An electrical connector is an electro-mechanical interface device between different electrical circuits. There are thousands of connector types but predominantly they consist of plugs which contain a male pin connection and a jack which has a female socket connection. Connectors can be displayed in different ways in pin-out and schemes, as whole connectors on a single drawing or split across multiple drawings as individual pins. In this blog article, we will discuss how to insert and configure electrical connectors in SOLIDWORKS Electrical.
Configuring Connectors in SOLIDWORKS Electrical
To configure your connector in SOLIDWORKS Electrical, click on the Project tab on the ribbon menu and then click on the bottom half of the configuration icon and a list will be presented. Then select the option that says Connector.
The Connector Configurations management window will open, and you will see the connector configurations in the application configuration field. The user can configure a connector on the application level which can be accessed in other projects. The connector can be configured on a project level as well which means the configuration will only be accessible in the current project. To set up a project configuration the user will select a configuration from the Application configurations field and then click the icon that says Add to project. The configuration will then appear in the project configuration field and the user can make the necessary edits.
It is a good practice to duplicate default configurations and make your adjustments to the duplicate, so you don’t corrupt a default setup. To make edits to a configuration, whether it’s on the application or project level, the steps are the same. You will select your configuration then click the icon that says Properties. A Connector Configuration window will open and here you can adjust the shape and sizing, attributes, circuit and connection point information along with general information like name and description.
Once you are satisfied with your configuration, click on the Apply button. Your electrical connector configuration will now appear in the drop-down list when you go to insert your connector.
To insert a connector, click on the Schematic tab on the ribbon menu and then click the icon that says Insert connector. SOLIDWORKS Electrical will then prompt you to select your manufacture part. Once your manufacture part is selected a symbol selector window will open. This window will show some basic default connectors, but if you are looking to use the configuration you have setup click on the Close button. Take note off to the left a connector insertion panel is displayed.
Under the Select configuration section, you will see a drop-down list. If you expand this list, you will see the configuration you have set up.
Once you have selected your configuration your connector can now be inserted into your schematic. If you would like to split up your connector you will need to check the desired boxes under the Select circuits to draw section.
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SOLIDWORKS Electrical gives the user the ability to configure a connector to meet company design standards. Once a configuration is created the user can access it in future projects. Having the ability to split up connectors can help in utilizing design space.
Watch our on-demand webinar, Electrical Connectors, to learn more about this topic and for an expanded explanation of how to insert and manage your connectors in SOLIDWORKS Electrical.
