 2513
title block attributes 1543
title block information 1548, 1550
unlinking symbols 1993
linking tools 2265
list of commands 2482
Load or Reload Linetypes dialog
box 2248
loads 20002002
wires 1044
Location Box dialog box 1218
location boxes 1218
Location Code Selection for From/To
Reporting dialog box 1758
location codes
cable markers 1265, 1269, 1271,
1273, 1279
child components 1094, 1099
component data 1072, 1078
copying 1916
from/to reports 1758
inserting 1207
location boxes 1218
location code files 178
location mark symbols 1211, 1213
multi-connection sequences 1466
PLC I/O points 948
PLC modules 920
terminal strips 1393
toggling 1433
tracking changes to 1530
updating child codes 12081209
location mark symbols 295, 1211, 1213
Location Symbols dialog box 1213
locations of files 178
locking icon menu files 1567
lookup files
footprint lookup files 19271929,
1931
inserting components 1115
schematic lookup files 11081110
loudspeaker symbols 512, 675, 905
M
magnetic effect symbols 484, 648, 884
magnetic switch symbols 451, 615, 851
Main Electrical toolbars 91, 101
manufacturers
catalog tables 1601
inserting footprints from vendor
menus 18761877, 1879
installing additional content 1604
MFG fields 1609
pin lists 1644
PLC database information 925
PLC modules 914, 920
sorting catalog databases by 1621
updating 1209
mapping
AutoLISP values to title blocks 1557
block replacements 19951997
contact mapping
cross-references 1148,
1150, 1153, 1156
data for import 963
editing symbol mapping tables 1158
imported Inventor data
properties 14941495
ladder diagrams to panel
layouts 1866
non-Electrical blocks 1974, 1976
title block attributes 1543
title blocks information 1548, 1550
wire labels 12481250
wire list data to Inventor Cable &
Harness 1851
Mark and Verify dialog box 1532
marker blocks 23712372
marking changes 1530
MARKVERIFY table 1530
master test pilot lights 713
MAXNC attribute 1638
MAXNO attribute 1638
MAXNONC attribute 1638
MCC database 1005
mcc.mdb files 1005
MDB files
exporting 18341840
importing 1503
location 178
measurement units 1633
2514 | Index
mechanical controls 489491, 653655,
889891
mechanical footprints
attributes 1858
Xdata 1859
mechanical resonance relay
symbols 409, 571, 804
menus
adding symbols to 1211, 1213, 1562
alternate icon menus 1591
command properties 1584
icon menus 1562, 1564, 1567,
1880, 1883
main menu properties 1580
renaming 1580
sharing with multiple users 2323
submenus 1579, 1589
vendor icon menus 18761877,
1879
Merge Utility 125
Merge/Copy Options dialog box 130
merging databases 125
merging files during migration 125, 130
meters 475, 638, 743, 875
MFG fields 1601
microphone symbols 512, 675, 905
migrating
merge options 130
Migration Utility 125
PLC database 131, 944
settings and customizations 127
128
Migration Review dialog box 132
Migration Utility
about 125
settings 126128, 130, 132
minimum active power relay
symbols 409, 571, 804
minimum impedance relay
symbols 409, 571, 804
mirroring wire numbers 1330
MISC_CAT tables 1601, 1624
MISC1 attribute 2371
miscellaneous attributes 328
Missing Bill of Material Data Fields to
Report dialog box 1712
Missing Bill of Material reports
fields in 1712
formatting 1815
generating 1749
missing catalog assignments 1634
Missing Level/Sequence Assignments
dialog box 1768
Missing Level/Sequence Assignments
reports
about 1760
fields in 1678
formatting 1784
generating 1768
Modify Line Reference Numbers dialog
box 1294
Modify/Fix/Unfix dialog box 1321
Module Box Dimensions dialog box 932
Module Layout dialog box 915
Module Specifications dialog box 940
modules
specification table 925
terminal information table 925
motion symbols 481482, 645, 880881
motor control circuits
customizing 2340
wire numbers 1301
motor control symbols
1-phase 414, 576, 810
3-phase 416, 578, 812
DC motors 417, 579, 813
general 413, 575, 809
generators 418, 580, 814
illustrated 709
starters 419, 581, 815
tags in wire numbers 2393
motor starter symbols 419, 581, 815
motor symbol tags 2395
motors
1-phase 414, 576, 810
3-phase 416, 578, 812
database 10351036
DC motors 417, 579, 813
generators 418, 580, 814
starters 419, 581, 815
mount codes
copying 1916
Index | 2515
moving
attributes 1124, 1194
attributes to other layers 11881189
catalog files 1602
circuits 1050
components 1124, 1127
descriptions 1194
ladders 1291
leaders with wire numbers 1325
pins 1479
text to other layers 1189
wire numbers 13231324, 1326,
1330
mtext (multiline text)
editing 1206
formatting wire annotations 1925
wire information 19191920
Multi-Connection Sequence Terminal
symbols 1462
multi-connection terminals
about 1462
editing 1463, 1466
multi-level terminal strips 1406
multi-level terminals 1383
multi-stack terminals 1383
multi-tier terminals 1383
Multiple Bill of Material Information
dialog box 1080, 1633
multiple Bill of Materials 1633
multiple bus wiring 1244, 1491
multiple cable markers 1275, 1670
Multiple Cable Markers dialog box 1275
Multiple Catalog Part Number
Assignments dialog box 1080,
1633
multiple catalogs 1603, 1633
multiple clients
about 185
libraries 187
project setup 188
sharing icon menus 2323
title blocks 186187
Vault setup 2468
multiple connection terminals 317
multiple libraries 297298
multiple part numbers 1911
Multiple Wire Bus dialog box 1244
multipole circuits 2381, 2386
multipole terminal block units 1646
N
Nameplate reports
about 1760
fields in 1682
formatting 1788
generating 1770
nameplates
about 339, 1941
creating 1943
inserting 19411942
layers 260
reports 1682, 1760, 1770, 1788
stretchable 1943
surfing references 1517
naming conventions
attribute templates 2441
catalog tables 1601
circuit templates 2378
menus 1580
panel footprints 2439
schematic lookup files 1108
symbols 279, 295, 2453
wire connections 2446
navigating through drawings 1520
NC contact state 1135
neon pilot lights 714
network deployment 2323
new circuits 2366
new drawings 164
New Module dialog box 935
NEW_DWG value 954
next drawing command 1520
NO contact state 1135
no wire numbering 22
non-AutoCAD Electrical attributes 328
non-intelligent ladders 12931294
non-text graphic layers 260
normal wire numbers 1297
NULL contact values 1139
2516 | Index
O
OFF-delay timers 706
older versions of files 125
one-line circuits 22, 1024, 1027, 1030
one-line symbols 301, 326
creating 2432
naming conventions 295
online help 3, 6
opening drawings 1520
opening tables 1006
operating devices 480, 643, 880
Option - Tag Format Family Override
dialog box 1084
Optional ENV File Assignment for Current
Project dialog box 275
Optional Script File Reference dialog
box 1654
orientation
connectors 1485, 1502
pin annotations 1646
terminal strips 1458
Orientation tab (Connector Selection
dialog box) 1502
Orientation tab (Insert Connector dialog
box) 1485
origin points 336
overriding
cross-reference settings 1141, 1144
1145
tags 1084, 2459
wire types 271
P
P&ID drawing 2245
P&ID drawings 2228
p&id symbols 2249
ball mill 2249
conveyor 2250
dryer 2251
equipment 2249
field mounted instruments 2251
flow arrow down 2254
flow arrows 2254
gate valve 2251
mixer2 2250
P&ID symbols
attributes 326
inserting 1066, 2013
libraries 303
naming conventions 295
page breaks in reports 1662
Panel Balloon Setup dialog box 1934
Panel Bill of Material Data Fields to Report
dialog box 1672
Panel Bill of Materials dialog box 1764
