Schematics are important. I got my resources from Bill Marsden and I am posting them here so it will be easier for you to make schematics. These work with MSpaint and probably some other programs. It takes about 5 or 6 drawings to get fluent in MSpaint. After that, it still takes time and it still qualifies as work, but schematics are important. Please help make this site more convenient.

 

Hello,

I agree.
A lot of posts do not have a schematic, wich makes giving an advice very difficult.

Here is a page with links to websites that will carry a lot of electronics symbols that can be used to create the schematics:
http://educypedia.karadimov.info/electronics/dataschematic.htm

For linux users I would recommend KoulorPaint, the paint package from KDE.

Bertus

 

I agree we it would be preferable to see more schematics. But for a beginner it would take a lot of time to make any schematic on a computer. It is much better then then to make a quick drawing on paper and take a snapshot of it. As for my own part I will not care much if it is upsidedown or sideways. As long as a readable schematic is posted

 

Over the years since first using Autocad I have amassed a large library of Electrical, Electronic, PLC, Hydraulic symbol libraries, so this is the medium I tend to work in, the only problem is that Acad unfortunately does not save in a format that can be viewed directly, so a conversion has to be done, and some do not bother or care to open PDF's etc.
Max.

 

Something I frequency recommend (and a few users do) is to take cell phone photos of hand drawn schematics. They are vastly superior to nothing, and not everyone has the patience or mental quirk I do about neat computer drawings.

I will likely steal your symbols and add them to mine #12. Your stuff is slightly out of date, I'm always adding new stuff, though it is hard to spot nowadays.

I keep my current work on my blog.

Bill's Blog

Introduction and PaintCAD

The latter link you can download the latest revisions.

 

There's a pretty simple online freebie at www.digikey.com/schemeit that has a lot of symbols and will export to a PNG or PDF file. You will have to register before you can save or export. Drew this in only a couple of minutes.

 

I draw all my schematics using LTspice, then use the LTS 'Print preview', screen-dump the view, and paste from the clipboard into my normal graphics program for cropping/annotating (if needed)/saving.

 

I use TINA for basically the same methodology as Alec t ... I just mark the area I want to copy and paste that into MSPaint and save as a png file. I make all my annotations right on the screen.

I do have VISIO also. But I can create macro's in TINA to make block diagrams if necessary ... with the underlying circuits, with the added benefit of doing the simulations with multiple blocks.

 

and not everyone has the patience or mental quirk I do about neat computer drawings

Not to mention that those who prefer Paint as their ECAD system clearly shows some hang to masochism

 

Out-dated? Masochistic? C'mon guys, no excuses. If your method is better than mine, I expect to see half a dozen schematics a day, that I didn't do, posted for the benefit of our noobs.

Yay, AAC!

Oh geeze. That's twice this week I got on the cheering squad. Must check for unusual substances in local water supply...

ps, Bill, I got those drawings from you in the first place. Welcome to them, one and all!

Short day today. Have to go fix plumbing problems. Somebody used a wrench to turn off a faucet

Now it leaks. Go figure.

 

I draw for the site and myself, never felt the need to impress anyone. While my schematics can not be simulated, they do look attractive because I take the time to draw them right. They do what I intend them to do, show people clearly what I am talking about. I also store a large number of schematics on my albums, which I believe is the largest of any out there.

So are you going to tell my tools are flawed and that I am flawed for using them?

Or just maybe I am good enough that what I chose to use for a tool isn't that important. I have drawn these schematics on a lot of machines, from Win98 to Win 7. I have tried to use them on Linux, but unfortunately the aliasing for the characters and lines using Kolour Paint is unacceptable. If they fix the character set issues, or I figure out how to turn aliasing off, it would work well too.

The big advantage of PaintCAD is portability, it will work on any windows computer. The power of the machine used is not even a consideration. If I have an internet connection I can be up and running after downloading it in minutes, can your other programs do that?

Normally I would not say something so self promoting, but I believe I am one of the best in this genre. Show me some one better in quality and quantity. I have my occasional brain farts, but I own up to them when I do.

Bill's Albums

These are a small sampling of the images I have put on this site over the years, a very small sampling.

I am not worried if no one else agrees. One of the ultimate measures of self confidence is knowing when you do something well. To bad it isn't a marketable job skill.

 

OK, here are my updated drawing. I'm not sure what the parenthesis symbols under my fuse symbols is, but I included them anyhow.

I also included a light symbol in your SSR.

I already had the fuse symbol and the and symbol (which I use for the plug in symbol).

Your sheet is first, mine is second.

I went ahead and updated the PaintCAD download in my blog.

 

The half circles are jumpers to show when wires DON'T connect. Easy enough to make one when I need it, but also easy enough to import one while I'm doing the inventory for the drawing.
The blank space in the upper left is there because whenever I add a new symbol, that's where MSPaint lands it.
I added a naked LED to use as a common diode.
You added a glowing LED to my opto-coupler.

I hadn't thought about storing my drawings in my blog area. I have a few dozen, but the labels are about the thread I was working on at the moment. Many of the labels don't seem relevant without the thread they were in.

Oh well. The plumbing is fixed. Less than an hour to drive both ways and solder some pipes together.

 

Ah! I use the broken line technique to show jumpers or no connection. Just a personal preference.

I don't worry about where MS Paint places shapes, I always move them anyhow. Generally if I'm drawing it is easier to copy and paste local shapes (such as gates or op amps) rather than get fresh copies from the master sheet.

 

True. Once you have a copy on the working page it's easier to "Control CV" than to import a new one.

 

My main problem with paint as a schematics creator/editor is that it doesn't allow for snapping connections, nor draggable lines, nor part replacement, nor selective deletions.

Basically, it's like writing in pen and paper, but on your computer. I prefer having a select/delete function.

I'll admit that the outcome looks cool and retro and is definitely beautiful.

 

There is a select, delete in MS Paint.
The dotted square in the upper left corner is, "select". Drag a box around what you want to delete and then you hit the "delete" key on the keyboard. Presto, the box is empty.

But, yes, snap-to would be a big improvement...and we're back to, "If your program is better than what I use, make some schematics.

 

But, schematics about what? Just amass a large AAC boilerplate of parts?

But, say I want to use Eagle for my schematic needs. Your MSPaint schematics are useless to me and vice versa.

Am I missing something here?

 

Yay, AAC!

Oh geeze. That's twice this week I got on the cheering squad. Must check for unusual substances in local water supply...

My wife takes Prozac. Once, in a discussion about whether or not she needed it, she said, "Well, one of us has to take it." I got the message.

Whatever the cause, I like the upbeat tone to your recent posts.

 

It raised a few chuckles when I did a presentation on antennas for an IET competition with "the famous PaintCAD".

Is a lot cheaper than most (if not all) packages out there.