Subject: AutoCad Electrical. Catalog Elements Assignment, Reassignment, Changing PinList, Updating Catalog Data. Hard question please help.
I have a question about catalog elements assignment, reassignment, changing Pinlist, etc. But to explain my questions I need to show some elementary things about catalog parts assignment. So the paragraphs with the visual description are shown below the questions. Also just for the note, I am using Autocad Electrical 2014 to illustrate this question. And big thanks for everyone for your answers and attention to my theme.
Questions:
A) If we didn’t assign catalog data to the elements while creating scheme because (for example) we didn’t have information about prices from dealers of components but we had equipment configuration and we could easily draw the scheme. In such cases we have scheme with no assigned catalog data as illustrated in paragraph 1.1. And after we assign catalog parts to already drawn elements we see (p. 1.6) that we need to reassign child’s contacts pin numbers manually. There is no problem to do this if we have less than five elements but what if we have 20 elements. Is there any possibility to reassign pin contacts more automatically, not manually?
B) As I have discovered updating components from catalog has sense only if we changed pin numbers in catalog data table “PinList” (p. 2.3). But if catalog child’s contacts pin numbers are different from schematic but there were no changes in catalog data table “PinList” the updating of components from catalog gives us no results (p. 2.2). How can we change some AutoCad Eelectrical’s setting to force the results of catalog updates be like they are in paragraph 2.4 always when pins on scheme differ from pins in catalog data? Because dialog boxes which appear after 2.4 (shown in paragraphs 2.5, 2.6) let us change pin numbers of many components much easier than doing it manually.
C) If we change table “PinList” (in catalog data) some pins and then update components from catalog we will see 2.4 and then we can easily go to nest dialog box (shown in paragraphs 2.5, 2.6) in which we can change pin numbers of many components much easier than doing it manually. But if for some reason (another emergency work to do or something else) we will not proceed from paragraph 2.4 to 2.5 and then will again update components from catalog we will see empty “Error exception report” which shown in 2.2. So (as in question B) how can we change some AutoCad Eelectrical’s setting to force the results of catalog updates be like they are in paragraph 2.4 always when pins on scheme differ from pins in catalog data?
Paragraphs:
1. Simple catalog part assignment.
1.1 Lets look at very simple scheme with three relays each of which got its coil and a couple of N/O contacts:
1.2 So there is no catalog data assignment. Now I will assign catalog data to the first relay K1.
So I choose the first ABB relay with two N/O contacts from the default catalog.
1.3 And as we can see pins of coil changed to A1 and A2:
1.5 Now if we push the “NO/NC Setup” button we actually will see the number of available contacts and their pin numbers.
1.6 We won’t change anything in this part and just press “OK” in pins dialog box and “OK” in parts assignment dialog box and the “alert” note appears:
The “alert” note says: “The parents terminals pin list was changed. Child contacts pin numbers may need to be manually reassigned. (use Surf utility to find all of them)” So let’s note that we can reassign child contact pins only manually…
1.7 We will just update related parent’s contacts in the next dialog box:
1.8 And now we can see that coil’s contacts got changed automatically but child NO contact’s pins hasn’t been changed:
And now after all dialog boxes ended we should reassign child contact pins manually. But we will not do this and in the next paragraphs I will explain why.
2. Component update from catalog.
2.1 Let’s do a component update from catalog:
2.2 After updating catalog we will receive “Error Exception Report” :
So “Error Exception Report” is empty but our contact’s pins of the relay are not matching the catalog data. Let’s remember this.
2.3 Lets now change contact’s pins in Schematic-> Other Tools->Pin List Data Base Aditor
2.4 And again let’s update catalog data:
Now we can see that AcadE shows us that something is wrong with contact’s pins as opposed to the case 2.2. But in that case difference between catalog data and element’s data also takes place.
2.5 Surf after updating components from catalog data.
If after appearance of “Error Exception Report” we will push button “Surf” we will see the next picture.
In this case it is very simple for us (in a half-automate mode) to find and change all the pins which have wrong numbers.
2.6 The surf after updating components from catalog data in case when we have more than one relay to update.
As we can see from the surf dialog box we can find all contacts from every relay to update. And it is important because when we have more then 10 of them it is rather complicated to surf every element separately.
2.7 And finally after paragraph 2.5 we will not change pins of relay’s contacts. Instead of it we will just close surf dialog (so the pins still don’t match the catalog data) and we will update components from catalog again and see:
And see that “Error Exception Report” is empty now. But the component’s pins still don’t match the catalog data.
