Technological University of the Philippines

College of Industrial Technology

ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
Name: Shiela Mae D. Salvilla Instructor’s Name: Ms. Jen Andador
Course: BETMT Year: 2nd Yr. Section: A Schedule: Time:

Learning Activity No. 1

Title: Electrical Symbols, Configurations and Figures

I. Course Outcome Objectives

At the end of the laboratory activity, you are be able to:

1. Identify the commonly used electrical symbols and configurations.

2. Develop skills in circuit tracing using the schematic symbols or diagrams.
3. Draw the different standard electrical symbols.

II. Materials, Instrument and Software Simulation Needed

Drawing Instruments

III. Introduction

The definitions of terms are peculiar to and essential to the use of electrical symbols and
configurations for the proper understanding of the electricity. This contains definitions intended
to apply whenever the terms are used throughout the course of electricity.

TECHNICAL TERMS:

1. Accessible- (as applied to wiring methods) capable of being removed or exposed without
damaging the building structure or finish or not permanently closed in by the structure or
finish of the of the building
2. Ampacity- the current in amperes a conductor can carry continuously under the condition of
use with out exceeding its temperature rating
3. Bus- a conductor or group of conductors, in switchgear assemblies which serves as common
connection for two or more circuits.
4. Cable- either a stranded conductor with or without insulation and other covering (single
conductor cable), or a combination of conductors insulated from one another (multiple
conductor cable).
5. Concealed- rendered inaccessible by the structure or finish of the building. Wires in
concealed raceways are considered concealed, even though they may become accessible
by withdrawing them.
6. Connector- a metal sleeve, usually copper that is slipped over and secured to the butted
ends of the conductors in making up a joint.
7. Cut- out box- an enclosure designed for surface mounting and having swinging doors or
covers secured directly to and telescoping with the walls of the box proper.
8. Demand factor- the ratio of the maximum demand of a system or part of a system, to the total
connected load of a system or the part of the system under consideration.

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 9. Disconnecting means- a device or group of devices, or other means by which the conductors
of a circuit can be disconnected from their source of supply.
10. Electrical metallic tubing- metal pipe in to which electric wires maybe drawn and which has
a wall thinner than that of a rigid conduit with an outside diameter sufficiently different from
that of a rigid conduit to render it impracticable for any one to thread it with standard pipe
thread.
11. Equipment- a general term including material, fittings, devices, appliances, fixtures,
apparatus and the like used as a part of, or in connection with, an electrical installation.
12. Extension cord- an assembly of a flexible cord with an attachment plug on one end and a
cord connector on the other.
13. Feeder- all circuit conductors between the service equipment or the generator switchboard
of an isolated plant, and the final branch circuit over current device.
14. Fittings- an accessory such as a locknut, bushing, or other part of the wiring system that is
intended primarily to perform a mechanical rather than an electrical function.
15. Fixture – an integral, separate or self-contained unit which may contain one or more bulbs or
fluorescent tubes.
16. Flexible conduit – non – rigid metal conduit into which conductors maybe drawn.
17. Flexible tubing- non-metallic and non-rigid tubing, commonly known as loom, through which
a conductor maybe drawn.
18. Fuse – current rating – the current rating of a fuse is the designated RMS alternating or direct
which it will carry continuously under a stated condition.
19. Installation – an assemblage of electric equipment in a given location, designated for
coordinated operation, and, properly erected and wired.
20. Motor branch circuit – a branch circuit supplying energy only to one or more motors and
associated motor controllers.
21. Over current – any current in excess of the rated current of equipment or the ampacity of a
conductor. It may result from overload, short circuit or ground fault.

IV. Procedure

Draw the appropriate electrical symbols for each part on the space provided and give its
descriptions.

DESCRIPTION SCHEMATIC SYMBOLS MEANING / USES

It is a device used to protect the electric

circuit and connected devices from the
lightning strikes having high voltage
transient surges. Lightning arresters are
LIGHTNING ARRESTER installed outside to ground the harmful
effects of lightning spikes.

A ground symbol identifies a ground

GROUND (EARTH) terminal. It can be used for a zero
potential reference point from where
current is measured. It is also for
electrical shock protection.
The service entrance, as the name implies, is
where the wires connected to the load side of
the meter enter the house or building. The
SERVICE ENTRANCE service entrance in a residence is commonly
thought of as a breaker or fuse box.

Compact electronic monitoring devices that

KILOWATT-HOUR METER measure the consumed energy flowing
through a circuit such as a standard 120V
or 240Vac line and act as a kWh calculator.

