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Beta sites are now testing EDS 5.0 and so far the new version is proving to be reliable and popular. The new Instrument Manager module has been the outstanding feature in this release. Instrument Manager is a cost effective instrumentation system design tool for the instrument engineer to rapidly produce all instrumentation based documents (see below). Many enhancements in Elecdes and Paneldes hilight EDS version 5.0 as the worlds most fully featured I & E software.

A new "data-centric" Instrument design and documentation system.

Database choices of MS Access and SQL Server. Tables and the structure of the tables is largely user definable.

Automated production of:

* Data Sheets. (In MS-EXCEL Format)

* Loop Diagrams. (In AutoCAD Format)

* Hook up Diagrams. (In AutoCAD Format)

* Wiring /Terminal Strip diagrams (In AutoCAD Format)

* Instrument Index report

* Bill of materials report.

* Cables Schedule report.

* Interconnection report.

Preliminary component, cable and enclosure information from Elecdes single line and cable block diagrams is instantly avaliable for inclusion within your Instrument Manager database. When cable lists, components and enclosures are completed within Instrument Manager they can be instantly made available to Paneldes for modelling, interference analysis and cable and raceway routing and filling.

Users can work in a familiar drag and drop "explorer style" environment or in a tabular "spreadsheet style" environment with row and column copy/paste, search and replace, filter, sort and increment and many other "spreadsheet style" tools. Folders represent "containers" for instruments and other components.

Instrument data sheet ratings and specifications are maintained in "per instrument type" tables and, as mentioned above, the contents of these tables are largely user definable.

Association of components with their related areas, enclosures or similar can be done via drag and drop mechanisms which establish the link between the items. Electrical connections can also be done in this way. By dragging one or many conductors OR dragging whole cables on to a terminal strip (or an instrument) bulk terminations can be made. Loops and terminal strips are graphically displayed "WYSIWYG" as connections are made for those loops/ strips.

The Event Log records user nominated activities from log-in/out, to component modification / deletion, to document printing or exporting. Events are logged with the activity, user and time data, in daily tables.

Users may be set up to be ADMINISTRATORS, USERS or VIEWERS. Administrators may be normal users that can manage other users and have advanced set-up options. Users manage the data and networking inside the databases, with the aim of producing output documents. Viewers can access the database as "read only".

Most output documents and diagrams are "template based" and as such, their appearance and data content are under user control. The templates are typically in AutoCAD format for diagrams and MS-EXCEL for data sheets.

Exports and Imports are available to most common formats for ease of incorporation of vendor data and supply of customer data.

Compatible with Windows ME, 2000 and XP. Diagrams are compatible with AutoCAD 2000 and 2002, FelixCAD 5 and PowerCAD 5. Fully Integrated with Elecdes schematic, loop and wiring diagrams and Paneldes 3D modelling and cable routing.

The EDS project has been extended to include sub-projects and Paneldes models. Elecdes reports from sub-projects are concatenated with those of the master project. Thus you can edit your design in parts and combine the reports for the overall project. Paneldes models can be split into geographical parts. The models can be associated within the EDS project, and the complete model can be re-assembled with one operation. This offers a considerable improvement when working with large plant models. Revision tracking and capture has been added to the project reporting facility.

Where a user consistently uses components from a particular manufacturer, this manufacturer can be named by default in the Elecdes menu entry for the symbol. This averts the need to select the manufacturer during component specification, thus increasing speed. New "attribute visibility" switches have been added to the menus. User defined partial MNU files can now be placed in our "USER_SYMB" directory. If found in this location, Elecdes will load them automatically, as it loads its own menu. This allows complete separation of your custom menus from the EDS menu and facilitates easy upgrades.

EDS 5.0 contains the following newly updated catalog parts databases.

Siemens (15 000 records).

SquareD (50 000 records)

Telemecanique. (10 000 records)

A new PLC module builder has been developed and a library of thousands of current I/O cards from several manufacturers built. Use is simple and friendly while graphical flexibility is high with many user preference options. The "Contact Swapper" function will now allow you to replace any subcomponent of a relay (e.g. a contact) for another subcomponent OR you can swap a normally closed switch for a normally open switch - with a single click. Our "Multi Terminal Device" composite symbol blocks may now be "broken" into lines, when inserted, and will repair broken lines in a similar fashion to the simple 1/2/3 phase symbols of Elecdes. New name sequence options have been added allowing the optional restriction of the user to the appropriate naming standards letter prefix.

We have developed a "Subcomponent inserter" which allows rapid selection and insertion of contacts (or other device sub components) of any chosen relay or device. For large, smart, protection and distribution relays this decreases deployment time by 60%-90%. We have developed the ability to insert a component directly from the catalog database, the symbol being intelligently selected for you, from your chosen standards. This eliminates symbol selection when working with part numbers directly.

The Elecdes rules for wire naming have been augmented to support "Equipotential Wire Naming". A wire can now be continued through terminal strips without changing the wire name. The terminals can be polarised allowing the user to optionally control entry and exit side. A terminal's "target" connection area has been increased causing a less stringent connection establishment process to produce results in "hurriedly" produced drawings (e.g. produced without SNAP). This target box can even be USER specified in the terminals BUSW code!

A major alteration to the automated wiring diagram system has allowed for the optional attachment of a "SMART WIRING DIAGRAM FOOTPRINT" symbol to any component's specification. This will be used to create "lifelike" terminal plans and device footprints, where required, when the wiring diagram generator is creating a wiring diagram.

