Connector Selection Dialog Box

From the XML export from Autodesk Inventor Professional into AutoCAD Electrical toolset, you can select from a list of connectors defined in the export, and then place the connectors onto a 2D drawing file. If your project is part of an electromechanical association, then your component tree view includes the connector information from Inventor—you are not required to import any XML file that contains the connector data.

Find

 Command entry:  AECONNECTORLIST

For non-electromechanical projects, the first time you run this tool, select the connector list file (.xml, .xls, .mdb, and.csv) in the Connector List File Selection dialog box and click Open. The connector list file is retained in memory for subsequent selections of this tool.

Note: If you select to open a spreadsheet or database that contains multiple sheets or tables, the Select Input Source dialog box appears. This dialog box lets you select the sheet or table to open.

For electromechanical linked projects, the component tree in your Location View includes the connector information from the Inventor. You are not required to import the information from the XML export from Autodesk Inventor.

Connector List

Columns are not editable. You can sort the connector details alphanumerically by clicking the column headers.

Placed	Displays an "x" if the connector is placed or was previously placed into the project.
Installation	Displays the Installation code for the connector, if defined in the XML import file.
Location	Displays the Location code for the connector, if defined in the XML import file.
Tag	Displays the reference designation (RefDes) for the connector from the Autodesk Inventor Professional (AIP) assembly or tags found in the XML import file.
Total Pins	Displays the total pin count for the tag.
Wired Pins	Displays the number of pins wired inside of the AIP assembly found in the import file.
Description	Displays the occurrence name of the part defined in the AIP browser. The occurrence name is typically the part number of the component, however you can overwrite the name.
Show All/Hide Placed	Show All displays all connectors in the grid whether they have been placed or not while Hide Placed removes previously placed connectors from the grid list.
Connectors	Displays all connectors found in the import file in the grid display. The static text shows the total number of connector components listed in the grid control.
Splices	Displays all splices found in the import file in the grid display. The static text shows the total number of splices listed in the grid control.

Note: If there is a selection active when filtering the list and one or more of the selected rows drops out of the display, a warning message displays letting you decide to proceed or not.

Layout

Pin Spacing	Specifies the spacing for the distance between pin connections on their parametrically built connector symbol. The default spacing is defined from the Rung Spacing setting for the drawing. The edited value is persistent for the AutoCAD Electrical toolset session and reverts to the default upon every time you start the application
Fixed Spacing	Creates the connector pin spacing as fixed. The fixed spacing value is driven from the Pin Spacing setting.
At Wire Crossings	Modifies the connector to have the pins meet the underlying wires. AutoCAD Electrical toolset searches the wires and stretches the connector before adding the block definition to the drawing If there are more pins associated to the connector than there are wires, AutoCAD Electrical toolset finds the wires first, then continues the connector definition at the fixed spacing
Wired Pins	Creates the connector using the number of pins wired in the AIP assembly and found in the import file. This option reduces the size of the overall connector based upon pins used and not library definition. If this option is not selected, the connector is created using the total pins on the connector as defined in the export/import file.
Insert All	Creates the connector without inserting spacers or breaking the connector. When you click Insert the block definition is committed to the drawing and the command is complete.
Allow Spacers/Breaks	Displays the Custom Pin/Spaces dialog box that prompts you for the insertion of each connector pin before committing the connector block definition to the drawing file. The number of pins inserted in the block definition out of the total number of pins defined in the connector is indicated at the top of the dialog box. Select an option for inserting the other pins: Insert Next Connection: Continues adding pins to the connector until all are defined Add Spacer: Adds a spacer in place of a pin on the connector; connector stretches its definition. Break Symbol Now: Breaks connector and begins prompt back at the connector layout dialog box. Cancel Custom: Places connector in as if you selected Insert all on the portion it is working on. Does not remove preceding break commands.
Splice Symbol Name	Defines a symbol to use to display a splice in the wire. Type in a symbol name to use when inserting splices or click Browse to select the symbol name to use. If left blank, once you click Insert, an error message displays. Select a Splice Symbol Name to insert the splice onto the drawing.

Orientation

Quickly change the connectors orientation before placing it into the drawing file. This orientation change also modifies the preview to reflect the selection.

	Rotate	Switches the orientation of the parametric connector insertion between horizontal and vertical.
	Flip	Flips the connector insertion about its long axis.

Type

Determines the overall style of the connector.

