TABLE OF ELECTRICAL SYMBOLS

SYMBOL COMPONENT NAME MEANING

WIRE SYMBOLS

CONDUCTOR OF ELECTRICAL
ELECTRICAL WIRE
CURRENT

CONNECTED WIRES CONNECTED CROSSING

NOT CONNECTED WIRES WIRES ARE NOT CONNECTED

SWITCH SYMBOLS AND RELAY SYMBOLS

DISCONNECTS CURRENT WHEN

SPST TOGGLE SWITCH
OPEN

SELECTS BETWEEN TWO

SPDT TOGGLE SWITCH
CONNECTIONS

MOMENTARY SWITCH - NORMALLY

PUSHBUTTON SWITCH (N.O)
OPEN

MOMENTARY SWITCH - NORMALLY

PUSHBUTTON SWITCH (N.C)
CLOSED

DIP SWITCH IS USED FOR

DIP SWITCH
ONBOARD CONFIGURATION

SPST RELAY
RELAY OPEN / CLOSE CONNECTION
BY AN ELECTROMAGNET
SPDT RELAY

CLOSE CONNECTION BY JUMPER

JUMPER
INSERTION ON PINS.
SOLDER BRIDGE SOLDER TO CLOSE CONNECTION

GROUND SYMBOLS

USED FOR ZERO POTENTIAL

EARTH GROUND REFERENCE AND ELECTRICAL
SHOCK PROTECTION.

CONNECTED TO THE CHASSIS OF

CHASSIS GROUND
THE CIRCUIT

DIGITAL / COMMON
GROUND

RESISTOR SYMBOLS

RESISTOR (IEEE)
RESISTOR REDUCES THE CURRENT
FLOW.
RESISTOR (IEC)

POTENTIOMETER (IEEE)
ADJUSTABLE RESISTOR - HAS 3
TERMINALS.
POTENTIOMETER (IEC)

VARIABLE RESISTOR /
RHEOSTAT (IEEE)
ADJUSTABLE RESISTOR - HAS 2
TERMINALS.
VARIABLE RESISTOR /
RHEOSTAT (IEC)

TRIMMER RESISTOR PRESET RESISTOR

THERMAL RESISTOR - CHANGE

THERMISTOR RESISTANCE WHEN TEMPERATURE
CHANGES
PHOTORESISTOR / LIGHT PHOTO-RESISTOR - CHANGE
DEPENDENT RESISTOR RESISTANCE WITH LIGHT
(LDR) INTENSITY CHANGE

CAPACITOR SYMBOLS

CAPACITOR CAPACITOR IS USED TO STORE

ELECTRIC CHARGE. IT ACTS AS
SHORT CIRCUIT WITH AC AND
CAPACITOR OPEN CIRCUIT WITH DC.

POLARIZED CAPACITOR ELECTROLYTIC CAPACITOR

POLARIZED CAPACITOR ELECTROLYTIC CAPACITOR

VARIABLE CAPACITOR ADJUSTABLE CAPACITANCE

INDUCTOR / COIL SYMBOLS

COIL / SOLENOID THAT GENERATES

INDUCTOR
MAGNETIC FIELD

IRON CORE INDUCTOR INCLUDES IRON

VARIABLE INDUCTOR

POWER SUPPLY SYMBOLS

VOLTAGE SOURCE GENERATES CONSTANT VOLTAGE

CURRENT SOURCE GENERATES CONSTANT CURRENT.

AC VOLTAGE SOURCE AC VOLTAGE SOURCE

ELECTRICAL VOLTAGE IS
GENERATOR GENERATED BY MECHANICAL
ROTATION OF THE GENERATOR

BATTERY CELL GENERATES CONSTANT VOLTAGE

BATTERY GENERATES CONSTANT VOLTAGE

GENERATES VOLTAGE AS A
CONTROLLED VOLTAGE FUNCTION OF VOLTAGE OR
SOURCE CURRENT OF OTHER CIRCUIT
ELEMENT.

GENERATES CURRENT AS A
CONTROLLED CURRENT FUNCTION OF VOLTAGE OR
SOURCE CURRENT OF OTHER CIRCUIT
ELEMENT.

METER SYMBOLS

MEASURES VOLTAGE. HAS VERY

VOLTMETER HIGH RESISTANCE. CONNECTED IN
PARALLEL.

MEASURES ELECTRIC CURRENT.

AMMETER HAS NEAR ZERO RESISTANCE.
CONNECTED SERIALLY.

OHMMETER MEASURES RESISTANCE

WATTMETER MEASURES ELECTRIC POWER

LAMP / LIGHT BULB SYMBOLS

LAMP / LIGHT BULB

GENERATES LIGHT WHEN CURRENT

LAMP / LIGHT BULB
FLOWS THROUGH

LAMP / LIGHT BULB

DIODE / LED SYMBOLS

DIODE ALLOWS CURRENT FLOW IN

DIODE ONE DIRECTION ONLY - LEFT
(ANODE) TO RIGHT (CATHODE).