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 A safety switch is a device that quickly
switches off the electricity supply if an
electrical fault is detected, to minimize the risk
SAFETY POWER SWITCH of electricity-related fires, electric shock, injury
and death.

A circuit breaker is an electrical switch

designed to protect an electrical circuit
CIRCUIT BREAKERS from damage caused by
overcurrent/overload or short circuit.

Eliminate potential dangers like excessive

FUSE temperatures and power surges to the
electrical systems.

A combination of a fuse and a switch,

FUSE CUT-OUT used in primary overhead feeder lines
CIRCUIT BREAKERS and taps to protect distribution
transformers from current surges and
overloads.

A big switch that safely distributes the

MAIN PANEL BOARDS supply of power to your house.

An enclosure, typically a metal box or

plastic moulding which contains important
POWER PANEL BOARD electrical components that control and
monitor a number of mechanical
processes.

They are used to safely distribute electricity

in several industrial, commercial, and
residential facilities. A panelboard is one
LIGHTING PANEL BOARD such important part of a power distribution
system that is responsible for dividing an
electric power feed into subsidiary circuits.

Incandescent lamps convert electric

INCANDESCENT LAMP power into light by passing electricity
through a filament of coiled tungsten wire,
OUTLET heating it until it glows.

A fluorescent lamp generates light from

FLOURESCENT LAMP collisions in a hot gas ('plasma') of free
accelerated electrons with atoms– typically
OUTLET mercury – in which electrons are bumped up
to higher energy levels and then fall back
while emitting at two UV emission lines (254
nm and 185 nm).

OUTLET W/ BLANK COVER It used to conceal wires for future devices.

They may also be used to cover old,
inoperative outlets or switches.

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 FAN OUTLET

The two receptacles in a common "duplex"

receptacle receive power from the same
circuit leading from the main electrical
DUPLEX PLUG OUTLET supply panel. They are wired in parallel so
that two appliances which are plugged into
the receptacle receive the same voltage, but
can draw different amounts of electric
current.

The ACU adjusts the field current to

A.C.U OUTLET maintain the alternator output S+ - S- at
28.4V. The ACU (alternator control unit
a.k.a. voltage regulator) also controls the
“low voltage” light.

The weatherproof outlet is a particular type

WEATHERPROOF PLUG of electrical outlet that is designed for
RECEPTACLE OUTLET installation outside the home. Outlets of this
kind are often installed on the exterior of
homes, garages, or storage buildings.

COOKING RANGE OUTLET A range receptacle is a type of high power

electrical outlet installed specifically for an
electric range or oven.

These outlets are specially used in such

SPECIAL PURPOSE places where installation of outlets is
difficult due to construction constraints.
OUTLET These outlets have additional covers
which allow covering of the outlets when
not in use. This helps in protection from
shocks and electrical risks.

ANTENNA OUTLET
Antenna wall outlets are typically used to
finish an antenna installation.

A single-pole switch is the general-purpose

SINGLE POLE SWITCH workhorse of switches. You'll know if your
switch is single-pole because it will usually
have ON/OFF symbols embossed on the
face of switch (though the ON/OFF markings
might be omitted on rocker-style switches).

DUPLEX SWITCH (2 single

pole switches on 1 gang
A duplex switch contains two switches on
switch plate) one body.

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 TRIPLEX (3 single pole
Three-way switches are commonly used to
switches on 1 gang switch control one light fixture from two different
plate) locations.

A Double Pole (or DP) switch is a switch

that controls two circuits at the same time.
DOUBLE POLE SWITCH In terms of residential switching, this
normally means it switches the live and
neutral at the same time.

Three-way switches are commonly used

THREE WAY SWITCH to control one light fixture from two
different locations.

Four-way switches are used to control

FOUR WAY SWITCH lighting from three or more locations.

A junction box is an electrical enclosure that

JUNCTION BOX houses one or more wiring connections.
The box protects the connections, which
usually contain vulnerable points such as
wire splices, from environmental conditions
and accidental contact.

PULL BOX Pull boxes are used along with conduit to

simplify wiring installation.

The electrical cable that carries power

CIRCUIT HOMERUN from the main circuit breaker panel to the
first electrical box, plug, or switch in the
circuit.

The push button switch is usually used to

PUSH BUTTON SWITCH turn on and off the control circuit, and it is
a kind of control switch appliance that is
widely used.

A buzzer or beeper is an audio signaling

BUZZER device, which may be mechanical,
electromechanical, or piezoelectric
(piezo for short).

