Freeware Wiring Diagram Software - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: bostonman
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 14, 2025, 11:28:40 pm
content: Does anyone know of and/or use freeware software to create wiring diagrams?Over the years I've seen various wiring diagrams from generic black and white to color ones. I'm thinking ones must exist that allow you to select wire color (for color drawings) that include stripped color wires and simple connectors.If I were to create one, it would be just a bunch of lines to a rectangle, but I'd like to have something to create more elaborate ones.Attached is something I was thinking of, however, I sense this is more of a CAD drawing from the company since the peripherals are unique to the company.

author: Someone
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 14, 2025, 11:56:31 pm
content: The inconsistent radii in the diagram you show as an example would suggest it has been "hand" drawn with little automation.Inkscape and draw.io are the two dominant freeware options for vector drawing, but striped lines where the stripes follow the direction of the "wire" requires manually adding an additional layer (or for Inkscape there are also plugins which are similarly fiddly to do the same thing). For Inkscape that can be done at the end when you are happy with the layout with a relatively painless: select by colour, duplicate, send to back, and finally change the stroke to a solid. Inkscape wont do circular corners, but will be more capable in almost every other way.

author: Simmed
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 15, 2025, 02:16:49 am
content: its visiothey then created their sort of template/stencils for their own products

author: bostonman
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 15, 2025, 02:25:54 am
content: Makes sense..... I'm impressed with how much detail they put into their images.

author: glentek
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 15, 2025, 03:02:12 am
content: I use Kicad and custom symbols.

author: scottapotamas
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 15, 2025, 05:13:13 am
content: WireVizis a FOSS tool for wiring diagram generation.I use it for individual looms, but you might be able to abuse it to make higher level diagrams like those.

author: voltsandjolts
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 15, 2025, 07:27:10 am
content: WireViz or Inkscape

author: SteveThackery
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 15, 2025, 10:52:24 am
content: Quote from: Simmed on May 15, 2025, 02:16:49 amVisio - one of the most under-rated programs ever. Originally by Shapeware, bought by Microsoft in 2000. Unfortunately, each new release by Microsoft has moved it away from what I want, and what it originally was.Visio started out as a brilliant tool for producing technical drawings and diagrams - in fact I have never found anything better for that purpose, although note that it is resolutely 2D - Visio is not a CAD program. Microsoft largely deprecated its technical drawing features in favour of using it as a data and network visualisation tool, which fits in better with the rest of the Office suite. To be fair I don't think any technical drawing features were actually removed, but they didn't appear on the ribbon any more.For compatibility reasons I run Visio 2016 in Windows 10 and 11, but in my virtual XP machine I'm running the last version before it got a ribbon UI - Ithinkit is the 2007 version, which is my ultimate version for productivity.It's OK for drawing schematics, but not quite as good as the resolutely single-purpose apps found in KiCAD and the like.Sorry - way off topic!

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 15, 2025, 11:02:59 am
content: I use Eagle with custom symbols similar to what was said earlier with KiCad. I also use Eagle for plumbing (attached).

author: rteodor
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 15, 2025, 01:24:08 pm
content: Quote from: SteveThackery on May 15, 2025, 10:52:24 amYes, unfortunately.QuoteIsn't this whatFritzingdoes ?Never used it, but I saw plenty of wiring diagrams made with it even in Raspberry documentation.Later edit: Nevermind, I just saw its not free.

author: bostonman
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 15, 2025, 01:44:16 pm
content: QuoteI've used Visio multiple times years back and fully agree. It's so under rated that I assumed the stuff I used it for was cheating since most used it for project timeline stuff (i.e. project management) combined with gantt charts.Still think it's a great program (I have an older version), but I haven't used it in years and almost forgot about it. Probably still good for wiring diagrams, but was hoping newer stuff would have been out by now that (as mentioned) let's you select wire colors, etc... to give a better connection diagram visual.

author: Terry Bites
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 15, 2025, 04:22:57 pm
content: I seriously hate using Visio.yEd is better for diagrams I think. Is it still free??www.yworks.com/products/yed

author: SteveThackery
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 15, 2025, 07:32:44 pm
content: Quote from: Terry Bites on May 15, 2025, 04:22:57 pmThat looks really good, although it does seem quite a lot more specialised than Visio and concentrates on flowcharts and other business diagrams. For example, I can't find a good way to create shapes from scratch and then perform Boolean operations on them.I've attached a diagram I did in Visio* - would yEd be able to do something like this?*(Sorry it's pixellated - it's actually a screenshot.)

author: SteveThackery
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 15, 2025, 07:54:19 pm
content: And another Visio production... pixellated as it's a screenshot.

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 15, 2025, 08:07:11 pm
content: Quote from: Terry Bites on May 15, 2025, 04:22:57 pmI just tried my yEd installed years ago. The update was not a problem, so it still seems free. I switched to drawio years ago and never went back.

author: geralds
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 15, 2025, 09:00:09 pm
content: For simple diagrams, try draw.io (drawio.com). I use it in the office nearly daily (though not for electrical diagrams).