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Does this symbol exist in AC Electrical?


ReMark

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I've searched but I have not found something that looks like this. Anybody know if 1) AC Elec has such a symbol and 2) What it's block name might be?

 

I call it a Manual-Off-Auto Switch. Is that the correct terminology?

 

MOA Switch.jpg

 

If there is no such animal would I then be forced to use the Symbol Builder feature? If so, how does it work? What is the benefit of using it versus just building a block on my own?

 

Oh the list of questions I have. There is no end in sight. LOL

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Well I found a symbol that looks vaguely like the top portion (above the top of dashed line) called a 3 position switch NC (normally closed). I've also inserted a symbol for a pushbutton switch NO (normally opened) and another for NC. I notice that all the symbols come with the text height for the attribute preset at .125". Is there someplace I can globally chance that height?

 

Yeah, I'm on a roll. One ladder and three switches. At this rate it will take me roughly 100 years to do all our electrical schematics. LOL

 

Which is better? Copy an existing symbol (attributed) or insert a new one? Of course I'd have to change the attributes if I copied.

 

Dang! Ran out of room on my line. Is it better to "scoot" four symbols over or use the Stretch command?

 

Why is the program designed this way? So I insert a motor starter and some of the text is put outside the ladder to the right. Now I find I need to squeeze in a contact so I have to move the starter. But the damn text moves right along with the symbol and now sits where my contact is supposed to go. I tried using "scoot" (what jerk came up with that term?) and good old stretch but the text still goes along for the ride. I'm getting a bit peeved. Is there a way to do this or do I just blank out the text which is an attribute anyway.

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I don't understand US symbols which is why I didn't post the reponse I typed yesterday. I read that as a 2 pole N/C switch with a cetral off position. However, I'm not sure how you would get that to work so I would expect a 3 position switch with a N/O & N/C contact set. The symbols I would use (IEC symbols set but should be the same block name for you) are HSS113 & HSS22.

 

I would use the Copy Component command from the palette (or menu or right click) to copy a component rather than insert a new one although it doesn't really make that much difference. The AutoCAD copy command doesn't do all the line trimming and doesn't update the scratch database so your count goes all out of sync.

 

Is is some time since my training but I think scoot is the prefered way of moving things as it keeps the integrety of the database better. Scoot is certainly the prefered way to move a component to another leg of your circuit.

 

As for getting the symbols with the correct sized text etc. I intend to set my standards up carefully and then batch process using a single LISP on EVERY symbol I have to get the original symbol blocks "aligned". I may just get fed up and just let it be. We shall have to wait and see.

 

I don't like all the attributes but I think you need to get the circuit "put down" and THEN grip edit the attributes to a nicer place. I'm anticipating making our standard such that we won't be filling in too many attributes.

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I've been told by someone at AutoDesk that the Scoot command is meant for "scooting" (what a stupid bit of nomenclature they have here) an entire component including its attributes or a wire with all of its components. Nothing like adding another layer of complexity in the guise of creating "productive" software is there? What a laugh.

 

If AutoDesk designed a hammer it would have two heads and two claws on it so a carpenter could bang in or remove twice as many nails. Maybe even a two-headed drill too!

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As for the symbol I'm told to use Symbol Builder for those custom symbols not included as part of the package.

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ReMark, hi there, youre not going to find a whole symbol to represent the symbol youre shown. you can use 3 Position NC symbol and then use use a 2nd+ NC contact and then you link it to the 3 Position switch by using Parent/sibling option when you insert the contact. Then to see the dash line you need to use this command AELINK. I hope this would help!!

 

Have a nice day!!

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That seems like a lot of work. How about I just create a single custom symbol? Would that necessarily be a bad thing?

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Speaking of symbols.

 

I've created a line with about 15 symbols on it. Further down my schematic I need to duplicate the line/symbols. The only thing that changes are the tags. Can I just copy the line/symbols and change the attributes? Seems straight-forward and quick.

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You can use 3 Position NC symbol and then use use a 2nd+ NC contact and then you link it to the 3 Position switch by using Parent/sibling option when you insert the contact. Then to see the dash line you need to use this command AELINK.

 

I tried this but I did not get the results I had hoped for. I really wanted a dashed line from the lower symbol all the way up to the bottom of the upper symbol. Instead, I got a faint grayish, solid line. And the AELINK basically duplicated the text of the upper symbol which I did not need. Anyway, when I see the word "link" I expected one symbol to actually be linked to the other.

