program to generate schematics

[Huw Powell]

>>Need a drawing or drafting program to do automotive wiring diagrams 
>>(there's the Audi content). Best price is of course free, but I'm not 
>>averse to shareware as long as it is reasonable.
>>
>>I need to create some automotive and motorcycle schematics to illustrate 
>>a manual. Don't need schematic capture, PCB/Gerber conversions or parts 
>>lists, so most of the electronic schematics programs are not really 
>>suitable - no ICs, but I do need alternators, diodes, various switches, 
>>lamps, etc. The electronics drawing programs have IC pinouts, etc., but 
>>not the automotive components. (One of them was $500+, still no 
>>alternators!)

A simple image editing program should suffice - I have made many 
schematics in PSP 6, for instance.  It's handy to make little 
"boilerplate" images to copy from for frequently used symbols.  If I 
want a fancy symbol (alternator, starter, etc.) I usually scan an old 
car manual and clean it up (enough cleanup that it's not copyright anymore).

Just using 8 colors you end up with a very small file size gif quite easily.

The various headlight relay diagrams on my site were made this way (link 
1), as were the crossover schematics found here and there on my business 
site (link 2).

I also made the wiring diagrams for my loader this way (link 3).

I might also suggest inkscape, it's open source and you can make them as 
.svg files.

> Mike, have you considered Microsoft Visio?
> I wouldn't be surprised if you could find Visio "shapes" that were electrical images.
> 
> Ask around for one of the older versions. Someone might have updated to a newer version and still has the old CD and license sitting around unused. Sometimes you can find it on eBay.

I've used a very old Visio for this, it's kind of cool in that when you 
move things around, the connecting lines stay attached, usually, to the 
objects.  Although they sometimes snap to dumb locations.

The fusebox diagram on my web site was made this way, then converted to 
gif (link 4), as well as the diagrams I put up next to the load centers 
in my building.

-- 
Huw Powell

http://www.humanspeakers.com/audi

http://www.humanspeakers.com/

http://www.humanspeakers.com/loader

http://www.humanspeakers.com/cgi-bin/audi_img.pl?image=images/fusebox.gif


http://www.humanthoughts.org/