It may well save time and trouble to convert the ship wiring diagram into a much simpler and more useful circuit diagram.
When converting a ship’s wiring diagram into a circuit diagram certain basic rules and conventions should be followed.
- Every sequence should be drawn from left to right and from top to bottom (where possible)
- Each stage should be in order of occurrence from left to right.
- All contacts and components which are in series should be drawn in a straight line (where possible) with the component they control.
- All contacts and components which are in parallel should be drawn side by side and at the same level to emphasise their parallel function.
- All major components operating at bus-bar voltage should be drawn at the same level (or aligned horizontally) to help identify the required components quickly.
- All contacts should be shown open or closed in their normal or de-energised condition.
There are other conventions but these cover the main points of good systematic diagrams on ship electrical system. Block, system, circuit and wiring diagrams are the main types in general use for electrical work on vessel. Other types of diagram are sometimes used to give information for which the basic types are unsuitable (e.g. a pictorial view of a component).
Need to study the ship’s electrical diagrams to gain an understanding of equipment operation prior to carrying out maintenance or fault finding.
Diagrams on ship should be regarded as an essential tool when carrying out work on ship’s electrical equipment.
