How to actually read a One-Line Diagram and a Panel Schedule — and turn what you see into a correct SKM model. Written for engineers on day one: every step tells you exactly where to look and what to type.
The real source documents are embedded right on this page — the actual study one-line, the engineer's transformer field sheet, the equipment-evaluation report and the manufacturer's rating table. Every number you see is read directly off them.
Before any detail, here is the whole journey on one screen: you read the one-line, build the system element-by-element in SKM, then run the studies in order. Everything else on this page is a zoom-in on one of these steps. The build order follows the SKM PowerTools workflow. SOURCE E · SKM PTW tutorial
You re-create the one-line inside SKM, top to bottom, exactly as you read it.
Order matters: each study assumes the previous one passed.
A study model is only as good as the data you feed it. Before opening the software, your real job is to harvest a handful of numbers from the drawings. The right-hand column shows the actual value from our work-along study so you know what "good data" looks like.
12.47 kV, stepped down by a 225 kVA transformer to a 208Y/120 V Siemens main switchboard, which feeds branch panelboards. We model that exact system, piece by piece. SOURCE A · e-Hazard SKM study| What the model needs | Where it hides on the drawings | Real value in our study |
|---|---|---|
| System voltages | One-line bus labels | 12.47 kV → 208Y/120 V |
| Utility short-circuit | Note near the utility symbol | Isc 3φ = 3,808 A, X/R = 8.0 @ 12.47 kV |
| Transformer kVA, V, %Z, X/R | Transformer callout / data sheet | 225 kVA · 12.47 kV–208 V · %Z = 1.80 · X/R ≈ 3.7 |
| Breaker frame, interrupting kA, trip unit | One-line tag, schedule, submittal | e.g. GE SGDA 400 A, 65 kA (Panel A main) |
| Cable size, length, conduit | One-line feeder tags / cable schedule | CBL-0001: (2) 500 kcmil Cu, 250 ft |
| Loads (kVA / HP / FLA) | Panel & MCC schedules | Transformer sec. FLA = 624.5 A |
A one-line ("single-line") diagram collapses all three phases into one line so you can see the path of power from the utility to the load. The diagram below is drawn from our real study. Click each red dot — it gives the actual recorded data and which SKM element it becomes. SOURCE A
👆 Click a red dot to see the real recorded data, where it came from, and how to model it.
The clean diagram above is a teaching simplification. Below is the actual one-line / model drawing from the published SKM study. It looks busier, but it is the same logic: source at the top, the red line is the 208 V switchboard bus, and every box hanging below is a panel or load. Scroll inside the frame; open full size to read any box.

225 kVA utility transformers feeding the site.208 V Siemens main switchboard bus — the same bus you modelled above.| On the one-line you see… | In SKM you create… | Key fields to fill |
|---|---|---|
| Utility source + "Isc 3,808 A, X/R 8.0" | Utility component | Voltage, 3φ short-circuit A or MVA, X/R |
| A horizontal bar (switchboard / panel) | Bus | Name, nominal kV |
| Two stacked circles (transformer) | 2-Winding Transformer | kVA, pri/sec kV, %Z, X/R, connection |
| A fuse or breaker symbol in the line | Branch with a protective Device | Frame/sensor, interrupting kA, settings |
| A feeder tag (e.g. "(2) 500 kcmil, 250 ft") | Cable on the branch | Size, # conductors, length, material |
| A panel / motor block | Load / Motor | kVA or HP, FLA, PF |
Quick check: the bar labelled "SIEMENS MAIN SWBD · 208 V" becomes which SKM element?
These two elements set the fault levels for the whole downstream system. We model the actual transformer and breakers from our study, with their real recorded values.
From the site data sheet for transformer TLM# 33669, here are the exact six things you need: SOURCE A
| # | Field | Real value | Where it came from | SKM input |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rating (kVA) | 225 kVA | Transformer nameplate | Base kVA |
| 2 | Primary voltage | 12.47 kV | Bus above (utility side) | Primary kV |
| 3 | Secondary voltage | 208Y/120 V | Bus below (switchboard) | Secondary kV |
| 4 | Impedance %Z | 1.80 % | Nameplate | %Z on transformer kVA base |
| 5 | X/R ratio | ≈ 3.7 | Primary-side data / library | X/R |
| 6 | Connection | Δ – Y-grounded | Vector group / nameplate | Winding config |

Transformer kVA → 225 kVA; Row 2 12.47 kV – 120/208 V; Row 3 %Z = 1.62 / 1.80%; Row 5 X/R = 4.11 / 3.67.C10, 25 amps — that became the primary-fuse device in the model.A breaker is a branch carrying a protective device. Before any trip setting, record its identity. These are real devices pulled straight from the study's equipment list: SOURCE A
| Device (real) | Frame / range | Interrupting rating | Calc. fault | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GE SGDA (Panel A main) | 125–400 A | 65 kA | 15.32 kA | Passed |
| Siemens HQR2 (Panel 3 main) | 100–250 A | 65 kA | 11.15 kA | Passed |
| Cutler-Hammer BAB (branch) | 15–100 A | 10 / 65 kA | 10.81 kA | Passed |
| GE TMQB (sub-panel) | 60–125 A | 42 kA | 15.09 kA | Passed |

