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PLC I/O Block Insertion -- 2 Questions

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Message 1 of 5
Anonymous
388 Views, 4 Replies

PLC I/O Block Insertion -- 2 Questions

Hi, 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. Question #2: Is there a way to continue an I/O block with breaks on the next project drawing? I attempt to press the Next Project Drawing arrow button on the toolbar after I make a break in my I/O module, but this button apparently only functions when no other AcadE processes are running. Regards, Andrew
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Message 2 of 5
Anonymous
in reply to: Anonymous

Andrew, After you insert the first part of your module and have "broken" it, hit ESC to exit the command. Now go to your next drawing. Repeat the command. AcadE will "sense" that you didn't finish the previous insert and prompt you for permission to continue with it. This information is held in memory, so as long as you continue your AutoCAD session, you can continue this unfinished module (but if you exist AutoCAD and restart, this ability is lost). Nate. "Andrew Fenton" wrote in message news:40439e02$1_1@newsprd01... > Hi, > > I am using the Parametric Build feature for PLC I/O Block insertion of an AB > 1756-IB32 Input module. > > Question #2: > Is there a way to continue an I/O block with breaks on the next project > drawing? I attempt to press the Next Project Drawing arrow button on the > toolbar after I make a break in my I/O module, but this button apparently > only functions when no other AcadE processes are running. > > Regards, > Andrew > >
Message 3 of 5
Anonymous
in reply to: Anonymous

"Nate Holt (Autodesk)" wrote in message news:4043ab3c$1_2@newsprd01... > Andrew, > After you insert the first part of your module and have "broken" it, hit ESC > to exit the command. Now go to your next drawing. Repeat the command. AcadE > will "sense" that you didn't finish the previous insert and prompt you for > permission to continue with it... Nate, Thanks. Your solution works as advertised! Kind regards, Andrew P.S. I will post my own solution for Question #1 in the previous level of this discussion thread.
Message 4 of 5
Anonymous
in reply to: Anonymous

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
Message 5 of 5
MartinLee
in reply to: Anonymous

Good comments. If you pay attention to the code in the DAT files, you can create new ones for PLC modules that are not included with ACADE. My company uses Modicon PLCs, and not long after we began using WD, we started using the Momentum series PLC. At that time there weren't any DAT files that came wilth WD for this, so we had to create our own. That was a challenge because the Momentum is a beast unto it self. It makes liberal use of comination modules, input/output, analog/descrete, etc. and can have I/O addresses that run in reverse order with pin numbers.

We also created DAT files for Modicon's Quantum series CableFast terminals to match the I/O modules. That required all new symbols, and a bit of assistance from N8 to get it working. The parametric build is a very powerful tool once you learn how to use it.

Thanks to the genius of N8, this is one of the features that makes ACADE beat the pants off of Promis-E.

Martin

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