Macro Codes

Macro codes are automatically created by the Simulate Variations and Generate Production Technical Variations process to rationalize the number of codes and reduce the number of variants generated, where certain conditions exist.

The process identifies wires that have multiple mutually exclusive codes assigned, if these codes are not split out individually on any other wire in the input set, they do not need to drive the variance calculations. The process combines them into a single macro code which results in a reduction of the number of variants it calculates.

Figure 461 shows the variant configuration (six variants) for a connector with codes on separate wires.

Figure 461: Individual Codes

However, if instead of having two wires HDD and DVD each with an individual code, there is one wire that has both codes assigned as mutually exclusive as in Figure 462. The variance is no longer driven by the two codes, the process merges them together to create a single macro code, which effectively reduces the number of variants to four.

Figure 462: Multiple Codes on Wires

The process considers codes for rationalizing into a macro code when all the following are true:

• The set of codes must exist as a complete set on wires in the candidate PM.

• No code included in the set exists split out on its own on any other wire in the candidate PM.

• All the relationships between all of the codes in the set are the same.

The process automatically names the macro code is by taking the next sequential PM code number and appending it with “_macro”, for example “PM1_macro”.

The Technical Variation output tab displays the result of the Macro creation see Figure 468.

Example

Consider a candidate production module using the connector and wires shown in Figure 463. Wires W-9 and W-10 have individual codes H-LHD and H-RHD assigned.

Figure 463: Two Wire Example

Run Simulate Variants (see Simulating Production Technical Variations from the PM Module Explorer).

Figure 464: Candidate Input Set 1

The following sixteen codes as in Figure 465 are created.

Figure 465: Simulation Results 1

If you configure the connector as in Figure 466 with wire W-9 assigned both codes H-LHD / H-RHD. The codes are mutually exclusive and they appear as a set against only this wire. They are not split out individually on any other wire in this candidate input set.

Figure 466: One Wire Example

Run Simulate Variations again.

Figure 467: Candidate Input Set 2

Figure 468 shows the generation results. The process has created Macro code “PM2_macro” which combines the H-LHD and H-RHD codes and reduces the number of variants from sixteen to eight.

Figure 468: Simulation Results 2

The full variant generation process (see Generating Production Technical Variations) also creates macro codes see (Figure 469).

Figure 469: PM Codes

Parent Topic:

Variant Production Module Generation

Capital Harness Designer User Guide, 2512

Unpublished work. © 2025 Siemens