Wiring diagram CAD for everyone
Now is the time to sign up for our cadett ELSA refresher course! The course will be held OnLine via Teams. During the 1-day course, we will go through all the news and improvements that have been added in the latest versions. Among other things, you will get a closer look at those released in our latest revision update - R43.0.2.2 - but also many news from the previous updates.
cadett ELSA R43.0.2.2 The latest revision update of cadett ELSA - R43.0.2.2 - is now available to download from our support site, both as a complete installation file and also as an incremental update from previous R43 versions. Take the opportunity to enroll in our update course to learn more about all the latest news!
Welcome to ELFACK 2025 in Gothenburg! On May 6 - 9, cadett will be on site to showcase the latest news in cadett ELSA. Don't miss the chance to ask questions and have a nice chat with our dedicated team. This is a great opportunity to discover innovations and make contacts within the industry. Stop by our stand and meet cadett- we look forward to seeing you! Book your ticket now and be part of this exciting event!
New revision of cadett ELSA Last week we released a new major revision update of cadett ELSA - R43.0.2.0. Don't miss to update! ...
Welcome to the cadett ELSA Basic Course spring 2025! Are you ready to take your electrical schematic design to the next level? This basic course, held in our own premises in Stockholm, is a great opportunity to learn everything about cadett ELSA. During three intensive days, we will dive into the drawing archive, schematic drawing, symbols and much more. Don't miss the chance to meet our dedicated cadett and other course participants. Sign up today and secure your place for an inspiring and educational experience! Visit our website for more information.
General CAD
CAD is an abbreviation for 'Computer Aided Design'. The term covers all ways of using computer-based tools to create, modify, analyze or optimize a design, but it is primarily used to create and maintain drawings.
CAM is an abbreviation for 'Computer Aided Manufacturing'. The term is mainly used for mechanical products.
The technology can be traced back as far as the 1950s. During the 1960s in the United States, the first generation of commercial CAD systems was developed. In the 1970s, CAD systems were still based on minicomputers and were therefore very costly. Nevertheless, these solutions were very primitive, extremely expensive 'electronic drawing boards' by today's standards. The introduction of the IBM PC in 1981 was a breakthrough for personal computers, which had a revolutionary effect on CAD technology. The very next year - 1982 - saw the launch of the first version of AutoCAD, the first CAD program developed for personal computers. Gradually, the new personal computer-based solutions replaced the older technology, while the CAD systems developed both towards increasingly more advanced solutions, and towards simpler and cheaper programs. The range today is enormous, with functionality and prices that could only be dreamed of in the early 1980s.
CAD is now used wherever technical systems are designed and documented. Manual drawing and design work with paper, pencil and drawing board is virtually non-existent. Anyone who wants to buy a drawing board must turn to the antique trade.
A designer who uses CAD in his or her work is by definition a CAD designer. Since virtually all design work today is done using CAD, the terms "designer" and "CAD designer" are in practice almost synonymous. The advanced CAD designer is usually an engineer, while vocational training is often sufficient for basic CAD design work.
The efficiency of design and documentation work has increased dramatically with the use of CAD technology. The quality and the level of detail in the documentation has improved enormously, leading to cost savings at all stages, from design, through production, to maintenance and decommissioning.
Electrical schematics is a collective term for a number of document types in the documentation of an electrical installation. Perhaps the most prominent of these document types is the circuit diagram, a document showing how an electrical installation works.
A circuit diagram shows in schematic form how desired functions are to be realized by means of products. It shows what is connected to what. Usually the circuit diagram is function-oriented, meaning that it is drawn in such a way that the function is as easy to follow as possible.
A wiring diagram is the graphical equivalent of a wire list. It shows exactly how the various products (components) of an electrical structure are to be connected together using wires and cables. The purpose of the wiring diagram is to provide a basis for the electrician's work to connect the installation. The circuit diagram is location-oriented in nature, meaning that it shows how the products are physically connected. However, the function is not so clear.
A layout drawing shows how electrical components are physically mounted, often in an electrical cabinet, a so-called cabinet layout. The layout drawing is usually to scale and more or less detailed. At one extreme, the layout is greatly simplified with simple boxes symbolizing the components. At the other extreme, detailed 3D models and rendering are used so that the cabinet layout looks almost like a photograph of the finished design.
Electrical schematics of various kinds, such as circuit diagrams, wiring diagrams and single-line diagrams, are drawn with diagram symbols corresponding to products, and lines corresponding to connections between products. There are several national standards for diagram symbols, such as ANSI (American National Standards Institute) from the United States. However, there is only one global standard, the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission).
IEC60617 is the international standard for circuit diagram symbols. The standard has been valid since the 1980s.
IEC61082 originated in the 1990s and defines, among other things, how text should be placed around symbols and in title fields.
IEC81346, originating from the 00s, defines how reference designations (item designations) should be composed and how plants should be structured.
IEC81714, also originally from the 00s, further develops the principles of IEC617 and IEC1082. It provides guidelines for the design of symbols with text placement and other details specifically for use in CAD systems.
ECLASS (formerly eCl@ss) is the only worldwide classification system for products and services. ECLASS supports the digital exchange of product descriptions ("catalogue data") and service descriptions and is defined by IEC61360 (popularly "IEC1360").
cadett ELSA is a complete CAD software for electrical design based on current industry standards. The software has mainly been developed in Sweden and Germany.
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