What is Schematic: Definition and 96 Discussions

A schematic, or schematic diagram, is a representation of the elements of a system using abstract, graphic symbols rather than realistic pictures. A schematic usually omits all details that are not relevant to the key information the schematic is intended to convey, and may include oversimplified elements in order to make this essential meaning easier to grasp.
For example, a subway map intended for passengers may represent a subway station with a dot. The dot is not intended to resemble the actual station at all but aims to give the viewer information without unnecessary visual clutter. A schematic diagram of a chemical process uses symbols in place of detailed representations of the vessels, piping, valves, pumps, and other equipment that compose the system, thus emphasizing the functions of the individual elements and the interconnections among them and suppresses their physical details. In an electronic circuit diagram, the layout of the symbols may not look anything like the circuit as it appears in the physical world: instead of representing the way the circuit looks, the schematic aims to capture, on a more general level, the way it works.

View More On Wikipedia.org
Recent contents Top users
  1. S

    ? on where to get a tv schematic

    I need to a scmatic on a tv where the best place to go for free.
  2. A

    How to tell current drawn from a schematic

    Hi all, I am relatively new to the EE field, and while looking at the schematic for a VCO, I had the following question; if i wanted to build a bipolar power supply using a transformer for the VCO, what current should said transformer be able to draw? More specifically, how can I tell the...
  3. K

    Produce schematic for a lathe hydraulic copying attachment

    Hi there! Im currently towards my 2nd year of my mechanical engineering course and on one of the assignments we have been asked to produce an electrical and hydraulic schematic for a hydraulic copying attachment for a lathe. Now unfortunatly we haven't really had much tuition with this part...
  4. M

    Have you used TI's SN74LV132 in your design? Share reference schematics!

    Hi, Anybody used TI's SN74LV132 'NAND Gate with schmitt trigger i/p' in their design or any other similar part ? If so, please send me any Reference schematics or application notes.
  5. _maxim_

    High precision, good accuracy Current Source Schematic

    I am looking for a schematic diagram of a compact, temperature compensated, stabilized, high precision (accuracy within 0.5% or less) current source. The target current should be easily set to 100/150 mA, no matter if discrete or integrated solutions must be used. This project will be...
  6. _maxim_

    Schematic for Holographic Projection

    Hi PF members, where I can find application notes for making a small Holographic Projector? I am looking for a schematic diagram of a small, compact and reliable Holographic Projector, based on LED or Laser emitter. I am completely new on this application, so let be as more exhaustive as...
  7. S

    At what frequency will the AC amplitude be halved in this schematic

    Homework Statement Basically we were given the attached picture and we are supposed to find at what value for the AC frequency from the Vin will the amplitude be halved at V (CE base) Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution I think i am supposed to use V=Iz where Z is the...
  8. T

    How to add Ammeter in LT Spice Schematic?

    It may sound so silly question but I am trying for last 2 hours and no result. I have drawn the following schematic in LT Spice and want to add an ammeter in the black rectangle. In component menu, I don't find anything named ammeter. Any clue? Your help is appreciated.
  9. K

    Understanding a schematic diagram

    Homework Statement I'm an electrical engineering student and in this exercise I'm asked to calculate (and simulate in MicroCap or Multism) voltage gain and output resistance. The problem is that I don't understand how the voltage source (s) is/are connected according to this schematic...
  10. T

    Engineering Need assistance drawing circuit schematic

    Hi everyone, I have this assignment which involves drawing this circuit schematic of a diagram that is put together on a bread board. Only thing is, however, that I do not understand how a breadboard works, therefore it makes this task really difficult. Can someone help me explain how this must...
  11. V

    LED Project in Vehicle: Blown Bulbs & Schematic Questions

    Hello all...I have a led project I have been doing in my vehicle...I have a Bose/Clarion radio that has blown incandescent bulbs. I have already done the instrument cluster & climate control with drop-in led's so I decided to try & fix the radio. My problem is that the radio has soldered in...
  12. N

    Understanding a Push-pull amplifier schematic.

    Hi, I'm trying to understand the operation of the schematic I attach. http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/853/abampschematic.png/ What's the point of having the input at the Q1 collector? I can understand the more common structure shown in wikipedia (...
  13. M

    Help a newbie with schematic symbols ^_^

    Help a newbie with schematic symbols ^_^" Hey all! Im kinda stucked here with these symbols. Does anyone have any idea? 1. I think its a terminal, but I am not that sure, since it is connected to a circuit-breaker (which is connected to a transformator) 2. Just to clarify, is 250A...
  14. S

    How Do You Connect Resistors in a Keypad Interface?