Revision tracking and capture has been added to the project reporting facility. Revision tracking ensures you can "milestone" your projects and also automatically back-up at the milestones. Several new "revision comparison" reports are produced detailing components and connections that have been added, deleted and modified from one revision to the next. New permutations of the "Bill of Materials Summary" report are now offered, with materials summaries sorted and grouped optionally by PANEL. Tag lists are also optionally appended for each component quantity record. Network numbers are now present within the wiring reports allowing users to, optionally, identify different equipotentials with the same wire names! A new DRAWING INDEX report has been added to the reporting suite.

The database editor can now navigate, with a double click, from a REFERENCE column (and row) of an Elecdes component database table to the project drawing and grid position of that reference. Exports now have a column "chooser" which allows you to sort and export only the columns desired.

Paneldes has received a large number of new features and speed improvements. Amongst those are the following highlights: The new "Ductbank Editor" is a tool to create and edit parallel arrays of conduit in a trench. Paneldes can insert components automatically from a database. Component locations and specifications can be entered in bulk without manually placing each component. Many execution speed improvements have been made throughout the program. Of particular note is a considerable improvement when automatically routing conductors and when generating a BOM file. A new "offset reducer" shape has been added to the cable tray library.

You can now dictate all or part of the route that a conductor will use in your model. You can specify an entire route or set "way-points" through which the conductor must pass. Should "locked" tray segments be erased the route will intelligently jump them and the route is approximated - with a warning generated. EDS cable routing and tray and conduit filling is now fully compliant with NEC (National Electric Code) cable tray, conduit and ductbank installations standards. Routing speed has been improved by 30%-90% dependent on your model. There are new warnings in the routing reports to identify problems in the model allowing easier routing diagnostics i.e. "Way-point exclusion", "filling exclusion", "locking exclusion". Project milestone based cable route issues are handled and managed. Design/ routing and installation can be overlapped for fast turnaround projects with the "ROUTED/ISSUED/PULLED" system. This system provides milestone based "partial cable/route/fill schedules" which do not conflict as the installation progresses. A "Human Intuition / Statistics" based automatic suggestion of maximum route connection distances has been developed. This has resulted in improved speed and better estimated maximum connection values. The new tray and conduit "Snug Fit" system optimises routing linearity and speed by intelligently / statistically optimising raceway intersections.

Paneldes now provides more analysis for your model: "Collision Detection" will check for collision between Paneldes components and entities in your base drawing e.g. tanks, walkways, piping and buildings imported from your non-Paneldes plant layout. A new "Query" function provides fill and other details about the conductor and the raceway segments. Viewed conductor routes are now labelled with the conductor name for easy identification. A new tool has been provided to check raceway network consistency. This highlights potential problems in your raceway network. Route and cable / conductor viewing data is now cached, speeding up the process of examining your cable and wire routes on large models.

The EDS network licensing system is now easier to use: It is no longer necessary to map a drive for use as a network license location. You can browse your networked computers and choose the drive directly, without mapping. License validation will tolerate a mixture of workstation operating systems all using the same network license. WAN network licensing is now possible and in use on key customer sites.

Windows ME, XP and Windows 2000 are now supported fully. Windows NT4, 98 and 98SE are no longer recommended for EDS users. AutoCAD Versions 2000, 2000I and 2002 are currently supported. We now support FelixCAD 5.0. The FelixCAD OEM engine has previously exhibited problems with some operating systems. Now the OEM engine is supported on the following: Windows ME, XP and Windows 2000. We now support the popular USA based PowerCAD 5.0.

In this developing market we have several new customers. Our Scada Systems area manager Mr Robert Gu is working closely with our Chinese agent Cai Huilong at SysLink Inc. to ensure EDS introduction is successful. The EDS 4.8 software is now available in Chinese. The EDS 5.0 CD version will contain documentation and software in Chinese.

EDS 4.5 adds new functionality and works with AutoCAD 2000,2000i,2002. If you are a current EM&S (Extended Maintenance & Support) Customer, and we can't think of a good reason not to be, you may now email us for instructions to download the EDS 4.5 Update. EM&S Customers can expect further updates like EDS 4.5 as we ensure that users benefit immediately from new developments rather than waiting for the next CD issue.

Existing license codes are not valid for EDS 4.5. To ensure quick turnaround of new license, use [Remove License] button on existing license before installing EDS 4.5.

Pricing was adjusted due to the numerous product enhancements, and also the ongoing $USD currency downward trend. Consequently EMS prices have also risen.

Many users see the benefit of a low, annual maintenance contract to eliminate delays or budget problems when current versions are desired. To reward these users, we position one year of EM&S below the price for one EDS upgrade - ensuring that EM&S gives the best value plus all timely and essential services.

We have recently completed translating V4.5 into Spanish for the benefit of our many South American/Spanish customers. For more Information contact: stuart@elecdes.com

We recently attended the IAC 2000 Automation Exhibition in Shanghai, with over 20,000 people through the door in 5 days. We experienced tremendous interest in our software from this rapidly developing market. A Chinese version is imminent.

It is our pleasure to announce the opening of another office in India, this time in Calcutta. Please direct any inquiries to: uday@elecdes.com

We are about to commence a series of training courses in Kuala Lumpur. We will also be available to demonstrate the new software for local customers. Please call or email stuart@elecdes.com, to reserve your Training or Elecdes Demonstration.

Internet based demonstrations are easy to arrange. All you need is a fast internet connection and a speakerphone. You can sit back, watch and listen as we present the features of EDS which apply to your projects,saving you time and allowing you to ask questions as we progress.

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