Panel Component Data Fields to Report
dialog box 1677
Panel Component dialog box 1767
Panel Component Exception Data Fields
to Report dialog box 1674
Panel Component Exception dialog
box 1765
Panel Component Layers dialog box 260
panel component lists 1119
Panel Components dialog box 1119
Panel Drawing Configuration and Defaults
dialog box 1861
Panel Equipment In dialog box 1891
Panel Footprint dialog box 1889
Panel Footprint Lookup Database File
Editor dialog box 1928
panel footprints
attribute templates 1895
attributes 326, 1858
automatic updates 1864
catalog lookup tables 1624
configuration 1861
copying 1894
copying panel assemblies 1897
creating with Symbol Builder 2439
din rails 1179
editing 1897, 1901, 1907
extracting footprint lists 1115
1117, 11191120, 1122
inserting 1868, 1870, 1872, 1874,
1884
inserting from catalogs 1887, 1889
inserting from equipment
lists 18891891, 1893
Index | 2517
inserting from icon menus 1876,
1880, 1883
inserting from vendor menus 1877,
1879
inserting manually 1883, 1887
inserting panel assemblies 1896
inserting with spreadsheet
data 1869
layers 254
level assignments 1947, 1951, 1955
lookup files 178, 1866, 19271929,
1931
mapping 1866
naming conventions 295
reports 1760
sequencing assignments 19441945
spacing 1876
symbols 339
wire information 19191920, 1922,
1925
Xdata 1859
panel layers
renaming 254, 258
settings 254
Panel Layout - Component Insert/Edit
dialog box 1901
Panel Layout - Terminal Insert/Edit dialog
box 1907
Panel Layout Data Export dialog
box 1838
Panel Layout List - Schematic Components
Insert dialog box 1117
Panel Layout toolbar 105
panel layouts
about 1855
automatic updates 1864
configuration 1859, 1861
editing 1897, 1901, 1907
exporting data 18381839
footprint lookup files 1927
item number balloons 19321934
level assignments 1947, 1951, 1955
level/routing wire connections 1356
nameplates 339, 1941
naming conventions 295
relationships to schematic
drawings 1866
reports 1760
resequencing item number
balloons 1938
sequencing assignments 19431945
surfing references 1517
tag lists 1083
tagging 1989
templates 1895
tools 1856
wire annotation format 1863
Xdata 18581859
panel lists
inserting components from 1115
1117, 1119
inserting terminals from 1120, 1122
Panel Missing Level/Sequence Assignments
Data Fields to Report dialog
box 1678
Panel Nameplate Data Fields to Report
dialog box 1682
Panel Nameplate dialog box 1770
panel reports
about 1650, 1760
automatic generation 1828
bill of materials reports 1672, 1764,
1778
component exception reports 1674,
1765, 1780
component reports 1677, 1767,
1782
generating 1662, 1760, 1762
list of 1760
missing level/sequence assignments
reports 1678, 1768, 1784
nameplate reports 1682, 1770, 1788
terminal exception reports 1684,
1772, 1790
types of 1760
wire annotation exception
reports 1680, 1769, 1786
wire connection reports 1686,
1773, 1792
Panel Tag List dialog box 1083
2518 | Index
Panel Terminal Exception Data Fields to
Report dialog box 1684
Panel Terminal Exception dialog
box 1772
Panel Terminal List - Schematic Terminals
Insert dialog box 1120
Panel Terminal Strip Graphical Report
Parameters dialog box 1956
Panel Terminals Data Export dialog
box 1839
Panel Terminals dialog box 1122
panel terminals lists 1120
Panel Wire Annotation Exception Data
Fields to Report dialog
box 1680
Panel Wire Connection Data Fields to
Report dialog box 1686
Panel Wire Connection dialog box 1773
panels
about 1855
automatic updates 1864
configuration 1859, 1861
editing 1897, 1901, 1907
exporting data 18381839
footprint lookup files 1927
item number balloons 19321934
level assignments 1947, 1951, 1955
level/routing wire connections 1356
nameplates 339, 1941
naming conventions 295
panel assemblies 18951897
relationships to schematic
drawings 1866
reports 1760
resequencing item number
balloons 1938
schematic-to-panel terminal
relationships 1383
sequencing assignments 19431945
surfing references 1517
tag lists 1083
tagging 1989
templates 1895
tools 1856
wire annotation format 1863
Xdata 18581859
paralleled wires 1044
parameters
drawing properties 235
wire annotations 1922, 1925
wire numbers 1317
wires 1044
parametric connectors 317
parametric PLC modules 912, 914
parametric twisted pair symbols
naming conventions 295
schematic attributes 317
parent attributes 339
parent cable markers 1257, 1265, 1269,
1271, 1273
parent location codes 12081209
parent symbols
about 339
creating 2424
schematic attributes 317
TAG1 attribute 318
part catalogs 1601
part numbers
assigning 1613, 1615, 1623
editing 1631
inserting 1631
multiple 1080, 1911
multiple bill of materials 1633
sorting catalog databases by 1621
terminal catalog codes 1411
updating 1209
Parts Catalog dialog box 1621
passing power 2002
pasting database tables 1006
paths
file locations 178
libraries 297, 335
project files 183
signal paths 1175
PC3 (plotter configuration files) 1523
PEER_COILPINS field 1644, 2318
PEER_PINLIST field 1644, 2318
peer-to-peer relationships 2315
phase meter symbols 475, 638, 875
phases 1289
photo eye switch symbols 737
Index | 2519
photoelectric emitter switch
symbols 453, 458, 617, 622,
853, 858
photoelectric emitter-receiver switch
symbols 458, 622, 858
photoelectric receiver switch
symbols 456, 458, 620, 622,
856, 858
photosensitive electronic symbols 493,
495, 497, 656, 659, 661, 898
physical representation block
symbols 1866
Pick List for Panel Terminal Strip
Report/Graphical Report dialog
box 1955
pigtails 336
pilot lights
beacon light symbols 429430, 591
592, 824, 826
general symbols 420, 582, 816
illustrated 712
LED symbols 428, 590, 823
master test pilot lights 713
neon pilot lights 714
push to test light symbols 425, 587,
820
standard light symbols 421, 583,
817
transformer light symbols 423, 585,
819
pin charts 1662
pin lists
about 1638
advanced techniques 2318
assignments 1646
editing 1639, 1642, 1644
pin numbers in use 1489
selecting 1640
special uses 1646
table structure 1642, 1644
type 4 pin combinations 1646
pin numbers
editing 1480
exporting for Cable & Harness 1851
in-use 1090, 1489
point-to-point wiring 1468
schematic attributes 317
swapping 1478
tracking changes to 1530
Pin Numbers in Use dialog box 1090
pin tools 346
PINLIST attribute 1638
PINLIST database 1642
PINLIST field 1644, 2318
PINLIST_TYPE attribute 1646
pins
adding to connectors 1476
annotations 1646
child components 1094, 1099
component data 1072, 1078
in-use numbers 1090
inserting 1485
moving 1479
naming conventions 295
pin assignments 2318
pin charts 1662
pin lists 1489, 16381640, 1642,
1644
pin tools 346
PLC I/O points 948
PLC modules 920
point-to-point wiring 1468
reports 1662
schematic attributes 317
settings 1485
spacing 1487, 1495
swapping numbers 1478
pipes 2233, 2252
piping & instrumentation 2245
Piping and Instrumentation Diagram
symbols
inserting 1066, 2013
libraries 303
naming conventions 295
symbol attributes 326
pitch 1458
PLC Component Connection Data Fields
to Report dialog box 1700
PLC database
about 925
advanced techniques 2339
CATEGORY field 131, 944
2520 | Index
contents 912, 954
DESCRIPTION field 131, 944
editing 930
generating drawings 954955, 959,
963
migrating 125
Migration utility 131
PLC Database Migration utility 944
tables in 925
PLC Database File Editor dialog
box 930, 2339
PLC Database Migration utility 944
PLC I/O Address and Descriptions Data