    Hi guys Can please someone submit a circuit diagram for the resistors connections to the keypad of the below tutorial? http://www.winpicprog.co.uk/pic_tutorial9.htm "As the switches are all interconnected, we need a way to differentiate between the different ones - the four resistors on...
  15. 1

    Relating schematic equation to find total distance

    I need help with this, or for that fact i need to know if this is even possible. I'm using the equation of change in x equals one half at squared plus v not t plus initial height. Now using this, we shot water balloons. we found all the variables necessary to complete the equation. the only...
  16. N

    Help for a circuit schematic explanation

    http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/685/variablegaincontrol.png/"can someone please explain me the circuit schematic that i have attached because i can't understand it. Thank youhttp://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/685/variablegaincontrol.png/
  17. J

    Reading the Arduino Schematic (for a Beginner)

    Alright, well, I've decided to start learning about how circuits work and as part of that I've looked into getting an Arduino, either by building one myself or buying one. I came across this tutorial here: http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Arduino-or-The-DIY-Duino/" I noticed that the design...
  18. S

    Where can I find a schematic for a DIY component to VGA adapter?

    Component to VGA schematic?? Anyone know where i can find a schematic for a component to VGA adapter? A friend is looking to make one so he can use his ps3 on his monitor but says most of the store bought ones are quite expensive and have lots of extra features. We are both engineering majors...
  19. U

    Purpose of circuit components in this schematic

    I've been doing a project with condenser microphones, and I came across a schematic (see attached). I was wondering what some of the components do. I know the 10uF cap across pins 1 and 8 are used to set the gain (just cap makes maximum gain) of the LM386. I was told the 470uF cap is used...
  20. D

    Where to find a schematic for a push-button combination cypher lock

    im trying to build a cypher-type push-button non-electrical combination lock. the problem is there are no threads/schematics/drawings/specs/diagrams that actually instruct how the push button mechanics work. is there somewhere i could be looking for a schematic?
  21. C

    Question about how to read this schematic

    I'm using this link to help me understand how this circuit works. However, I don't exactly know what the T & R test points surrounding the ground mean. There are 3-- two near the 27 MHz xtal and one near the speaker transformer. How should I be interpreting this? Does the ground just mean attach...
  22. S

    Standard/wifi light switch schematic

    standard/wifi "light switch" schematic Electrical engineers, I would like to learn more about circuits, wireless applications, and their integration with computer software. So I've come up with an idea to bounce off of you. I would like to be able to create (and eventually install) a wireless...
  23. M

    PAM schematic or wiring diagram for Digital Communications

    Hi. Who among you know a site where I can find a wiring diagram or schematic diagram of PAM (Pulse Amplitude Modulation)? I badly needed a diagram of it for my prototype in Digital Communications. I've been searching for it in Google but it only gave me different diagrams and I can't tell...
  24. J

    HDMI cable wiring schematic (what colors go where)

    Hi, I was hoping somone on this forum could help me out. I am not an engineer (although I wish I was). I am just DBA that is dealing with a wiring nightmare. My boss bought an HDMI to VGA cable from some guy on line for hooking up a laptop to a TV. The cable comes in and of course is no...
  25. M

    Help with Guitar Distortion Pedal Schematic

    Hey, I've been working on putting this schematic together (Not my design, got it off of instructibles.) It's a distortion pedal for a guitar, at this point I have an amplified clean sound coming through, so I know the audio amp is working. My question is, since there's a short circuit...
  26. S

    Help Needed on 12 Transistor CMOS SRAM Cell Schematic

    I am looking for help on a schematic for a 12 transistor CMOS SRAM cell shown below. I understand how to implement the inverter and transmission gates and how a tri state inverter works, but I am confused when it comes to inverting the input of the buffer and how to tie it all together. Thanks...
  27. J

    Understanding Grounds in Schematic Diagrams

    Im very confused when I see schematic diagrams with ground symbols. In my understanding, those ground symbols are placed in the negative connection in the circuit . Can someone explain me what are "grounds" for?
  28. P

    How Can I Create a Circuit to Toggle a Keyboard Key?

    Please help me find a circuit schematic :) Hello, First let me say i am NOT an expert and have very little knowledge of electronics. I am able to solder and build simple circuits, but I don't have any training and I understand almost nothing about how electricity works. I am looking for an...
  29. S

    Drawing Schematic diagrams for series and parallel cicuits

    hi everyone, I want to know how i can draw the schematic diagrams of the circuits. I understand the therory but i have no idea how you make the circuits and draw the schematic diagrams of them. Thanks
  30. J

    555 timer internal schematic questions

    hi everyone, i am trying to build a very high current dc to ac inverter and i can't use a 555 timer IC because they can't source or sink but a maximum of 200mA, but i have found an internal schematic of the 555 timer IC online and have been studying it to see if i can build a very high current...
  31. D

    Transfer function of NMOS schematic

    Homework Statement Attachment titled Clapp Schematic is what I am finding the transfer function of. Results are obtained with small signal, low frequency, equivalent circuit for a common-source NMOS. Homework Equations I have derived two different formulas, looking at Vo in 2...
  32. W

    Understanding the FCS_CTRL in Circuit Schematic

    http://vlsihomepage.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/crc_schematic.gif Can someone explain to me what is the fcs_ctrl is? I saw this circuit in this website(http://www.nigamanth.net/vlsi/ ).After I read it, I still don't understand how does the fcs_ctrl value comes from. Anyone can...
  33. C

    Siren schematic: What controls the cycle speed?

