Connectors in AutoCAD Electrical

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In AutoCAD Electrical, you can use the Insert Connector tool to insert connectors on an as-needed basis.

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Based on the parameters you specify, such as the number of pins, pin spacing, and pin values,

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the connector symbol is automatically inserted into the active drawing file as a block insert.

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To open the Insert Connector tool, from the ribbon, click the Schematic tab,

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and on the Insert Components panel, click the Insert Connector tool.

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The Insert Connector dialog opens.

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In the Layout group box, the Pin Spacing value is the space between pins if the connector uses fixed spacing,

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and Pin Count is the total number for the connector.

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Selecting Fixed Spacing sets the pin spacing to the value entered in the Layout group box,

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whether or not the wires are crossed.

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If you select At Wire Crossing, AutoCAD Electrical stretches

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or compresses the connector to match the pins up with underlying wires as they are inserted.

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If there are more pins than underlying wires, the excess pins are added at the end using default spacing.

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The Pin List instructs the program to increment automatically for each pin number.

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Here, you can enter a value, such as 1 or A, or you can specify a pin list.

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For this exercise, enter “1, 1A, 2, 2A” into the text field,

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which inserts the first four pins accordingly

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and any remaining pins with an incremented last digit.

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If you want to insert all pins automatically, based on the Pin Spacing and At Wire Spacing options,

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select Insert All.

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Allow Spacers/Breaks gives you manual control over the insertion of the connector,

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prompting you at each pin insertion.

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The Start Connector as Child option defines the connector as the child of a parent connector—for example,

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when you break connectors.

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In the Orientation group box, a preview of the connector appears, based on the selected options.

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Similar to photo editing apps on your phone, there are Rotate and Flip buttons to rotate the connector 90 degrees at a time,

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either horizontally or vertically,

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or to flip it over and reverse its orientation by 180 degrees.

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For this example, click Rotate so the connector appears horizontal.

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Expand the Details options to display additional tools.

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The Type group box has three options—Plug/Receptacle Combination, Plug Only, and Receptacle Only.

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Initially, it is set to the Plug Only option.

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Switch to Plug/Receptacle Combination, and you see the preview update.

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For this option, you can also select Wire Number Change and Add Divider Line.

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Choose Receptacle Only, and the preview updates again to display only the receptacle.

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In this case, select Plug/Receptacle Combination and Add Divider Line.

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The Display group box mirrors the Orientation group.

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Here, you can choose whether the Connector is horizontal or vertical and the orientation of the Plug.

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Select Horizontal.

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In this case, since the connector is horizontal, it can be either top or bottom.

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You can also choose whether the pins come from Both Sides, Plug Side, Receptacle Side, or whether to hide all pins.

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For this exercise, select Bottom and Both Sides.

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Finally, the Size group box allows you to configure the size of the connector.

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Even though the actual shape of the connector is generic and cannot be changed,

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there are five different Size values that you can adjust.

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For now, leave them set to the defaults.

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In the Layout group box, choose Allows Spacers/Breaks,

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and then click Insert to insert the connector.

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Back on the drawing, AutoCAD Electrical waits for you to click the insertion point of the connector.

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For this example, pick the first wire.

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Notice that, because the connector is set to At Wire Crossing and not Fixed Spacing,

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the connector spans four wires.

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Because you selected Allow Breaks/Spacers, the Custom Pins/Breaks dialog appears,

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giving you the choice to Insert Next Connection,

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Add Spacer, Break Symbol Now, or Cancel Custom and move on.

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In this case, click Insert Next Connection.

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Then click the same option two more times to insert the third and fourth connections.

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Once the connector is placed and the wire is labelled, the Insert/Edit Component dialog opens.

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Here, you can add additional information, including the manufacturer, references, descriptions, and more.

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Click OK to accept the information.

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Zoom in to the drawn connector.

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Notice that the numbers represent the pin list entered in the Insert Connector dialog.