Fields to Report dialog
box 1718
PLC I/O Address and Descriptions
reports
about 1734
fields in 1718, 1837
formatting 1818
generating 1752
PLC I/O Address/Description Export dialog
box 1837
PLC I/O Component Connection
reports
about 1734
fields in 1700
formatting 1801
generating 1741
PLC I/O Connection Export dialog
box 1836
PLC I/O Header Information Export dialog
box 1836
PLC I/O modules
address and descriptions in
reports 1752, 1818
advanced techniques 2339
annotating points 946
AutoLISP routines 935
boxes 932, 938
component data in reports 1700
copying 926
creating 935
data fields in reports 1718
database 925, 954, 2339
editing 920, 940
editing symbols 944, 948
exporting address/description
data 1837
exporting header data 1836
exporting I/O connection data 1836
exporting Unity Pro data 976
full units 912
generating 912
generating drawings 954955, 959,
963
I/O points 944, 948
importing Unity Pro data 969970,
975
inserting 916
inserting AutoCAD blocks 935
inserting I/O points 945
line properties 932
migration utility 131, 944
module data 954
naming conventions 295
parametric symbols 912
PLC modules used so far in
reports 1722, 1755, 1825
prompts 941
reports 1734
RSLogix data 964966
splitting 1124, 1128, 1131
spreadsheet format 954
stand-alone points 944, 948
stretching 1124, 1128
styles 950
symbol illustrations 716
symbol schematic attributes 317
symbols 317, 432, 594, 827
terminals 927, 934, 937
tracking changes to 1530
wire numbers 1304
PLC I/O Wire Numbers dialog box 1304
PLC Modules Used So Far Data Fields to
Report dialog box 1722
PLC Modules Used So Far reports
about 1734
fields in 1722
formatting 1825
generating 1755
PLC Parametric Selection dialog box 914
Index | 2521
PLC Selection dialog box 931
PLCIO files 944
plotter configuration files (PC3) 1523
plotting 1521
plug connectors
inserting 1485, 1495
plug/jack connector pin
symbols 295
reports 1662, 1706, 1734, 1745,
1808
plug/receptacle combinations 1485,
1495
pneumatic components 1066, 2003
PNG files 15351536
point-to-point schematics 1468
point-to-point wiring tools
bending wires 1490
connector tools 1468
importing connector data 1503
importing data 14941495
multiple buses 1491
splices 1513
post-processing reports 1662
Power Check tools 113, 20002002
power distribution blocks 433, 596, 721,
832
power factor meter symbols 475, 638,
875
power feed circuits 1018, 1020, 1023
1024, 1027, 1030
power receptacles 507, 670, 749, 899
power source symbols 506, 669, 893
Power Source/Load Report dialog
box 2002
power sources
reports 2002
symbols 20002002
power switches 385, 547, 781
prefixes on signal arrows 1339
pressure switches 444, 608, 732, 845
pressure/current converter symbols 475,
638, 875
previewing drawings 141
previous drawing command 1520
previous releases
migrating custom settings 127128
migrating files 125
printing reports 1662
Project Database Table Data - Project
Drawing Files Update dialog
box 192
project files
about 134
contents 183
settings in 198
project label files 178
Project Manager 2047, 2061, 2228, 2245
about 134, 150
adding drawings 137
Copy Project dialog box 152
creating projects 136
crreating projects 137
Define Layers dialog box 257
Drawing List Display Configuration
dialog box 167, 170
Drawing List Report dialog box 189
opening projects 137
Properties dialog box 202
Select Drawings to Process dialog
box 193
switching projects 137
Task List dialog box 190
Project Settings tab (Properties dialog
box) 202, 2459
Project Zip dialog box 184
project-related files 178
Project-wide Schematic Terminal
Renumber dialog box 1461
project-wide tools
batch plotting 1521
marking changes 1530
moving between drawings 1520
Project-Wide Utilities dialog
box 1525
publishing to the Web 15351537
renumbering ladders 1526
scripts 1525
surfing 1517
title blocks 1543, 1551
translating descriptions 15321533
updating and retagging 1529
2522 | Index
Project-Wide Update or Retag dialog
box 1529
Project-Wide Utilities dialog box 1525
projects 2047, 2061, 2228, 2245
about 134
adding drawings 136137
alternate environment settings 275
archiving 183184
auditing 2018, 20202021, 2024,
2026
client setup 188
collaborative design 154
comparing settings 236237
configuring for drawing
standards 2459, 2461
converting promis.e projects 1973
copying 139
copying catalog information 1613,
1631
creating 136137
cross-references 1141
database files 192
database table data 192
deleting 184185
deleting drawings 141
descriptions 183, 200
file formats 183
fixed component tags 12031204
icon menu files 1591
managing drawings in 141
master files 154
multiple clients 185187
opening 137
previewing 141
project files 183
Project Manager 150
project-related files 178
project-wide utilities 1525
properties 198199
recently opened 134
related files 178
resizing all text 1199
saving settings 236237
saving to web sites 15351537
script files 1525
surfing 1517
switching 137
task lists 190
terminal lists 1374
Vault and 154, 2468
versions of 2468
zipping 183
promis.e conversion 19701971, 1973
promis.e Conversion dialog box 1971
prompts
missing 357
PLC modules 941
Prompts at Module Insertion Time dialog
box 941
propagation flow or signal symbols 483,
646, 882
properties
about 198199
circuit icons 1587
command icons 1584
component icons 1582
copying 1386
din rails 1179
drawings 198199
icons 1564
imported Inventor data 14941495
line entities 1179
mapping for export to Cable &
Harness 1851
menus 1580
project-wide changes 1529
projects 198199
submenus 1589
templates 241
terminals 1374, 1381, 13881390,
1392, 1406
wire numbers 1306
X zones 230
X-Y grid 232
Properties - Circuit dialog box 1587
Properties - Command dialog box 1584
Properties - Component dialog box 1582
Properties - Main Menu dialog box 1580
Properties - Submenu dialog box 1589
Properties dialog box
Components tab 207
configuring for IEC standard 2459
Index | 2523
Cross-References tab 212
Drawing Format tab 216
Project Settings tab 202
Styles tab 214
Wire Numbers tab 211
proximity switches
capacitive switch symbols 449, 613,
849
illustrated 737
inductive switch symbols 446, 610,
847
magnetic switch symbols 451, 615,
851
photoelectric emitter switch
symbols 453, 458, 617,
622, 853, 858
photoelectric emitter-receiver switch
symbols 458, 622, 858
photoelectric receiver switch
symbols 456, 458, 620,
622, 856, 858
touch switch symbols 462, 626, 862
ultrasonic switch symbols 460, 624,
860
Publish to Web - Temporary Folder for
Build dialog box 1536
publishing
drawing files as HTML 15351536
options 1537
pull cord switch symbols 468, 632, 737,
868
purging unused items 2020
push buttons 365, 367, 527, 529, 688,
763764
push to test light symbols 425, 587, 820
pyrometer symbols 475, 638, 875
Q
qualifying symbols
effect symbols 484, 648, 884
energy flow symbols 483, 647, 883
fault symbols 485, 649, 885
linear direction of force or
motion 481, 645, 880
mechanical controls symbols 489
491, 653655, 889891
operating devices 480, 643, 880
propagation flow or signal
symbols 483, 646, 882
radiation symbols 485, 649, 884
rotative direction of force or
motion 482, 645, 881
winding symbols 488, 652, 888
quick relay coil symbols 409, 571, 804
R
radiation symbols 485, 649, 884
RATING field 1609
ratings
child components 1094, 1099
component data 1072, 1078
entering values 11331134
PLC I/O points 948
ratings defaults files 178
