Improved Configuration of Prefabricated Cables

Prefabricated cables have a specific length and are already equipped with suitable plugs. This means that these cables are immediately ready for use without further modifications being necessary. As of this version such prefabricated cables are supported better in the EPLAN platform.

During the determination and output of the source and target of a cable the connected pins can now be skipped and instead the devices connected to the cable are displayed as the source and target. To this purpose the new property Use connected devices as source and target (ID 20621) is available at cables. This property only affects the display in the editing dialogs for cables, terminals, and plugs and the display in the reports. The cables and connections themselves are not changed.

In addition you can now use a project setting to specify that connections at direct connection points of pins always become direct connections.

Benefit:

When using the new cable property Use connected devices as source and target, the devices connected to the cable are now displayed uniformly in cable-specific reports, irrespective of whether there are pins in between or not. This way, molded pins and screwed pins are treated in the same way.

When using the new project setting Always generate direct connections at direct connection points of pins, direct connections are now generated uniformly at pins.

New cable property "Use connected devices as source and target"

The new property Use connected devices as source and target is available at cables and shields. The property can be activated at both main functions and auxiliary functions.

If the check box Use connected devices as source and target is selected, pins are skipped when determining the source and target of the cable or shield, and instead the devices connected to the cable / shield are displayed as the source and target. The unit of cable and plug is only visible in reports (cable diagram, cable overview, terminal diagram, plug diagram, connection diagrams) and in the dialogs Edit cable, Edit terminal strip, and Edit plug. The connection navigator does not show the skipping of the pins. The pins are still displayed as the source and target of the connections here.

If the check box is deactivated, the pins are output as the source and target of the cable or shield.

Generating direct connections at pins

Previously direct connections were automatically generated for connections according to certain rules. In the process the external target was initially taken into consideration. You can now influence this behavior by means of the new project setting for connections Always generate direct connections at direct connection points of pins (command path: File > Settings > Projects > "Project name" > Connections > General).

If this check box is activated, connections at direct connection points of pins always become direct connections. This setting makes sense, for example, if you are using prefabricated cables. A connection between a device connection point and the direct connection point of the pin on the cable thus becomes a direct connection. Direct connections are colored, not numbered, and not routed in the schematic in accordance with the layer setting for the layer EPLAN510, internal connections / direct connections.

If this setting is deactivated, the graphically first function connection point decides which connection point type is to be assigned to the connection. This means that if the graphically first function connection point is a direct connection point, the connection becomes a direct connection. An exception applies for terminals: At a connection between a terminal and another function the terminal connection point always decides which connection point type the connection receives.

Prefabricated cables in the parts management

Prefabricated cables are created as modules in the parts management. An assignment between the conductors of the cable and the plugs has to be carried out so that the prefabricated cables can be exchanged successfully with EPLAN Cable proD. Proceed as follows:

Create module: Create a module and select the value "Electrical engineering > Cables > Prefabricated" for the property Product grouping of this module.
Add function templates for the cable definition and for the cable connections (for example one function template with "Cable definition" and three function templates with "Conductor / wire") to this module on the Function templates tab. Enter the characteristic data for the cable in these function templates (for example Connection color / number, Connection: cross-section / diameter, etc.).
Add plug as part: Add one or two plugs as a part to the prefabricated cable in the Module tab. You require one plug part for a single-layer cable, two plug parts for a double-layer cable.
Summarize function templates: Summarize the function templates of the prefabricated cable created as a module. To do this, mark the module in the tree view of the parts management and select the new popup menu item Summarize function templates. This way the function templates of the plugs are summarized as subparts of the module, transferred into the tab Function templates of the module and sorted under the function templates of the cable.
If a function template for the cable definition does not yet exist, it is automatically added as a grouping element for the module at the first position of the function templates. This is also new and is carried out solely for modules from the "Prefabricated" cable product subgroup.
Assign plugs to cable connections: Then assign the pins to the cable connections. To this purpose the two new columns Conductor start and Conductor end are available in the Function templates tab only for parts of the cable product subgroup "Prefabricated". Here you can carry out the assignment to the plugs for the "Conductor / wire" function templates of the cable. For a single-layer cable, an assignment is only required in the column Conductor start; for a double-layer cable, the assignment must be effected in both columns. Further information about the assignment is available in the section "Prefabricated cables".

New check runs for prefabricated cables

You can use the new check run 501039 from the message class 501 "Part master data" to check whether the assignment is correct. This check run determines prefabricated cables for which an invalid pin assignment for the cable connections is stored in the parts management.

The new check run 003029 is additionally available in the message class 003 "Cables" for checking prefabricated cables. This check run determines prefabricated cables in the schematic for which the pin assignment for the cable connections does not correspond to the pin assignment stored for the cable in parts management.

New properties in the parts management for prefabricated cables

Plugs in prefabricated cables can be screwed or welded. For welded plugs it makes sense to activate the new property Suppress in bill of materials (ID 22886). A part identified in this way is neither displayed in the bill of materials navigator nor output in the corresponding part assemblies and it is also not output via the interfaces for manufacturing data. In such a case only the module is output in the bill of materials and in the reports.

In addition the new property Family (ID 22885) is available in the hierarchy level Data of the Properties tab for a corresponding property configuration. This property is used to group several cables of the same type. This allows searching for alternatives to a cable in Cable proD (for example for prefabricated cables with the same plugs but different lengths).

Generating prefabricated cables from schematic data as a module

The Generate part command allows you to create a part from the schematic data. If you have configured a prefabricated cable in the schematic (cable with cable definition as main function, one or two plug definitions with plugs as subordinate devices), you can also generate a new module for prefabricated cables from a new part number at the cable by now using the command Generate part in the parts management.

Benefit:

Instead of manually creating and maintaining the modules for the prefabricated cables, these can now be generated directly from the schematic data. The parts management is structured more efficiently through the automation of the generation process of module parts from schematic data.

During this process, the data of the cable and plugs is transferred to the module. A module generated in this way contains the function templates for all functions of the pre-defined cable and is stored as a part in the project. The subordinate plug or plugs of the cable are entered as subparts for the module in the Module tab.