how to read electrical schematics

Rats! You beat me to it!!!

Hope I wasn't too harsh.

I kinda liked it (he said sheepishly).

I would have had ya if it weren't for this power failure this morning.Who'ld have thought that a simple mylar balloon could bring a 2 million(ish) square foot building to a complete stand still.

Take a vocational course.

Maybe it's a language barrier!

Is this guy for real?

Greetings.

The reference suggested is related to Electronics of which I have been using for over 43 years and this is a very good amount of information for Electronics however it is not the answer to the question that was asked.

The Electrical industry in certain if not all locations in the Building Trades, Furnace Ladder Schematics, Boiler Schematics, and PLC deviate from Electronics partially or totally.

The first time I encountered Furnace Schematics and had a pretest I was wrong 80 % because they are not the same. Sneeky little critters.

Reading an Electrical schematic in the Building Trades can be a combination of Drafting (Mechanical Drawing), and creative thinking.

If the guest could specify which industry then maybe we could civily give them help.

If the guest could specify which industry then maybe we could civily give them help.

This is actually a very good education for him. To learn what needs to be asked, and the information that is needed to support the question.

As far a civily, if you have enough schooling, you realize education is presented in a number of ways. One educator try to be civil (friends if thats what your getting at) to the student, and the student does not learn squat. Your mistaking challenging the poster as being uncivil

I had a math instructor, that challenged you and you wanted to know what is going on because you do not want to be made a center of attention. so you actually learn, how to learn.

And this same (mean and intimating) instructor, when I had a heavy class load and decided to drop calculus that semester and pick it up next semester. he prompted me to stick it out, why because he saw I had just stupid mistakes, but my proofs showed otherwise I understood the problem . (Mistakes were just mostly sign (-.+) errors). I dropped it anyways and picked it up the next semester with the same instructor.

He taught me a lesson. which basically was gave a man a fish he'll eat for a day......teach a man to fish, he'll eat for a lifetime.

no nothing uncivil.

And your right, electronics is a wide spectrum of knowledge, that it is very difficult to be knowledgeable and fluent in all of it.

p911

Hi PG.

Would I be correct in saying you want to learn how to fault find or understand how a machine/operation works using a schematic?

You've received a lot of very good answers from this forum, and I would add that if you have the time to spend with the electricians, then do so. You can read book after book regarding circuit diagrams, but there is no book that will give you the experience.

I started from school in one of the largest steel works in the UK as an apprentice spark, only by working with other senior electricians and with their help did I learn how to read REAL TIME circuits diagrams, understand them and fault find using them.

I have tested and interviewed dozens of Indian Electrical Engineers. What I observeb them during the interview that most of them were telling of having more than 5years field experienced. But sad to say that yet none of them got the passing score. But i have a heart of gold i accepted some of them who has a bit of potential and trained them hardly. The main problem is hard for them to develop and understand floor plans, computation and balancing of loads, interpretations of shop drawings. The real scenario in middle east countries is Western-Filipino engineers had a long patients to trained them, they became smart engineers then.

Reference books are mostly let a student learn AC/DC and motor circuits and related electrical practical applications.

Experience is the best teacher... try to get yourself involved with electricians during the actual wiring installation in construction sites... well of course its embarassing that electrical engineer became the student of electrician/s. But in your case you got no choice.... but to swallow your pride.

Try to read electrical codes(NEC) and other governing standards books... it may help you.