terminals 1374
tools 346
updating 1209
Ratings Defaults dialog box 1134
RC network symbols 493, 495, 497, 656,
659, 661, 898
reactors 389, 551, 785
real time error checking files 178
Reassign Terminal dialog box 1429
reassigning terminals 1429
Rebuild Database File dialog box 192
rebuilding databases 192
rebuilding terminal strips 1421, 1447
receptacle connectors 1485, 1495
recording wattmeter symbols 475, 638,
875
records
adding 1009, 1105
catalog structure 1607
editing 1009, 1105, 1108
editing footprint lookup files 1929,
1931
editing in catalogs 1628
schematic lookup files 1108, 1110
terminal properties 1388, 1392
2524 | Index
user data 11801181
Ref Des (tags) 1072
referencing
arrow symbols 511, 674, 753, 903
existing circuits 1048
format settings 216, 229
WD_M block attributes 249
refreshing terminal strips 1421, 1447
relationships 1383, 1385
relays
counter relay symbols 408, 570, 803
current protection relay
symbols 406, 568, 801
general symbols 403, 409, 565, 571,
798, 804
illustrated 701, 704
relays with suppression
symbols 404, 566, 799
sensing lack of phase 409, 571, 804
time delay relay symbols 412, 574,
808
voltage protection relay
symbols 407, 569, 802
relays with suppression symbols 404,
566, 799
Remove Component Override dialog
box 1145
removing
components 11241125, 1917
database tables 1007
drawings 141
footprints 1917
jumpers 1437
location mark symbols 1211
marker blocks 2371
pins from connectors 1477
projects 184185
sequencing 1943
tracking deleted objects 1530
wire gaps 1285
wire numbers 1337
Rename Panel Layers dialog box 258
Rename Schematic Layers dialog
box 258
renaming
attributes 1201
layers 254, 258
menus 1580
Renumber Ladders dialog box 1295
Renumber Terminal Strip dialog
box 1430
renumbering
ladders 1290, 1295
terminal strips 1430
terminals 1461
reordering drawings 141
repairing wire gaps 2021
replaceable parameters 235
replacing
blocks using spreadsheet data 1995
1997
text 11901193
WD_M blocks 251
wire number text 13131314
Report Format File Setup - Missing
Level/Sequence Assignments
dialog box 1784
Report Format File Setup - Panel Bill of
Material dialog box 1778
Report Format File Setup - Panel
Component dialog box 1782
Report Format File Setup - Panel
Component Exception dialog
box 1780
Report Format File Setup - Panel
Nameplate dialog box 1788
Report Format File Setup - Panel Terminal
Exception dialog box 1790
Report Format File Setup - Panel Wire
Connection dialog box 1792
Report Format File Setup - Schematic Bill
of Material dialog box 1795
Report Format File Setup - Schematic Cable
From/To dialog box 1797
Report Format File Setup - Schematic Cable
Summary dialog box 1799
Report Format File Setup - Schematic
Component dialog box 1812
Report Format File Setup - Schematic
Component Wire List dialog
box 1803
Index | 2525
Report Format File Setup - Schematic
Connector Details dialog
box 1806
Report Format File Setup - Schematic
Connector Plug dialog
box 1808
Report Format File Setup - Schematic
Connector Summary dialog
box 1810
Report Format File Setup - Schematic
Missing Bill of Material dialog
box 1815
Report Format File Setup - Schematic PLC
I/O Address and Descriptions
dialog box 1818
Report Format File Setup - Schematic PLC
I/O Component Connection
dialog box 1801
Report Format File Setup - Schematic PLC
Modules Used So Far dialog
box 1825
Report Format File Setup - Schematic
Terminal Numbers dialog
box 1821
Report Format File Setup - Schematic
Terminal Plan dialog box 1823
Report Format File Setup - Schematic Wire
From/To dialog box 1816
Report Format File Setup - Schematic Wire
Label dialog box 1827
Report Format File Setup - Wire
Annotation Exception dialog
box 1786
report format files 17741775
reports
about 1650
adding fields 18411842
automatic 18281829, 1831
change-tracking reports 1532
conduit markers 19661967
conduit routing reports 1968
cross-references 1135
drawing lists 189
editing 1656
exception/error reports 1135
exporting for Cable &
Harness 1851, 18531854
filtering 1650
format files 17741775
from/to reports 1356
generating 1662, 1735
grouping 1828
inserting in drawings 1662
missing catalog assignments 1634
panel reports 1760, 1762
power check reports 2002
printing 1662
resizing 1662
running 18281829, 1831
saving 1662
saving to script files 16541655
schematic reports 17341735
settings 1662
settings lists 237, 239
sorting 1662
stand-alone reference code
reports 1346
surfing 1138
table setup 1654
terminal pick lists 1955
terminal strip tables 1398, 1956
types of 1734
updating configurations 240
user-defined attributes 1841
wildcard characters 1650
wire signal reports 1346
Resequence Panel Item Numbers dialog
box 1938
resequencing
item number balloons 1936, 1938
terminal numbers 1461
resistors 493, 495, 497, 656, 659, 661,
748, 898
resizing
ladders 1291
reports 1662
text 11991200, 1219
wire numbers 1335
wires 1247
Retag Components dialog box 1205
2526 | Index
retagging
components 1205
project-wide changes 1529
reusing circuits 1059
Reverse/Flip Component dialog
box 1132
reversing
components 11311132
connectors 1470, 1472
reviewing drawing sets 1530
RGF files 1828
ribbon
about 20, 113
Conduit Marker tools 112
Conversion tools 111
displaying and organizing 114
Extra Library tools 113
Main Electrical tools 91, 101
Panel Layout tools 105
Power Check tools 113
right angle bends 1248
rolling back projects 2468
rotating
attributes 1196
connectors 1470, 1472
terminal strips 1458
wire numbers 1324, 1335
rotating beacon light symbols 430, 592,
826
rotative direction symbols 482, 645, 881
routing
copying 1947
displaying 1944
editing 1945
removing 1943
wire conduit routing data in
reports 1728
routing reports 1728, 1968
rows
report tables 1654
row styles 1438
RSLogix
exporting PLC spreadsheets 964
966
importing files 178
RSLogix 500 Import Change Module dialog
box 966
RSLogix 500 Import dialog box 965
ruling (terminal strips) 1458
rungs
inserting 1292
spacing 1289, 1291, 1294
running
automatic reports 1828
reports 1650, 1829, 1831
scripts 1525
S
sandbox guidelines 2468
Save Circuit to Icon Menu dialog
box 1059
Save Symbol dialog box 356
saving
circuits 1052, 1059
custom settings 128
DWF files 1538
project settings 236237
reports 1662
symbols 354, 356
web formats 15351537
scale
conduit markers 1963
format settings 216, 229
PLC modules 914
text 1219
Schematic Bill of Material dialog
box 1737
Schematic Cable From/To dialog
box 1739
Schematic Cable Summary dialog
box 1738
Schematic Component dialog box 1103,
1748
Schematic Component Wire List dialog
box 1742
Schematic Components List Panel Layout
Insert dialog box 1870
Schematic Components or Terminals
dialog box 1874
Index | 2527
Schematic Connector Details dialog
box 1743
Schematic Connector Plug dialog
box 1745
Schematic Connector Summary dialog
box 1746
Schematic Database File Editor 1109
1110
schematic diagrams
attributes 317
auditing 2018, 20202021, 2024,
2026
automatic updates 1864
generating from PLC I/O
modules 954955, 959, 963
inserting panel footprints 1870,
1874
inserting terminals 1872, 1874
ladder diagrams 1468, 1866
layers 254
panel component spreadsheet
data 18681869
point-to-point 1468
relationship to panel layouts 1866
reports 1760
showing links 1993
tagging 1988
wire connections 1356
Schematic Equipment In dialog
box 1115
schematic layers
renaming 254, 258
settings 254
