Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
(OP)
Can anyone recommend a Windows spreadsheet program that understands engineering units?
E.g. will convert values automatically between units I have specified, and automatically display the units of the results of expressions of values in units e.g. energy (J) / mass (g) / temperature (J) -> specific heat (J/g/K).
Thanks.
E.g. will convert values automatically between units I have specified, and automatically display the units of the results of expressions of values in units e.g. energy (J) / mass (g) / temperature (J) -> specific heat (J/g/K).
Thanks.





RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
David Simpson, PE
MuleShoe Engineering
"Belief" is the acceptance of an hypotheses in the absence of data.
"Prejudice" is having an opinion not supported by the preponderance of the data.
"Knowledge" is only found through the accumulation and analysis of data.
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
http://joshmadison.com/convert-for-windows/
--Scott
www.wertel.pro
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
Uconeer
Good luck,
Latexman
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
Good on ya,
Goober Dave
Haven't see the forum policies? Do so now: Forum Policies
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
Alternately, TK Solver can handle units and has an Excel add-on that might do what you want.
Speaking of which, if you give more context and more information, it's more likely that someone will be able to come up with a solution. Withholding usage scenarios only makes it harder to find a solution.
TTFN
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RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
=====================================
(2B)+(2B)' ?
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
... which looks like it was written by the work-experience kid over a coffee break.
I've had a convert UDF on my to-do list for quite some time, and it's still there. I may lift it up the list a bit (but please don't anyone hold there breath waiting).
Doug Jenkins
Interactive Design Services
http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
So buy the kid a bagel and tell him to get back to work on it.
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
More details here:
http://spreadsheets.about.com/od/excel2010function...
Doug Jenkins
Interactive Design Services
http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
http://blog.contextures.com/archives/2011/07/13/ex...
Doug Jenkins
Interactive Design Services
http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
Dik
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
www.csun.edu/science/ref/spreadsheets/xls/conversi...
I like this one because you can see how he has derived the results and also it has some notes on some of the peculiarities of unit conversion.
Doug Jenkins
Interactive Design Services
http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
K. Stifle, P.E.
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
The download file provides open source UDF's to convert to and from SI and a list of 344 non-SI units (taken from Wikipedia).
It's version 0.0, so no doubt there are some errors, and things that could be improved.
Any comments gratefully received.
Download from: http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/2012/07/11/un...
Doug Jenkins
Interactive Design Services
http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
On the last page of any engineering spreadsheets I do, I set up the last worksheet for engineering conversions and other stuff.
CODE
Column B shows the formula, not the values. I name the cells in column B, in this case, "in", "ft", "lb" and "furlong" respectively. Column C is just for information
Anywhere else in my spreadsheet, when I enter a value in units like lb.in, I go =210*lb*in, and it comes out in N.m.
For something like pressure, I would go 14.7*lb/in^2, and it comes out in N/m^2 (Pa).
--
JHG
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
Doug Jenkins
Interactive Design Services
http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
Your spreadsheet document looks like probably the best solution that can be delivered in a spreadsheet document - well done!
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
OK, I can add that. It will look something like:
If you have:
Row 1: a 100 kN
Row 2: b 10 m
Row 3: = a * b (text)
Then =EvalU(A3, A1:C2) will return 1000 kN.m
Or you could use =EvalU("= a * b", A1:C2) with the same result.
Anything else you would like?
I'm not exactly clear what you mean by a "spreadsheet program" as opposed to a "spreadsheet document".
Doug Jenkins
Interactive Design Services
http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
I have the program. It is a spreadsheet.
I can enter my values and the units, and have everything convert to my standard units. Since Excel and Libre (Open) Office allow you to name spreadsheet cells, you have no problems writing out expressions in a format you can understand.
--
JHG
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
A spreadsheet program is e.g. Excel. a spreadsheet document is e.g. an XLS. A Windows program can do more than can a spreadsheet document.
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
The program I described does this:
Your spreadsheet, clever though it is, does not do that.
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
Again, some confusion in terminology. While Excel is a program, that does not mean that a spreadsheet does not contain a program; to wit, any VBA content means that a spreadsheet document can run a VBA program, and so it's more than just a document, and would be properly described as a "spreadsheet program."
If you mean a Windows program that reads and executes spreadsheets, then you are out of luck; you're back to SMath and Mathcad. TK!Solver is probably the closest thing to what you apparently want:
http://www.uts.com/ItemDetails.asp?ItemID=0100-50-...
TTFN
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RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
Yet does not meet the requirement: a spreadsheet program.
> you are out of luck
So it seems! Thanks, all.
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
TTFN
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RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
Here's an interesting article:
http://www.uts.us.com/resourcecenter/customersucce...
“The important thing is that TK behaves for me exactly the way a spreadsheet doesn’t.”
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
Doug Jenkins
Interactive Design Services
http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
OK, the feature you wanted is a little harder than I first thought, but it should be doable.
