The symbol should usually convey enough information. Use your best judgment in diagnosing which part is which. You might see integrated circuits prefixed with IC instead of U, for example, or crystals labeled as XTAL's instead of Y's. Here's a quick table of common components and their name prefixes:Īlthough theses are the 'standardized' names for component symbols, they're not universally followed.

Other name prefixes are not so literal inductors, for example, are L's (because current has already taken I ). For some components, like resistors, the prefix is just the first letter of the component. The prefixes of names are pretty well standardized. Component names help us reference specific points in schematics. Each component name on a schematic should be unique if you have multiple resistors in a circuit, for example, they should be named R 1, R 2, R 3, etc. The letter part of the name identifies the type of component - R's for resistors, C's for capacitors, U's for integrated circuits, etc. Basically, the value of a schematic component calls out its most important characteristic.Ĭomponent names are usually a combination of one or two letters and a number. Crystals might list their oscillating frequency as their value. For other components, like integrated circuits, the value may just be the name of the chip. For schematic components like resistors, capacitors, and inductors the value tells us how many ohms, farads, or henries they have. Values help define exactly what a component is. The component symbols tell half the story, but each symbol should be paired with both a name and value to complete it. One of the biggest keys to being schematic-literate is being able to recognize which components are which.

Electronic circuits schematics pdf