WHITEPAPER Using Wire Sequence to Your...
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[email protected] www.imaginit.com 800.356.9050 WHITEPAPER Using Wire Sequence to Your Advantage from AutoCAD Electrical to Inventor It’s now easy to find content regarding Inventor Cable & Harness and how it links to AutoCAD Electrical. Both Autodesk products have proven they can save time and money, when doing large assemblies or for mass production of panel layouts. But what if the result for a circuit isn’t the way you want it designed. Most users don’t know what to do next. This article explains how wire sequencing in AutoCAD Electrical works with multiple components or pins in a circuit and how to use it for Inventor Cable & Harness. (Figure 1) shows a circuit where J101-1 and J101-2 are shorted together and then routed to P101-1. (Figure 2) shows two possible sequence outputs from AutoCAD Electrical and the end result in the Inventor Cable & Harness.
Transcript of WHITEPAPER Using Wire Sequence to Your...
[email protected] www.imaginit.com800.356.9050
WHITEPAPER
Using Wire Sequence to Your Advantage from AutoCAD Electrical to Inventor
It’s now easy to find content regarding Inventor Cable & Harness and how it links to AutoCAD Electrical. Both Autodesk products have proven they can save time and money, when doing large assemblies or for mass production of panel layouts.
But what if the result for a circuit isn’t the way you want it designed. Most users don’t know what to do next. This article explains how wire sequencing in AutoCAD Electrical works with multiple components or pins in a circuit and how to use it for Inventor Cable & Harness. (Figure 1) shows a circuit where J101-1 and J101-2 are shorted together and then routed to P101-1.
(Figure 2) shows two possible sequence outputs from AutoCAD Electrical and the end result in the Inventor Cable & Harness.
Using Wire Sequence to Your Advantage from AutoCAD Electrical to Inventor 2
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Wire routing is typically provided from an electrical engineer in a wire from/to report, or it’s decided during initial design on the production floor. When transferring data from AutoCAD Electrical to Inventor, collaboration is crucial between the electrical and mechanical divisions in order to avoid costly mistakes. AutoCAD Electrical and Inventor can prevent these mistakes and help streamline the design processes.
Wire sequencing is done in AutoCAD Electrical using the Edit Wire Sequence command which is located in the Edit Wire/Wire Numbers panel fly-out, as shown in (Figure 3). The command can also be accessed by right clicking on any wire for the circuit.
(Figure 4) shows the Edit Wire Connection Sequence dialog box. Notice the connector and pins in the list. Right now the list shows a sequence from J101- 2, to J101- 1, to P101- 1. Reordering the list will change the sequence.
Using Wire Sequence to Your Advantage from AutoCAD Electrical to Inventor 3
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For circuits with more than three connections, it’s recommended to use angled tees or terminals to control the sequence.
Terminals can be used in a secondary sequence to provide multiple connections at the terminal, as displayed in (Figure 5):
Tees are designed for sequence and are located in the Edit Wire/Wire Numbers dialog box, as demonstrated in (Figure 6). Sequence conflicts can still happen between tees. The 90-degree turn or the straight-through section (depending on the style of the angled tee symbol) indicates the beginning of the sequence.
Using Wire Sequence to Your Advantage from AutoCAD Electrical to Inventor 4
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Once edited, the wire sequence information can be checked in a wire from/to report. The sequence can also be checked using the Show Wire Sequence command, located with the Edit Wire Sequence command, as shown in (Figure 3). Pressing Enter triggers each connection individually, as shown in (Figure 7).
(Figure 8) shows different sequence combinations with three pins shorted together on J101 and the end results of the circuit. Take note that the sequence is controlled by the second entry in the Edit Wire Connection Sequence dialog box.
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The Edit Wire Connection Sequence dialog box is perfect for controlling the information before going to Inventor. Once the wire sequence has been verified, AutoCAD Electrical can export the information to an XML file for Inventor to use in Cable & Harness. The command is located on the Import/ Export Data tab as shown in (Figure 9).
Depending on the information, either the active drawing or a group of drawings from the project can be provided. Terminals can be exported as individual components or as terminal strips, as shown in (Figure 10).
Save the XML file as shown in (Figure 11), in a location where the mechanical users can import it into Inventor Cable & Harness.
Using Wire Sequence to Your Advantage from AutoCAD Electrical to Inventor 6
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About IMAGINiT TechnologiesIMAGINiT Technologies, a Rand Worldwide Company, is a provider of enterprise solutions to the engineering community, including the building, manufacturing, civil and mapping industries. With over 25 years of experience, and more than 40 offices throughout North America, we provide the expertise, training and support to help companies realize the full power of design technology, maximize ROI and gain competitive advantage.
IMAGINiT is a leading provider of Autodesk software solutions and the largest North American Autodesk Authorized Training Center (ATC) partner. All of our locations are supported by a vast pool of engineering resources focused on developing real-life business solutions for our local clients.
Usually when the data comes in wrong on the Inventor side, the corrections are done manually or the process is simply abandoned. If the information is incorrect on the sequence on the Inventor side, delete the incorrect wires in the cable assembly and correct the schematic sequence in AutoCAD Electrical. Updating the file from AutoCAD Electrical will allow the deleted wires to be imported in again with the new wire sequence set. Providing a connection between AutoCAD Electrical and Inventor helps to streamline the creation of cables and harnesses and the efficiency to update any future changes.
About the Author: Thayne Wickam – Manufacturing Applications Expert, IMAGINiT TechnologiesThayne is a former electro-mechanical designer specializing in automation with an AA in electronics. He began his career doing automation design from conveyor belts to robotics and then moved on to designing servo-controlled smart cards. Thayne migrated from the automation design industry to the Autodesk world in 1994 at an Autodesk partner in Minneapolis as an Application Engineer. He then worked directly for Autodesk as the AutoCAD Electrical Specialist worldwide before moving to IMAGINiT Technologies as an Application Engineer providing support, training and consulting services.