But I must say that converting values to/from one specified system of units from/to another specified system of units (or base SI units) seems to me like the basic functionality needed in a "units aware" spreadsheet, and that's what my spreadsheet does.
Doug Jenkins
Interactive Design Services
http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
That would be great.
> But I must say that converting values to/from one specified system of units from/to another
> specified system of units (or base SI units) seems to me like the basic functionality needed
> in a "units aware" spreadsheet
Agreed. I accept I am asking for more than basic.
You asked: Anything else you would like? My answer: no - that's all I am missing.
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
OK, I should have something presentable within a few days (depending on time required for paid work :))
Doug Jenkins
Interactive Design Services
http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/2012/07/31/un...
Please have a look and let me know of any problems, or suggestions for improvement.
Doug Jenkins
Interactive Design Services
http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
- Since the OP specifically mentioned specific heat, I have added specific heat units (SI only at the moment).
- When no output units are specified the function generates a result value and units. Previously these were discarded if the output units were not recognised, but the value will be valid so I have changed it so that the value and units are returned as long as all the input units are recognised.
Doug Jenkins
Interactive Design Services
http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
Can you give an example of something that doesn't work?
Doug Jenkins
Interactive Design Services
http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
TTFN
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RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
For stressess I will certainly add kgf/cm2, kgf/m2, and also kgf.cm and kgf.m for moments. At the moment I don't intend to add ton/m2 and ton.m because of the numerous different "ton" definitions. Note that the "tonne" (1000 kg) is already listed as a unit of mass, but a tonne.m will not be a recognised unit of bending moment, so you won't be able to convert lbf ft to tonne.m, but you will be able to go from lbf ft to kgf.cm.
For specific heat I will add common non-SI units to the list, but they won't include BTU.kg-1.K-1 or other mixed systems (unless there are examples of mixed units in common use).
Regardless of what I add to the list, it is editable, so people can add whatever they like. I'll describe the procedure for doing that in my next blog post on the units topic.
Thanks for the feedback.
Doug Jenkins
Interactive Design Services
http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
My weapon of choice is still Mathcad.
TTFN
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RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
That's OK, I'm not aiming to take over the Mathcad market.
Not just yet anyway. :)
Doug Jenkins
Interactive Design Services
http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/2012/08/04/un...
Doug Jenkins
Interactive Design Services
http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
https://www.openmodelica.org/images/docs/Modelica-...
"The acausality makes Modelica library classes more reusable than traditional classes containing assignment
statements where the input-output causality is fixed"
which means that Modelica can solve for any variable defined in a system model.
TTFN
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RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
I was hoping I might get some feedback on my spreadsheet:
- Does it do what was wanted?
- If not, what is lacking?
- Any other comments?
Doug Jenkins
Interactive Design Services
http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
TTFN
FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
I have added the unit conversion functions to my concrete section analysis spreadsheet to make it "units aware".
More details and download at:
http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/2012/08/09/ul...
Also new is provision for the ACI concrete code (ACI318).
Doug Jenkins
Interactive Design Services
http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/2012/08/28/un...
I have also asked the Wikipedia people if they would like to post a link to it, but they seem a bit skeptical at the moment (uderstandably, I suppose), so if anyone thinks it's the best thing since sliced bread, could you post a comment to that effect here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Conversion_of_un...
If on the other hand you think it's a load of rubbish, please let me know :)
Doug Jenkins
Interactive Design Services
http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
Thanks,
Daniel
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
I'll have a look. Could you post the actual example you are having the problem with?
Doug Jenkins
Interactive Design Services
http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
The new version can be downloaded from: http://www.interactiveds.com.au/software/Units4Exc...
Doug Jenkins
Interactive Design Services
http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
Thanks,
Daniel
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
The problem with Pa was I had it defined in the table as m-2.N, rather than N.m-2. I forget why I did that, but I suspect it was a workaround for N not working properly, which stopped working when N was fixed. Anyway, now both N and Pa seem to work OK, both with other SI units and non-SI units.
One thing that still doesn't work as well as I would like is that it doesn't recognise N.m as being equivalent to J. The problem is that the way it is set up at the moment I can't specify N.m as being both a bending moment or torque and energy. I'll see if I can fix that in the next version.
Download as before: http://www.interactiveds.com.au/software/Units4Exc...
Doug Jenkins
Interactive Design Services
http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
Thanks,
Daniel
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
Doug Jenkins
Interactive Design Services
http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
http://www.aibase-cs.com/quantities.html
It's not a true spreadsheet program, because calculations are based on script, and version 3 has no functions to create large tables. It might be of interest though if not an office-like spreadsheet is required, but free-form documents with calculations.
RE: Spreadsheet program for engineering units?
It is a very practical Excel Technical Calculation Tool that requires no iteration, formulation, isolating variables, re-writing equations and replacing unknown variables.