News & Events

New features in IAB 7


Integrated Architecture Builder (IAB) is a graphical software tool for configuring Logix-based automation systems. It helps you select hardware and generate bills of material for applications that include controllers, I/O, networks, Powerflex drives, OnMachine cabling and wiring, motion control, and other devices. Outputs include bills of material and reports with quality graphics.



Version 7 includes new features as:

OnMachine Cable Configuration. By right clicking on any I/O module and selecting Add OnMachine..., you can, by using wizards and dialogues, configure a complete OnMachine cable solution from module to (but not including) the end device. IAB applies rules to help ensure that you quickly select a technically valid and correct cable configuration. IAB creates a graphical view of your configuration. You can copy the end device cabling of one distribution box port to other ports. You can also copy the entire cable configuration from one module to any other compatible module in your IAB workspace.

Power Networks Configuration. IAB 7 will allow you to add three new types of network to your configurations: three-phase power networks, control power networks, and auxiliary power networks (the BETA release includes only three-phase and control power networks). The interface for each of these networks is very similar to the interface for the communication networks like DeviceNet, ControlNet, and EtherNet/IP. You will be able to add devices to the power networks by ‘drag & drop’ or through right-clicking a device. A network wizard lets you make default physical media choices, which you can modify for each individual device on the network.

NOTE: The initial release of 3-phase power network configuration for IAB 7 will not include final functionality for some features of power network configuration (voltage drop calculation, some fusing calculations, and auxiliary power networks. These features should all be available via Current Update before the end of the year.)

IAB Integration with Motion Analyzer and Motion Selector. Now users can right click on any motion control module in IAB and select Configure Axes. This will launch a Motion Control Wizard that will let users launch Motion Analyzer and Motion Selector to configure the motion control axes associated with the motion control module. When axes configuration is complete, the motion control bill of materials is imported into IAB and included within the IAB project bill of materials. At this time, no graphical display of SERCOS networks is provided.

1606 Power Supplies for DeviceNet. IAB 7 supports Rockwell Automation Bulletin 1606 DeviceNet power supplies.

Download & installation
The following link will take you to the IAB 7 BETA install/download site:

Download : http://raiseinstall.rockwellautomation.com/iab7-new/setup.htm

When you go to the download site, first click on the ‘Install’ button.

This will take you to a screen that offers you some options. You can:

Whichever way you choose to run the installer, just follow the on-screen instructions. Note that the download is quite large (about 590 MB).

Price File
IAB is shipped without pricing included. You need to supply a price file in Excel .csv format that includes columns for catalog number, description, and price. You can use any price file that is in .csv form. Please contact your Rockwell Automation Sales representative for additional information on pricing.

To add a price file in IAB, select Option > IAB Options from the menu bar, or click the IAB Options button, and select the Pricing tab. In the dialog that appears, you can browse to add a new price file or files. In the list of price files added, use the up and down arrows to move the selected price file up or down in the list. When IAB creates the bill of materials it searches the price files in the order listed and uses the first instance of a catalogue number it finds to provide the description and price, ignoring later instances. Click the Edit button to specify the columns of the selected price file that contain the catalog number, description, and price.

Using IAB
Included with the IAB installation are two lab exercise documents:

Feedback
If you have any feedback, e-mail it with any project files you saved to iab_support@ra.rockwell.com. Include your contact information in the e-mail. You can report bugs at any time or ask questions using the e-mail address listed above.