AutoCad Electrical vs. CADdy++

I use something called "The Constructor", and I've used it for a number of years. It's put out by a company called "CMH Software"

I've found it easy to work with, doesn't melt my candy bars or sour my root beer, and has all the symbols anyone should need.And you can run the circuit to look for faults after you've written it.

Isn´t this only for ladder to download to PLC or programable relay´s?

I have used AutoCad for about 18 years for mechanical design. I don't know about AutoCad Electrical... Is it a special version of AutoCad with some circuit analysis or is it just AutoCad with a block library?

Why not create your own block library and chunk the circuits together that way? I have used AutoCad to generate schematics as well as PCB artwork without any problem.

Travis

Acad Electrical is different than normal autocad. Creating all the simbols is possible but will take weeks to finish. I am using ACAD Electrical but this program is like a monster, much to heavy for what I need.

There is a program EPLAN. New version is with IEC symbols and very efficient. I think there is a free trial version.

Greetings

Thank you, this may be the one, looks good. Have you worked with this program?

Kv. Mundi

If you just want to produce diagrams there's a free programme called 'Dia' here. It runs much the same as Visio by dragging symbols on to the page & linking them with joiners.

You can try also SPAC Automazione, an electrical CAD for automation design. There is a 30 days free trial and a freeware called MiniSPAC that works as a plug-in to AutoCAD Full.

In college I used a program called, "Circuit Maker." It was very easy to use - a almost anyone could sit down and used it with minimal instruction. One neat feature that it incorporated was a "simulation mode" which you use to verify whether or not your circuit will actually work. (This is especially handy for DC circuits that include voltage and current dividers and/or microchips with internal logic.)

You can download the student version for free... http://my.ece.ucsb.edu/bobsclass/2C/Simulation/circuit_maker.htm

When I downloaded this software several years ago there was no limit to how long I could keep the student version on my PC, and I don't recall any functions that were disabled.

Use Promise E. The Ultimate Set of Electrical Control System Design Tool.

http://www.bentley.com/en-US/Products/promise/

I bought Promis-e last year. Even with Bentley taking them over it is still BUG CITY.

I am using Bentley Powerdraft Promis-e V8i. All the functions below are in the manual, they just don't work the way they should.

Basic things like wire numbers at the top and bottom of wires having the wrong alignment so they crash into symbols. You have to manually change the alignment on every top and bottom wire number to produce a decent looking drawing.

The Undo command doesn't work properley. Sometimes it undoes a lot of steps and often when it does this the Redo command is greyed out. Commands such as Place Symbol Again cause problems with Undo.

Stretching wires by draging the end with the mouse doesn't work. If you stop at another wire, it doesn't joint them. When you add wire numbers at the top or bottom, Promise puts them were the end of the wire was before it was stretched.

I copied a project the other day which check out OK with Design Considerations. I then checked the copy and it tells me there a short circuits, which are nowhere to be seen in reality.

I could go on some more, if anyone wants me to just ask. Hopefully this gives you an idea of how rough around the edges I have found this program, truth be known it is probably rotten to the core.

Hello ElM.

I just wanted to check if you were able to downlaod and Install SPAC Automazione 30-days Demo trial.

Best regards.

Simon.

Hello Simon

Thank you for your comment. I have never heard about this SPAC before, I was looking at their web site and this seem to be very professional drawing program and very similar to AutoCad Electrical. Have you been working with this program? Can you compare this to AutoCad?

Best regards Jangkly