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ELDONS EPLAN GUIDELINE

VERSION 1.0 - JANUARY 2013

CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION TO ELDONS EPLAN GUIDELINE__________________________________________ 3 2. IMPORTING ELDON MACROS IN EPLAN P8________________________________________________ 4


Step 1: Download and unzip Eldon Article data_________________________________________________________________4 Step 2: Copy Eldon macros into a desired directory_____________________________________________________________4 Step 3: Inserting a macro on an empty page____________________________________________________________________4 Step 4: Changing page scale and page properties_______________________________________________________________5

3. IMPORTING ELDON ARTICLE DEFINITIONS INTO EPLAN P8 ARTICLE DATABASE_____________ 6 4. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS________________________________________________________ 8 ANNEX A__________________________________________________________________________________ 10

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1. INTRODUCTION TO ELDONS EPLAN GUIDELINE


Eldon is committed to help all its customers achieve a better business ethos. The EPLAN solution thats integrated into the Eldon website is just one example of the collaboration tools we have created to make customer interactions both easier and more efficient. To help customers speedily start using the Eldon EPLAN solution, we have developed easy-to-use guidelines explaining how to use Eldon macros in EPLAN P8. Although a basic knowledge of EPLAN P8 is required, these guidelines will quickly see users downloading and unzipping Eldon article data, copying Eldon macros into a desired directory and inserting a macro on an empty page. Using simple, everyday language, we explain how to change page scale and properties when import Eldon article denitions into an EPLAN P8 article database. We have also developed a list of FAQs related to the design of the Eldon EPLAN library, which is available online and has been given to salespeople to help them better answer customer queries.

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2. IMPORTING ELDON MACROS IN EPLAN P8


This document will guide you through the Eldon panel macros in EPLAN P8. Requirements:   EPLAN P8 version 2.0 or higher Basic knowledge of EPLAN P8

Step 1: Download and unzip Eldon Article data


On the Eldon website, www.eldon.com, it is possible to download the article data. The data le is a *.ZIP le, which contains the EPLAN macro le (*.EMA) and the EPLAN article denitions le (*.XML). Before using them, these les must be extracted from the *.ZIP le.

Step 2: Copy Eldon macros into a desired directory


Copy all separate Eldon macros les into the directory on your system. Normally it will be saved in the common EPLAN Installation directory C:\Users\All Users\EPLAN\Electric P8\2.0.5\Macros, but it can also be saved to a different location.

Step 3: Inserting a macro on an empty page


All macros of Eldon are window macros with the extension *.EMA. These can be inserted with the EPLAN command Insert > Window macro.

All macros of Eldon are window macros with the extension *.EMA. These can be inserted with the EPLAN command Insert > Window macro.

Firstly select the directory where the macro les are stored on the system, for instance C:\Users\All Users\EPLAN\ Electric P8\2.0.5\Macros

Select in this eld the macro of the panel which you want to insert into the EPLAN drawing project.

Make sure that the le type (*.ema) is selected.

Select OPEN to insert the drawing.

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When opening the macro, the drawing must be placed on the new page. The insertion point is on the top-left corner. To insert the macro on the default position (based on an A3 drawing format), use the X and Y buttons.

When inserting the macro drawing, the drawing may not t correctly in the page. The drawing may be too big or too small. Commonly in these situations the page scale isnt correct. How to change this will be described below.

Step 4: Changing page scale and page properties


After inserting the macro on an empty page, the page scale and page properties must be checked to use the optimal settings.

To change the page properties, rstly select the page properties command from the menu Edit > Properties.

After selecting the Properties menu, the page properties window will appear.

For the best result, change the page type to Panel layout (I).

In this eld, the scale of the page must be lled. All the drawings of the macros are based on 1:1 drawings, but are prepared to be used on a default page scale inside EPLAN. The scales used for the macros are: 1:2 1:5 1:10 1:15 1:20 1:25. Please use one of the scale ranges as above.

After completing these actions, the macros can be used inside your EPLAN project.
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3. IMPORTING ELDON ARTICLE DEFINITIONS INTO EPLAN P8 ARTICLE DATABASE


Beside the drawing macros, Eldon provides article data for importing into the EPLAN database. This data is available in a *.XML le, which refers to the Eldon article. To update the EPLAN database with Eldon article data, follow the steps below.

