Electrical Symbols & Electronic Symbols

Electrical symbols and electronic circuit symbols are used for drawing schematic diagram.

The symbols represent electrical and electronic components.

Table of Electrical Symbols

Symbol Component name Meaning
Wire Symbols
Electrical Wire Conductor of electrical current
Connected Wires Connected crossing
Not Connected Wires Wires are not connected
Switch Symbols and Relay Symbols
SPST Toggle Switch Disconnects current when open
SPDT Toggle Switch Selects between two connections
Pushbutton Switch (N.O) Momentary switch - normally open
Pushbutton Switch (N.C) Momentary switch - normally closed
DIP Switch DIP switch is used for onboard configuration
SPST Relay Relay open / close connection by an electromagnet
SPDT Relay
Jumper Close connection by jumper insertion on pins.
Solder Bridge Solder to close connection
Ground Symbols
Earth Ground Used for zero potential reference and electrical shock protection.
Chassis Ground Connected to the chassis of 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
Thermistor Thermal resistor - change resistance when temperature changes
Photoresistor / Light dependent resistor (LDR) Photo-resistor - change resistance with light intensity change
Capacitor Symbols
Capacitor Capacitor is used to store electric charge. It acts as short circuit with AC and open circuit with DC.
Capacitor
Polarized Capacitor Electrolytic capacitor
Polarized Capacitor Electrolytic capacitor
Variable Capacitor Adjustable capacitance
Inductor / Coil Symbols
Inductor Coil / solenoid that generates 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
Generator Electrical voltage is generated by mechanical rotation of the generator
Battery Cell Generates constant voltage
Battery Generates constant voltage
Controlled Voltage Source Generates voltage as a function of voltage or current of other circuit element.
Controlled Current Source Generates current as a function of voltage or current of other circuit element.
Meter Symbols
Voltmeter Measures voltage. Has very high resistance. Connected in parallel.
Ammeter Measures electric current. Has near zero resistance. Connected serially.
Ohmmeter Measures resistance
Wattmeter Measures electric power
Lamp / Light Bulb Symbols
Lamp / light bulb Generates light when current flows through
Lamp / light bulb
Lamp / light bulb
Diode / LED Symbols
Diode Diode allows current flow in one direction only - left (anode) to right (cathode).
Zener Diode Allows current flow in one direction, but also can flow in the reverse direction when above breakdown voltage
Schottky Diode Schottky diode is a diode with low voltage drop
Varactor / Varicap Diode Variable capacitance diode
Tunnel Diode
Light Emitting Diode (LED) LED emits light when current flows through
Photodiode Photodiode allows current flow when exposed to light
Transistor Symbols
NPN Bipolar Transistor Allows current flow when high potential at base (middle)
PNP Bipolar Transistor Allows current flow when low potential at base (middle)
Darlington Transistor Made from 2 bipolar transistors. Has total gain of the product of each gain.
JFET-N Transistor N-channel field effect transistor
JFET-P Transistor P-channel field effect transistor
NMOS Transistor N-channel MOSFET transistor
PMOS Transistor P-channel MOSFET transistor
Misc. Symbols
Motor Electric motor
Transformer Change AC voltage from high 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 currents.
Fuse
Bus Contains several wires. Usually for data / address.
Bus
Bus
Optocoupler / Opto-isolator Optocoupler isolates connection to other board
Loudspeaker Converts electrical signal to sound waves
Microphone Converts sound waves to electrical signal
Operational Amplifier Amplify input signal
Schmitt Trigger Operates with hysteresis to reduce noise.
Analog-to-digital converter (ADC) Converts analog signal to digital numbers
Digital-to-Analog converter (DAC) Converts digital numbers to analog signal
Crystal Oscillator Used to generate precise frequency clock signal
Direct current Direct current is generated 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
AND Gate Outputs 1 when both inputs are 1.
NAND Gate Outputs 0 when both inputs are 1. (NOT + AND)
OR Gate Outputs 1 when any input is 1.
NOR Gate Outputs 0 when any input is 1. (NOT + OR)
XOR Gate Outputs 1 when inputs are 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 to 4 Connects selected output to the input line.

See also