Plug/Receptacle Combination	Creates the connector as one AutoCAD Electrical toolset block file with both the plug and receptacle.
Wire Number Change	Sets the property of the connector symbol to change the wire number through the connector symbol. By default, the wire numbering is the same on both sides of the connector.
Add Divider Line	Creates the connector with a line down the middle of the block to indicate the separation of the plug and receptacle. This line becomes part of the block definition for the connector.
Plug Only	Creates the connector as a single block file with the plug representation only. This is the default selection.
Receptacle Only	Creates the connector as a single block file with the receptacle representation only.

Display

Defines the placement for the connector on the drawing relative to other connectors and the drawing border. This controls which side of the connector the plug is displayed, whether the connector goes in vertically or horizontally, and whether the pins are visible.

Connector	Specifies whether the connector comes into the drawing vertically or horizontally relative to other connectors and the drawing border.
Plug	Specifies which direction the plug portion of the connector comes in relative to the overall plug/receptacle parametric build. The plug representation is displayed with rounded corners. Options include: Vertical with the plug to the left Vertical with the plug to the right Horizontal with the plug to the bottom Horizontal with the plug to the top
Pins	Specifies which pin numbers are visible or hidden on the connector. Options include showing both sides, showing the plug only, showing the receptacle only, or hiding both. If you select to make the pins on the plug or receptacle invisible, the attribute and its value are still defined in the block definition on the drawing file. If you selected Plug Only or Receptacle Only for the Type, the pin display options are show or hide only. These show or hide the pin numbers on a single plug or receptacle symbol.

Size

Defines the outside shell size for the connector. The values in the edit boxes build the graphical shell that represents the connector on the point to point diagram.

Receptacle	Specifies the overall thickness of the receptacle side of the connector. This value can be the same as the plug side. When the connector is built, the receptacle side wire connection attribute is moved from the insertion point on the divider line to the outside line representing the receptacle. The associated terminal pin attribute (TERM01_) travels half the distance as the wire connection attribute placing itself in the middle between the dimension on the divider line.
Plug	Specifies the overall thickness of the plug side of the connector. This value can be the same as the receptacle side. When the connector is built, the plug side wire connection attribute is moved from the insertion point on the divider line to the outside line representing the plug. The associated terminal pin attribute (TERM01_) travels half the distance as the wire connection attribute placing itself in the middle between the dimension on the divider line.
Top	Specifies the distance from the top or breaking point of the connector to the first or next wire connection point. This feature determines where the top line is drawn relative to the first master symbol insertion point. The distance is used for the entire connector or breaking the connector.
Bottom	Specifies the distance from the bottom or breaking point of the connector to the last or previous wire connection point. This feature determines where the bottom line is drawn relative to the last master symbol insertion point. The distance is used for the entire connector or breaking the connector.
Radius	Specifies the radial dimension of the rounded portion of the plug representation. If left blank, a radius is not created on the plug connector. If you enter a value that exceeds the overall plug side distance, the radius value is erased. The radius is not created on the plug connector.

Pick File

Displays the Connector List File Selection dialog box to select a new file for import. For electromechanical projects, since you do not need to import any XML file; the Pick File is disabled.

Wire It

Reviews connectors placed on the active drawing and runs the wiring commands to make connections between the connectors.

• When both ends of the wire connections are found on the active drawing, the wires are generated between the two points. Wire numbering is added based on current configurations.
• When only one end of the wire connection is found on the active drawing, text is placed next to the connector in the X?WIREnn wire annotation attribute on the connector symbol. This text is overwritten when the second end of the wire is placed on the drawing and the Wire It command is run again.
• When neither connection for a wire is on the active drawing, the wiring command is ignored until you add the connectors into the drawing file.

Note: If the AutoCAD Electrical toolset drawing is missing one end of the connector or if a connection was not found, wiring information is displayed next to the pin. The information is written into a log file so you know AutoCAD Electrical toolset was unable to resolve the wire connections in the drawing. The log file name is {drawing filename.LOG} and is found in the same folder as the drawing file.

Insert

Upon selection of one or more rows in the grid display, this button is enabled. Once selected, the parametric connector program launches to create a connector image in the drawing.

Single row selection	Places one connector at a time and returns to the Connector Selection dialog box with the connector row marked as 'x.'
Multiple row selection	Places the selected connectors in consecutive order. Steps through the list of connectors previously selected in the dialog box, placing them in the drawing one at a time. After the connectors are created the Connector Selection dialog box appears with the connector rows marked as 'x.'