Allen Bradley Plc Project Design
Accepted solution
Well, there's a great amount of stuff to be done, depending on your end goals. Broad strokes:
DISTRIBUTION: Your schematics start with your power source. I typically deal with 480V systems supplied by the customer, and our designs usually feature 480V equipment before we step down to both 120V AC and 24V DC. We always start with the highest voltage in distribution, and work our way down until we have delivered power to all the components. You may find the same works for you.
I/O: Your PLC will also need schematics to properly show its inputs and outputs. Furthermore, since the 1766 series isn't included in the PLC database, you'll have to add it. Doing this isn't too hard, but for someone who is brand new to ACADE it might be. In ACAD and ACADE, the F1 key takes you straight to HELP and for this software it's pretty good. I learned how to add PLC's to the database using nothing more than product documentation.
PANEL LAYOUTS: If this project is to be built, you have to create those drawings too. ACADE links intelligently between schematic symbols and their panel-layout counterparts, helping you with annotation and information. But you'll still have to create the footprints that ACADE uses for the layouts. This will probably end up including the enclosure and its backplate, and will almost surely include the HMI if you're using Allen-Bradley for that too.
And there's a great deal more to learn. If you're coming in to this with no previous experience with ACAD or ACADE, you're looking at a decently steep learning curve. Beyond this forum, I'd recommend that you spend time on the Autodesk Knowledge Network, and also pay a visit to Doug McAlexander's website.
Good Luck,
Jim
Jim Seefeldt
Electrical Engineering Technician