Knowing how to read and interpret various types of electrical drawings are an essential skill that all electrical workers must posses to effectively carry out their tasks. The level of complexity within an electrical drawing will vary depending on the intended purpose and personnel working with the drawing.ĭesign engineers and technicians use schematics to build and troubleshoot complex circuits, while plant operators use single-line and riser diagrams to facilitate switching operations within their distribution system. Above is a quick table of common components and their name prefixes.Electrical Drawings and Schematics Overview 734×450 43 KBĭesigning, installing, and troubleshooting of electrical systems requires the use of various drawings to give engineers, installers, and technicians a visual representation of the systems they work with.Įlectrical equipment and circuitry is often expressed as symbols and lines that represent the various components and connections within a system. Other name prefixes are not so literal inductors, for example, are L's (because the current has already taken I ). For some components, like resistors, the prefix is just the first letter of the component. The prefixes of names are pretty well standardized. Each component name in an electrical drawing should be unique if you have multiple resistors in a circuit, for example, they should be named R1, R2, R3, etc.Ĭomponents' names help us reference specific points in schematics. The letter part of the name represents the type of component - R's for resistors, C's for capacitors, U's for integrated circuits, etc. The value of a schematic component calls out its most important characteristic.Ĭommon components and their name prefixesĬomponent names usually consist of one or two letters and a number. Crystals might list their oscillating frequency as their value. For other components, like integrated circuits, the value may be the name of the chip. For electrical components like resistors, capacitors, and inductors, the value tells us how many ohms, farads, or henries they have. To identify the polarity of the physical part, a general rule of thumb is to find out which metal lead wire is longer. For most symbols, polarity is included in the symbol. It means that you have to attach it in a specified way. Some components to a circuit board are polarized, meaning that one side is positive and the other negative. The user can follow the same path that the signal uses to understand what the signal does or how it is being modified. The signal generated or used by the circuit will flow in this direction. With rare exceptions, schematics should be read left to right and top to bottom. Read schematics in the pattern that you would read the text. The traditional use of capacitors in modern circuits is to draw noise, which is inherently a rapidly changing signal, away from the signal of interest and drain it away to the ground. They are used to scale and shape the signal.Ĭapacitors: Used to control rapidly changing signals, as opposed to the static or slowly changing signals that are conditioned by resistors. Resistors: Act to impede the flow of the circuit to an extent determined by the resistance value used. If they do connect, they will cross, and a dot will be seen at the point where the lines cross. If they do not connect, one will be shown looping around the other in a semicircle. Wires may cross each other on an electrical drawing, but that does not necessarily mean that they connect. All points along the wire are identical and connected. Wires: Used to link the devices together. It does not refer to the actual ground of the earth. Ground is a common reference point that schematics use to show the overall unity of the various functions of the circuit. Ground: Represented by either a triangle pointing down or a set of parallel lines that become shorter as they appear below each other, in effect representing the inner area of the triangle pointing down. Motors are displayed by bumps along the line. Thermostat: Is a kind of thermal switch that is triggered by the changes of temperature.įuse: Represented by a slight zigzag in the line. It looks like the flip of a light switch. Switches: Symbolized by an opening or break in the line. When the current passes through the lamp, it will produce light. Lamp: Usually represented as a circle with a cross inside it. Knowing the meanings of basic electrical symbols in your electrical drawing will help you quickly understand and troubleshooting the circuit. Familiarize with Standardized Electrical Symbols
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