    I found http://www.uoguelph.ca/~antoon/circ/wailing.htm" schematic for creating a siren sound, but I can't figure out which component could be altered to change the cycle time of 6 seconds. If I had to guess, I'd say either C1 or C4, but I'm really lost as to how this schematic works, so I...
  34. S

    Finding unknown resistance of a resistor using a schematic drawing

    Homework Statement What is the value of the unknown resistor in the circuit shown if the equivalent resistance for the circuit is 21.50 ohms. Homework Equations Series= R1+R2+R3... Parllel= (1/R1)+(1/R2)+(1/R3)... The Attempt at a Solution First off, I'm sorry for the horrendous...
  35. J

    What's the purpose of R20 in this schematic

    I'm studying a portion of a schematic from an evaluation board. What's the purpose of R20 in the attached schematic?
  36. C

    Simple inverter schematic? (Solid state, no coil.)

    I was wondering if there is a simple way to make a power inverter (DC to AC) that is solid state, and does not use a coil. Actually, I'm not sure if there is a difference, but "pulsing DC" might be more what I'm thinking. I don't necessarily need the current to flow in reverse, but just to...
  37. F

    Can You Review My RBMK Reactor Diagram?

    I found these forums while doing background research. Since there seem to be quite a lot of experts hanging around here, can you review my RBMK reactor diagram - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:RBMK_reactor_schematic.svg ? Any comments are welcome.
  38. M

    Create Simple Circuit Schematic with Step-by-Step Guide | Physics Class DIY

    I've been asked to make a simple circuit design for a physics class. Basically, I'm looking for something like this: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Bill_Bowden/page5.htm#eyes.gif I need something with an item list and a guide as to how to connect it... needs a diagram etc...
  39. M

    Find Simple Circuit Schematics and Build Instructions

    I've currently got an assignment for a basic physics class. The job to be done is that I need to create a simple circuit that holds some use in society. It doesn't need to be too complicated but I've been stuck on finding a decent website that I could get a circuit schematic/build instructions...
  40. A

    PSpice Schematic: Drawing a Thermistor & Assigning Voltage

    Hi. I'm drawing a Thermistor on PSpice Schematic to show a figure of the Thermistor for the lab write up but I am having trouble drawing the current "i" on PSpice Schematic. Could you help me out and tell me how to insert the current on my schematic? This is only the second time I have ever used...
  41. C

    Draw Circuit Diagram: 2 Dry Cells & 2 Light Bulbs in Parallel

    Q: Use symbols to draw a circuit diagram showing two dry cells connected in parallel with each other, and in parallel with two light bulbs. Show a voltmeter connected to measure the electrical potential of the two dry cells and an ammeter to measure electrical current through one of the bulbs...
  42. W

    Questions on Agilent DC Power Supply Schematic with CC

    This is an Agilent DC power supply schematic with CC. I've been going over it and got a few questions. What is the purpose of 2 diodes CR10 CR11 in the current error amplifier and how is the current amplifier suppose to measure voltage across R2? Why do we need R34 ? Also what does JP1...
  43. M

    A few questions about schematic

    In one of my design classes, I'm building an ultrasonic radar. I looked online and found a decent schematic for it and I have a question about it. In the schematic I circled two things that I have no clue why they are there. I'm not sure how to connect the Vcc and ground to that part of the nand...
  44. S

    Schematic of the basic rankine cycle

    Thermodynamic -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A)Draw a schematic of the basic rankine cycle and its equipment B) ddiscuss any three practical improvements to make the basic rankine cycle more efficient, hightlighting the benefit that is...
  45. T

    Eagle Circuit Design: Free Schematic Program

    Does anyone here use Eagle to design circuits... its seems really powerfull, but I am still trying to work out some minor details
  46. D

    Troubleshooting PSpice Schematic: VDC=10V

    In my schematic, i have vdc = 10v, a resitor,ground and a capcitor. All 3 are in series except ground. When I run simulation, I get a straight line at 10v instead of a curve from 0 to 10v. I put the voltage probe between resistor and cap btw.
Back
Top