Basic Workflow (3:55 min)

Any referenced datasets can be downloaded from "Module downloads" in the module overview.

Project: Explore the Basic Circuit Workflow



Completion Time:  35 Minutes

 

Objective:  In this exercise, you create a simple electrical control circuit. You will be able to:

â–  Insert ladder rungs and a relay coil component.

â–  Insert push-button components and add part-catalog information.

â–  Add wire branches and relay coil child contacts.

â–  Add wire numbers and generate a Bill of Material report.

 

Process:  This is a long exercise designed to make you familiar with the AutoCAD® Electrical workflow.

Note: You have not learned most of the commands in this project but continue through the steps as instructed.

 

Instructions

 

1:  If the Project Manager is not displayed, on the Project tab, Project Tools panel, click Manager.

 

 

2:  In the Project Manager, click Open Project.

 

3:  Browse to where you installed the project files. Select Basic_Workflow_NFPA.wdp. Click Open.

 

4:  In the Project Manager, click the expansion node to the left of Basic_Workflow_NFPA to expand the drawing list.

 

5:  Double-click Basic_Workflow_NFPA_04.dwg.

 

6:  To begin you will insert Ladder Rungs and a Relay Coil:
Zoom in to the upper-left corner of the drawing to rungs 403-404. Make sure both the hot and neutral vertical wires are displayed.


 

 

7:  On the Schematic tab, Edit Wires/Wire Numbers panel, click Add Rung.


 

 

8:  Select insertion points for two rungs at rung references 403 and 404.

Note: Be sure to click anywhere between the vertical buses, not on the bus.

 

9:  Notice that the rung automatically snaps to the nearest rung reference, and connection symbols are added as necessary.

 

 

10:  On the Schematic tab, Insert Components panel, click Icon Menu to insert the first component, a relay coil.

 

 

11:  In the Insert Component dialog box, click Relays/Contacts.

 

 

12:  In the Symbol preview window, click Relay Coil.

 

 

13:  Select the insertion point for the relay coil on rung 403, near the right side, directly above CR407.

 

 

14:  Now you annotate the component, adding description and catalog information. You can manually type the desired information, but many tools are provided for typing the information from various reference files automatically. Do the following:

■ Notice the tag name is automatically assigned CR403.

■ In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, under the Description area, click Defaults.

 

 

15:  In the Descriptions dialog box, select Master Control|Relay. Click OK.

 

 

16:  In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, under Catalog Data, click Lookup.

 

 

17:  In the Catalog Browser dialog box, browse the parts catalog database to find the desired part number. You filter the available options using the columns at the top of the dialog box.

■ Type 700-P2* in the Search field.

■ Select part number 700-P200A1 then click OK.
 

 

18:  Notice that the information is transferred to the Insert/Edit Component dialog box.

 

 

19:  Notice that the selected part number also contains pin-number information, which is automatically entered in the Pins area.

Click OK.

 

 

20:  Notice that the information is transferred to attributes on the inserted component.

 

This completes the insertion of the relay coil. This basic process is repeated for most component insertions.

 

21:  This next section inserts push buttons and adds part catalog information:

On the Schematic tab, Insert Components panel, click Icon Menu to add a push button to reset the circuit.

 

 

22:  In the Insert Component dialog box, click Push Buttons.

 

 

23:  In the Symbol preview window, click Push Button NO.

 

 

24:  Select the insertion point on rung 403, near the left side.

 

25:  Notice that the tag name is automatically entered as PB403.

 

26:  In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, under Descriptions, click Defaults.

 

27:  In the Descriptions dialog box, click System| Reset. Click OK.

 

28:  Under Catalog Data, click Project.

 

29:  In the Find: Catalog Assignments dialog box, click Active Project. Click OK.

 

 

30:  In the Qsave dialog box, click Always QSave.

Note: AutoCAD Electrical always stores and works with the data that is saved in the drawings themselves. To ensure that the data is up to date, you are requested to save the current drawing.

 

31:  All drawings in the current project are searched, and any push buttons found are listed in the HPB11/VPB11 Catalog Values (This Project) dialog box. Select AB, 800EP-F2.

 

 

32:  Click OK. The catalog data, including subassembly information, is transferred to the Insert/Edit Component dialog box.

 

Note: You seldom need to type information more than once. In this project's dataset, push buttons are already used elsewhere in this project. You want to search for and use the same part numbers that have been selected.

 

33:  Click OK. This completes the push-button insertion.

