Every drawing program draws a new single-line diagram. The question is what happens when the diagram already exists — on paper in the folder next to the board, or as a PDF without a source file. In 1wire you upload a scan or a photo, and a few minutes later you carry on drawing in an editable diagram.
5 to 10 minand an email as soon as your diagram is ready
PDF or photoscan, export or photo of the paper diagram
Multiple pagesincluding the connections between the pages
Before and after
The same board, twice
On the left, the diagram as you find it at the customer's: a plan from the folder next to the board, photographed with a smartphone. On the right, the same diagram in 1wire, a few minutes later — not as an image, but as real components. Every circuit, every circuit breaker and every symbol is a component you can select, move, complete and print.
BeforeBefore: a photo of the paper diagram
AfterAfter: the editable diagram in 1wire
The difference
The blank sheet is the problem
With a new installation everyone starts with a blank sheet, and there's nothing wrong with that. With an
existing installation you start with a blank sheet and a diagram that already exists. That diagram is on paper in the folder next to the board, or in a PDF you can open but not edit. All you can do with it is look at it while you retype it.
That retyping is work that rarely ends up on an invoice. And it's exactly why a half-hour change turns into half a day.
Renovation and extension
The installation exists, and so does the diagram — on paper, in the folder next to the board. You're adding three circuits, but you start by redrawing the entire existing board.
Re-inspection and non-conformities
An inspection report calls for an updated diagram. Rebuilding the old diagram just to add one residual current device is work that wasn't in your quote.
Taking over a file
You take over an installation from a colleague or a previous owner. What you get is a plan on paper or a PDF without a source file — nothing you can open and edit.
Digitising an archive
Technical departments, schools and property managers have cabinets full of boards on paper. Scanning one diagram at a time makes the archive editable piece by piece, without a drawing assignment.
How it works
Four steps, and you carry on drawing
1
You upload the scan or photo
A PDF, PNG, JPEG or WebP up to 25 MB. That can be an export from another drawing package, a scan of the paper file, or simply a photo you take of the board with your phone. If the diagram spans several pages, put them together in one PDF.
2
1wire reads the diagram
The pages are normalised and the lines detected. Then 1wire recognises the circuits and symbols, checks the connections between the pages, and builds an editable diagram from them. You can follow these steps live on screen, but you don't have to wait.
3
You get an email as soon as it's ready
Processing is expected to take 5 to 10 minutes. Feel free to close the tab: as soon as your project is ready, you get a message with the link. In the meantime you work on something else.
4
1wire shows you where it was unsure
In the editor, the button Import checksappears. It lists the symbols and connections the recognition was unsure about, each with a reference to the source page. You confirm or adjust them, and after that it's a regular 1wire project: complete it, rename it, add a floor plan, print.
Two ways in
A new project, or an extra board
In the project list
Import existing schematic
In your project list, next to + New project you'll find the button
Import existing schematic. You choose a PDF or photo and start the import. 1wire turns it into a new, editable project.
When: for an installation that isn't in 1wire yet.
In the diagram editor
An extra diagram in an existing project
Open a project, go to the diagram editor and click
+ from imagein the tab bar, next to Extra schema. The scanned diagram is added as an additional diagram.
When: for a second board or an outbuilding in a file you already have.
Honestly
What the import does and doesn't do
The import is a best-effort conversion: 1wire reads your diagram as accurately as possible, but not every symbol and connection comes out with the same certainty. That's why 1wire keeps track of where it's unsure and presents those points to you afterwards. We'd rather tell you upfront where the limits are than have you discover them on a diagram that has to go out the door.
What you can expect
An editable diagram with real components, not a pasted-in image.
Circuits, circuit breakers, residual current devices and symbols as components you can select and edit.
Diagrams spanning several pages, with the connections between those pages.
1wire indicating where it was unsure, with a reference to the source page.
A regular 1wire project afterwards: keep drawing, add a floor plan, print.
What you need to do yourself
Check the result. The import takes over the drawing work, not the assessment.
Take the quality of the original into account: a blurry photo or messy handwriting gives a weaker result.
Check the diagram against the installation as it was actually built.
Build the floor plan separately — this is about the single-line diagram; you import a floor plan another way.
Your responsibility remains your responsibility. The choice of protective devices, the cross-sections and the accuracy of the diagram compared with the actual installation remain with the installer and follow from the AREI.
In practice
How to get the most out of a scan
Preferably a scan or a PDF
If you can choose between a scan and a photo, take the scan. A PDF export from another package works even better.
The whole sheet in view
Including the frames on the left and right and the title block at the bottom. Anything out of view can't be converted.
Straight from above
Photograph perpendicular to the sheet and watch out for shadows from yourself or the lamp above the board.
All pages together
One PDF with all the pages lets 1wire link the connections between the pages.
Read it yourself first
If you can't read the circuit numbers and ratings on your photo yourself, 1wire can't either. Take a new one.
Start with a diagram you know
Test the import first on an installation whose diagram you know by heart. Then you'll immediately see what goes right and what goes wrong.
Try it yourself
Try it on a diagram you already have
The best test isn't a sample file. Take a diagram from your own folder, of an installation you built yourself. Then you'll know straight away what the import does well and where it has doubts.
After that it's a regular 1wire project. You change what needs changing, draw in the new circuits and print. You'll never have to redraw the paper diagram in the folder again.
1. Upload your photo, scan or PDF
Choose an existing single-line diagram. Enter your email address for the result and choose a password to keep your diagram private.
2. We make your diagram editable
Answer a few extra questions while the conversion runs. You'll get an email as soon as the result is ready, so you can carry on drawing afterwards.
Drawing and importing cost nothing. You only pay when you want to print a project without restrictions.
Frequently asked questions
Questions about scanning a single-line diagram
Which files can I upload?
A PDF, PNG, JPEG or WebP of up to 25 MB. A PDF export from another drawing package, a scan of the paper file or a smartphone photo all work.
How long does converting a single-line diagram take?
Usually 5 to 10 minutes. You don't have to wait on screen: you'll get an email with the link to the project as soon as the diagram is ready.
Does it work with a diagram spanning several pages?
Yes. Put all pages in one PDF. 1wire processes the pages together and then checks the connections between them, so a circuit that starts on one page and continues on another stays one whole.
Is every symbol recognised correctly?
Not always, and we'd rather say so upfront. The import is a best-effort conversion. 1wire keeps track of where the recognition is unsure and presents those symbols and connections to you afterwards in a short checklist. So always check the result before relying on it.
Can I simply keep editing the imported diagram?
Yes. The result is a regular 1wire project with real components. You move symbols, add circuits, adjust ratings, name your circuits and print, just like any other project.
What about a hand-drawn or old diagram?
By all means try it — it's exactly the kind of diagram the import is meant for. The more legible the original, the better the result. If you can't read the circuit numbers on your photo yourself, it won't work automatically either.
Do I need to install anything?
No. 1wire runs directly in the browser, on Windows, Mac and tablet. Your projects are stored online, so you can open them on any device — on site too.
What does it cost to import a diagram?
Importing and drawing cost nothing. You only pay when you want to print a project without restrictions, per project or with a subscription. You'll find the prices on the home page.
I still have the original file. Is scanning the best route then?
No. If you still have the source file, use a direct import instead: it takes the diagram straight from the file and doesn't need to recognise anything. For a .trikexport from Trikker, 1wire has a separate import. Scanning is meant for diagrams that only exist on paper or as a PDF.
