TechTip: Prefabricated cables
Eplan Platform Version 2025
Status: 3. September 2024

TechTip: Prefabricated cables
Contents
1.

Use ............................................................................................................................... 22.

Prefabricated Cables................................................................................................... 2

3.

Creating prefabricated cables as modules in the parts management ..................... 3

4.

5.

6.

3.1.

Creating plugs as non-orderable component ..................................................... 3

3.2.

Creating prefabricated cables as a module ........................................................ 4

3.3.

Adding plugs as parts .......................................................................................... 4

3.4.

Summarize function templates ............................................................................ 53.5.

Assigning plugs to cable connections ................................................................ 5

Generating Module Parts for Prefabricated Cables from Schematic Data .............. 64.1.

Requirements at the prefabricated cable (cable definition) ............................... 64.2.

Requirements at the assigned plugs ................................................................... 74.3.

Generating prefabricated cables.......................................................................... 7Placing prefabricated cables ...................................................................................... 95.1.

Placing prefabricated cables via the Insert center ............................................. 9

5.2.

Placing prefabricated cables by means of the device navigator ....................... 9Determining the source and target of a cable ......................................................... 106.1.

7.

New cable property "Use connected devices as source and target" .............. 10Generating direct connections at pins .................................................................... 11

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TechTip: Prefabricated cables
Eplan Platform Version 2025
Status: 3. September 2024

1. UseThis TechTip describes the new, extended and improved functionalities in connection withprefabricated cables of the Eplan Platform 2025.

2. Prefabricated Cables
Prefabricated cables are ready-to-connect cables that are already equipped with plugs,female pins or conductor termination processing. They have a specific length and are alreadyequipped with suitable plugs. This means that these cables are immediately ready for use
without further modifications being necessary (see Figure 0 and Figure 1).

Figure 0: Prefabricated cables with plugs and female pins

The possibilities of configuring these cables for Version 2025 have been extended andoptimized so that the prefabricated cables can be exchanged successfully with Eplan Cable
ProD.

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TechTip: Prefabricated cables
Eplan Platform Version 2025
Status: 3. September 2024

3. Creating prefabricated cables as modules in the parts
management
An assignment between the conductors of the cable and the plugs has to be carried out sothat the prefabricated cables can be exchanged successfully with Eplan Cable ProD.

3.1.

Creating plugs as non-orderable component

Plugs in prefabricated cables can be screwed or welded. These non-orderable plugs arerequired, for example, to store the assignment of the conductors.
For these plugs it is necessary to activate the part property Suppress in bill of materials. A
part identified in this way is neither displayed in the bill of materials navigator nor output inthe corresponding part assemblies and it is also not output via the interfaces formanufacturing data.

Figure 1: Plugs in the parts management, Function templates tab.
Tip:
Use existing plugs: Use the plugs and female pins already existing in the parts management
as a copy. Subsequently activate the Suppress in bill of materials part property for thecopied part.

3TechTip: Prefabricated cables
Eplan Platform Version 2025
Status: 3. September 2024

3.2.

Creating prefabricated cables as a module

Create a module and select the value "Electrical engineering > Cables > Prefabricated" forthe property Product grouping of this module.
Add function templates for the cable definition and for the cable connections (for example
one function template with "Cable definition" and three function templates with "Conductor /wire") to this module on the Function templates tab. Enter the characteristic data for thecable in these function templates (for example Connection color / number, Connection:
cross-section / diameter, etc.).

Figure 2: Prefabricated cable in parts management, Module tab.
Tip:Creating module through copying: To easily create a prefabricated cable as a module, you
can copy an existing cable part and save the cable part as a module via the property Record
type. Then check whether the product grouping is set to the "Prefabricated" productsubgroup. Subsequently add the plug parts to the prefabricated cable.

3.3.

Adding plugs as parts

Add one or two plugs as parts to the prefabricated cable in the Module tab. You require one
plug part for a single-layer cable, two plug parts for a double-layer cable. To do this, click the(New) button and then click […] in the Part number column to select a part.
For the parts on the Module tab you have to enter a DT or a DT ID as usual for identification.
Tip:
Enter a subordinate DT of the cable at the plug parts. When the prefabricated cable is usedin the project, the associated pins are then displayed in the device navigator below the cableDT.