 

 

34:  On the Schematic tab, Insert Components panel, click Icon Menu to add an emergency stop push button.

 

 

35:  In the Insert Component dialog box, click Push Buttons.

 

 

36:  In the Symbol preview window, click Mushroom Head NC.

 

 

37:  Select the insertion point approximately in the middle of rung 403.

 

38:  Notice the tag name is automatically entered as PB403A. Because this is the second push button on the 403 rung, the tag receives an A as a suffix.

 

39:  In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, under Descriptions, click Defaults.

 

40:  In the Descriptions dialog box, select Emergency|Stop. Click OK.

 

41:  In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, in the Catalog Data area, click Lookup.

 

42:  In the Catalog Browser dialog box:

■ Type 800T* in the Search field.

■ Select part number 800T-D6A then click OK.
 
■ If the Different Item Numbers Found for this Type dialog box pops up, select an Item Number from the list then click OK.

 

 

43:  In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, click OK.

■ If asked to Update other drawings? Click OK.

■ If a Mismatched Item Number warning pops up, click OK.

This completes the push-button insertion.

 

44:  In the next section you will add Wire Branches and Relay Coil Child Contacts:

On the Schematic tab, Insert Wires/Wire Numbers panel, click Wire to add two wires that create connecting branches for the circuit.

 

 

45:  For the wire start point, select a point on rung 403 between PB403 and PB403A.

 

46:  Select the wire endpoint on rung 404 directly below the wire start point.

 

47:  Notice that connecting dots are added automatically.

 

 

48:  For the second wire branch, select the wire start point on rung 403 between PB403A and CR403.

 

49:  Select the wire endpoint on rung 404 directly below the wire start point. Press ENTER to end the command.

 

 

50:  On the Schematic tab, Edit Wires/Wire Numbers panel, click Trim Wire to trim the wire on rung 404 between the two wire branches that you added.

 

 

51:  Select a point on rung 404 between the two wire branches that you added. Press ENTER to end the command.

 

 

52:  Notice that the selected wire is removed. If the connecting dots are no longer needed, they are also removed.

 

53:  On the Schematic tab, Insert Components panel, click Icon Menu to add a contact from CR403 to latch the circuit after CR403 is activated.

 

 

54:  In the Insert Component dialog box, click Relays/Contacts.

 

 

55:  In the Symbol preview window, click Relay NO Contact.

 

 

56:  Select the insertion point on rung 404 directly below PB403.

 

This is a child contact of the parent coil.

 

57:  In the Insert/Edit Child Component dialog box, under Component Tag, click Parent/Sibling to select the parent coil and transfer data from the parent to the child.

 

58:  Select a point anywhere on CR403.

Note: Anywhere on the text works best.

 

59:  In the Insert/Edit Child Component dialog box, click OK to transfer data, such as tag, description, and pin numbers, to the child component.

 

60:  The remaining steps will add Wire Numbers and Generate a BOM Report:

On the Schematic tab, Insert Components panel, click Icon Menu to insert a red light to signal when the circuit is engaged.

 

 

61:  In the Insert Component dialog box, click Pilot Lights.

 

 

62:  In the Symbol preview window, click Red Standard.

 

 

63:  Select the insertion point on rung 404 directly below CR403.

 

 

64:  Instead of using the description defaults, you manually type the description:

In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, under Description:

■ For Line 1, type Power

■ For Line 2, type ON

 

 

65:  Under Catalog Data, click Drawing.

 

66:  In the HLT1R/VLT1R Catalog Values dialog box, select AB, 800H-PR16R. Click OK.

 

67:  In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, click OK

 

 

68:  On the Schematic tab, Insert Wires/Wire Numbers panel, click Wire Numbers to add wire numbers.

 

69:  In the Wire Tagging dialog box, click Drawing-Wide.
The drawing is searched for wire networks. A wire number is placed on each network found.

=

70:  The last step is to extract a Bill of Material report from the components in the drawing. On the Reports tab, Schematic panel, click Reports.

 

71:  In the Schematic Reports dialog box, under Report Name, select Bill of Material.

 

72:  In the Bill of Material area, click Active Drawing. Click OK.

 

 

73:  Notice the Bill of Material report is generated from component data within the drawing. You can save the report to any of five different file formats, or place it on the drawing in the form of a .

 

74:  In the Report Generator dialog box, click Close.

This completes the project.

 

Review:  This exercise helped you become familiar with the AutoCAD Electrical workflow.