How-To: Power connections in schematics

Erica “ALH84001” Archer provides some insight for those new to drawing up electronics schematics –

Most vintage schematics are hard to read because engineers back then customarily drew explicit connections for supply voltages all thru the schematic. But that can end up looking like a confusing maze of lines, making it hard to visualize what the circuit is doing.

Its a lot cleaner to just use supply symbols like the upwards arrow for V+, and the ground symbol wherever needed. Leave the explicitly drawn lines for voltages that are actually changing as the circuit does its job, and its easier to visualize whats going on. Now we’re saving ink. The 1950’s are over, baby!

There’s quite a few quirks like this involved in the electronics design process – having them spelled out like this can be a big help to those new to the practice. Head over to Flickr for a bigger view and explanation.