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TechTip: Prefabricated cables
Eplan Platform Version 2025
Status: 3. September 2024

3.4.

Summarize function templates

Summarize the function templates of the prefabricated cable created as a module. To dothis, mark the module in the tree view of the parts management and select the popup menu
item Summarize function templates. This way the function templates of the plugs are
summarized as subparts of the module, transferred into the tab Function templates of themodule and sorted under the function templates of the cable.
If a function template for the cable definition does not yet exist, it is automatically added as agrouping element for the module at the first position of the function templates.

Figure 3: Prefabricated cable in the parts management, Function templates tab.

3.5.

Assigning plugs to cable connections

Then assign the pins to the cable connections. To this purpose the two columns Conductor
start and Conductor end are available in the Function templates tab only for parts of thecable product subgroup "Prefabricated". Here you can carry out the assignment to the plugs
for the "Conductor / wire" function templates of the cable. For a single-layer cable, anassignment is only required in the column Conductor start; for a double-layer cable, theassignment must be effected in both columns.
You have the following options for specifying the assignment of the pins to the conductors:•Position of the function template of the pins (for example "6")•Subordinate DT and pin designation (for example "X1:2")•

DT ID and pin designation (for example "ID:X1:2")

Note:
You can use the check run 501039 from the message class 501 "Part master data" to check
whether the assignment is correct. This check run determines prefabricated cables for which
an invalid pin assignment for the cable connections is stored in the parts management.

5TechTip: Prefabricated cables
Eplan Platform Version 2025
Status: 3. September 2024

Caution:No schematic macros may be stored at the schematic path macros since otherwise thedistributed placement of the module is not possible.
Since the schematic macros do not have connection data, the connection data would be lost
during the execution of the command Summarize function templates in the module partsfor prefabricated cables.

4. Generating Module Parts for Prefabricated Cables from
Schematic Data
A module part for prefabricated cables can be generated in Eplan from the data stored at acomponent. Among other things, the module part and the cable-specific data (functiondefinition, connection color / number, etc.) are transferred to the parts database. A module
part generated in this way contains function templates for all device functions and is saved
as a part stored in the project. If plugs are assigned to the prefabricated cable, parts for theplugs are also generated in the parts management and stored in the project.

4.1.
•Requirements at the prefabricated cable (cable definition)

There must be an association via the DT between cables and plugs. The plugs are
therefore subordinate to the cable in the DT; the association can also be easily checkedin the device navigator.

Figure 4: Placed elements•

Exactly one part reference is entered.

•The part reference Record type has the value "Module".

•The part reference property Function group has the value "NEW".

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TechTip: Prefabricated cables
Eplan Platform Version 2025
Status: 3. September 2024

4.2.

Requirements at the assigned plugs•

Exactly one part reference is entered.

•The part reference property Record type has the value "Component".

•The part reference property Function group has the value "NEW".

•The part reference property Part is included in a module is activated.

•The DT ID property has a unique value.

4.3.

Generating prefabricated cables

Preconditions:•You have updated the connections.

•You have selected a prefabricated cable (cable definition) that represents a mainfunction.

1.

Select the Generate part popup menu item.
→ The Parts management dialog opens. The new module part is sorted into theproduct group structure of the parts management module with reference to the function
definition for the component, and is preset.
→ If a module part already exists in the project, a query is displayed that you have toconfirm to overwrite. If the module part does not exist yet in the parts database, theparts management is subsequently opened, and the new part is pre-selected.
→ If a module part already exists in the parts database, a further security prompt isdisplayed. If you confirm this prompt with [Yes], the cable-specific data (such as thefunction templates) are updated at the module parts already existing in the parts
database. In this case the parts management is opened and the module part is preselected. If you click [No], the module parts existing in the project are overwritten.
However, the module part in the parts database is not updated.

2.

If necessary, you can edit the data of the new module part on the tabs on the right.

3.

Click [Close].
→ Exits the Parts management dialog.
→ If data that may have been changed is not saved via [Apply], an additional
confirmation prompt is displayed. A message is also displayed allowing you to decide
whether an automatic "Parts database -> Project" parts data synchronization should beperformed.

