idiots guide to reading diagrams

[davidsrsb]

Early retirement was not a thing in the 60s and 70s. The WW2 veterans that you mention may well have been born before WW1, the wars were closer together than the feel you get from films

 

[Vinny]

Early retirement was not a thing in the 60s and 70s. The WW2 veterans that you mention may well have been born before WW1, the wars were closer together than the feel you get from films

Retirement - it depended who you worked for. When I started work in '77, I quickly became aware of the idea of retiring in your mid 50's. Shame that that plan didn't work out....

Rank and file soldiers in both wars were young - 20's, so WW2 armed forces were frequently born after WW1. The teacher who was in Colditz was there from something like the age of 19 - he was captured after his ship that was laying mines off the Frech coast, was sunk. The Dambuster was not much older.

 

[mansr]

The standard resistor symbol differs between Europe (rectangle) and America (zigzag). That's all there is to it. At least they use the same units, so it's only a minor annoyance, if that. I can't say I pay much attention to which style is used when looking at circuit diagrams.

 

[Vinny]

I can't say I pay much attention to which style is used when looking at circuit diagrams.

True. H, R, u or p register far more

 

[Arkless Electronics]

The symbol was a zigzag line, exactly as I said. There will be millions upon millions of circuit diagrams out there using a zigzag.

As mansr said you are referring to USA standard. Straight and curved lines for electrolytic is USA whilst solid and clear rectangles European. I tend to use a mix of both in hand drawn schematics... oops... I mean circuit diagrams

 

[peterm]

I did my A levels in 1976
I'm getting old

I did my A levels in 1965.

Oh dear, I AM old!

 

[suzywong]

I have used box resistors since the mid 70s. I presume that it was using Rotring pen and the plastic stencils that drove this

Ah yes, I'd forgotten about my plastic stencils (I had Rotring pens as well) - I had two green ones for circuit components (with both zigzags and rectangles for resistors) and a white one for flow charting. I wonder what happened to them.

And desk sized pads of A1 squared paper for drawing the schematics......

Then we discovered Smirnoff....er, sorry, I mean Orcad!

 

[davidsrsb]

I have a pen left, the stencils and drawing instruments all missing. I would not have thrown them away as I remember that they were one of my biggest purchases when I was a student

 

[funkit]

This is an excellent thread well done guys

 

[Marchbanks]

I’ve always found this to be an invaluable reference...