Reading Electronic Schematics

An electronic schematic is a chart that shows the structure of a circuit. Each symbol represents a component such as a capacitor, diode, or integrated circuit. Each line represents a connection between two or more components. The main thing when using electronic schematics is to always double check every connection. One mistake can cause your circuit to not work, or even damage your components.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Electronic schematics Paper Pen Pencil Multimeter

1. 
   Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Circuit_elements.png

   Learn the symbols for the most common electronic components. Components like capacitors, diodes and resistors each have their own symbols.

2. 

   Learn about the symbols for connecting components: Straight lines symbolize wires and circuit traces. If two lines are shown crossing at a right angle with a dot in the middle, they connect. If one wire is shown arcing over the other, the two don't connect.

3. Look at the components list. Most circuit diagrams label each component with a letter and a number. The first diode will be labelled D1, for example. Each component will have its value listed on a sheet called the "Component list."

4. Learn torecognize shared connections. If several components are attached to the same straight line, they are all connected. Sometimes they will physically touch each other, but more often than not they will be connected to the same circuit trace or wire.

5. Consider building a few basic circuits using schematics. Find a website with schematic and put a few together to test your understanding of circuits. Try some basic stuff before you work on a complex, difficult circuit.

Tips & Warnings

• Always smoke test your circuits. Turn on the power briefly and look for smoke. If the circuit starts to smoke, turn it off immediately. Consider investing in a multimeter. If your circuit goes bad, you can use it to test your component.

Resources

• Simple Circuit Plans
• How to Use a Breadboard