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Symbol guide

A visual reference to the pictograms used throughout Do It Your Ohm.

Why these drawings look like the things they name

We use pictograms on purpose. They make a first drawing recognisable before a learner needs a separate convention. Reading formal schematics is a later skill.

Our pictogram vocabulary

These are the 21 pictograms currently used across the course. This is a reference, not a lesson or a test.

  • Power source
  • Lamp
  • Empty socket
  • Switch
  • Board pad
  • Resistance
  • Contact point
  • Open contact
  • Wire
  • Person
  • Heater
  • Heat
  • Heating joint
  • Motor
  • Plug
  • Lamp holder
  • Extension lead
  • Appliance socket
  • Plugged fixture
  • Overhead line
  • Bird

Standards comparison

We draw pictograms on purpose, so a first drawing reads before you need a separate convention. In official published standards, some of the same parts are drawn differently — this table shows what each standard prints for the symbols where they differ. It names where each standard comes from, not which one you must follow: that is a separate question for a qualified electrician in your country.

How each symbol is drawn under each named standard
SymbolOur pictogramANSI/IEEE 315-1975United StatesIEC 60617InternationalGOSTCIS
Power source
Lamp
Switch
Resistance

Sources

  • ANSI/IEEE 315-1975: ANSI/IEEE 315-1975
  • IEC 60617: IEC 60617
  • GOST: GOST 2.721-74; GOST 2.728-74; GOST 2.732-68; GOST 2.755-87
  • Power source (ANSI/IEEE 315-1975): ANSI/IEEE 315-1975 §2.5 (mohandesbiaziat.ir ANSI-Y32.2 scan) — long thin line (plus) and short thick line (minus) per cell
  • Power source (GOST): GOST 2.721-74 (masandilov.ru) — long thin line (plus) and short thick line (minus) per cell
  • Lamp (IEC 60617): IEC 60617 — circle with an inscribed X
  • Lamp (GOST): GOST 2.732-68 — circle with X (one designation for lighting and signal)
  • Switch (ANSI/IEEE 315-1975): ANSI/IEEE 315-1975 §4.6 — angled arm over a gap, drawn open (de-energised-resting rule)
  • Switch (GOST): GOST 2.755-87 (ruscable.ru) — angled arm over a gap, drawn open (de-energised-resting rule)
  • Resistance (ANSI/IEEE 315-1975): ANSI/IEEE 315-1975 — zigzag ('looks like a spring')
  • Resistance (IEC 60617): IEC 60617 (qelectrotech scan) — long empty rectangle, about 2.5:1
  • Resistance (GOST): GOST 2.728-74 (meganorm.ru scan) — same rectangle as IEC; wattage marks may sit inside (not drawn here)