E³.Series Cable 2007

E³.Series Cable 2007

By Paul Harvell

E³.Cable is a Microsoft ® Windows™ application for electrical wiring and harness design. It allows users to design cable harnesses and schematic diagrams with complete documentation.

An example workflow might include a top-level design of something such as a forklift truck. The picture depicts a plan/top view of the unit. The outside graphic of the vehicle can be drawn or imported from another CAD application.

A window containing a database of connectors, terminals and wire is positioned in the application for ease of selection. The parts can be added through ‘drag and drop’ onto a new drawing sheet. Copy/paste functionality makes it easy to create the wiring diagrams and allow E³.Cable to automatically number the wires and devices to customer standards.

The connector positions and their connections can be positioned on this view and areas defined to help located parts and localize bills of materials. These connectors can then be viewed in different drawings to see the full interconnection. This means that errors introduced by creating separate drawings are reduced.

When the detail is added to these views with the addition of wires and cables the application makes subsequent changes on all other views. So a change on a schematic wiring diagram will update a harness diagram on other drawing sheets. These connections can also be displayed in further diagrams for nail board creation or general harness display again all views are of the same relational object. The terminal pins that are used in the connectors can be selected from a drop down list. Checks can determine if the correct pin has been selected.  Lists of all attributes affiliated with the particular connector are also available for selection. A connector will recognize the mating connector that plugs or connects into it. This is placed automatically from the database and as a consequence automatically added to the BOM if required.

The simple BOM placement of the connectors from a library keeps a connection between all drawings. So if a connector is changed on one drawing or a wire resized on another, then all diagrams instantly update to reflect that change. The revisions of the different documents can also be maintained and controlled between the drawings.

Once the drawing has been completed comprehensive checks can be used to make sure the correct terminal pins have been selected for the application they are being used. Wire attached to these connectors is also checked for sizing in order to facilitate manufacturability. Comparisons of overall sizes using GXL verses TXL wire types or other wire types can be made.

In short, with E³.Cable your cable diagrams and connector tables automatically refresh as changes are made to any part of your design. Connector “pin maps” graphically show which pins are used and which are reserved, thus assisting the engineer to design right first time. This information is available in the application or as hardcopy reports generated and printed.

Dynamic referencing between drawing sheets, automatically updates when changes are made within the project. The user can define shielded cables or twisted pair conductors to develop custom cables to facilitate the harness design. This method allows for easy transfer to 3D CAD systems for routing if required. Wire length may also be extracted from the 3D systems and imported back into E³.Cable

Design changes can be made using the red Line capabilities allowing for checking and mark-up. This information can be directly passed back to the designer or drafting engineer where the changes are overlaid on the design as a template. A free viewer can be downloaded or distributed with the engineering designs. This viewer will allow searching for wires, signals, text, devices and connectors. All are highlighted and immediately displayed for the user. A hardcopy of the design can also be made from here.

Simple import/export facilities make it easy to generate the correct formats for your customers. These include AutoCAD’s DXF/DWG formats, Adobe’s PDF along with integrations with Microsoft’s Excel and Word products. This also allows for easy Copy/Paste from E³.Cable directly into

A form board is generated from a cable/harness layout either directly by a supplier or design engineer, or when manufacturing. This 1:1 representation unmeasured drawing of the cable harness is provided by the development department. The 1:1 representation of the form board view is generated directly from the design using the E³ Formboard.

The application is delivered with the ISO 14617 (IEC 617) and IEEE, ANSI 315 symbols sets to use and customize. Alternatively smart “black boxes” called ‘blocks’ can be used to attach connection to. This is useful for PC card and units that have only connectors on the outside. All are available to appear in Bills of Materials. This method allows for quick wiring creation and systems interconnection using library wires, cables or even dynamically developing your own wires and cable assemblies.