 

I think a custom symbol may be the only way to get what I want.

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I know it seems to be a lot of work but it is worthy for reference purpose. e.g. let say that you have the parent in same drawing but in rung 100 and the extra contact in run 900, or in different drawing, also if you like to scoot the sybmols within the run.

 

for the next post. you need to use the AECAD command: AECOPYCIRCUIT. this allowed to copy a whole circuit and be able re-tag components, wiretags...etc.

 

I hope these thips would help you, and sorry for my english but it is my second languaje and trying to explain my best. if you need more, just let me know and I will try to help as much as I can.

at last, I know the link line is solid. fot that what I would do is change the linetype to hidden. that would take care that.

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AECOPYCIRCUIT?

 

Give me a break. You mean if I create a circuit I can't just duplicate it with the copy command and change the tags?

 

If that's the case I have to redo half my drawing now.

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If you have you setting correct, ECAD will re-tag everything without you re-type anything...TAGNAMES, WIRE NUMBERS, REFERENCE...ETC.

 

remenber, I did not write/design ECAD, I am just try to help here!!

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Yeah, I know, you did not write the program. If you had maybe it would work better.

 

OK...so, the only advantage of using AECOPYCIRCUIT is the auto-updating feature? If you saw the way our electricians have sketched out the schematics you'd see this feature isn't going to be that useful to me.

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Yes AECOPYCIRCUIT, would auto-update info in the items that u have in your drawing. Now if you are drawings that electricians are (as built) then I guess this function wont work.

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We have a couple hundred hand drawn (pencil on paper) electrical schematics that have been produced over the years. No attempt was ever made to put these on CAD until now. Our new electrical engineer was the one who suggested we buy and use AutoCAD Electrical. His only CAD experience was using AutoCAD LT and that was infrequently.

 

I'm currently using a 30-day trial version of ACADE that expires in 8 more days. I've created one ladder with four circuits so far along with three custom symbols.

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wow!!, thats going to be a challenge, see what I am doing is designd it, so everything is new. the only thing we have to match customer tag-name convention (sometimes), but for that I do it very easy by setting the tagging convention in ECAD.

 

Now I understand your frustration.

 

Again if I can help in something, I will.

Good Luck!

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Thanks for the offer.

 

I'm trying to get my boss to purchase a DVD by a company called CADLearning that has 11 hours of video about using ACADE 2010. He's telling me to wait until they update it for 2011. I don't want to wait. At least 80% of the content of the two versions has to be the same right? I'd rather get off on the right foot now than to have to go back and redo our first schematics because we were using the program incorrectly. Even the little things like you have pointed out could make a world of difference.

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I am using ECAD09 and we are thinking to get 2011 this year, so I would say it would be about 80-90% the same. I watch a video with the new feature in 2011, and it seems that they focus in the Bill of Material feature, and the PLC builder.

 

The video would help you the Highlights of the ECAD but honestly in my own experience is learning the hard way, and that is using it. You Know scream and yell at monitor...lol.

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We have a couple hundred hand drawn (pencil on paper) electrical schematics that have been produced over the years. No attempt was ever made to put these on CAD until now. Our new electrical engineer was the one who suggested we buy and use AutoCAD Electrical. His only CAD experience was using AutoCAD LT and that was infrequently.

 

I'm currently using a 30-day trial version of ACADE that expires in 8 more days. I've created one ladder with four circuits so far along with three custom symbols.

 

Good grief - hope you're getting paid a boatload of money for this! Seems to me that straight ACAD would be just fine for this and the learning curve would be smaller. Dynamic blocks are great for electrical too.

 

Let me know if you want to go the way of Vanilla and I will send you some goodies to make your life easier.

 

ps - don't much care for the up front work needed to get Electrical working as well as it should. Building your own catalog and such. OTB and stills needs alot of work.

 

Electrical is good for design, but I would imagine cumbersome for just changing old paper into electronic. I would scan to pdf - convert and then clean them up in Vanilla.

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I am making some progress learning the program but there is a fair amount of inter-connectivity in the program that if you do not plan ahead it could come back to bite you later on.

 

I have been slowly making my way through the online tutorials I found via my subscription to plain AutoCAD. I've already made 7 pages of notes and I'm just a third of the way through all the tutorials.

 

Thanks for the offer. Who knows, I may have to take you up on it Ryder.

 

Hope all is going well for you.

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