Use this tool to view, assign, or edit 3-digit level codes on panel terminal strip representations. This coding, when present, influences the way that AutoCAD Electrical calculates the wire connection from/to sequence.
This panel terminal strip coding can trigger supplementary or "shipping split" terminal strip references, not necessarily shown on the schematics, to be inserted into the schematic from/to wiring calculation. Specific wire connection sequencing defined directly on the schematics using the Define Wire Sequence command override this Panel level/sequencing assignment mechanism.
Command entry:
AEPANELLEVEL
Select an existing panel terminal strip representation.
Default
Displays a dialog box to set the drawing-wide default assignments for each of the four level categories. Values entered here become the default level assignments for all unassigned panel layout footprint component and terminal strip representations on the active drawing.
Enter the optional 3-digit level codes (for example, 001, 002, and so on) for one or more of the four level categories. For example, if everything on the active drawing is in the fourth cubical of the second unit, and all of this is part of the first shipping split section, enter 004 for level category 2 (for example, cubical), 002 for level category 3 (for example, unit), and 001 for level category 4 (for example, highest category shipping section). With these defaults in place only the lowest level category 1 must be assigned on an individual panel terminal strip basis.
Pick
Selects a panel layout footprint symbol or terminal strip representation on the active drawing and copies its level category settings over to the currently edited component. Multiple picks are allowed with each additional pick prompting you to overwrite or append.
Level 4/Level 3/Level 2/Level 1 edit boxes
Shows the valid level code or codes assigned to each of the four level categories, Level 4 = shipping split (highest level), Level 3 = unit, Level 2 = cubical, and Level 1 = pan/plate (lowest level). The level code assignments should be 3-digit values and match up with level codes of panel layout footprints whose wiring is to pass through the terminal strip. Multiple code entries are comma separated.
If codes are not defined in the edit boxes, the drawing-wide default values displayed in the left-hand column of uneditable edit boxes are used (if defined).
Level code/location
Controls whether the Level 1 edit box displays the 3-digit level code assignments or the LOC attribute value of the device. This location display mode is for display purpose only; the underlying 3-digit Level 1 code is always used for the sorting installation.
Level 4/Level 3/Level 2/Level 1 radio buttons
Selects the level category at which the terminal strip representation operates. The categories are Level 4 = shipping split (highest level), Level 3 = unit, Level 2 = cubical, and Level 1 = pan/plate (lowest level). The level code assignment codes should be 3-digit values and match up with level codes of panel layout footprints whose wiring is to pass through the terminal strip. Multiple code entries are comma separated.
Jumper Directly to Supplementary Terminal Strip: Enable/Disable
This option is applicable to the terminal strip only if it is referenced on the schematics as well as the panel layout drawing (that is, it is not a supplementary terminal strip that only is represented on the panel layout drawings).
|
Disable |
AutoCAD Electrical treats the terminal connections through this terminal strip normally. It uses the level category code assignments of the terminal to influence how the from/to wire sequencing is calculated. |
|
Enable |
AutoCAD Electrical saves this connection calculations of the terminal until last. It then checks each of the terminal "potentials" of the strip against those on any supplementary terminal strip found that is at the "same" level combination. For each potential match, it attempts to make the from/to calculation for that terminal to be a simple jumper assignment from the terminal strip's terminal up to the supplementary terminal strip. When no match is found, the from/to calculation through the terminal strip is done in a normal fashion. |
Connection left/right
Two-character code that controls whether the Level 1 assignments show "Panel Terminal Strip Report" connection information on the internal or external side of the terminal block. The first character represents the left side of the terminal strip and the second character represents the right side.
|
Internal (I) |
Refers to the side of the terminal that "receives" wire connections from panel footprint components marked with the target Level 1 code. |
|
External (E) |
Refers to the side of the terminal strip with wiring going off to other Level 1 through four codes. |
|
Both (B) |
Means that both internal and external wiring is on the same side of the terminal strip with the other side empty, code of "x". (for example, for customer connections). |
For example, a single Level 1 terminal strip marked with Level 1 code "001,002,004" runs between three back plates with mounted components, two on the left (footprint Level 1 codes of "001" and "002") and one on the right (footprint Level 1 codes "004"). If the terminal strip is marks as follows: "IE 001," "IE 002," and "EI 004," then wiring leaving the left-hand back plates attach to the terminal strip on the left-hand side ("I" in the first character position) and wiring leaving the right-hand plate attaches to the right side of the terminal strip ("I" in the second character position).
Maximum wires per terminal connection
Defines the number of wires (either 1 or 2 per side) allowed per terminal connection in the Panel Terminal Strip report.
Maximum terminals
Defines the total number of terminal blocks on the entire supplementary terminal strip for the Panel Terminal Strip report. A blank value indicates that the terminal strip length is undefined.
Maximum/minimum wire size
Determines a range of wire sizes allowable to be connected to the supplementary terminal strip. Wires that are outside the allowed range of the terminal strip bypass it. A blank value in both maximum and minimum edit boxes indicates that this check is not performed.
A connected wire's size is extracted from the wire line's layer name. AutoCAD Electrical simply parses the wire's layer name for the first numeric value found within the name. For example, a wire layer name based on metric wire sizes of "WHITE-2.5MM^2" yields a size value of "2.5". A wire layer that might be set up for AWG wire sizes, "RED_14_XHW", indicates a size value of "14".
For example, the project used AWG-style wire sizes with layer names to match (for example, BLK_12_THHN and RED_16_MTW). The terminal block accepts wire sizes from thin AWG 24 through heavy AWG 12. Set up the maximum edit box to read "12" and the minimum edit box to read "24."
Allowed level to level connection direction
Select from:
|
All |
Wiring from 3-digit code assignments both higher and lower than the terminal's assigned operating level code (the "Level 1-4 radio buttons" described previously) can pass freely through this terminal strip. |
|
Higher only |
Wiring from 3-digit code assignments higher than this terminal's assigned operating level code can pass through this terminal strip. |
|
Lower only |
Wiring from 3-digit code assignments lower than this terminal's assigned operating level code can pass through this terminal strip. |
Example: the middle "002" shipping section has a Level 4 terminal strip at the left-hand end and another at the right-hand end. Wiring from anywhere in the first "001" shipping section must come in through the left-hand terminal strip. It is marked "Lower only". Wiring going on to the next shipping section "003" must pass through the right-hand terminal strip, marked "Higher only".
Multiple terminal strip usage priority
Provides priority for wiring information to apply to the supplementary terminal strip. If there can be multiple, valid terminal strip paths that match up with the level code combination of a given from/to inter-connection, the path chosen is influenced by this priority setting.