Designers may work with multiple views (or instances) of connectors and cables in a collaborative workspace approach, ensuring that the different documentation views remain valid, no matter where or what modifications are made (cable block diagrams, wiring diagrams, harness diagrams, connector tables, connector pin maps etc). The job can be completed with multiple engineers as E³ Enterprise offers a multi user access. A drawing may be opened in read only mode for viewing of another design engineers real time changes.

E³.Cable can if required, integrate with your existing 3D harness solution, streamlining the electrical design process. Bi-directional links currently exist between such products as SolidWorks, Solid Edge, Catia, Pro Engineer and UGS applications.

E³.Series is a completely scalable solution, suitable for small occasional projects to large scale projects including vehicles and structures with many thousands of connectors, cables and other devices. The bi-directional COM interface provides direct access to the ODBC data, which can be accessed using the Visual Basic programming interface, allowing for full integration of E³ Series into the engineering process.

Success Story

Pierce Manufacturing Inc., received the 2006 Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year Award yesterday evening in a ceremony held in Milwaukee, WI. Pierce pulled In the top honour, winning the Grand Award for excellence in the mega category, representing businesses with 1,000 or more employees.
The company earned the recognition for overall outstanding achievement and an exemplary contribution to manufacturing in the state. The award acknowledges the progress and growth at Pierce, as well the hard work and experience of the employees.

Pierce Manufacturing used E3 Series Applications, supplied and supported by Caetek Inc, in the design of the new Velocity Fire Truck chassis. http://www.piercemfg.com/apparatus/velocity/html.  

Who is E³.Cable suitable for?

E³.series is the essential design tool for electrical engineers who wish to make their design process become fast, efficient and more accurate.  Use E³.series to create drawings for many electrical requirements (Conforming to IEEE/ISO standards using ANSI, IEC, DIN, BS, P&ID and JIC symbols);         
Suitable for anyone who designs cable harnesses, and who also requires high quality AutoCAD™ compatible CAD drawings and accurate supporting documentation      
Design engineers who wish to reduce errors, such as incorrect connector and/or terminal pin selection, wire gauge mismatch or connection overloads.     
Engineering management wishing to reduce the time for electrical work completion, and perhaps automate further product development with the use E³.Series’s configuration capabilities

How can E³.Cable save time and money?

• Working with standard Windows™ features that have been optimized for electrical engineering
• A library of connectors and symbols, ensures maximum re-use of information for future projects  
• Design modifications seamlessly updating all related documentation and sheet referencing                       
• Fault finding within design is made simple with the use of the E³.Cable Project Browser utilizing powerful search tools
• Instant design documentation. This includes Bills of Materials, Wire schedules. Cut lists, Device labels, Pin charts, cable reports, etc
• Using a system with automatic online checks for complete design integrity, reducing the chances of costly errors
• Automating key control system design tasks such as defining wire numbers or component tags according to standards
• Working anywhere within a project without having to follow sequential steps
• Constructing cables and harnesses in ECAD
• Creating matching panel and schematic diagrams
• Auto wiring panels in ECAD
• Drastically reduce production costs through rework and accurate manufacturing documentation
• Integrating with MRP, PDM, ERP and other systems such as SAP, Smarteam. And TeamCenter

E³.Cable is a member of the E³.Series of Windows™ based tools for electrical and cable design engineers.  Modules include

• E³.Schematic - Creation of control schematics, terminal and wiring diagrams
• E³.Panel - Design of control panels, including layouts and physical wiring
• E³.FormBoard - Physical layout and placement of the nail board/form board for harness production.
• E³.Cable - Development of detailed wiring, cabling and harnessing.
• E³.Fluid - Hydraulic and pneumatic drawing.
• E³.View - Freely distribute intelligent E³.projects FREE
• E³.Redliner - Change mark-up.

About the Author:

Paul Harvell is Electrical Engineering Specialist at Caetek. For additional information and data sheets contact Caetek, http://www.caetek.com where you can sign up for a demonstration copy. Paul can be contacted at Paul.Harvell@caetek.com.