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Old 13th Aug 2021, 11:20 am   #11
David Simpson
Nonode
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Aberdeen, UK.
Posts: 2,838
Default Re: Circuit Diagrams sprawling over acres of paper?

As David says, tis well worth initially drawing up a block diagram. E.g.many block diagrams, like circuit diagrams, for vintage(and not so vintage)radios follow a left(signal in) to right(AF out) format. With the likes of the military ARC52 vhf/uhf tranceiver the multitude of removable sub-units roughly corresponded to the blocks in the blockschematic diagram. Many old pre & post war diagrams for scopes(oscillographs) also followed a common protocol for orientating the circuitry around the CRT. Then along came HP & TEK & their range of scopes with removable sub-units. Along with the "fold-out" long circuit diagrams in their manuals for the mainframe & each sub assembly.
Many of the manuals & circuit diagrams circulating amongst the vintage radio fraternity & the associated Forums are in A4 PDF format. The first thing I do is get the diagrams enlarged up to A3, for ease of reading, prior to a project. But then, as I said in my previous post - back in the factory's drawing office these diagrams would've started out much larger anyway. Some diagrams circulating around our fraternity, sometimes take up four A4 sheets which then need to be carefully sellotaped together - to make up A2 in size.
Some VR folk are a dab hand at photographing with their iPhones or digital cameras(but not old me) and end up printing off decent A3 diagrams.
So, in conclusion, to save your eyes, and prevent RSI in your wrists, draw up diagrams at a larger "A" format, then print off at a readable smaller size. I've just an A4 printer, but the local chemist has an A4 - A3 printer, and many local authority planning/building offices have A2 printers. Obviously, a small fee is involved.

Regards, David

Last edited by David Simpson; 13th Aug 2021 at 11:22 am. Reason: spelling
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