Schematic Layout Wire Connection
Annotation dialog box 1925
schematic lookup files
about 1108
editing 11081110
inserting components 1115
location 178
Schematic Missing Bill of Material dialog
box 1749
Schematic PLC I/O Address and
Descriptions dialog box 1752
Schematic PLC I/O Component
Connection dialog box 1741
Schematic PLC Modules Used So Far dialog
box 1755
Schematic Report dialog box 2268, 2270
schematic reports
about 1650, 1734
automatic generation 1828
bill of materials reports 1689, 1737,
1795
cable from/to reports 1695, 1739,
1797
cable label reports 1696
cable summary reports 1691, 1738,
1799
component reports 1710, 1748,
1812
connection sequencing reports 1356
connector data 1704
connector details reports 1743, 1806
connector plug reports 1706, 1745,
1808
connector summary reports 1708,
1746, 1810
cross-reference data 1729, 1731
generating 1662, 1734
list of 1734
location codes in from/to
reports 1758
missing bill of material
reports 1712, 1749, 1815
PLC connection reports 1700, 1718,
1741, 1801
PLC I/O address and descriptions
reports 1752, 1818
PLC modules used so far
reports 1722, 1755, 1825
terminal numbers reports 1720,
1753, 1821
terminal plan reports 1725, 1754,
1823
types of 1734
wire conduit routing data 1728
wire from/to reports 1716, 1750,
1816
wire label reports 1726, 1757, 1827
wire list reports 1702, 1742, 1803
2528 | Index
schematic symbols
attributes 317
child symbols 339
inserting 1066
parent symbols 339
terminal symbols 339
Schematic Terminal Numbers dialog
box 1753
Schematic Terminal Plan dialog
box 1754
Schematic Terminals List Panel Layout
Insert dialog box 1872
Schematic Wire From/To dialog
box 1750
Schematic Wire Label dialog box 1757
Schematic Wire Numbers Panel Wiring
Diagram dialog box 1922
schematic-to-panel terminal
relationships 1383
schematic-to-schematic terminal
relationships 1383
schematics
attributes 317
auditing 2018, 20202021, 2024,
2026
automatic updates 1864
generating from PLC I/O
modules 954955, 959, 963
inserting panel footprints
with 1870, 1874
inserting terminals with 1872, 1874
ladder diagrams 1468, 1866
layers 254
panel component spreadsheet
data 18681869
point-to-point 1468
relationship to panel layouts 1866
reports 1760
showing links 1993
tagging 1988
wire connections 1356
scooting
components 11241125
connectors 1468
wire numbers 1323
wires 11241125, 1468
SCR symbols 493, 495, 497, 656, 659,
661, 898
scratch databases 192
Script File Options Reference dialog
box 1655
scripts
adding icons for 1572
batch plotting 1523
project-wide scripts 1525
saving reports to script files 1654
1655
search paths
file locations 178
libraries 297
searching
finding wire number text 1313
1314
terminal properties database 1388
text 11901193
sections in report tables 1654
Select Circuit dialog box 1034, 1036
Select Color dialog box 2234, 2247
Select Description from AutoCAD Electrical
Language Table dialog
box 10881089
Select Description Text Format dialog
box 1089
Select Drawings to Process dialog
box 193
Select Linetype dialog box 2234, 2247
Select Linetypes File dialog box 2248
Select Lineweight dialog box 2247
Select Load dialog box 1036
Select Motor dialog box 1035
Select Pin List Table dialog box 1640
Select Row Cell Styles dialog box 1438
Select Symbol/Objects dialog box 341
Select Terminal Information dialog
box 934
Select Terminal Properties Table dialog
box 1389
Select Terminals to Jumper dialog
box 1453
Select Xdata to Change to a Block Attribute
dialog box 1859
Index | 2529
selector switches 371, 376, 378, 533,
538, 540, 692, 696, 767, 772, 774
sensors 475, 638, 875
sequence assignments
missing 1678, 1760, 1768, 1784
reports 1760, 1768, 1784
sequencing
about 1356
displaying 1358, 1944
editing 1357, 1365, 1945
removing 1943
resequencing item numbers 1938
tee markers 13601361
sequential codes 1633
SET files
about 1774
defining 1775
missing level/sequence assignments
reports 1784
panel bill of materials reports 1778
panel component exception
reports 1780
panel component reports 1782
panel nameplate reports 1788
panel terminal exception
reports 1790
panel wire annotation exception
reports 1786
panel wire connection reports 1792
schematic bill of material
reports 1795
schematic cable from/to
reports 1797
schematic cable summary
reports 1799
schematic component reports 1812
schematic component wire list
reports 1803
schematic connector details
reports 1806
schematic connector plug
reports 1808
schematic connector summary
reports 1810
schematic missing bill of material
reports 1815
schematic PLC I/O address and
descriptions reports 1818
schematic PLC I/O component
connection reports 1801
schematic PLC used so far
reports 1825
schematic terminal numbers
reports 1821
schematic terminal plan
reports 1823
schematic wire from/to reports 1816
schematic wire label reports 1827
Set Pass Power dialog box 2002
Set Power Source/Load Value dialog
box 2001
Set Wire Type dialog box 274
Settings dialog box 1113, 1893
Settings List Utility
about 237
configuration updates 240
editing reports 239
shapes 1883
sharing
files 2323
Vault guidelines 2468
sheets
project-wide changes 1529
settings 218
shields (cable) 1282
Show Link tool 1993
shunt symbols 493, 495, 497, 656, 659,
661, 898
Signal - Source Code dialog box 1342
signal arrow symbols
about 1338
inserting 13411342
naming conventions 295
prefixes 1339
project-wide changes 1525
styles 1339, 1343, 1345
Signal Code dialog box 1175
signals
arrows 295, 1338
destination 11741175
fanning markers 13511353
following 11741175
2530 | Index
project-wide changes 1529
schematic symbol attributes 317
source 11741175
symbol naming conventions 295
symbols 483, 646, 882
updating 1171
single pole double throw switches 740
single receptacle symbols 507, 670, 749,
899
single side connectors 725, 729
siren symbols 506, 669, 893
size
connectors 1485, 1495
text size 11991200, 1219
wires 10441045
Size tab (Connector Selection dialog
box) 1502
Size tab (Insert Connector dialog
box) 1485
SKIP value 954
solenoids 470, 633, 741, 870
sorting
database tables 1009
sorting reports 1662
source arrows 1979
source codes
source code lists 1346
tracking changes to 1530
source cross-reference symbols 1135,
11701171
source markers
adding 1348
advanced techniques 2330
fanning 1347
layers 13491351, 1353
styles 13491351
source wire signal symbols 295, 317,
13381339, 1342, 1979
SPACER value 954
spacers 1487, 1495
spacing
buses 1244, 2387
fixed spacing 1470
inserted items 1876
ladders 1286, 1289
pins 1487, 1495
PLC database information 925
PLC modules 915, 930, 934
rungs 1291, 1294
Spacing for Component or Footprint
Insertion dialog box 1876
spare connectors 725, 729
spare terminal strips 1431
spare terminals 1406, 1431
spare wires 1964
Special Explode dialog box 1986
special wire numbers 1301
splice symbols
exporting data for Cable &
Harness 1851
illustrated 512, 674, 745, 904
importing occurrences from
Inventor 14941495
inserting 1513
naming conventions 295
schematic attributes 317
Split Block dialog box 1131
Split Connector dialog box 1131
splitting
blocks 1124, 1128, 1131
components 1124, 1128, 1131
connectors 1124, 1128, 1131, 1475
tag names 296
terminal tables 1398
Spreadsheet to PLC I/O utility 131, 178,
944, 959
Spreadsheet to PLC I/O Utility Setup dialog
box 963
spreadsheets
din rails 1179
exporting component data 1834
exporting data to 1832, 18341835