A bell works with the principle of working of

electromagnetism. When the switch is
pushed on, the circuit gets completed and
BELL the current starts flowing through the U-
shaped electromagnet which creates a
magnetic field in the core. This attracts the
iron armature.

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 LIGHT AND POWER (cross-
lines indicate number of wires)

The two terminals are points are

OPEN WIRING externally disconnected.

The replacement of overhead cables

UNDERGROUND providing electrical power or
telecommunications, with underground
cables.

EMERGENCY An independent source of electrical power

that supports important electrical systems
on loss of normal power supply.

A fire alarm system warns people when

smoke, fire, carbon monoxide or other
FIRE ALARM fire-related or general notification
emergencies are detected.

A TV system in which signals are not publicly

distributed but are monitored, primarily for
CLOSE CIRCUIT TV surveillance and security purposes. CCTV
relies on strategic placement of cameras and
private observation of the camera's input on
monitors.

A battery is a device that stores energy and

BATTERY then discharges it by converting chemical
energy into electricity.

It is a also known as disconnector switch or

ISOLATING FUSE isolator switch is used for isolating and
completely de-energizing the circuit. It is an
off-load device.

A lamp that produces light by heating up a

FILAMENT LAMP filament of wire inside a bulb with an electric
current.

AC generator is a machine that converts

mechanical energy into electrical energy. The
AC GENERATOR AC Generator's input supply is mechanical
energy supplied by steam turbines, gas
turbines and combustion engines.

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 A direct-current (DC) generator is a rotating
DC GENERATOR machine that supplies an electrical output
with unidirectional voltage and current.

AC motors are a power source for a wide

variety of applications due to their flexibility,
AC MOTOR efficiency, and noiseless operation. They
are used on pumps, water heaters, garden
equipment, ovens, off road equipment and
are commonly found in many appliances,
equipment, and tools.
The term 'DC motor' is used to refer to any rotary
electrical machine that converts direct current
electrical energy into mechanical energy. DC
DC MOTOR motors can vary in size and power from small
motors in toys and appliances to large
mechanisms that power vehicles, pull elevators
and hoists, and drive steel rolling mills.

A device for converting electrical power

to another form. Motor–generator sets
are used to convert frequency, voltage,
MOTOR-GENERATOR (AC- or phase of power. They may also be
used to isolate electrical loads from the
DC) electrical power supply line.

An instrument for measuring either direct

(DC) or alternating (AC) electric current, in
amperes. An ammeter can measure a wide
AMMETER range of current values because at high
values only a small portion of the current is
directed through the meter mechanism; a
shunt in parallel with the meter carries the
major portion.
It is an instrument used for measuring
the potential difference, or voltage,
between two points in an electrical or
VOLTMETER electronic circuit. Some voltmeters are
intended for use in direct current (DC)
circuits; others are designed for
alternating current (AC) circuits.

A device that measures the amount of

AC KILOWATTHOUR electric energy consumed by a
METER residence, a business, or an electrically
powered device.

The power factor meter measures the

POWER FACTOR METER power factor of a transmission system. It
also determines the types of load using on
the line, and it also calculates the losses
occur on it.

A tachometer is an instrument that

measures the working speed of an
TACHOMETER engine, typically in revolutions per
minute (RPM). It is commonly used in
cars, boats, planes, and other vehicles.

An instrument for measuring electrical

resistance, which is expressed in ohms. In
the simplest ohmmeters, the resistance to
OHMMETER be measured may be connected to the
instrument in parallel or in series.

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 V. Evaluation

State the importance of electrical symbols for technicians like you?

Electrical symbols are important because they determine different functions in an
____________________________________________________________________________
electrical circuit. These symbols indicate whether or not the wires are connected;
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where to install a push button switch; where to connect a ground; and everything else
____________________________________________________________________________
you need to know to properly install the system. It is used to simplify drafting and
____________________________________________________________________________
make the drawing easier to understand. Electrical symbols are required to complete
____________________________________________________________________________
the electrical drawing, and we will be unable to complete the electrical drawing without
____________________________________________________________________________
their assistance. And it makes it easier to locate where the equipment was.
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
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Conclusion

Therefore, I conclude that electricians or electrical engineers are important in building

____________________________________________________________________________
houses or buildings because they are the ones who plan where to place the electrical
____________________________________________________________________________
circuits and other electrical equipment in our houses or buildings. As I was saying in
____________________________________________________________________________
the previous question, electrical symbols are required to complete the electrical
____________________________________________________________________________
drawing because we will be unable to complete the electrical drawing without their
____________________________________________________________________________
assistance. And this is important because it has different functions and gives us safety.
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