About Creating PLC Drawings Using Unity Pro Data

AutoCAD Electrical toolset imports Unity Pro XML files to aid in the creation of various types of PLC and Panel Layout drawings in the active project. Unity Pro supports numerous Schneider Electrical PLC cards, PLC racks, power supplies, and various accessories.

Unity Pro exports two XML files (.xhw and .xsy) to use in the automatic creation of AutoCAD Electrical toolset PLC ladder-style drawings. The .xhw file contains the PLC hardware information such as catalog numbers and starting addressing information. The .xsy file contains the information about the software such as variable types (input/output) and i/o addressing information.

These files also contain catalog information that can be reformatted to generate an equipment list to help in the creation of a rack layout drawing used in Panel Layouts or separate Rack Layout drawings using the Unity Pro Export to Spreadsheet tool.

Data structure from the Unity Pro Hardware Configuration File

The tree structure data that displays in the Hardware File section of the Unity Pro Import dialog box is as follows:

Project node	The Project node is the topmost node defined in the tree structure. The label given to the node is the file name of the hardware configuration (.xhw) file that was defined during the export from Unity Pro. The name of the hardware configuration file can be different from that of the I/O configuration file.
Bus Name node	The Bus Name node consists of the Bus Name Description and the Bus Number ID. Example: Bus 1 Local Quantum Bus Bus Name Description: displays the name of the bus and is specified in the busType element in the .xhw file. (that is, Local Quantum Bus) Bus Number ID: displays the number of the bus and is specified in the position element of the .xhw file. (that is, Bus 1)
Rack Location and Catalog Number node	The Rack Location node consists of descriptions, location information, and a catalog number. Example: Rack \1.1\1 140XBP0600 Rack Description: displays the description of the rack and is specified in the family element of the .xhw file. (i.e. Rack) Rack Location: displays the location of the rack and is specified in the topoAddress element of the .xhw file. (i.e. \1.1\1) Rack Catalog Number: displays the catalog number of the rack and is specified in the partNumber element of the .xhw file. (that is, 140XBP0600)
Module Location and Catalog Number node	The Module Location node consists of descriptions, location information, and a catalog number. Example: Supply \1.1\1.1 140CPS21400 Module Description: displays the description of the module and is specified in the family element of the .xhw file. (that is, Supply) Module Location: displays the location of the module in the rack and is specified in the topoAddress of the .xhw file. (that is, 1.1\1.1) Module Catalog Number: displays the catalog number of the module and is specified in the partNumber element of the .xhw file. (that is, 140CPS21400)

Unity Pro to AutoCAD Electrical Toolset Mapping File

The Unity Pro to AutoCAD Electrical toolset mapping file, DEFAULT_UNITY.MAP, allows you to define the text strings to be placed in the custom field of the Unity Pro Data Editor to map directly to an AutoCAD Electrical toolset schematic symbol name.

AutoCAD Electrical toolset Symbol Mapping File Example:

;This file is to be used for mapping of Unity Pro custom strings

;for PLC I/O devices to AutoCAD Electrical toolset schematic symbol names

;Syntax: Value in Custom Field,Symbol Block File Name

;Example: PBNO,HPB11

; PBNC,HPB12

PB NC,HPB12

*2POS*,HSS112

*3POS*,HSS113

The comment fields (marked with ;) at the top of the file are used for information. The custom field supports spaces in the string and wild cards.

Note: The distance the remote component is located from the PLC and hot bus rail is determined by the PLC settings file.

Equipment List Structure and Data

When you click OK on the Unity Pro Import dialog box, a PLC Spreadsheet file is created along with an Equipment List spreadsheet file. The Equipment List file includes all of the catalog information in the .xhw file. The structure of the Equipment List is:

• Column 1 = CATALOG; partNumber variable from the .xhw file
• Column 2 = MANUFACTURER; found in Default_cat.mdb (PLCIO table)
• Column 3 = ASSYCODE; column defined (left blank)
• Column 4 = TAG; column defined (left blank)
• Column 5 = LOC; column defined (left blank)
• Column 6 = INST; column defined (left blank)
• Column 7 = DESC1; partFamily variable from the .xhw file
• Column 8 = WDBLKNAM; PLCIO