IEC to JIC symbol libraries

[Anonymous]

When you go from, say you're in a project that's set up in IEC format, now I have to go and set the next project up in JIC, and then when I change my symbol library from IEC blocks to JIC blocks, and my reference library symbols. But it still wants to put IEC symbols in or it can't find the ones, you know, you click on it and it says symbol cannot be found. How do you fix this?

[dougmcalexander]

I assume you defined the JIC project to point at the JIC library.  However, I would recommend you use the NFPA library. It is more up to date.  Also, if you are trying to use drawings that already had IEC symbols inserted into them, you will continue to get IEC symbols, even if you deleted them, and even if you are pointing at the JIC library, unless you purge the drawing of unused blocks. The symbols in the AutoCAD Electrical libraries are all named the same, unless there is no match in another library. So HCR1.dwg from JIC is also HCR1 in IEC.  Whichever is inserted first into a drawing is the one the drawing will use for subsequent inserts.

Hint: The AutoCAD engine that Electrical works with still follows the rule of copying an existing block in a drawing if it happens to match the name of a block being inserted from the hard drive (library folder), rather than actually inserting the one from the hard drive. This is done for speed because RAM is faster than a hard drive.  It's an old AutoCAD rule. Even if the blocks have been deleted they remain in the drawing unless they are purged out.  Again, this is done in case you deleted a block and later need it again.  Just think of it this way...AutoCAD does everything possible to avoid reading from the hard drive.  Electrical functions the same way because Electrical is following AutoCAD rules for file management, so your project drawings are readable by any .DWG viewer.

There is also the Library Swap utility that can switch existing symbols back and forth from one library to another.  Be sure to select the proper scale for your drawing environment.  JIC symbols must be scaled by a factor of 25.4 if inserted into an IEC (mm) drawing environment.  IEC symbols must be scaled by 0.03937 if inserted into a JIC/NFPA (inches) drawing environment.

[Anonymous]

Is there a way to change an IEC drawing environment to a JIC/NFPA drawing environment (and vice versa)?  Or is that something that must be set when the drawing is created?

Thank you.

[dougmcalexander]

You can use the Library Swap utility to swap the symbols out, either on a per drawing basis or project wide. Be sure to set the proper scale factor. There is no automated utility to change the ladders from horizontal to vertical or vice versa.