Electrical Schematics

Overview

There are many different software platforms for creating clean and usable wiring diagrams, and this page is not intended to teach you how to use each one. Rather, the intent is to suggest a few platforms that have been used successfully by the lab in the past, and provide helpful sources for learning about and using those programs.

Software Options

• KiCad
• [Fritzing(#fritzing)

KiCad

Sources

• Reference Designators:

Reference designators are sets of 1+ uppercase characters that unambiguously identify a given component on a PCB. The link is to the Wikipedia page on reference designators which contains a full list of designators. This list is useful when creating new components, as KiCad prompts the user for a "Default Reference Designator" on creation.

• VDE & IEC Color Abbreviations:

There are numerous standard abbreviations for wire color labeling - it's useful to do if you want future people to easily be able to read your real-life circuits, particularly if you're creating overall circuit diagrams. The line is from Hi-Tech Controls, inc. They probably know what they're doing . . .

Fritzing