Glossary · Engineering, integration and validation
Wiring diagram
Also known as: Connection diagram, Terminal diagram
German: Verdrahtungsplan
In electrical engineering, a wiring diagram shows the physical connections of an electrical installation: which terminals, devices and cables are connected to each other, often with wire numbers, colors and cross-sections. It is used for manufacturing, installation and fault finding.
- Validation
- Technical documentation
In one sentence
A wiring diagram shows the physical connections between terminals, devices and cables, used for building, installing and troubleshooting.
Example
The wiring diagram of the control cabinet shows that terminal X2:14 is connected to input I0.3 of module -A5 with a 0.75 mm² blue wire.
How it applies
- Engineering: Wiring diagrams, terminal diagrams and cable lists are often generated from the electrical CAD data of the Electrical schematic. IEC 61082-1 gives rules for connection diagrams and tables.
- Manufacturing and installation: Panel builders and electricians use them to wire cabinets and connect field devices correctly.
- Maintenance: Technicians use wire numbers and terminal designations to find faults; the diagram must reflect the as-built state after every change.
- Documentation: The documentation team references terminal and device designations consistently in installation and Maintenance manual content and releases revisions of manuals and diagrams together.
Wiring diagram vs. electrical schematic
The Electrical schematic shows how circuits work, arranged by function. The wiring diagram shows where each wire physically goes. Both are needed for the same equipment.