Electrical Design Software | Elecdes Design Suite by Scada Systems Ltd

Conductor Naming and Continuation

General

In Elecdes all line segments are considered to be potential conductors. This is explained in the section, How to Generate Connection Schedules.

A "network" of line segments is defined as "a set of physically connected line segments on your diagram".

A user defined wire name or cable and core (conductor) name and specification is assigned to a network of line segments by placing a wire marker or a cable core (conductor) marker on one of the line segments in the network. If there is no wire or cable core (conductor) marker, then the line segments are considered to be an unmarked conductor, described below.

See also: Connection Symbols

Unmarked Conductor Naming

During the interconnection analysis, EBASE will assign default numbers to all conductors. If any wire or cable core (conductor) markers are present, on any conductor, then the default conductor name will be replaced. Conductors that do not have an attached wire or cable core (conductor) marker will not have any catalog information. They will retain the default conductor name and be placed in the panel wire schedule.

Unnamed conductors are assumed to be panel wires.

These are also referred to as internal wires in EDS.

The default conductor name is composed of a six digit number, unique for each identifiable conductor found in the project, enclosed in curved brackets: "(??????)", e.g. (000123).

Wire naming and continuation

Elecdes supports wire continuation across line segments which are not physically connected on your diagram. For example, a wire can be "continuous" across 2 or more sheets. There are two modes of wire naming that can be used to represent continuity of physically disconnected wires (or wire networks).

  • The first mode allows all wire markers to cause continuation of a wire.

    Thus any network of line segments with a wire marker with the same wire name is considered to be part of the same conductor.

    In the first mode, wire extension markers have no functional difference from standard wire markers. They provide only a different visual appearance.

  • The second mode allows only wire extension markers to cause continuation of a wire. The second mode is the default mode.

    Thus another network of line segments with a wire marker with the same name is not considered to be part of the same conductor - unless a wire extension marker joins them.

    Wire extension markers are sorted into alphanumeric order by drawing or sheet, then position. They are then joined in pairs from that sorted list. The pairing of wire extension markers can be controlled explicitly. This is described below.

The wire continuation mode can be changed from the Elecdes preferences for cables and wires.

If the second mode is chosen, then each different wire with the same name is identified by a unique network value in the report.

The second mode is very useful when multiple panels are "cloned" in a project and wire numbers are common in each panel.

Wire naming rules when "All wire markers can be continuations"

  • If a wire passes through any device (which could change the voltage/ current signal or disconnect it), it should be given a new name.

  • If a wire passes through a terminal strip then the wire name can remain the same but a suffix should be appended to clarify that the wire has passed through a terminal e.g. W001 [terminal] W001/1. Adding the suffix ensures that for Elecdes they are considered to be different wires, however visually they are seen to be related.

Wire naming rules when "Only wire extension markers can be continuations"

  • If a wire passes through any device (which could change the voltage/ current signal or disconnect it), it should be given a new name. If you break this rule you can optionally receive an "invalid equipotential warning".

  • If a wire passes through a terminal strip, then the wire name can remain the same. Elecdes will consider the wire on the other side of the terminal strip to be a completely separate conductor.

    Ebase will assign a unique network value to each different wire that has the same name.

Explicit wire extension marker pairing

Wire extension markers can be explicitly paired with other wire extension markers by specifying a unique wire network. It is only necessary to dictate the pairing of the wire extension markers if the same wire name is used for different wires.

The wire network value (a number, of string of characters) is entered into the WIRENET attribute of the wire extension marker. This attribute can be added to existing custom wire extension markers that were created for previous versions of Elecdes.

Wire extension markers contain an attribute named WIRENET. The WIRENET attribute can be added to wire extension markers that were created for previous versions of Elecdes.

An "equipotential" is a group of conductors which are connected, carry the same signal, and require physical disconnection of a conductor from a terminal in order to disrupt the signal.

If you have TWO extension markers containing the same wire name then they will automatically pair.

Extension markers, containing the same wire name, that are paired will join their two respective equipotential circuits into a single equipotential circuit.

If you have THREE or more wire extension markers containing the same wire name then they will pair in sheet name order and positional order if on the same sheet.

This pairing will connect all related equipotential circuits to form into a single equipotential circuit.

Any extension marker pairing that occurs will be seen in the cross references that Elecdes creates for those markers. The pair of extension markers will reference to each other. Any unpaired extension marker will NOT have its reference attribute loaded HOWEVER it will be connected to the final equipotential circuit regardless of the lack of pairing.

Your extension marker can be explicitly forced to be paired with another wire extension marker by entering a unique extension pairing value. The same pairing value (a number or a string of characters) should be entered into the WIRENET attribute of both wire extension markers to be paired.

Pairing has NO EFFECT on the wire order of the final equipotential. You must use wire order (CONX) blocks to set the order of the terminations in the final equipotential.

It is only necessary to use a pairing value in certain cases, described below.

Single Equipotential – Managing Wire Extension Cross references

Each different wire is assigned a unique wire network value. The same wire network value should be entered into the WIRENET attribute of all of the wire extension markers on one wire.

When the same wire network value is used for each wire, it is not necessary to have an even number of wire extension markers (in pairs) for each wire. Every wire extension marker that has the same wirename and wire network value is considered to be connected.

Wire network values can be re-used only on wires that have different wire names.

Cross references for the wire will refer to a reference list that is placed, by default, next to the first wire extension marker.

You may require the referencing on extension markers to point to extension markers other than those paired by default (with sheet name order and positional order).

An example of this is when a power supply is distributed to 5 sheets from a power supply sheet. All relevant wire names are set to +24VDC.

You can place an extension marker on each destination sheet and 5 extensions on to the supply sheet. Set a pairing value into the WIRENET attribute on a destination sheet and also use the same value in one of the supply sheet extension markers. This forms a pair. Repeat the process with a new pairing value for each of the other 4 pairs.

The cross referencing of the extension markers will now show the pairing. All power supplies will now be connected to the supply sheet. Wire order for the +24VDC equipotential is not affected by the pairing.

Warnings

If different pairing values are entered for a single equipotential, Ebase will optionally report "Inconsistent wire network" in the WARNINGS column of the various wire schedule reports.

Multiple Equipotentials – Same wire name

Each pair of wire extension markers that is to be joined is assigned its own wire network value. A different wire network value should be entered into the WIRENET attribute for each pair of wire extension markers.

Wire extension markers must exist in pairs.

Wire network values can be re-used only on wires that have different wire names.

Cross references for the wire will be made between each pair of wire extension markers that has the same wire network value. There will be no reference list.

Different wire network values are used intentionally on one wire, therefore the warning "Inconsistent wire network" must be disabled as it offers no useful information. See information about disabling warnings.

You may need to use the same wire name on multiple equipotentials which must remain disconnected from each other.

In this case, if you also need to use extension markers on more than one of the disconnected equipotentials, then Elecdes will detect the common wire name on these extension markers. Elecdes will then connect all of the equipotentials together. In this case this is undesirable.

You MUST pair each extension marker only with one of the other extension markers from its own disconnected equipotential. Do not allow the disconnected equipotentials to cross connect with any pair made.

When the pairing is completed, check the terminations in the FromToWire.DBF report. Each disconnected equipotential, sharing that wire name, should have a unique “Network” number. If not you have made a pair that cross connects.