Open the EPLAN article database Utilities > Parts > Management. The article database of EPLAN will be opened.

To add a new article denition to your EPLAN article database, select the Extra button below, followed by the Import menu item. The Import records window will appear then.

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Firstly select the XML le type.

Find the correct XML le on your disk, related to the article you want to import (multiple articles can be inserted at once). This article related reference le starts with the Eldon article number. If you had downloaded the complete Eldon article program, the EldonParts. XML le can be used to insert the complete Eldon program into the EPLAN article database.

Use the EPLAN default value as a selection of the Field Assignment.

Press the OK button to complete the import. The selected article is now inserted into the existing EPLAN database and is ready to be used.

After completing these actions, the article reference le is inserted into the article database, and the article macro will refer to the article data.

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4. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS


We have received a number of questions from different engineers related to how we have designed our Eldon EPLAN Library. Please nd below a list with the most frequently asked questions. For further assistance dont hesitate to contact Eldon.

Q A

How do I solve performance issues on drawings with higher complexity and le size? We have tested all drawings in EPLAN 2.0 and the performance is ne on a computer that meets EPLAN basic requirements. The Eldon EPLAN Library has performance issues in EPLAN version 1.9.11 and lower. We advise you to upgrade to EPLAN 2.0 or higher What layer is used inside the EPLAN drawings? All panel view drawings are placed in EPLAN layer 309. All other attributes (dimensions, mounting plate denitions, etc.) are placed in the default layers of EPLAN corresponding to the attributes Why doesnt Eldon provide drawings with various variants such as mounting plate, door, etc.? We have chosen to offer all variants directly in the EMA le so an engineer can remove the elements he does not require. We tested this solution with an EPLAN test panel and discovered this approach saves time. Why are all lines grouped? We have chosen to group all lines so dragging an element inside a drawing becomes easier. What enclosure dimensions are used inside a drawing? The reference box inside a drawing states the catalogue dimensions, just like the article le. These dimensions are not the real dimensions of an enclosure. The real dimensions are stated inside the drawing. As all drawings are on scale, you can always calculate the exact dimensions. What thermal management dimensions are used inside a drawing? All dimensions for thermal management are based on the exterior of the product. We do not specify in the article le the dimensions for the cut out. The cut out dimensions can be found inside the drawing or on the Eldon website. What elds are completed by Eldon in the Article Data? Eldon has completed the most relevant elds by providing XML les. Annex A of the EPLAN manual lists what elds are completed by Eldon. How can I download EPLAN drawings and Article Data? The EMA and XML les can be downloaded for all EPLAN articles simultaneously, per product group or even per article in the Eldon online catalogue. Why doesnt Eldon specify the item number of a wholesaler or distribution partner? Eldon offers the EPLAN Library that is used for all markets worldwide. Therefore, any information that is specic to a country is excluded. Why doesnt Eldon offer any article data for products without drawings such as mounting brackets, heaters, etc.? The article data is limited to items that also have a drawing (*.EMA le). However, to help you to save time, Eldon will have all articles listed in the Article Data by Q3-2013.

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Why is Eldon not providing a long description for each article? We decided to keep the Article File as basic as possible to avoid numerous updates over time. Instead, we have specied a URL link for each article that will guide you to our online catalogue where each article is described in great detail. Does Eldon specify the weights of products for weight calculations? Yes, Annex A of the EPLAN manual provides a complete overview of the elds that Eldon has completed in the Article Data. Why hasnt Eldon opted for a page macro (*.EMP) rather than the window macro (*.EMA) le? The advantage of using *.EMA les is that an engineer can import a drawing from the EPLAN article database. In addition to inserting a macro form in a le list navigator, it is possible to select an article in the EPLAN article database to place the corresponding panel drawing inside the electrical drawings. This method works only with window macros and not with page macros. Why has Eldon chosen these drawing properties (regarding the format, lines, etc.)? Eldon has chosen all the drawing and format properties taking into account several key points. Firstly, Eldon has tried to avoid using those format numbers that are typically used by customers themselves. Regarding the line properties, the line type eld has not been set to Out of layer so that discontinuous lines are shown in the drawings where appropriate. Color and pattern length have been set to Out of layer so that our customers are able to use the ones they prefer, while line nish has been set to Round to obtain smoother borders. How can I check which Eldon le version am I using? Eldon stores two different version numbers for each item. Firstly, in the Article database you can nd two date elds: P_Article_Create and P_Article_LastChange. The rst one registers the date in which the le was created, while the second one shows the date in which the last version of the article database was released. Furthermore, each *.EMA le has its own version number as well. In this case, the version is given by a serious of numbers (e.g., 1.0, 2.0, etc.). To help our customers keep into date with the latest EPLAN library release, Eldon will publish an update article each time a new release is launched, describing the main features and improvements of the new version.

