Electrical Design Program

[clbrof]

Hi

 

I am looking for a free program where I can draw my wiring diagrams.

 

I have tried using TinyCad however that still has issues and cannot save work on some OS.

 

Any other recommendations?

[b0atman]

A4 sheet and a pen should do it

[clbrof]

Done that, will look tatty in the owners manual required by the RCD.

[Tony Brooks]

Personally I would use Turbosketch (probably obsolete now) or a vector drawing package. I use Designworks (also known as Greenstreet Draw) but again they went pop years ago.

 

However none will do automatic routing or work out cable sizes for you. Both are cheap but not free. As I say, look at any vector drawing package, there must be free ones about.

[David Mack]

Inkscape is a free Vector drawign program that should do the trick. I've never got around to using it, but I know others who have. A quick google brings up links to people who have used it for circuit diagrams.

[clbrof]

Thanks

[Robbo]

Inkscape is a free Vector drawign program that should do the trick. I've never got around to using it, but I know others who have. A quick google brings up links to people who have used it for circuit diagrams.

Dia (http://dia-installer.de) is another good option.

Edited January 19, 2015 by Robbo

[dmr]

I've used DesignSpark for mine. Its a free download and I believe its related to RS components (must Never say RadioSpares!)

Its really a pcb layout thing but is also quite good for simple wiring diagrams and not too difficult to learn, an evening should be enough to get going.

 

.............Dave

[Dinz]

If you can drive a CAD system try this.

 

http://www.3ds.com/products-services/draftsight-cad-software/

 

Legitimate free and AutoCAD friendly!

[by'eck]

I used CorelDraw with good results. Below is one I did for data hook-up on my previous boat following electronics re-fit.

 

[Scholar Gypsy]

I used powerpoint for my wiring diagram. It was a bit tedious where wires cross - you put the top wire at the "front", on top of a small white square with no borders, on top of the wire underneath (at the "back").

 

PDF output downloadable here...

[Tony Brooks]

I used powerpoint for my wiring diagram. It was a bit tedious where wires cross - you put the top wire at the "front", on top of a small white square with no borders, on top of the wire underneath (at the "back").

 

PDF output downloadable here...

 

Just for information. Although I do exactly as you do with crossing wires on diagrams for ordinary boaters I understand that modern convention ha sit that you do not. You mark joints in wires with a dot so not dot will show its just a crossing cable rather than a joint.

[Scholar Gypsy]

 

Just for information. Although I do exactly as you do with crossing wires on diagrams for ordinary boaters I understand that modern convention ha sit that you do not. You mark joints in wires with a dot so not dot will show its just a crossing cable rather than a joint.

 

Thanks - that is interesting. I don't think my eye/brain combination can cope with that ....

[Chalky]

I use Visio. I'm using a paid for version however there are/were trial versions about. It has libraries of electrical components available, if not you can easily create your own. It also supports dynamic connections which mean that as you move a component it drags all of the wires with it. Where wires cross it shows a bridge.

Visio supports layers - I've used different layers for different circuit which has been very useful to simplify the diagram.

 

It also supports mechanical drawing and I've used it to draw boat plans and the plans for an extension to my house. (The plans were suitable for submitting to the council to obtain planning permission)

[by'eck]

 

Thanks - that is interesting. I don't think my eye/brain combination can cope with that ....

 

Well I think the one wire hopping over another convention went out of fashion at least 30 years ago. TBH even if crossing wires are the same colour its not an issue for me as long as the blobs indicating joints are very obvious.

[Scholar Gypsy]

 

Well I think the one wire hopping over another convention went out of fashion at least 30 years ago. TBH even if crossing wires are the same colour its not an issue for me as long as the blobs indicating joints are very obvious.

 

I freely confess I am a creature of habit. The last time I did a wiring diagram was indeed 32 years ago .....

[Dinz]

Of course for playtime!

 

http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/circuit-construction-kit-dc

[Scholar Gypsy]

Of course for playtime!

 

http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/circuit-construction-kit-dc

 

Thanks - that does indeed look quite fun!

 

I had a look at "batteries in series and parallel" but I don't think there is quite enough there to respond to some of the threads on the forum....

[George94]

I used CorelDraw with good results. Below is one I did for data hook-up on my previous boat following electronics re-fit.

 

 

Very neat. One presumes the boat wasn't a narrowboat.

[by'eck]

 

Very neat. One presumes the boat wasn't a narrowboat.

 

Thanks, and yes your right - it was a Contest 48 cutter rigged sloop in which I sailed over 30,000nm. After I sold it in Antigua, it was sailed back to the UK for the benefit of the new owner by a "professional" crew. Neither they or the new owner noticed that the main Garmin GPS mushroom had failed en-route. The mandatory one in the AIS transponder had taken over seamlessly - quite chuffed about that - another vote for redundancy..