I wrote:
> I am using the Parametric Build feature for PLC I/O Block insertion of an
AB
> 1756-IB32 Input module.
>
> Question #1:
> How do I make the Terminal (or Pin) number generation start with 0 (zero)
> instead of 1? I know I can edit the block after creating it, one terminal
> at a time. However, this quickly gets old. Furthermore, all the examples
I
> have seen in the help file show the I/O blocks as starting with Pin number
0
> or 00. Incidentally, the terminal description attribute is correct for
each
> terminal. So, for example, my first pin number has a terminal description
> of I:3/00, although the pin itself is numbered 1.
I don't know if this is the easiest solution, but it seems the most
flexible.
Chapter 5 of the AcadE help file has a section titled "PLC Data Files,"
which describes the .dat plaintext files found in the \Documents and
Settings\{username}\Application Data\Autodesk\AutoCAD Electrical
2004\R16.0\enu\Support\AeData\Plc subdirectory. Pay close attention to the
location as there is a similar directory under the Program Files folder to
which AcadE does not refer by default.
The help file explains some of the basics of the .dat file contents, which
can be edited using a simple text editor. There is also an explanation at
the beginning of the default .dat files themselves. With these files, I can
designate my own terminal labels, terminal descriptions, PLC descriptions,
terminal block .dwgs, and even the order in which the terminals are to be
added in a parametric build.
It may not initially seem the most intuitive way to customize a PLC block,
but this method yielded elegantly the results I was seeking. Maybe in
future releases of AcadE, there will be a GUI to do this.
Hopefully, this will be of help to some other AcadE adventurer in the
future.
Regards,
Andrew