Smart Instrumentation enables you to create and manage various types of wiring equipment. Wiring equipment is a generic name for different termination objects that can handle multiple input and output signals (channels). These items need an external power supply and they usually have several terminals to feed the electronic components. Examples of wiring equipment are barriers, isolators, trip amplifiers, relays, and so forth. I/O cards, I/O termination items, and various terminal strips also belong to the group called wiring equipment.
Prior to Version 7, Smart Instrumentation provided for this type of objects only by letting you create an apparatus. However, apparatus did not deal with certain aspects of wiring equipment such as electric properties. Apparatus provided a "flat" structure that could only group terminals on an apparatus strip under a position name. Wiring equipment, however, introduces a structured object which you can remove, add, and copy. You can accurately define wiring equipment properties such as category, manufacturer, model, and so forth.
When copying wiring equipment that has associated with it a plug-and-socket group,
on the Preferences dialog, on the Wiring > Copy Items node, Duplicate jumpers must be selected for the internal links to be copied along with the plug-and-socket
group.
Wiring equipment is a much wider feature which allows you to create various types of termination objects and define their electric properties. You can use wiring equipment whenever you need to define any type of card, or piece of hardware that you need to buy separately, count the number of units you need (BOM), install it inside a panel, and make connections
Smart Instrumentation enables you to create and manage wiring equipment items that:
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Contain various terminal strips or combination of terminal strips.
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Serve multiple tags or channels.
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Contain terminal strips and connectors.
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Require custom properties for each wiring equipment category.
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Require a specific presentation using special custom symbols.
Wiring equipment items are classified according to various categories. Smart Instrumentation is shipped with a number of these categories. You can customize your own wiring equipment categories and create various wiring equipment items belonging to these customized categories. For more information, see the following:
When designing a Foundation Fieldbus or Profibus system, you can create a wiring equipment item belonging to the fieldbus brick category. Then, under a fieldbus brick you can add a fieldbus apparatus. This compound object provides for the creation and management of fieldbus termination objects required for your Foundation Fieldbus or Profibus system. For details, see Fieldbus Bricks.
Also, note the following features of wiring equipment:
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Wiring equipment can encapsulate multiple objects, terminal strips, and channels.
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Because every wiring equipment is a separate item, the Connection window cannot display multiple objects as it does for an apparatus strip. Nor is it possible to connect a cable to multiple wiring equipment items in one step.
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Using wiring equipment in combination with custom symbols provides for a better representation of loop drawings.
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Wiring equipment information does not appear in loop drawing generation. In most cases, it is possible to add macros and retrieve information or use custom symbols.
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Wiring reports do not show wiring equipment. All reports continue to show panels, terminal strips, and terminals.
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Wiring equipment can be displayed in cable block diagrams.
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Wiring equipment can be placed under other wiring equipment.