ALLOWS CURRENT FLOW IN ONE

DIRECTION, BUT ALSO CAN FLOW
ZENER DIODE
IN THE REVERSE DIRECTION WHEN
ABOVE BREAKDOWN VOLTAGE

SCHOTTKY DIODE IS A DIODE WITH

SCHOTTKY DIODE
LOW VOLTAGE DROP

VARACTOR / VARICAP
VARIABLE CAPACITANCE DIODE
DIODE

TUNNEL DIODE

LIGHT EMITTING DIODE LED EMITS LIGHT WHEN CURRENT

(LED) FLOWS THROUGH

PHOTODIODE ALLOWS CURRENT

PHOTODIODE
FLOW WHEN EXPOSED TO LIGHT

TRANSISTOR SYMBOLS

ALLOWS CURRENT FLOW WHEN

NPN BIPOLAR TRANSISTOR
HIGH POTENTIAL AT BASE (MIDDLE)
 ALLOWS CURRENT FLOW WHEN
PNP BIPOLAR TRANSISTOR
LOW POTENTIAL AT BASE (MIDDLE)

MADE FROM 2 BIPOLAR

DARLINGTON TRANSISTOR TRANSISTORS. HAS TOTAL GAIN OF
THE PRODUCT OF EACH GAIN.

N-CHANNEL FIELD EFFECT

JFET-N TRANSISTOR
TRANSISTOR

P-CHANNEL FIELD EFFECT

JFET-P TRANSISTOR
TRANSISTOR

NMOS TRANSISTOR N-CHANNEL MOSFET TRANSISTOR

PMOS TRANSISTOR P-CHANNEL MOSFET TRANSISTOR

MISC. SYMBOLS

MOTOR ELECTRIC MOTOR

CHANGE AC VOLTAGE FROM HIGH

TRANSFORMER
TO LOW OR LOW TO HIGH.

ELECTRIC BELL RINGS WHEN ACTIVATED

BUZZER PRODUCE BUZZING SOUND

FUSE THE FUSE DISCONNECTS WHEN

CURRENT ABOVE THRESHOLD. USED
TO PROTECT CIRCUIT FROM HIGH
FUSE CURRENTS.
 BUS

CONTAINS SEVERAL WIRES.

BUS
USUALLY FOR DATA / ADDRESS.

BUS

OPTOCOUPLER / OPTO- OPTOCOUPLER ISOLATES

ISOLATOR CONNECTION TO OTHER BOARD

CONVERTS ELECTRICAL SIGNAL TO

LOUDSPEAKER
SOUND WAVES

CONVERTS SOUND WAVES TO

MICROPHONE
ELECTRICAL SIGNAL

OPERATIONAL AMPLIFIER AMPLIFY INPUT SIGNAL

OPERATES WITH HYSTERESIS TO

SCHMITT TRIGGER
REDUCE NOISE.

ANALOG-TO-DIGITAL CONVERTS ANALOG SIGNAL TO

CONVERTER (ADC) DIGITAL NUMBERS

DIGITAL-TO-ANALOG CONVERTS DIGITAL NUMBERS TO

CONVERTER (DAC) ANALOG SIGNAL

USED TO GENERATE PRECISE

CRYSTAL OSCILLATOR
FREQUENCY CLOCK SIGNAL

DIRECT CURRENT IS GENERATED

⎓ DIRECT CURRENT
FROM CONSTANT VOLTAGE LEVEL

ANTENNA SYMBOLS

ANTENNA / AERIAL TRANSMITS & RECEIVES RADIO

WAVES
 ANTENNA / AERIAL

DIPOLE ANTENNA TWO WIRES SIMPLE ANTENNA

LOGIC GATES SYMBOLS

NOT GATE (INVERTER) OUTPUTS 1 WHEN INPUT IS 0

OUTPUTS 1 WHEN BOTH INPUTS

AND GATE
ARE 1.

OUTPUTS 0 WHEN BOTH INPUTS

NAND GATE
ARE 1. (NOT + AND)

OR GATE OUTPUTS 1 WHEN ANY INPUT IS 1.

OUTPUTS 0 WHEN ANY INPUT IS 1.

NOR GATE
(NOT + OR)

OUTPUTS 1 WHEN INPUTS ARE

XOR GATE
DIFFERENT. (EXCLUSIVE OR)

D FLIP-FLOP STORES ONE BIT OF DATA

MULTIPLEXER / MUX 2 TO 1
CONNECTS THE OUTPUT TO 
SELECTED INPUT LINE.
MULTIPLEXER / MUX 4 TO 1

DEMULTIPLEXER / DEMUX 1 CONNECTS SELECTED OUTPUT TO

TO 4 THE INPUT LINE.