How to draw an electrical diagram on a computer - an overview of programs

We are increasingly using computers and virtual instruments. Now you don't always want to draw diagrams on paper - it is long, not always beautiful and difficult to correct. In addition, a program for drawing circuits can provide a list of required elements, model a printed circuit board, and some can even calculate the results of its work.

Free software for creating circuits

There are many good free programs for drawing electrical circuits on the network. Their functionality may not be enough for professionals, but to create a power supply scheme for a house or apartment, their functions and operations will be enough. Not all of them are equally convenient, there are difficult to master, but you can find several free programs for drawing electrical circuits that anyone can use, so simple and intuitive interface is in them.

The easiest option is to use the standard Windows Paint program, which is available on almost any computer. But in this case, you will have to draw all the elements yourself. A special program for drawing diagrams allows you to insert ready-made elements into the desired places, and then connect them using communication lines. Let's talk about these programs further.

A free program for drawing circuits does not mean bad. In this photo, working with Fritzing

QElectroTech Electrical Schematic Editor

The program for drawing diagrams QElectroTech is in Russian, and it is completely Russified - the menu, explanations - in Russian. Convenient and intuitive interface - a hierarchical menu with possible elements and operations on the left side of the screen and several tabs at the top. There are also shortcut buttons for performing standard operations - saving, printing, etc.

QElectroTech Electrical Schematic Editor

There is an extensive list of ready-made elements, it is possible to draw geometric shapes, insert text, make changes in a certain area, change the direction in some particular fragment, add rows and columns. In general, the program is quite convenient with the help of which it is easy to draw a power supply diagram, put down the names of elements and ratings. The result can be saved in several formats: JPG, PNG, BMP, SVG, data can be imported (opened in this program) in QET and XML formats, and exported in QET format.

The disadvantage of this program for drawing diagrams is the lack of a video in Russian on how to use it, but there are a considerable number of lessons in other languages.

Microsoft Graphics Editor - Visio

For those who have at least a little experience working with Microsoft products, it will be easy to master the work in the Visio graphic editor (Visio). This product also has a fully Russified version with a good level of translation.

Making electrical diagrams in Visio is easy

This product allows you to draw a diagram to scale, which is useful for calculating the number of wires needed. A large library of stencils with symbols, various components of the circuit, makes the work similar to assembling a constructor: you need to find the desired element and put it in place. Since many are accustomed to working in programs of this type, the search is not difficult.

The positive aspects include the presence of a decent number of lessons on working with this program for drawing diagrams, and in Russian.

Compass Electric

Another program for drawing circuits on a computer is Compass Electric. This is a more serious product used by professionals. There is a wide functionality that allows you to draw various plans, flowcharts, and other similar drawings. When transferring the circuit to the program, a specification and a wiring diagram are formed in parallel and they are printed out.

To get started, you need to load the library with system elements. When you select a schematic image of one or another element, a window will pop up, in which there will be a list of suitable parts taken from the library. A suitable element is selected from this list, after which its schematic image appears in the specified place of the circuit. At the same time, the designation corresponding to GOST is automatically affixed with continuous numbering (the program changes the numbers itself). At the same time, the parameters (name, number, value) of the selected element appear in the specification.

An example of a circuit created in Compass Electric

In general, the program is interesting and useful for developing device circuits. It can be used to create a wiring diagram in a house or apartment, but in this case, its functionality will hardly be used. And one more positive point: there are many video tutorials on how to work with Compass-Electric, so it won't be difficult to master it.

DipTrace program - for drawing single line diagrams and schematic

This program is useful not only for drawing power supply diagrams - everything is simple here, since only a diagram is needed. It is more useful for board development, as it has a built-in function for converting an existing circuit into a trace for a printed circuit board.

To get started, as in many other cases, you must first load the libraries with the element base available on your computer. To do this, you need to launch the Schematic DT application, after which you can download the libraries. They can be downloaded from the same resource where you will take the program.

After loading the library, you can start drawing the diagram. First, you can "drag" the necessary elements from the libraries to the working area, expand them (if necessary), arrange and connect with links. After the circuit is ready, if necessary, select the line "convert to board" in the menu and wait for a while. The output will be a finished printed circuit board with the arrangement of elements and tracks. You can also see the appearance of the finished board in 3D.

Free program ProfiCAD for drawing up wiring diagrams

The free program for drawing schemes ProfiCAD is one of the best options for the home craftsman. It is easy to use, does not require special libraries on the computer - it already contains about 700 elements. If they are not enough, you can easily replenish the base. The required element can be simply "dragged" onto the field, deployed there in the desired direction, and installed.

An example of using ProfiCAD for drawing electrical circuits

After drawing the diagram, you can get the net table, bill of materials, wire list. Results can be obtained in one of the four most common formats: PNG, EMF, BMP, DXF. A nice feature of this program is that it has low hardware requirements. It works fine with systems from Windows 2000 and up.

This product has only one drawback - so far there is no video about working with it in Russian. But the interface is so clear that you can figure it out yourself, or watch one of the "imported" videos to understand the mechanics of work.

If you find yourself using a schematic drawing program frequently, some paid versions are worth considering.Why are they better? They have broader functionality, sometimes more extensive libraries and a more sophisticated interface.

Simple and convenient sPlan

If you don't really want to deal with the intricacies of working with multilevel programs, take a look at sPlan. It has a very simple and intuitive device, so after an hour and a half of work, you will be free to navigate.

As usual in such programs, a library of elements is needed, after the first start they must be loaded before starting work. In the future, if you do not move the library to another location, the setting is not needed - the old path to it is used by default.

SPlan schematic drawing program and library

If you need an element that is not in the list, you can draw it, then add it to the library. It is also possible to insert extraneous images and save them, if necessary, in the library.

Other useful and necessary functions are auto-numbering, the ability to change the scale of an element by rotating the mouse wheel, a ruler for more understandable scaling. In general, a pleasant and useful thing.

Micro-Cap

This program, in addition to building a circuit of any type (analog, digital or mixed), also allows you to analyze its operation. You set the initial parameters and get the output. That is, it is possible to simulate the operation of the circuit under various conditions. This is a very useful opportunity, because, probably, teachers and students love it very much.

Micro-Cap has built-in libraries that can be updated using a special function. When drawing an electrical circuit, the product automatically develops circuit equations, and also calculates depending on the given ratings. When the denomination is changed, the output parameters change immediately.

Software for drawing power supply circuits and more - more for simulating their work

Element ratings can be constant or variable, depending on various factors - temperature, time, frequency, the state of some circuit elements, etc. All these options are calculated, the results are presented in a convenient form. If there are parts in the diagram that change their appearance or state - LEDs, relays - when simulating work, they change their parameters and appearance thanks to animation.

The program for drawing and analyzing Micro-Cap circuits is paid, in the original - English, but there is also a Russian version. Its cost in the professional version is more than a thousand dollars. The good news is that there is also a free version, as usual with reduced capabilities (smaller library, no more than 50 elements in the circuit, reduced speed). For home use, this option is also quite suitable. It's also nice that it works fine with any Windows system from Vista and 7 and up.