02.1 → Wiring schedule
One row per wire.
Open a row to see both ends, the connection type at each end and the signal. Pick a different signal type and the wire takes its color on the canvas and its IEC code on paper.
Desktop beta · Mac / Windows / Linux
Not a sketch.
Not a CAD seat.
Type From → To in a grid. Ohmstead lays out the schematic, routes every wire, builds the terminal strips and prints an 11×17 drawing set.
Free during the beta. No credit card.
Built forEngineers/System integrators/Technicians/Electricians
01 → The drawing set
Draw nothing.
Print everything.
Page frames on the canvas are your sheets. Export, and every frame prints as a black-and-white ANSI B drawing with a zone border, title block, sheet references and a full wire schedule.
Recorded in Ohmstead 0.2.2 · the real Export PDF of the E-Stop with Guardmaster template, 4 sheets
- Same scale on every sheet. A block is the same size on page 1 and page 12.
- Wires between sheets become flags. Each flag names the other end and the sheet and zone it's on.
- Your title block. Logo and fields from your PDF template, sheet numbers filled in.
- The wire schedule prints too. Every wire and cable conductor, with its IEC color.
02 → How it works
Three steps.
One drawing.
02.2 → Strips
Fan-outs become terminal strips.
Land three wires on a terminal that takes two and the schedule warns you. Fix all routes them through a jumpered terminal strip, here TB2, the 0V bus. You never add a TB by hand.
02.3 → Cables
One row per cable, every pin mapped.
A cable joins two connectors pin for pin. Open its pin map to set each conductor's signal and color. Plugs that won't mate (same gender, different keying or pin count) get flagged.
03 → Also in the box
Everything else
a project needs.
03.1 → The Codex
One parts library for everyone.
Search the shared library: “safety relay” finds the Allen-Bradley Guardmaster and the Pilz PNOZ s4. Built-in parts are read-only; fork one to change it.
03.2 → Nested subsystems
Drill into a cabinet.
Double-click a subsystem to work inside it. Wires that leave it end at small off-page blocks. Project takes you back up.
03.3 → Clean up
Drag anything. Tidy with one key.
Drag a block where it lives in the enclosure. Clean up (⌘U) lines the selection back up and reroutes, with Undo.
03.4 → Wire references
Long run? Make it two flags.
Set a wire's Draw to Ref and the long route becomes a pair of → TAG:TERM flags you can click to jump between.
03.5 → PLC racks
Modules go in slots.
Open a PLC's rack: a CompactLogix 5380 with 8 slots, a Compact 5000 digital output module in slot 1. Add modules from the Codex.
03.6 → Split blocks
One part, two places on the page.
Split U1 into parts and pick which part shows each terminal. Connectors move whole; wires and the schedule don't change.
03.7 → Live in every window
Two windows, one project.
Add a wire in one window and the other updates with “Updated from another session” and an Undo.
03.8 → Built-in templates
Start from a working project.
Nine built-in templates, from 24VDC distribution and E-stops to a PowerFlex 525 VFD, ESP32 and Raspberry Pi builds, and an FSAE EV low-voltage system.
Recorded in Ohmstead 0.2.2. Clips play on a loop.
04 → Pricing at launch
Pricing
No billing during the beta.
Free
$0/mo
- Up to 3 projects
- Full grid + schematic editor
- Shared public Codex
- PDF export (watermarked)
- Projects listed in the Gallery
Student
$0/mo
- Everything in Pro
- Sign in with a .edu email
- For non-commercial student work
- PDFs marked “Educational use”
Pro
$29/mo
- Unlimited projects
- Private projects
- Private Codex parts & signal types
- Clean PDF export
- Custom PDF templates with your logo
Coming up the trail: Teams, Enterprise and On-Prem. Shared projects and one Codex for the whole outfit, a seat for every hand, or Ohmstead running on your own servers, behind your own fence. Send word with what you need.
05 → Private beta
Join the beta
Testers are let in a few at a time. Tell us a little about your work and we'll email you an installer for your platform when a spot opens.
- Every Pro feature while the beta runs
- Direct line to the people building it
- No spam. One email when it's your turn, then release notes.
Questions
FAQ
When can I download it?
Ohmstead is in a private beta. Join the waitlist and we'll email you an installer when a spot opens. Testers are picked by hand, a few at a time.
Which platforms does it run on?
The desktop app runs on macOS (Apple silicon and Intel), Windows (x64) and Linux (AppImage). Your projects sync, so you can switch machines.
Do I need an electrical CAD license?
No. Ohmstead is for the 80% of jobs that just need a clear, correct wiring diagram and schedule: no CAD seat, no symbol libraries to manage.
Which wire color standard do you use?
The starter set follows common NFPA 79 practice for industrial machinery (blue for DC control, white with blue tracer for DC common). Create your own types for other standards or customer specs.
Who gets the Student plan?
Anyone signed in with a .edu email, Formula SAE, rocketry and robotics teams included. It has every Pro feature for non-commercial work; exported PDFs say “Educational use”.
Does it calculate wire size or power budgets?
Not yet. Ohmstead focuses on connections and documentation; AWG, current ratings and power aggregation are planned.