Pretty simple concept; I have a fuse that feeds 3 different devices in 3 different connectors. How do I design in the location of the splice within the harness?
Dan
Pretty simple concept; I have a fuse that feeds 3 different devices in 3 different connectors. How do I design in the location of the splice within the harness?
Dan
Hi Dan,
I does sound pretty simple. Can you attach a picture of what exactly you are trying to accomplish?
I think I can picture what you are trying to do, but I would like to see exactly what it looks like before
I respond.
Thanks
Here is a really rough / dirty / quick example of the style of harness I usually need to design.
I just want to be clear on this.
You want to model this harness...right?
I looked at your sketch. Which are the fuses? Where the splices are?
The sketch I attached I pulled from thin air - it's not an exact harness I want to model, but a representation of the typical types of splices and junctions I need to include in the harnesses I do design.
Imagine that power comes in on the 2 pin connector - say 12 VDC. Power then splits and goes out to two modules 40' apart.
To limit voltage drop over the long distance the power wires to the modules are 14 AWG. 14 AWG wire however will not fit in a #20 Deutsch pin, so I must reduce the gauge at the module to 18 AWG.
Also, these devices communicate data between them via a typical J1939 style CAN bus. This bus utilizes a layout as shown, where stub lengths to the modules are limited to approximately 1m, and the bus requires a 120 ohm terminating resistor are each of the 3 pin connectors. The cable is a jacketed, shielded 3 conductor cable. It must be spliced for each stub connection, and remain inside the overall harness loom.
In the harness design, at a minumum, I would need to be able to specify the location of each splice. To enable the nailboard option and detailed connection and wiring diagrams, the from-to lists need to have a method to support a single circuit connection to multiple devices.
Ok, can you give me a day or two to chew on this?
Absolutely!
Hi Dan,
This is what I have come up with. It's not exact obviously, but tell me if
it is on the right track or if it is even a good starting block.
It would only let me upload 5 files, and I needed 6 so here is the last one.
Just dump them all into a directory and call up the assembly.
Hi Dan,
I was wondering how you made out with your harness assy?
Let me take a stab at this. I am assuming what you want to do is put a splice in the Route Assembly that allows you to take the output of the fuse to multiple connectors. To keep my example simple, I created a cube with a routing point that represents a connector. The one on the right represents the fuse and the three on the left represents the component connectors. I routed a wire between the fuse and the center component connector using Auto Route.
(Image 1)
I then right clicked on the route and selected Split Route. I clicked on the spot on the route approximately where I wanted the wires to break out. This point can be dimensioned or have relations added to place exactly where you want it. A junction point (JP5 in this case) appeared in FeatureManager tree under the 3D sketch in the route. This point can be renamed (EG: Splice 1).
Now right click on the newly created junction point and select Auto Route. Click on the junction point then the end point on one of the component connectors, then the junction point again and then the end point of the next component connector.
(Image 2)
If you are depicting a harness with no wire data, you are done here. If you are adding wire data, a splice needs to be added for each individual circuit. Example, this harness has power (lets call it circuit 100) and ground (circuit 500) going from the right connector to the three left connectors. Another junction point has to be added for the other circuit. The circuits can then be routed using Add Wire by selecting the component connection point and then their respective junction point (splice).
I hope this helps at least a little.
Sorry I haven't been back to this is a while; it's been pretty busy around here and I just haven't had time.
Shan, your suggestion isn't that far off I suspect, except that the junction in the harness isn't usually the actual location of the splice. Typically you would assemble the splice a few inches ahead of the junction and support it with tape to prevent it from being pulled apart by forces on the junction (In my experience the forces are usually applied while the harness is being installed).
A splice is a weld; so maybe there is a way to depict it as such? "Solder or Ultrasonic weld and Heatshrink". The trick is in getting the wire lengths correct and splice location marked for the nail board if you intend to use SW routing to completely design the harness, which I believe is the real goal here is it not?
I'm sorry, I was assuming that you just wanted to show the overall physical harness. The beautiful thing about the JPoints is that they do not have to be at an intersection of the harness. In the case of the example that I posted, you have the JPoint where the 3 break-outs come together. Using the same procedure that you used to place that JPoint for the breakout, you can place another one, say...1" toward the single connector from the branch. For example: When you do the FromTo list Circuit 500 BK/WT would go from Connector 1 to JPoint 6. From Jpoint 6, 500A, 500B, and 500C would go through JPoint 5(without stopping) and on to their respective connectors.
Sorry, if I wouldn't have misunderstood I would have been more clear in my previous post. Let me know if you need me to clarify further.
I hope I helped at least a little.
Dan,
Did you take a look at what I sent?
Just curious as to if I was in the ball park for what you are looking for.
No replies in 3 weeks; So does that mean it can't be done? Seems like a pretty basic / standard requirement for harness design - I'd call it a deal breaker if the feature is absent.