Circuit diagram

A circuit diagram (or: wiring diagram, electrical diagram,

elementary diagram, electronic schematic) is a graphical
representation of an electrical circuit. A pictorial circuit diagram uses
simple images of components, while a schematic diagram shows the
components and interconnections of the circuit using standardized
symbolic representations. The presentation of the interconnections
between circuit components in the schematic diagram does not
necessarily correspond to the physical arrangements in the finished
device.[1]

Unlike a block diagram or layout diagram, a circuit diagram shows

the actual electrical connections. A drawing meant to depict the
physical arrangement of the wires and the components they connect
is called artwork or layout, physical design, or wiring diagram.

Circuit diagrams are used for the design (circuit design),

construction (such as PCB layout), and maintenance of electrical and
electronic equipment.

In computer science, circuit diagrams are useful when visualizing Comparison of pictorial and schematic
expressions using Boolean algebra.[2] styles of circuit diagrams

Symbols
Circuit diagrams are pictures with symbols that have differed from
country to country and have changed over time, but are now to a
large extent internationally standardized. Simple components often
had symbols intended to represent some feature of the physical
construction of the device. For example, the symbol for a resistor
dates back to the time when that component was made from a long
piece of wire wrapped in such a manner as to not produce
inductance, which would have made it a coil. These wirewound Common schematic diagram symbols
resistors are now used only in high-power applications, smaller (US symbols)
resistors being cast from carbon composition (a mixture of carbon
and filler) or fabricated as an insulating tube or chip coated with a
metal film. The internationally standardized symbol for a resistor is
therefore now simplified to an oblong, sometimes with the value in
ohms written inside, instead of the zig-zag symbol. A less common
symbol is simply a series of peaks on one side of the line representing
the conductor, rather than back-and-forth.

The linkages between leads were once simple crossings of lines. With
the arrival of computerized drafting, the connection of two The circuit diagram for a four-bit TTL
intersecting wires was shown by a crossing of wires with a "dot" or counter, a type of state machine
"blob" to indicate a connection. At the same time, the crossover was
simplified to be the same crossing, but without a "dot". However,
there was a danger of confusing the wires that were connected and not connected in this manner, if the dot
was drawn too small or accidentally omitted (e.g. the "dot" could disappear after several passes through a
copy machine).[4] As such, the modern practice for representing a 4-way wire connection is to draw a
straight wire and then to draw the other wires staggered along it with "dots" as connections (see diagram), so
as to form two separate T-junctions that brook no confusion and are clearly not a crossover.[5][6]

For crossing wires that are insulated from one another, a small semi-circle symbol is commonly used to show
one wire "jumping over" the other wire[3][7][8] (similar to how jumper wires are used).
A common, hybrid style of
drawing combines the T-junction
crossovers with "dot" connections
and the wire "jump" semi-circle
symbols for insulated crossings.
In this manner, a "dot" that is too
small to see or that has
accidentally disappeared can still
be clearly differentiated from a
"jump".[3][7]

On a circuit diagram, the symbols

for components are labelled with
a descriptor or reference
designator matching that on the
list of parts. For example, C1 is
the first capacitor, L1 is the first
inductor, Q1 is the first transistor,
and R1 is the first resistor. Often
the value or type designation of
the component is given on the
Wire crossover symbols for circuit diagrams. The CAD symbol for insulated
diagram beside the part, but
crossing wires is the same as the older, non-CAD symbol for non-insulated crossing
detailed specifications would go
wires. To avoid confusion, the wire "jump" (semi-circle) symbol for insulated wires in
on the parts list.
non-CAD schematics is recommended (as opposed to using the CAD-style symbol
Detailed rules for reference for no connection), so as to avoid confusion with the original, older style symbol,
which means the exact opposite. The newer, recommended style for 4-way wire
designations are provided in the
connections in both CAD and non-CAD schematics is to stagger the joining wires
International standard IEC
61346. into T-junctions.[3]

Organization
It is a usual (although not universal) convention that schematic drawings are organized on the page from left
to right and top to bottom in the same sequence as the flow of the main signal or power path. For example, a
schematic for a radio receiver might start with the antenna input at the left of the page and end with the
loudspeaker at the right. Positive power supply connections for each stage would be shown towards the top
of the page, with grounds, negative supplies, or other return paths towards the bottom. Schematic drawings
intended for maintenance may have the principal signal paths highlighted to assist in understanding the
signal flow through the circuit. More complex devices have multi-page schematics and must rely on cross-
reference symbols to show the flow of signals between the different sheets of the drawing.

