Electrical Engineering Drawing
Electrical Engineering Drawing
The ability to read and understand information contained on drawings is essential to perform most engineering-related jobs. Engineering drawings are the industry’s means of communicating detailed and accurate information on how to fabricate, assemble, troubleshoot, repair, and operate a piece of equipment or a system.
To understand how to “read” a drawing it is necessary to be familiar with the standard conventions, rules, and basic symbols used on the various types of drawings. But before learning how to read the actual “drawing,” an understanding of the information contained in the various non-drawing areas of a print is also necessary. This chapter will address the information most commonly seen in the non-drawing areas of a nuclear grade engineering type drawing.
Block Diagram
A block diagram is a type of electrical drawing that represents the principle components of a complex system in the form of blocks interconnected by lines that represent their relation. It is the simplest form of electrical drawing as it only highlights the function of each component and provides the flow of process in the system.
Block diagram are easier to design and is the first stage in designing a complex circuit for any project. It lacks the information about the wiring and placement of individual components. It only represents the main components of the system and ignores any small components. This is why; electricians do not rely on block diagram.
Schematics Circuit Diagram
The schematic diagram of an electrical circuit shows the complete electrical connections between components using their symbols and lines. Unlike wiring diagram, it does not specify the real location of the components, the line between the components does not represent real distance between them.
it helps in showing the series and parallel connection between the components and the exact terminal connection between them. One can easily troubleshoot certain schematic by applying electronic circuit theory.
It is the most common type of electrical drawing and are mostly used in implementing electrical circuits by technician. Most engineering student rely of schematic diagram while developing various electrical projects.
Single Line Diagram or One-line Diagram
Single Line diagram (SLD) or one-line diagram is the representation of an electrical circuit using a single line. As the name suggests, a single line is used to denote the multiple power lines such as in 3 phase system.
Single line diagram does not show the electrical connections of the component but it may show the size and ratings of the components being used. it simplify complex 3 phase power circuits by showing all the electrical components and their interconnection.
They are used for determining and isolating any faulty equipment in any power system during troubleshooting.
Wiring Diagram
The wiring diagram is used for the representation of electrical components in their approximate physical location using their specific symbols and their interconnections using lines. Vertical and horizontal lines are used to represent wires and each line represents a single wire that connects between electrical components.
Wiring diagram shows a pictorial view of the components such that it resembles its electrical connection, arrangement and position in real circuit. It really helps in showing the interconnections in different equipment such as electrical panel and distribution boxes etc. they are mostly used for wiring installation in home and industries.
Pictorial Diagram
The pictorial diagram does not necessarily represent the actual circuit. In fact it shows the visual appearance of the circuit in real time. it cannot be used to understand or troubleshoot the actual circuit and for this reason alone, it is not commonly used. For someone with less knowledge of electrical, it is impossible to understand how the circuit works and diagnose it.
Solar Industry Basics
Ladder diagram are electrical diagrams that represents an electrical circuits in industries to document control logic systems. It resemble a ladder which is why it is named ladder diagram. There are two vertical lines; the left vertical line represents power rail (voltage source) while the right vertical line represents the ground or neutral. Each horizontal row represents a parallel circuit called rung.
A ladder diagram is simple, easier to understand and helps in troubleshooting the circuit quickly.