Note:Parts generated in this way have the value "NEW" assigned for the Function group propertyon the Properties tab. This allows you to specifically filter for such parts.

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TechTip: Prefabricated cables
Eplan Platform Version 2025
Status: 3. September 2024

Benefit:
Efficiency increase for parts management: The parts management process is structured
more efficiently through the automatization of the generation process of module parts fromschematic data. Instead of manually creating and maintaining module parts, these can begenerated directly from the schematic data.
Consistency and accuracy of the data: The creation of module parts based on the schematic
data ensures the accuracy of the part information. Since the data is applied directly from theschematic data, it is ensured that the part descriptions and properties are correct andcorrespond to the current project requirements.

8TechTip: Prefabricated cables
Eplan Platform Version 2025
Status: 3. September 2024

5. Placing prefabricated cables
5.1.

Placing prefabricated cables via the Insert center

A prefabricated cable created as a module in the parts management is placed as a device
via the Insert center. The individual components of the module are placed consecutively. In
this context, you can "browse" the functions using the [N] key and select the required one.

5.2.

Placing prefabricated cables by means of the device
navigator

A new device can be generated in the device navigator via the popup menu item Newdevice. The prefabricated cable module selected here is then displayed in the device
navigator as a device with unplaced functions.

Figure 5: Unplaced prefabricated cable with parts in the device navigator.
These functions can then be placed via drag & drop or via the popup menu item Place in thegraphical editor.

Figure 6: Placed prefabricated cable with parts in the device navigator.

9TechTip: Prefabricated cables
Eplan Platform Version 2025
Status: 3. September 2024

6. Determining the source and target of a cable
During the determination and output of the source and target of a cable the connected pins
can now be skipped and instead the devices connected to the cable are displayed as thesource and target.
In addition you can now use a project setting to specify that connections at direct connection
points of pins always become direct connections.

6.1.

New cable property "Use connected devices as source andtarget"

The new property Use connected devices as source and target is available at cables andshields. The property can be activated at both main functions and auxiliary functions.
If the check box Use connected devices as source and target is selected, pins are
skipped when determining the source and target of the cable or shield, and instead thedevices connected to the cable / shield are displayed as the source and target.
The unit of cable and plug is only visible in reports (cable diagram, cable overview, terminal
diagram, plug diagram, connection diagrams) and in the dialogs Edit cable, Edit terminal
strip, and Edit plug. The connection navigator does not show the skipping of the pins. The
pins are still displayed as the source and target of the connections here.
If the check box is deactivated, the pins are output as the source and target of the cable orshield.
Benefit:Standardized report: When using the new cable property Use connected devices assource and target, the devices connected to the cable are now displayed uniformly in cablespecific reports, irrespective of whether there are pins in between or not.
Simplified management: When using the new project setting Always generate directconnections at direct connection points of pins, direct connections are now generated
uniformly at pins.

10TechTip: Prefabricated cables
Eplan Platform Version 2025
Status: 3. September 2024

7. Generating direct connections at pins
Within a plug connection, the electrical connections are created directly via a mechanicalconnection. These are not wired and are displayed in Eplan as direct connections.
Through the new project setting for connections Always generate direct connections atdirect connection points of pins you can now specify that connections at direct connection
points of pins always become direct connections. If the check box is selected, a connection
between a device connection point and the direct connection point of the pin on the cable
becomes a direct connection. Direct connections are colored, not numbered, and not routed
in the schematic in accordance with the layer setting for the layer Eplan510, Internal
connections / direct connections. If this setting is deactivated, the behavior up
to now applies.

Figure 7: Directly connected, prefabricated cables with report in the schematic.

11TechTip: Prefabricated cables
Eplan Platform Version 2025
Status: 3. September 2024

Benefit:
Clearer representation in the schematic: By coloring the direct connections in blue it
becomes easier to identify them in the schematic. This can improve the readability andcomprehensibility of the schematic, in particular in complex systems.
Faster recognition of direct connections: Since direct connections are not numbered and notrouted, they can be identified at a glance. This can save time since engineers andtechnicians do not have to search for unnecessary connections.
Reduction of potential errors: The risk of human errors is reduced through the automatic
generation of direct connections at the direct connection points of pins. There is no longer
any need for manual actions to mark these connections as direct connections.

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