Detailed rules for the preparation of circuit diagrams, and other document types used in electrotechnology,
are provided in the international standard IEC 61082-1.

Circuit diagrams are often drawn with the same standardized title block and frame as other engineering
drawings.

Relay logic line diagrams, also called ladder logic diagrams, use another common standardized convention
for organizing schematic drawings, with a vertical power supply rail on the left and another on the right, and
components strung between them like the rungs of a ladder.

Artwork
Once the schematic has been made, it is converted into a layout that can be fabricated onto a printed circuit
board (PCB). Schematic-driven layout starts with the process of schematic capture. The result is what is
known as a rat's nest. The rat's nest is a jumble of wires (lines) criss-crossing each other to their destination
nodes. These wires are routed either manually or automatically by the use of electronics design automation
(EDA) tools. The EDA tools arrange and rearrange the placement of
components and find paths for tracks to connect various nodes. This
results in the final layout artwork for the integrated circuit or printed
circuit board.[9]

A generalized design flow may be as follows:

Schematic → schematic capture → netlist → rat's nest → routing

→ artwork → PCB development and etching → component
mounting → testing

Education A rat's nest

Teaching about the functioning of electrical circuits is often on primary

and secondary school curricula.[10] Students are expected to understand the rudiments of circuit diagrams
and their functioning. Use of diagrammatic representations of circuit diagrams can aid understanding of
principles of electricity.

Principles of the physics of circuit diagrams are often taught with the use of analogies, such as comparing
functioning of circuits to other closed systems such as water heating systems with pumps being the
equivalent to batteries.[11]

See also
Boxology
Circuit design language
Electronic symbol
Logic gate
One-line diagram
Pinout
Schematic capture
Schematic editor

References
1. Circuit diagrams and component layouts (http://www.kpsec.freeuk.com/cdiags.htm)
2. Herzfeld, Noreen (2012). Computer Concepts and Applications. Minnesota: College of Saint Benedict/St.
John's University. pp. 9[6]–9[12].
3. "Circuit Symbols" (http://electronicsclub.info/circuitsymbols.htm). electronicsclub.info. Retrieved 2 August
2014.
4. "It is good practice to never use a + connection with a dot. Why? The dot can disappear when the
schematic is copied for the 12th time." – "Notes on Reading Schematics" (http://www.siteswithstyle.com/
VoltSecond/Schematic_notes/Schematic_reading_notes.html) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/201
11008031902/http://www.siteswithstyle.com/VoltSecond/Schematic_notes/Schematic_reading_notes.htm
l) 2011-10-08 at the Wayback Machine
5. "We recommend against using a 4-way connection point ... To avoid confusion, use only three-way
connections." – "Design News Gadget Freak Submission Guidelines" (http://www.engr.colostate.edu/~dg
a/mech307/project_report_samples/GF_Guidelines_8.pdf) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/201109
29002946/http://www.engr.colostate.edu/~dga/mech307/project_report_samples/GF_Guidelines_8.pdf)
2011-09-29 at the Wayback Machine
6. "Wires connected at 'crossroads' should be staggered slightly to form two T-junctions" – "The Electronics
Club: Circuit Symbols" (http://www.kpsec.freeuk.com/symbol.htm)
7. "Electronic Circuit Symbols" (https://web.archive.org/web/20141013185140/http://www.circuitstoday.com/
electronic-circuit-symbols). www.circuitstoday.com. Archived from the original (http://www.circuitstoday.co
m/electronic-circuit-symbols) on 13 October 2014. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
8. Electronics Circuit Symbols (http://www.electronicshub.org/symbols/)
 9. R. S. Khandpur (2005). Printed circuit boards: design, fabrication, assembly and testing (https://books.go
ogle.com/books?id=m8sJBIMtETgC&q=circuit-diagram+artwork&pg=PA10). Tata McGraw-Hill. p. 10.
ISBN 978-0-07-058814-1.
10. BBC Bitesize. Circuits. https://www.bbc.com/education/topics/zq99q6f
11. Walker, M. D., & Garlovsky, D. (2016). Going with the flow: Using analogies to explain electric circuits (htt
ps://www.academia.edu/33380466/Going_with_the_flow_Using_analogies_to_explain_electric_circuits_
Going_with_the_flow_Using_analogies_to_explain_electric_circuits). School science review, 97(361),
51–58.

External links
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