I have a question about catalog elements assignment, reassignment, changing Pinlist, etc. But to explain my questions I need to show some elementary things about catalog parts assignment. So the paragraphs with the visual description are shown below the questions. Also just for the note, I am using Autocad Electrical 2014 to illustrate this question. And big thanks for everyone for your answers and attention to my theme.
Questions:
A) If we didn’t assign catalog data to the elements while creating scheme because (for example) we didn’t have information about prices from dealers of components but we had equipment configuration and we could easily draw the scheme. In such cases we have scheme with no assigned catalog data as illustrated in paragraph 1.1. And after we assign catalog parts to already drawn elements we see (p. 1.6) that we need to reassign child’s contacts pin numbers manually. There is no problem to do this if we have less than five elements but what if we have 20 elements. Is there any possibility to reassign pin contacts more automatically, not manually?
B) As I have discovered updating components from catalog has sense only if we changed pin numbers in catalog data table “PinList” (p. 2.3). But if catalog child’s contacts pin numbers are different from schematic but there were no changes in catalog data table “PinList” the updating of components from catalog gives us no results (p. 2.2). How can we change some AutoCad Eelectrical’s setting to force the results of catalog updates be like they are in paragraph 2.4 always when pins on scheme differ from pins in catalog data? Because dialog boxes which appear after 2.4 (shown in paragraphs 2.5, 2.6) let us change pin numbers of many components much easier than doing it manually.
C) If we change table “PinList” (in catalog data) some pins and then update components from catalog we will see 2.4 and then we can easily go to nest dialog box (shown in paragraphs 2.5, 2.6) in which we can change pin numbers of many components much easier than doing it manually. But if for some reason (another emergency work to do or something else) we will not proceed from paragraph 2.4 to 2.5 and then will again update components from catalog we will see empty “Error exception report” which shown in 2.2. So (as in question B) how can we change some AutoCad Eelectrical’s setting to force the results of catalog updates be like they are in paragraph 2.4 always when pins on scheme differ from pins in catalog data?
Paragraphs:
1. Simple catalog part assignment.
1.1 Lets look at very simple scheme with three relays each of which got its coil and a couple of N/O contacts:
1.2 So there is no catalog data assignment. Now I will assign catalog data to the first relay K1.
So I choose the first ABB relay with two N/O contacts from the default catalog.
1.3 And as we can see pins of coil changed to A1 and A2:
1.5 Now if we push the “NO/NC Setup” button we actually will see the number of available contacts and their pin numbers.
1.6 We won’t change anything in this part and just press “OK” in pins dialog box and “OK” in parts assignment dialog box and the “alert” note appears:
The “alert” note says: “The parents terminals pin list was changed. Child contacts pin numbers may need to be manually reassigned. (use Surf utility to find all of them)” So let’s note that we can reassign child contact pins only manually…
1.7 We will just update related parent’s contacts in the next dialog box:
1.8 And now we can see that coil’s contacts got changed automatically but child NO contact’s pins hasn’t been changed:
And now after all dialog boxes ended we should reassign child contact pins manually. But we will not do this and in the next paragraphs I will explain why.
2. Component update from catalog.
2.1 Let’s do a component update from catalog:
2.2 After updating catalog we will receive “Error Exception Report” :
So “Error Exception Report” is empty but our contact’s pins of the relay are not matching the catalog data. Let’s remember this.
2.3 Lets now change contact’s pins in Schematic-> Other Tools->Pin List Data Base Aditor
2.4 And again let’s update catalog data:
Now we can see that AcadE shows us that something is wrong with contact’s pins as opposed to the case 2.2. But in that case difference between catalog data and element’s data also takes place.
2.5 Surf after updating components from catalog data.
If after appearance of “Error Exception Report” we will push button “Surf” we will see the next picture.
In this case it is very simple for us (in a half-automate mode) to find and change all the pins which have wrong numbers.
2.6 The surf after updating components from catalog data in case when we have more than one relay to update.
As we can see from the surf dialog box we can find all contacts from every relay to update. And it is important because when we have more then 10 of them it is rather complicated to surf every element separately.
2.7 And finally after paragraph 2.5 we will not change pins of relay’s contacts. Instead of it we will just close surf dialog (so the pins still don’t match the catalog data) and we will update components from catalog again and see:
And see that “Error Exception Report” is empty now. But the component’s pins still don’t match the catalog data.