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ANNEX A
In the table below, all database elds lled by the article reference le (*.XML) in the EPLAN database are described
EPLAN Field name P_Article_Partnr P_Article_Certicate_CE P_Article_Certicate_UL P_Article_Certicate_VDE P_Article_Create P_Article_LastChange P_Article_Descr1 P_Article_Descr2 P_Article_Descr3 P_Article_Note P_Article_External_Document_1 P_Article_Macro P_Article_GroupSymbolMacro P_Article_Width P_Article_Height P_Article_Depth P_Article_Weight Field Type Text (50) Yes/No Text (50) Text (50) Text (16) Text (16) Memo Text (50) Text (50) Text (50) Text (50) Text (50) Text (50) Number (LI) Number (LI) Number (LI) Number (LI) Description Article number (e.g. ELD.MAS0403021R5) Yes (=1) if product has CE certication, No (=0) if no CE certication is applicable The UL certicate number for those products with UL certication The VDE certicate number for those products with VDE certication Creation date/time in format dd.mm.yyyy 00:00 Last change/revision date/time in format dd.mm.yyyy 00:00 Description of items in all catalogue languages available Field will not be used by Eldon. Field will not be used by Eldon. Field will not be used by Eldon. This eld contains the URL address that will open the English article datasheet online. The name of the macro le (e.g. $(MD_MACRO)\MAS\MAS0403021R5.ema). The name of the macro le (e.g. $(MD_MACRO)\MAS\MAS0403021R5.ema). Enclosure/product width in mm (default value = 0) Enclosure/product height in mm (default value = 0) Enclosure/product depth in mm (default value = 0) Enclosure/product weight in KG (default value = 0) Surface in mm2 = width x height (default value = 0) Formula: P_Article_Width with P_Article_Height with exception of the side panels. T he surface of the side panels are calculated by P_Article_Height x P_Article_Depth. The article reference with rst three characters of supplier code (e.g. ELD for Eldon). The article reference with rst three characters of supplier code (default =ELD for Eldon). Amount of the article in the packaging (default value =1) Equal to P_Article_Packagingquantity Number of the producttopgroup in the EPLAN Database (=3 for Mechanical) Number of the productgroup in the EPLAN Database (=49 for Enclosures) Number of the productsubgroup in the EPLAN Database (=1 for General) Door width in mm (default value = 0). The door width is not calculated for double door enclosures because EPLAN cannot specify the individual door width of two doors. Door height in mm (default value = 0) Field will not be used by Eldon. Value = 0 Mounting plate width in mm (default value = 0) Mounting plate height in mm (default value = 0) Mounting plate surface in mm2 = width x height (default value = 0). Formula: P_Article_PanelWidth with P_Article_PanelHeight.

P_Article_MountingSpace

Number (LI)

P_Article_Manufacturer P_Article_Supplier P_Article_Packagingquantity P_Article_Priceunit P_Article_Producttopgroup P_Article_Productgroup P_Article_Productsubgroup

Text (50) Text (50) Number (LI) Number (LI) Number (LI) Number (LI) Number (LI)

P_Article_DoorWidth

Number (LI)

P_Article_DoorHeight P_Article_DoorDepth P_Article_PanelWidth P_Article_PanelHeight P_Article_PanelMountingSpace

Number (LI) Number (LI) Number (LI) Number (LI) Number (LI)

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