exporting panel layout data 1838
exporting PLC data 18361837
exporting terminal data 18391840
importing connector data 1503
importing data from 1832
mapping to blocks 19951997
PLC database content 954
reports 1650
RSLogix data 964966
structure 1503
Index | 2531
updating drawings with data 1841
squeezing
reports 1662
text 1199
Stand-Alone Destination Cross-Reference
Symbol dialog box 1170
stand-alone I/O points 944
Stand-Alone Source Cross-Reference
Symbol dialog box 1170
stand-alone symbols
cross-reference symbols 510, 672,
752, 902, 11641165, 1170
1171
inserting 1066
naming conventions 295
PLC 944
schematic attributes 317
TAG1 attribute 318
standard light symbols 421, 583, 817
standards 1005, 1011, 2378, 2459, 2461
stretching
components 1124, 1128
connectors 1474
nameplates 1943
text 1199
wires 1247, 2416
Style Box Dimensions dialog box 938
styles
attribute text 1197
drawing properties 198
fanning markers 13491352
PLC database information 925
PLC modules 914, 938, 950
project properties 198
project-wide changes 1525
settings 214, 227
signal arrows 1339
sorting catalog databases by 1621
table row styles 1438
WD_M block attributes 249
Styles tab (Drawing Properties dialog
box) 227
Styles tab (Properties dialog box) 214,
2459
subcatalog entries 1662
submenus
creating 1579
editing 1594
properties 1589
support files 2323
suppressor symbols 745
Surf dialog box 1519, 2277
surfing
codes 1519
continuing surf sessions 1517
cross-reference reports 1138
references in drawing sets 1517
web pages 1537
Swap Block/Update Block/Library Swap
dialog box 333
swapping
blocks 329330, 333335
libraries 334
NO/NC state 1135
pin numbers 1478
terminal strip text 1944
wire numbers 1326
switches
component data 1072
symbols 468, 632, 737, 868
switching
blocks 329330, 333335
contact states 1135
drawing standards 2461
pin numbers 1478
terminal strip text 1944
wire numbers 1326
wire types 271, 273
Symbol Audit dialog box 357
Symbol Builder
about 339, 2417
attributes 343, 346, 2441
auditing symbols 357
configuring symbols 342
converting non-Electrical
objects 2433
converting text to attributes 352
353
creating footprints 2439
creating symbols 339, 341
editing symbols 347
2532 | Index
inserting symbols 347
link line attributes 351
one-line symbols 2432
parent symbols 2424
saving symbols 354, 356
templates 2441
terminal symbols 2428
wire connections 348, 350, 2446
Symbol Builder Attribute Editor 346
Symbol Configuration dialog box 342
symbol libraries 297
Symbol Library Attribute Text/Scale Resize
dialog box 1219
symbol mapping
cross-references 1153, 1156
editing tables 1158
Symbol Preview window 1567
symbols
adding to icon menus 1562, 2453
advanced techniques 2417
attributes 342, 346
auditing 354, 357
changing appearance 328
converting non-Electrical
blocks 1974, 1976, 2433
COPYTAG attribute 326
creating 336, 339, 341
cross-references 1135, 11641165,
11701171
customizing icon menus 1562,
1564, 1567
default libraries 297298
editing attributes 346, 1219
family types 295
layers and 328
location mark symbols 1211, 1213
multiple libraries 297298
naming conventions 279, 295
one line symbols 326
one-line symbols 2432
parent symbols 2424
predefined annotations 329
saving 354, 356
schematic attributes 317, 339
splitting tag names 296
substituting 327
surfing 1517
swapping blocks 329330, 333335
Symbol Builder 339, 2417
TAG1 attribute 318
TAG2 attribute 318
types 339
updating blocks 329330, 333335
WD_M blocks 249
synchronizing files during
migration 127
synchronoscope symbols 475, 638, 875
T
Table Cross-Reference Format Setup dialog
box 1156
Table Generation Setup dialog box 1654
tables (cross-references)
cross-reference data 1143
editing 1158
graphical formats 1148, 1150, 1153
report fields 1731
table formats 1156
updating 1159
tables (database)
catalog tables 1601, 1625
copying 1006
deleting 1007
editing 1009
footprint lookup files 1927
opening 1006
pin lists 16391640, 1642, 1644
PLC database tables 925
schematic lookup files 11091110
scratch databases 192
terminal properties database 1388
1390, 1392
user data 11801181
tables (reports)
breaking into sections 1650
setup 1654
tables (terminal strips)
fields in 1441
generating 1441, 1447
inserting 1398, 1442
layout 1421
Index | 2533
row styles 1438
settings 1424
tabular terminal layout 1421
tachometer symbols 475, 638, 875
tachometric dynamo symbols 475, 638,
875
tag panel components 2275
Tag Panel tools 1989
Tag Schematic tools 1988
tag strips 1393
TAG1 attribute 318
TAG1_PARTX 296
TAG2 attribute 318
TAG2_PARTX 296
tagging non-Electrical-aware
objects 1983, 1985, 1988
1989, 1991
tagging tools 2265
tags
cable markers 1265, 1269, 1271,
1273
cables 1279
child components 1094, 1099
circuits 2402
codes for replaceable
parameters 235
components 1072, 1078
conduits 1958, 1963
copying attributes 326
cross-references and 1135
duplicate 2018, 2020, 2024, 2026
exporting for Cable & Harness 1851
fixed component tags 12031204
in-use 10821083
motor symbol tags 2395
motor symbols 2393
multi-connection sequences 1466
order settings 216, 229
overriding 1084, 2459
panel drawings 1083
parameters 1317
PLC database information 954
PLC I/O points 948
PLC modules 920
project-wide changes 1525, 1529
retagging components 1192, 1205
splitting names 296
terminals 1374
tracking changes to 1530
WD_M block attributes 249
wire tags 1297, 12991300
Tags in Use dialog box 1082
target attributes 19191920
Task List dialog box 190
tees
connection symbols 13601361
export mapping 1851
temperature switches 444, 608, 732, 845
templates
attribute templates 339, 2441
creating 241
ladders and 1286
panel layouts 1895
PLC-generated drawings 963
reports 1650
Symbol Builder 2441
wire connection templates 348
Terminal Block Properties dialog
box 1381
Terminal Block Settings dialog box 937
terminal blocks 1381, 1874
terminal boxes 2339
Terminal Data Export dialog box 1840
Terminal Exception reports
about 1760
formatting 1790
generating 1772
terminal numbers
renumbering 1461
reports 1720, 1734, 1753, 1821
Terminal Numbers Data Fields to Report
dialog box 1720
Terminal Numbers reports
about 1734
fields in 1720
formatting 1821
generating 1753
Terminal Plan Data Fields to Report dialog
box 1725
Terminal Plan reports
about 1734
fields in 1725
2534 | Index
formatting 1823
generating 1754
internal and external codes 1662
Terminal Properties Database Editor
about 1388
Edit dialog box 1390
Edit Record dialog box 1392
editing properties 1388
Select Terminal Properties Table dialog
box 1389
terminal row styles 1438
Terminal Strip Definition dialog
box 1401
Terminal Strip Editor
about 1393
accessories 1432
Cable Information tab 1415
Catalog Code Assignment tab 1411
columns and rows 1421
Edit Terminal dialog box 1428
inserting terminal strip tables 1398
inserting terminal strips 1394
installation codes 1434
jumper charts 1399
Layout Preview tab dialog box 1421
location codes 1433
previewing terminal strips 1421
selecting terminal strips 1396
spare terminals 1431
Terminal Strip Definition dialog
box 1401
Terminal Strip Selection dialog
box 1400
Terminal Strip tab 1406
Terminal Strip Table dialog
box 1441
wire constraints 1406
Terminal Strip Representation - Setup
dialog box 1458
Terminal Strip Representation dialog
box 1457
Terminal Strip Selection dialog box 1400
Terminal Strip tab (Terminal Strip
Editor) 1406
