The job description of Intools (smartplant) administrator may vary among each company. Some company assign the intools administrator to the system engineer while some others assign it to instrument engineer. In applying a vacancy for intools administrator, one should make sure the details and limit of the responsibility.
The complete skills for Intools administrator shall encompass the following subject:
- Understanding of database (oracle, MySQL) installation and connecting the database to Intools also maintaining the database such as regular back-up, exporting/importing huge number of data, merging two database, etc.
- Understanding of project and its structure to create database in proper manner in accordance with project requirement.
- Understanding of instrument subject to neatly manage data of instrument type, numbering, assignment (such as specification form).
The first point is usually expertised by system engineer while the late two proficiencies are possessed by instrument engineer. It is recommended to conversant all of the above skills, however both system engineer and instrument engineer are broad subjects. So to make it works either having all the above skill or assign one system engineer and one instrument engineer with their own expertise combined with clear battery limit of responsibility.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Intools (Smartplant) Administrator Responsibility
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Signal Fails to Propagate on Wiring System
Some users might encounter the problem that a signal of one tag number does not propagate during making a wiring connection from one panel/device to another panel. Instead of showing the tag number itself, the wiring is indicating “SPARE” (or default cable name), see below picture. This condition mostly occurs because the wiring connection is not made sequentially form the left to right or vice versa. 
The following is steps how to rectify this problem:
1. Klik on the screw on the terminal strip. The dialog box will open, then select the signal that we want to assign.
2. Now the signal name appears on the wiring connection.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Device Panel and Field Run Wiring in Intools
Intools provide feature for wiring works, such as creating wiring diagram for junction box or cabinet, loop diagram and cable schedule. The interesting thing is once you create a wired instrument tag number such as transmitter, switch, solenoid; Intools will automatically generate the device panel and its field run cable if you have defined the setting previously. This setting is done on instrument type setting section.
However some engineers often forget to set it in the beginning and just realize that the cable is missing when working in wiring and after creating the tag number in Intools. Rather than creating and renaming a single cable under the wiring module, it is preferred to rectify the instrument type and then generate the device and cable via index module to eliminate some issue in the future which is related to wiring works and loop diagram generation.
The following step describe how to re-generate device panel and cable if you have created the tag number:
1. Go to instrument type section
Open instrument index module >> Action >> Instrument Type..
2. Click profile on the selected instrument type
On Wiring and Control System Tab, make sure the "include wiring", "control system" and Default device panel is properly filled
3. Go to instrument index browser
Open instrument index module >> Browse >> Right click on the selected tag number >> Select Generate Device Panel and Cable
If you want to learn from the beginning, Intools tutorial module complete with step by step instruction is available along with the Intools installer.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Data Sheet Works in Intools with Limitied Number or License
Smartplant Instrumentation (formerly known as Intools) requires license like any other software. During execution of a project, the number of licenses used within a project may vary from only one license up to tens of licenses. If cost becomes major concern and the budget is limited, the number of licenses could be reduced by the following tricks. However this trick is only applicable for data sheet work which is prepared by more than one Instrument engineer. This trick could not be applied to other works such as wiring, loop, hook-up.
This procedure needs Intools External Editor, a freeware that can be downloaded in Integraph website. Please note that the version of Intools External Editor shall be compatible with that of Smartplant Instrumentation.
One engineer will be assigned as the Intools operator for exporting the blank specification sheet, the other Instrument engineers shall fill in the specification sheet (data sheet) using Intools External Editor without using Intools software. Once it is completed, the Intools operator shall import it back to Intools.
The following is the procedure of this work:
Exporting specification sheet (creating .isf files) – by Intools operator
Filling detail data in specification sheet using Intools – by Instrument engineer
Importing specification sheet – by Intools operator
Summary: This method allows the progress of data sheet preparation work to be faster even if only one license is available. Instead of using Intools with many licences, by using one license only, the Intools operator does export and import the files to be filled by multiple Instrument engineers using Intools external editor.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Split window in Intools instrument index browser
Put the cursor on the left corner of the table. Click and drag to the right as required.
Now we have split window and filling each field is easier.
Read More..
Friday, May 29, 2009
Batch Print of Intools Specification Sheets
Printing few spec sheets is easy. However, if the data sheet contains hundreds of spec sheets, it is a big job to do. The following is how to do batch print of multiple specification sheets:
(3) Open specification module and select Report>>Print Specs into PDF File
(4) New dialog window will open. Here you need to enter file name, just click browse and then select any pdf file (This is a bug in intools, just select any pdf file you have. Yes, it will prompt you to overwrite, click YES and don’t worry as when it is ready to print to pdf file, new window will come up to enter new file name so your existing file will not be overwritten – see point 7 below). Then click FIND to select the tag numbers.
(5) "Select Entities window" will open, click FIND and choose tag number as required. Multi selection can be done by using CTRL+Click or SHIFT+Click on the tag numbers.
(6) Once finish click OK and it will return to previous window. Click OK and intools will start creating temporary file.
(7) After temporary file (.psr) of all selected tag number has been created, new window will come up. Here you need to enter new file name, so previously selected file name (point 3) will not be overwritten.
(8) Having been entered a new file name, sometimes it will have error message of Acrobat Distiller. Just click OK to continue printing.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
About Intools
Intools is also able to calculate instrument which normally needs to be sized like control valve, pressure safety valve, orifice etc.
By using Intools during detailed design project, documentation such as instrument data sheet, instrument index, I/O list, junction box connection list, calculation report, hook-up drawing, loop drawing, etc. could be generated with less effort than by conventional way.
Intools is also well customized; user can add field as required in certain project phase such as procurement data (PO number, Requisition No, Item No), construction data (installed date, pre-commissioning date), etc. Also every template e.g. specification form, loop diagram drawing, hook-up drawing can be modified extremely since drawing template can be done in AUTOCAD.
The advantage of using Intools is more, for example:
- Duplicate tag is impossible
- Error related to inconsistency could be avoided
- Creating multiple documents in one go
Read More..
