What Calculating functions are available to AE? Current, amps etc?

[Anonymous]

What Calculating functions are available to AE?  Current, amps etc?  I see that I can put a load on the system and specify wire does AE do anything as far as calculations in the system?

-Mac

[jseefdrumr]

ACADE does not perform these calculations. It cannot tell you, for instance, whether or not you have thrown too many amps on a circuit. AFAIK, there's no function that will do any sort of electrical calculation or simulation.

Hope this helps,

Jim

[dougmcalexander]

Like Jim pointed out, the Power Check tools do not provide real-time analysis.  You can enter a value into the components of a circuit and you can enter a value into the transformer, circuit breaker, etc., that feeds the circuit.  But you have to run the Load Check Report and just look at the results yourself.  There is no real-time analysis.

[Anonymous]

I still haven't learned AE but am in the process of doing so.  Is/was the load check useful?  I'm not asking how to run it, however, I'm wondering what kind of useful data I might be able to extrapolate from it.  If you have run the Load Check Report before what might I be able to learn or find out about my project.  I gather that basic transformer calculations are probably not possible but am curious about what I might be able to learn.

-M

[dougmcalexander]

I don't use Power Check myself, but I have taught it in my advanced training class. I find it quicker to calculate and maintain load values myself.  I consider Power Check as a token feature.  I have an idea posted to the Idea Station to possibly enhance the Power Check tools to support SCCR ratings and analysis.  If you would like to see this function added to the software click the following link and Vote Up the idea.

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/autocad-electrical-ideas/add-sccr-analysis-perhaps-via-enhancements-t...

[dougmcalexander]

Much of the productivity gained by learning how to use AutoCAD Electrical effectively will come in the form of time saved by the additive affects of the many features and utilities that combine together to reduce, and in some cases, eliminate mundane tasks.   For example, drop a component symbol on a wire and the wire auto-trims and the component tag is automatically assigned, based upon the design rules you defined in your drawing template.  Move the symbol to another wire and wire numbers/tags are updated.  Delete or add components and wires, and you can refresh your reports to reflect the changes.  If you take full advantage of the error checking utilities available in AutoCAD Electrical, you can reduce the possibility of human error.

The software doesn't completely eliminate the job of a designer.  It serves as an assistant to help us accomplish the drafting portion of our design with speed and precision, and then it allows us to extract the drawing data into various types of reports.  I have been using intelligent CAD since 1991 and the main reason my employer at the time implemented it was because we could extract a BOM and wire list after we finished the design.  The reporting features helped quickly pay back our investment in the software and the training.

[Jon.Dean · Accepted solution]

Hi Mac,

This is what the Power Check Tool does, straight from the Help file:

Looks for any components assigned as a power source and then follows any wires connected to that terminal. When a load is hit, it stops reading on that wire segment and does not search past the load. For example, if you apply a supply value to the left power bus on a ladder, there are a bunch of pilot lights and relay coils in the ladder. AutoCAD Electrical goes down the left bus and checks each connected rung. It reads through contact and terminals, but when it hits a load on a rung, it accumulates the load value (if present) and stops going any further on that rung. The utility still checks the other rungs tied to the left-hand bus and attempts to find more loads.

Cheers

Jon.

Please Accept as Solution if I helped you. Kudos are also much appreciated.

[NateWa]

Can the supply / load information be stored with the catalog data or block? or does this have to be assigned for every project?

[rhesusminus]

Unfortunately, you cannot assign this automatically using the catalog.

The data is stored in the XDATA of the TERM## attributes (Use the AEXDATA command with the 'A' option to have a look):

If you know how to program, I guess you would be able to make a program that helps you a little on the way.
The biggest problem would be to decide what TERM?? attribute to assign what to.