Terminal Strip Table Data Fields to Include
dialog box 1441
Terminal Strip Table dialog box 1441
Terminal Strip Table Generator
generating tables 1441
inserting terminal strip tables 1398
settings 1447
Terminal Strip Table Settings dialog
box 1424
Terminal Strip Table Settings dialog
box 1424
terminal strips
about 1456
accessories 1432
annotations 1458
associating 1436
catalog codes 1411
defining 1401
displaying 1457
drawing shapes 1883
editing 1406, 1428, 1456
graphical layout 1421
inserting 1394, 1947
inserting reports as 1662
inserting tables 1442
installation codes 1434
jumper assignments 1398
jumper charts 1399, 1421
level assignments 1947, 1951, 1955
location codes 1433
multi-level 1406
parameters 1956
pick lists 1955
previewing layout 1421
reassigning terminals 1429
renumbering 1430
reports 19551956
row styles 1438
selecting 1396, 1400
sequencing assignments 1944
1945, 1947
settings 1458
spare terminals 1431
swapping text 1944
table fields 1441
table rows 1438
tables 1398, 1421, 1424, 1441
1442, 1447
Index | 2535
terminal associations 1436
Terminal Strip Editor 1393
terminals
about 339
accessories 1432
annotations 1458
assigning types 2339
associations 1374, 1378, 1383,
1385, 1406, 1436
attributes 317, 326, 2339
breaking associations 1383, 1385
cable information 1415
connections 1460
copying properties 1386
customized symbols 2428
device box symbols 509, 671, 750,
901
direct-to-terminal wire
connections 1356
displaying associations 1383
editing 930, 1374, 1381, 1428,
1897, 1901, 1907
editing blocks 2339
editing database 1388
exceptions in reports 1684
exporting data 18391840
inserting 1368, 1374, 1874
inserting from panel lists 1115
1116, 1120, 1122
inserting terminal reports as
strips 1662
jumper charts 1399
jumpers 1406, 14501451, 1453,
1455
level assignments 1947
listing 1406
marking 1460
multi-connection 14621463, 1466
multi-level terminals 1383
multi-stack terminals 1383
multi-tier terminals 1383
multipole terminal block units 1646
naming conventions 295
panel footprint spreadsheet
data 18681869
panel terminal spreadsheet
lists 1872
parameters 1956
pick lists 1955
pin lists 16381640, 1642, 1644
PLC database information 925
PLC modules 927, 934, 937
previewing layout 1421
project lists 1374
properties 1374, 1381, 1406
properties database 13881390,
1392
reassigning 1429
relationships 1383
reports 1734, 1754, 1760, 1772,
1790, 1823, 19551956
sequencing assignments 19431945
spacing 1876
spare 1406, 1431
surfing 1517
symbols 336, 433, 595, 719, 831,
1368
tags 1374
terminal grid 930
terminal numbers 1461, 1720,
1753, 1821
terminal plan reports 1725, 1754,
1823
Terminal Strip Editor 1393
terminal strip tables 1398
terminal strips 14561458, 1947,
1951
text 11921193
tracking changes to pin
numbers 1530
types of 339, 1368, 1374
Unity Pro data 975
TERMPROPS tables 1388
testing
circuits 2377
text
annotation files 1085
converting non-Electrical
objects 2433
converting to attributes 352353,
1977
2536 | Index
converting to entities 1983, 1985,
19881989, 1991
converting to wire numbers 1978
cross-references 1146
descriptions 1089, 1194
editing 11901193
finding 11901193, 13131314
justification 11961197
layers 1189
library symbols 1219
multi-line 1206
project-wide changes 1525
replacing 11901193, 13131314
report tables 1654
resizing 1219
size 11991200
styles 1197
swapping wire text 1944
terminal strips 1458
terminals 11921193
title blocks 1554
tracking changes to 1530
translating descriptions 15321533
wire annotations 1863, 19191920
wire numbers 13131314
Text Cross-Reference Format Setup dialog
box 1146
text files
external component lists 178
importing annotations from 1085
text styles 1197
TEXTVALUES 1607
thermal effect symbols 484, 648, 884
thermocouple symbols 475, 638, 743,
875
thermometer symbols 475, 638, 875
time delay relays 412, 574, 704, 808
timers 704, 706
title blocks
about 1543, 1551
attributes 1543, 1551
client-specific 185187
embedded information in 1543
labels 187
linking information to 1543, 2041
mapping 1548, 1550
mapping AutoLISP values to 1557
multiple title blocks 1543, 1551
project-wide updates 1529, 1551
settings 1543, 1551
updating 1551, 1554
wildcard characters 1543, 1551
titles
report tables 1654
web pages 1537
Toggle Installation Codes dialog
box 1434
Toggle Location Codes dialog box 1433
toggle switch symbols 737
toggling
installation codes 1434
location codes 1433
tee markers 1361
wire numbers 1330
toolbars
Conduit Marker 112
Conversion 111
Extra Libraries 113
Main Electrical 91, 101
Panel Layout 105
Power Check 113
Ribbon interface 20
touch switch symbols 462, 626, 862
trace mode
auditing drawings 2020
repairing drawings 2021
tracking changes 1530
transformer light symbols 423, 585, 819
transformers 395396, 400, 557558,
562, 698, 789, 791, 795
translating descriptions 15321533
Trim Wire dialog box 1246
trimming wires 12451246, 2384
troubleshooting
auditing drawings 2018, 2020
2021, 2024, 2026
real-time error checking 2018,
20202021, 2024, 2026
wire numbers 1305
zooming extents 1245
turns 1248
Index | 2537
twisted pair symbols
naming conventions 295
schematic attributes 317
twisted pair cable symbols 507,
669, 749, 899
TXT files
external component lists 178
importing annotations from 1085
TYPE field 1609
Type tab (Connector Selection dialog
box) 1502
Type tab (Insert Connector dialog
box) 1485
U
ultrasonic switch symbols 460, 624, 860
unavailable files 194
unfixed component tags 1204
unfixed wire numbers 1321
units of measurement 1633
Unity Pro
exporting PLC data 969970, 975
importing PLC data 976
Unity Pro Export dialog box 976
Unity Pro Import dialog box 975
unlinking symbols 1993
Update Block - Path/Filename dialog
box 335
Update components from catalog database
dialog box 1637
Update Configuration Changes
dialog 240
Update Drawings per Spreadsheet Data
dialog box 1841
Update Title Block dialog box 1554
Update Wire Signal and Stand-Alone
Cross-Reference dialog
box 1171
updating
annotations 1165
blocks 329330, 333335
cable markers 1279
child location codes 12081209
cross-reference tables 1159
drawings 193
drawings with imported data 1832
IEC tags 189
older versions of files 125
project-wide changes 1529
stand-alone cross-reference
symbols 1171
task lists 190
terminal strips 1421
title blocks 1551, 1554
WD_M blocks 251
wire signals 1171
User-Defined Attribute List dialog
box 1844
user-defined attributes 18411842, 1844
user-defined symbols 295
users
multiple users 2323
user data in project databases 1180
1181
Vault capabilities 2468
utilities
Setting List Utility 237, 239240
zip utility 183184
V
valves 743
variable resistors 493, 495, 497, 656,
659, 661, 748, 898
varistor symbols 493, 495, 497, 656,
659, 661, 898
varmeter symbols 475, 638, 875
Vault
advanced techniques 2468
collaborative design and 154
vendor icon menus 18761877, 1879
Vendor Menu Selection dialog box 1877
Vendor Panel Footprint dialog box 1879
verifying changes 1530
versions of projects 2468
vertical ribbon 114
vertical wire numbers 1335
VIA drawings 1980, 1982
View/Edit Panel Component Connection
Sequence dialog box 1945
volt meters 743
2538 | Index
voltage drops 1044
voltage protection relay symbols 407,
569, 802
voltmetric commutator switch
symbols 468, 632, 868
VPJ files 1982
W
WBlocked circuits 1054, 1060
wd_fam.dat files 178
wd_lang1.mdb files 1534
WD_M blocks
about 249
codes for replaceable
