SAmmerman

I have a fair few coaxial cables that are connected up via BNC barrels. Some of them are easy to handle because one section is labeled "1217" and the other is "1217 EXT", but I also have stuff like 2005 -> barrel -> 31. In those cases, I need to know where the barrel is located (FOH? video control room floor? machine room rack?). Also, regardless of the labeling, the 2 cables may be different types (we use 4 different kinds of Belden coaxial with various distance and bandwidth ratings). Advice, please?

Okay…. but having one category in Device Builder that looks exactly like all the others but destroys the custom layout of any devices you’ve created and saved in there, then uses an insertion tool for them that isn’t even selected - how is that helping with the learning curve?? It’s not made clear anywhere I saw that saving a device in a Distribution Amp folder is telling ConnectCAD “please always insert this with the DA tool in the future regardless of how it looked when I saved it.” That’s not at all intuitive, especially since no other kind of device acts that way, so if it’s going to keep working like that, there needs to be some extremely clear guidance about that workflow in future versions. Also, the ability to create a custom category in Device Builder would be helpful. As it stands, every DA type I use is in the “None” category, which doesn’t make them the easiest to find, especially if one of my co-workers who didn’t build the file is the one doing the looking.

I have 2 questions: 1) Why are Distribution Amps not available as normal device symbols? I have had to fight Connect CAD - to the point of creating a new device from scratch in the "none" category and deleting the version in the DA category - to get my Ross 8705A OpenGear DAs to show up as boxes in the schematic display. Having them as rectangular symbols, with the port layout set up to mimic the actual connector layout, is extremely helpful when troubleshooting a device whose real-life port labels are hidden by connectors! 2) Why can't we specify a starting number for a series of ports in Device Builder, or at least save a device with a numbering scheme other than the standard one? On the 8705A, there are 8 outputs - 4 per side - and, as aforementioned, it's really helpful to have them laid out as they are in the real world. ConnectCAD insists on numbering this layout 1-4 and 1-4, which means I have to manually re-number them and then copy/paste the corrected version as I place additional 8705As, because Device Builder won't save my numbering. This also would be very helpful when setting up large patch bay banks leading into and out of a video router, because the router I/O number that's connected to a patch point is a lot more important than the patch point's number within its bay.