Circuit Diagram Symbols

Whether you are an electronics or physics student or an electrical or electronic technician or engineer, you have to deal with the circuit diagrams in your daily life. The students learn and practice it to fit into the electrical or electronics job market, and the engineers work daily with circuit diagrams to produce the best product for their clients.

But you all know that the circuit diagram is incomplete without the circuit diagram symbols. These symbols are the primary component of the circuit diagram, and without these symbols, the circuit diagram can never be completed. In this article, we will tell you about the essential circuit symbols you should know. We will also recommend you to make circuit diagram symbols using the well-known software the EdrawMax.

So, what are the circuit symbols? The circuit symbols represent the various electrical and electronic components in a circuit diagram in the electrical and electronics world. Like transistors, ground, wires, bulbs, batteries, resistors, etc. Without these symbols, we will never be understood and analyze what the circuit diagram is trying to explain to us. Using these symbols correctly is essential, and this will be possible when you understand the symbol’s usage and functionality.

How the Circuit Symbols form the Circuit Diagram

Usually, there are two ways to represent the circuit diagram, and these two are:

• Representing the circuit by symbols.
• Representing the circuit by words.

Representing the circuit by words is an easy process. For example, the battery is connected to the resistor. This is very easy to understand, but when the diagrams become bigger and complex, you have to use circuit diagrams and symbols to represent them. It makes the person quickly analyze the circuit that what is happening.

When you connect each symbol, this makes a circuit diagram, and that is why it is mentioned above that there is no circuit diagram without circuit symbols. In short, electronic symbols simplify our understanding of the circuit. It saves our time and makes it easy.

This is the circuit diagram of the mobile phone charger. Now see if we make our draft with words. It will become so time-consuming to understand the basic structure, but with the help of circuit symbols and diagrams, it is easy to analyze the structure of a charger.

There are many circuit symbols as there are many electrical components. There is a symbol representing each electrical component, but we will only see the frequently used symbols and their usage and types.

Wires

A straight line represents the wire. The primary function of wire is to connect two or more electrical devices and transfer electricity from one point to another. Wires are made for different purposes, and for these purposes, their structure varies. Some of the types of wire are listed below.

• Flexible cables
• Direct-buries cables
• Heliax cables
• Metallic sheathed cable
• Non-metallic sheathed cable

Switches

This is how the electrical switch is represented through the symbol. The function of the switches can be easily understood by reading its name. It switches the current, interrupts the current, or diverts it from one device to another. And this switch makes the device ON or OFF. The types of switch include.

• Single Pole Single Throw Switch
• Single Pole Double Throw Switch
• Double Pole, Single Throw Switch
• Double Pole Double Throw Switch

Power Sources

This is how power sources or battery is represented. The main function of the power source is to provide the electric current to the devices connected with it. Without power, our circuit will never work. Some of the types of power sources are listed below.

• AC Power Supply
• DC Power Supply
• Regulated Power Supply
• Uninterruptible Power Supply

As the type changes, their function also changes.

Ground

This symbol represents the ground. The function of the ground is to provide a reference voltage, and from this ground voltage, we measure and maintain all other voltages in the circuit. Some of the types are:

• Earth ground
• Circuit ground
• Signal ground

Resistor

The essential functions of the resistors are to divide the voltages, adjust the signal level, reduce the current flow, terminate transmission lines, and bias active elements. The types of resistors are:

• Variable Resistors
• Metal Film Resistors
• Metal Oxide Resistors
• Metal Strip Resistors

Variable Resistor

The primary function of the variable resistor is that it gives more control to the user that he can vary the resistance according to his needs. The types include:

• Rheostat Resistor
• Digital Resistor
• Presets Resistor
• Potentiometer Resistor

Capacitor

The function of a capacitor is that it stores and releases the electrical current in the circuit. The types of capacitors are:

• Ceramic capacitors
• Film and paper capacitors
• Aluminum, tantalum, and niobium capacitors

Inductors

The inductor stores the electrical energy in the variant of mechanical energy. The types of inductors include:

• Steel Core Inductor
• Solid Ferrite Cores
• Molded Inductors
• Ceramic Core Inductors

Diodes

The above symbol represents the diode that allows the current to pass only in one direction and blocks the current to flow in the opposite direction. The types of the diode are:

• Light Emitting Diode
• Zener diode
• Photodiode
• PN junction diode
• Laser diode

Transistor

The function of the transistor varies. It can do controlling, amplifying, switching, and signal to modulate, etc. The main types of transistors are:

• Insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs)
• Field-effect transistors (FETs)
• Bipolar junction transistors (BJTs)

Logic Gates

Logic gates are used to do logical operations on one or more binary inputs. They are simply 0 and 1. AND is the logical operator which multiplies two binary numbers, OR adds, and so on. The types are:

• AND
• OR
• NOR
• NOT
• XOR
• NAND, etc.

Amplifiers

The work of the amplifier is to amplify the signals in the electrical current. The types of amplifiers are.

• Audio Frequency Amplifier
• Intermediate Frequency Amplifier
• Ultrasonic Amplifier
• Operational Amplifier

Antenna

Antennas are used in wireless networks. The main work of antennas is to receive and transmit signals from different wireless devices. Some types of antennas are:

• Parabolic or dish antenna
• Grid antenna
• Sector antenna
• Patch antenna

Transformer

The transformer is an electrical component. Its primary function is to transfer electrical current from one alternating-current circuit to another by stepping up or down the voltage. Some of the types of transformers are.

• Step-Up Transformer.
• Step-Down Transformer.
• Iron Core Transformer.
• Iron Core Transformer.

Ammeter and Voltmeter

The Ammeter is an electronic measuring device that measures the electrical current in the circuit. The Voltmeter is also a measuring device used to measure the potential difference(voltage) between the two devices in a circuit.

The types of ammeter include:

• Moving coil Ammeter
• Moving magnet Ammeter
• Digital Ammeter

The types of voltmeter include:

• Analog Voltmeters
• VTVMs and FET-VMs
• Digital Voltmeters

Miscellaneous

Connection Symbols

Source Symbols

Fuse Symbols

Lamp Symbols

Bell and Buzzer

Inductor Symbols

Relay Symbols

Phase Symbols

Semiconductor Symbols

Speaker

Conductor Symbols

Integrated Circuit Symbols

Digital Circuit Symbols

Using the correct circuit symbols in the correct places and needs is important because using the wrong symbol takes your production down. And you just can’t correct the wrong symbol by replacing it. You have to make the whole circuit from scratch. The best thing is to use circuit make circuit diagrams with the help of well-known software on the internet: EdrawMax.

EdrawMax is entirely free to use for your basic work. The software is easy to use and contains hundreds of pre-generated libraries to provide you with hundreds of electronic symbols. The software contains all the necessary and luxurious tools that will suffice you in your diagram making. Many experts recommend EdrawMax for diagram making. Anyone can use this software regardless of their professional background.

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