parameters 235
copying attributes to 251
default blocks 250
defaults in 249
inserting 252
missing attributes 251
new drawings 164
overrides 1141
replacing 250251
saving project settings 236237
updating 251
WD_PNLM blocks
configuration information 1859
copying attributes to 251
inserting 252
WD_SLB code 1562
WD_TB attribute 1543, 2041
WD_TB attributes 1548
WD_ZIP utility 183
wd.env files 125, 178, 183, 275
WDA files 1841
WDBLKNAM attribute 1601, 1607
WDD files 178, 1087
wddinrl.xls file 1179
WDF files 178
WDI files 178, 959
WDL files 178, 1555, 2041
WDN files 178, 2018
WDP files
about 134
contents 183
settings in 198
WDR files 178, 11331134
WDT files 178, 1550, 2041
WDTYPE attribute 326
WDW files 178, 1248, 1965
WDX files 178
WDXX blocks 1213
web pages
linking catalogs to 1607
options 1537
saving projects as 15351537
WEBLINK assignments 1607
whistle symbols 506, 669, 893
width
ladders 1289
symbols 336
terminal strips 1458
wildcard characters
reports 1650
title blocks 1543, 1551
winding symbols 488, 652, 888
Wire Annotation Exception dialog
box 1769
Wire Annotation Exception reports
about 1760
formatting 1786
generating 1769
wire arrow symbols 295, 317, 511, 674,
753, 903
wire colors
encoding 1315, 1317
wire color files 178
Wire Conduit Routing Data Fields to
Report dialog box 1728
Wire Connection reports
about 1760
formatting 1792
generating 1773
wire connection styles 2446
wire connections
add 2272
annotations 19191920
converting lines to 1992
customizing 2446
inserting 348, 350
limits on 1221
Index | 2539
styles 2446
tools 346
wire crossings 1470, 1485, 1487, 1495
wire dot symbols 295
Wire From/To Data Fields to Report dialog
box 1716
Wire From/To reports
about 1734
fields in 1716
formatting 1816
generating 1750
wire gaps
about 1285
repairing 2021
wire grids 1044
Wire It tab (Connector Selection dialog
box) 1502
wire jumpers 11821183
Wire Jumpers dialog box 1183
Wire Label Data Fields to Report dialog
box 1726
Wire Label reports
about 1734
display settings 1662
fields in 1726
formatting 1827
generating 1757
wire label symbols
in-line wire label symbols 595, 831
reports 1726, 1734, 1757, 1827
schematic attributes 317
wire layers 271, 1525
color and gauge information 1315,
1317
valid layers 267, 1228
wire lists
exporting for Cable & Harness 1851
importing 1495
reports 1702, 1742, 1803
wire loss 1044
wire markers 1251
wire networks
about 1221
connection reports 1356
wire number layers 257
wire numbers
3-phase 1301, 1303
about 1297
adding to footprints 1919
automatically inserting 1297
codes for replaceable
parameters 235
colors 1315, 1317
configuring for export 1853
convert text 2273
converting text to 1978
copying 1327
displaying 1297, 1337
displaying wires 1305
drawing properties 1306, 1330
duplicate 2018, 2020, 2024, 2026
editing 13181319, 1321
erasing 1337
extra copies of 1327
finding 13131314
fixed 13181319, 1321
flipping 1330
formats 2404
gauge and 1315, 1317
hiding 1337
in-line 1329
incrementing 1334
inserting 1306
layers 257, 1297
leaders 1248, 1325
mirroring 1330
motor circuits 1301
motor symbol tags in 2393
moving 13231324, 1326
naming conventions 295
no wire numbering 22
order settings 216, 229
parameters 1317
PLC tags 1304
position 1306
predefined 2409
project-wide 1319
project-wide properties 1525
replacing text 13131314
repositioning leader text 1325
resizing 1335
2540 | Index
rotating 1324, 1335
schematic attributes 317
schematic wire information 1922,
1925
settings 224
surfing 1517
swapping 1326
tags 1297
toggling position 1330
tracking changes to 1530
troubleshooting 1305
types of 1297
unfixed 1321
WD_M block attributes 249
wire tags 12991300
Wire Numbers tab (Drawing properties
dialog box) 224
Wire Numbers tab (Properties dialog
box) 211
wire shields 1282
Wire Signal or Stand-Alone Reference
Report dialog box 1346
wire signal symbols
arrows 13381339, 1342
attributes 317
naming conventions 295
project-wide changes 1525, 1529
Wire Size Lookup dialog box 10441045
Wire Tagging (project-wide) dialog
box 1300
Wire Tagging dialog box 1299
wire tags
formats 1297
inserting 12991300
wire tees 12451246, 1360
wire types
changing 271, 273
defining 2390
grid 267, 1228
importing 267268, 12281230,
1233
setting default 274
wire ways
generating spreadsheet records 1179
inserting labels 1963
Wire/Conduit Routing Report dialog
box 1968
wires
3-phase wires 12431244
about 1221
angled 1239
annotations 1680, 1760, 1769,
1786, 1863, 19191920,
1922, 1925
arrow symbols 753, 1338
bending 1248
cable markers 1256
colors 12481250, 1315, 1317
conduit information 1963
conduit routing data in reports 1728
connection report data fields 1686
connection templates 348
connection tools 346
constraints 1393
converting lines to 1983, 1985,
19881989, 1991
creating 267, 1228
de-rating factors 1044
displaying 1305
displaying connections 1460
editing 267, 1228
exporting connection data 1836
extracting 1275, 1279
fanning markers 13471353
from/to reports 1356, 1716
gaps 1285, 2021
gauge 1248, 1315, 1317
importing occurrences from
Inventor 14941495
in-line components 954
in-line markers 1251
in-line wire label symbols 595, 831
in-line wire numbers 1329
inserting 1239, 12431245, 1468
interconnecting components 1245
labels 12481250
ladders 1287, 1289
layers 261262, 271, 12491250,
1315, 1317, 1525
loads 1044
Index | 2541
multi-connection sequencing 1462
1463, 1466
multiple buses 1491
multiple wire buses 12431244
numbering 211
paralleled 1044
pigtails 336
point-to-point tools 1468
replacing 2021
reports 1734, 1742, 1750, 1760,
1773, 1792, 1803, 1816
resizing 10441045
routing reports 1968
schematic attributes 317
scooting 11241125
sequencing 13561358, 1365
signal reports 1346
spacing 2387
spare wires 1964
splices 1513
stand-alone reference reports 1346
stretching 1247, 2416
switching types 271, 1238
tags 12991300
tee markers 13601361
terminals 1460
tracing 2021
trimming 12451246, 2384
troubleshooting 1305
unique IDs 1853
wire crossings 1470, 1485, 1487,
1495
wire grids 1044
wire labels 1726, 1757, 1827
wire lists 1495, 1702, 1851
wire loss 1044
wire numbers 1297
wire types 267, 271, 273274, 1228,
2390
zooming extents and 1245
WO_CBLWIRES table 1280
workflows
Circuit Builder 979, 2340
one-line symbols 2432
parent symbols 2424
pin lists 2318
PLC modules 2339
source and destination
markers 2330
terminal jumpers 1451
terminal symbols 2428
workgroups
collaborative design 154
Vault setup 2468
workspaces 20, 2468
WW1 files 1965
X
X Zone grid 230
X Zone Setup dialog box 230
X-Y grid 232
X-Y Grid Setup dialog box 232
Xdata
about 1858
converting to attributes 1859
editing 2027
power checks and 2000
Symbol Builder attribute
templates 2441
Xdata Editor dialog box 2027
XHW files 969, 975
XLS files
din rails 1179
exporting component data 1834
exporting panel layout data 1838
exporting PLC data 18361837
exporting spreadsheet data 1832,
18341835
exporting terminal data 18391840
importing connector data 1503
importing spreadsheet data 1832
mapping to blocks 19951997
PLC database content 954
reports 1650
RSLogix data 964966
structure 1503
updating drawings with data 1841
XML files
importing connector data 1503
importing data from Inventor 1494
1495
2542 | Index
Unity Pro data 969, 975976
XSY files 969, 975976
Z
zener diode symbols 493, 495, 497, 656,
659, 661, 748, 898
zip utility 183184
zooming in or out 1245
Index | 2543
2544