Install and Location Codes and Function

[dmoyer-act]

I have used ePlan for the last 5 years or so and am now back using AutoCAD Electrical again. Now I understand the idea and use of Installation Code and Location Code from ePlan. My question now is this...

If I assign an Install Code and Mounting Code to a sheet, why when I place a device on that sheet it doesn't automatically get assigned the codes? The idea that I have to manually assign each component when the sheet has the codes is redundant. Am I missing something? It is automatic in ePlan to assign the sheet codes to devices on that page.

Also, the Location View in the project manager is new since I used ACADE prior to switching to ePlan. I am liking this Location View as it is similar to ePlan (IEC) format. Is there a way to change ALL the devices under an Install or Location Code in the Project Manager to a new / different Install or Location code? This function is so obvious to me but the hooks don't seem to be there. Instead, you have to manually change each device...am I missing something?

Thanks 

[dougmcalexander · Accepted solution]

AutoCAD Electrical allows you to define each project to use specific rules, symbol libraries, etc. This allows for those of us who design to both American and International standards to switch back and forth between projects without the need to change global settings within the software.  

The attached screen capture is from the Project Properties dialog of one of the training projects I use when I teach AutoCAD Electrical to those who design to IEC standards.  Note that these settings are defined on the Components tab within Project Properties.  Also note that if you do not check the last box, any components you insert, unless you surround them with a Location Box, will automatically be assumed to be assigned to the drawing default Installation and Location, as defined by you in the Drawing Properties for each drawing (see attached example) .  However the values will not be visible on the drawing.  The idea is to avoid redundant information and reduce drawing clutter.  If the Installation and Location value of the drawing is shown in the title block it is assumed that all components are part of the drawing default Installation and Location, unless they are surrounded by a Location Box.

If you edit a component and you did not have the last box checked, you will notice that the software is assuming the component to be part of the drawing default Installation and Location.  The drawing default Installation and Location values will appear in light gray directly below the Installation and Location field boxes.  If you choose to check the last box, the drawing default values will be pushed into the symbol attributes and will also be visible above the component tag.

[dougmcalexander · Accepted solution]

The attached screen captures show other popular options for IEC style component identification.  If you choose to format the Installation and Location codes into the component tag, the component ID might appear as =L1+MP-3Q2.  I attached a screen capture to illustrate this.  

You have a sub-option that allows you to force the Installation and Location portions of the tag to be invisible if they happen to match the drawing default values.  You also have the option to suppress the leading dash, if the Installation and Location have been forced to invisible because they happen to match the drawing default, and you prefer not to see the leading dash (i.e. 3Q2 instead of -3Q2).

[jseefdrumr]

Doug, I have a question on using a drawing's settings to assign location.

If I set my panel drawings to assign location information, will that info get pushed from the footprint back to the schematic symbol? I would not check this option in the schematic drawings in this instance.

TIA,
Jim

[dougmcalexander]

I guess it would depend upon how you use the Installation and Location codes. They could be physical or logical. Installation could be the physical location of the system (i.e. city, building, or maybe even the production line number). The location might be MP for Main Panel, JB1 for Junction Box 1, JB2 for Junction Box 2, REM for Remote, FLD for Field, etc.

If you have 4 identical production lines that you are documenting under one project, you could make the Installation code be the production line number, like LN1, LN2, LN3, and LN4, for example. Thus control relay CR505 inside the Main Panel of Production Line 2 would have a complete component identification of =LN2+MP-CR505. If you happen to be a design engineer for a manufacturing plant, this method would allow you to document all production lines in one project.

I personally prefer a separate project for each production line but AutoCAD Electrical will support placing all drawings in one project by setting drawing level default Installation and Location codes. You must be sure to check the box for Combined Installation/Location Tag Mode, under the Components tab of Project Properties, or you will receive tag duplication error popups.

If I am an OEM designing a production system that might be sold all over the world, I'm not necessarily going to know the Installation name, so I might opt to assign Location codes but leave Installation blank.

If I am an Integrator, designing a specific control system for a specific customer for their factory in Detroit, I might assign the Installation code as DET for Detroit.

I have had customers who wanted me to use the Installation and/or Location codes as logical assignments. For example, let's say I have a machine that my company makes and it has options for up to 4 motor control circuits.  I will use the Location code field to indicate which option circuit these components are used for. I place one motor control circuit per drawing, assigning the drawing default Location as MTR1, MTR2, MTR3, and MTR4. If I receive an order for the 2 motor version, I generate the BOM with the filter by Location option set to include all Location codes except MTR3 and MTR4. So my BOM will only include the parts needed to build the machine with 2 motors.  

Hint: If I am using a large drawing environment (i.e. ANSI-D or IEC A2 or A3) I might be able to fit more than one motor circuit on a drawing.  In this case I could place a Location Box around all of the components used for motor 1 and enter MTR1 as the Location Code for that Location Box.  I repeat this for MTR2, etc.

[dougmcalexander]

Jim, the software will back annotate the schematic symbols if you change the Installation and/or Location Code on a panel footprint.  You do not have to set a drawing level default for Installation and/or Location of any drawing but the Project Properties setting to push drawing default Installation and/or Location codes into components is a project-wide setting, thus it will use them if they exist.  My Super Project Manager allows you to create sub-projects, so you could divide the project into sub-projects and have different Project Properties, and even different title block information, for each sub-project.  But in the case of using the Location code field to indicate the physical location, if I am drawing the panel layout for the Main Panel it would be appropriate to set the drawing default Location code for the panel layout drawing(s) to MP.

[dmoyer-act]

Doug, how about the second part of my original post...can you change all devices under a mounting code from the location view of project manager or do you have to do one device at a time? Say at the end of my project I wanted to change all electrical cabinet EC1 to EC10?

[dougmcalexander]

Use the Find/Edit/Replace utility. I would provide a screen capture but I am answering via my phone.

[Anonymous]

Hi Dough,

Thanks a lot for your explanations. 

I have a question reg. Inst and Loc code in ACAD electrical, Is there a way we can find out list of devices/tags in projects which has different installation and location code in the project, for EX Relay has Inst as S101 in parent component and location as AA and in child component it has S102 and AB as loc. Can we get the list of all such devices using some method/command?

Thanks

Himanshu