Power Line Systems, Inc. 610 N. Whitney Way, Suite 160
Madison, WI 53705, U.S.A.
Phone: (608) 238-2171, Fax: (608) 238-9241
Email: info@powline.com
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Fall 2012 Newsletter

In this issue:

  1. Version 12.30 Released!
  2. Upcoming Classes and Events
  3. 2013 Advanced Training and User Group Meeting
  4. Web Site Additions
  5. Current Versions

Version 12.30 Released!

We are now shipping Version 12.30 of all our programs. A summary of the most significant changes is included below.  A complete change log will be included with any upgrade and the changes are documented in the new version 12.30 manuals.

Top PLS-CADD v12.30 Improvements

  1. Now supports Windows 8.
  2. Made many recurring error messages suppressible (redirect them to an error log window instead of requiring them to be OK'd in a message box).
  3. "Drafting/Attachments/Attachment Manager" now supports a "Plan view vertical plane" image attachment mode for locating GPS camera images in the plan coordinate system. Program will automatically extract image coordinates and azimuth angle from GPS camera (including iPhone) EXIF data when present.
  4. "Drafting/Structure & Section Labeling" dialog replaces and greatly expands upon capability formerly in "View/Display options/Profile View Structure & Section Labels".
    1. Program now maintains different settings for plan, profile, sheet profile, and sheet plan views.
    2. Order in which items (station, offset, structure number...) are displayed is now user controllable.
    3. Prefix and Suffix associated with each item can be changed by double clicking on the item. One can for example revise the default "Sta=" prefix on station labels or remove the default newline suffix to get multiple items on a single line.
    4. Wind and weight spans, including left and right side contributions, can now be labeled. This is done by right clicking in the Prefix or Suffix edit boxes and selecting the option to be labeled from the pop up menu.
    5. "Inset View" tab has check boxes for "Draw structure geometry" (Geometry defined in PLS-POLE or TOWER) and "Draw Structure Imagery" (photos attached to PLS-POLE or TOWER structures).
  5. Custom symbols can now be drawn at Structure Center, Pole Bases, Tower Leg Bases and Guy Anchor locations. Different sets of symbols can be used in the Plan, Profile, 3D, Sheet Plan, Sheet Profile and Sheet Inset views. Symbols are selected in the new "Structure" tab within the "Sections/Display Options" dialog box.
  6. Complete overhaul of "Lines/Reports/Construction Staking Report":
    1. Better control over reference hubs to display (centerline, structure, foundation joints, guy anchors, PI)
    2. Option to include graphic views (plan, transverse, longitudinal and isometric views) with user control over hubs, display of wires, set/phase labels, imagery....
    3. Option to include separate "PI Staking Report", "Staking Data by Structure Report" and "Material List".
    4. Optional column showing connection and property information.
    5. Above settings are now saved to PPS file.
  7. Structure interaction diagrams and wind and weight span strength definitions can now have limit on percent of maximum wind span, percent of maximum weight span and minimum weight span from a single side. Single side limits are accessible via "Edit Single Side Limits" in the dialog boxes used to set wind and weight span limits and interaction diagrams.
  8. "Criteria/Structure Loads/Wind Direction" now has a "MAX: Global wind direction producing maximum structure usage for M4 structures and maximum base moment for M1/M2/M3 structures".
  9. New "Include chained insulators in L2 and L3 models" option under "Criteria/SAPS Finite Element Sag-Tension" allows modeling of insulators supported by other insulators. Earlier versions only included the insulators supporting wires in the L2-L3 FE model. Modeling the supporting insulators allows more accurate modeling of situations involving swing brackets modeled as 2-part insulators and floating dead-ends (strain on end of a suspension or 2-part).
  10. Added surveyed temperature for each span feature accessible in "Sections/Modify".
    1. Set automatically when using "Sections/Thermal Calculations../Batch Thermal Calculator"
    2. "Section/Modify", "Sections/Global Display" and "Sections/Table" allow selection of "*** Surveyed Wire Temp. ***" as the display WC to display sections at their surveyed wire temperatures.
    3. "*** Surveyed Wire Temp. ***" weather case is also supported by "Sections/Sag-Tension", "Lines/Reports/Summary/Structure Attachment Coordinates", and "Sections/Graphical Sag".
    4. Surveyed temperature can be displayed on drawings using "Drafting/Structure & Section Labels/Wire Labels/Label wires with their surveyed temperature".
  11. "Sections/Thermal Calculations" now supports IEEE Standard 738-2012 which can result in core strand temperature hotter than outer strands. It also allows optional override of emissivity and absorptivity values from cable file. Resistance calculations for IEEE 738-2012 and CIGRE now provide for input of radial thermal coefficient and use average of core and outer strand temperatures when calculating resistance.

Major Improvements to TOWER and PLS-POLE

You can use Help/Download Upgrade to upgrade to version 12.30 today.

Classes and Events

We would like to extend a thank you to all of you who visited with us at the at the IEEE T&D, Cigre and the ASCE ETS Conferences this year. Next year you will you will be able to meet with us at the 2013 PLS-CADD Advanced Training and User Group Meeting which will be held July 16-18, 2013 in Madison, WI.

We have scheduled the following classes:

Please let us know if you would like to be added to the notification list for new classes.

2013 Advanced Training and User Group Meeting

The 2013 ATUG has been scheduled for July 16-18, 2013 here in beautiful Madison, Wisconsin. Please email Otto Lynch if you would like to request that a topic be covered or to volunteer to make a presentation.

Web Site Additions

Current Versions

The current shipping versions of our software are listed below. These versions support Windows XP, Vista, 7 and 8 (both 32 and 64 bit). Note that we no longer support operating systems prior to Windows XP SP2. We strongly recommend you run a 64 bit edition of Windows so that you may take advantage of the enormous investment we have made in the x64 Edition.

PLS-CADD12.3032 bit and x64 Editions
PLS-POLE12.3032 bit and x64 Editions
TOWER12.3032 bit and x64 Editions
SAPS12.3032 bit and x64 Editions
CAISSON12.3032 bit Edition Only

We strongly encourage you to upgrade to the current release of all the applications you own. To do so please use the Help/Download Upgrade command built into your PLS software. This would also be a good time to use the Help/Check for Updated Manual command to obtain the version 12.30 edition of the manuals. As always, we welcome your suggestions and comments on our software.


Staff of Power Line Systems, Inc.


© 2012 Power Line Systems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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