INT kA = the calculated fault; the device's Rating% shows how much of its interrupting capacity is used.Passed means rating > fault. This is exactly the check described below.| Breaker fact | SKM field | Effect in the study |
|---|---|---|
| Frame / sensor ampere | Device frame / sensor | Upper bound on continuous & trip settings |
| Interrupting rating (kA) | Device interrupting capacity | Pass/fail vs. calculated fault current |
| Trip unit / model | Device library selection | Picks the time-current curve shape |
Quick check: the transformer nameplate says %Z = 1.80. The model should…
A one-line might just say "400 A". That is not enough to model protection. The catalog (type) number on the nameplate or submittal encodes the frame, the interrupting rating, the poles and the trip unit. Learn to decode it — using a real manufacturer catalog.
Click each block. The meanings and ratings come straight from the manufacturer's MasterPact catalog. (Example: a 2000 A frame, 65 kA, 3-pole drawout breaker with an electronic LSI trip unit.) SOURCE B
| Performance level | Icu @ 440 V | Catalog wording — what it's for |
|---|---|---|
| N1 | 42 kA | Standard applications with low short-circuit levels |
| H1 | 65 kA | Industrial sites with high short-circuit levels |
| H2 | 100 kA | High-performance for heavy industry |
| H3 | 150 kA | Critical applications needing high performance + discrimination |
| L1 | 150 kA | High current-limiting capability |
Frame ampere code → rated current: NW08 = 800 A, NW10 = 1000, NW12 = 1250, NW16 = 1600, NW20 = 2000, NW25 = 2500, NW32 = 3200, NW40 = 4000 A. The sensor (Ir) for an NW20 is selectable from 1000–2000 A. SOURCE B

Ultimate breaking capacity Icu at 220/415/440 V → the values 42 / 65 / 100 / 150 kA line up under N1 / H1 / H2 / H3.In for each frame.Quick check: in MasterPact NW, the performance code (N1 / H1 / H2 / L1) primarily tells you the breaker's…
The trip unit is the "brain" of an electronic breaker. Modelling it = telling SKM which protection functions exist and what each is set to. Modern units are described by the letters L S I G. The setting ranges below are the real adjustable ranges from a Micrologic electronic trip unit instruction bulletin. SOURCE C
Protects against sustained overload — "the wire is slowly cooking."
Ir = long-time pickup (continuous current) 0.4 – 1.0 × In
tr = long-time delay (how long it tolerates overload)
Catches downstream faults but waits a beat so the breaker closer to the fault trips first (selectivity).
Isd = short-time pickup 1.5 – 10 × Ir
tsd = short-time delay (set in 0.1 s steps)
No intentional delay — trips immediately on a big fault to protect the breaker itself.
Ii = instantaneous pickup 2 – 15 × In
Senses current returning through ground — currents a phase device would miss.
Ig = ground pickup tg = ground delay (0.1 s steps)
5.0 / 5.0P = LSI (no ground). 6.0 / 6.0P = LSIG (adds ground fault). So a "Micrologic 6.0" breaker needs the G function modelled; a "5.0" does not. The catalog number from Step 3 told you which one you have. SOURCE C| Trip unit dial | SKM curve segment | Typical setting source |
|---|---|---|
| Ir (long-time pickup) | LTPU | Continuous load / cable ampacity |
| tr (long-time delay) | LTD | Coordination study |
| Isd (short-time pickup) | STPU | Selectivity with downstream |
| tsd (short-time delay) | STD | Selectivity / withstand |
| Ii (instantaneous) | Instantaneous | Equipment withstand |
| Ig / tg (ground) | Ground function | Ground-fault protection scheme |
Quick check: a breaker's trip unit is a "Micrologic 5.0". Which function do you not need to model?
If the one-line is the skeleton, the panel schedule is the muscle — it lists every circuit on a panelboard. The example below mirrors a real published 208Y/120 V panelboard schedule (a public infrastructure project). Click a column header to see what it means and how it feeds the model. SOURCE D
| CKT ▾ | Load Description ▾ | Load (kW/VA) ▾ | Breaker ▾ | Poles ▾ | Phase ▾ | LF ▾ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Runway Regulator R1 | 7.5 kW | 70 A | 2 | A·B | 0.8 |
| 3 | Runway Regulator R2 | 7.5 kW | 70 A | 2 | B·C | 0.8 |
| 5 | Field Lighting Control | 1.2 kW | 20 A | 1 | A | 1.0 |
| 7 | SPARE | — | 20 A | 1 | C | — |
| 9 | SPACE | — | — | — | — | — |
👆 Click a column header above.

VOLTS 208Y/120V, BUS RATING 400, SHORT CIRCUIT RATING 30 kA, MAIN CIRCUIT BREAKER 300/3 — read these before any circuit.Runway Regulator 7.5 kW → 70/2 at USAGE FACTOR 0.8, exactly the row you explored above.VAULT, voltage 208Y/120 V, 3Ø 4W, bus 400 A, main breaker 300 A / 3-pole, plus the AIC rating. These define the panel's Bus and its main device — read them before any individual circuit. SOURCE DNow the actual mouse-and-keyboard sequence. This mirrors the official SKM PowerTools build workflow; the goal is to re-draw the one-line you read into the software, then feed each symbol its real data. SOURCE E
BUS-0001, BUS-0002… rename them to match the drawing ("12.47 kV Source", "208 V SWBD") and set each bus's nominal voltage.With the model built, run the studies from the study menu. Each one builds on the last, so respect the order:
| Order | Study (SKM module) | What it answers | You're checking… |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Load Flow (DAPPER) | Bus voltages, branch currents | Did I wire it right? Any voltage way off? |
| 2 | Short Circuit (DAPPER) | Bolted fault current at every bus | How hard can each bus fault? (≈12.5 kA @ 208 V) |
| 3 | Equipment Evaluation | Device rating vs. fault | Is every breaker rated above its fault? |
| 4 | Coordination / TCC (CAPTOR) | Trip-curve selectivity | Does the nearest device trip first? |
| 5 | Arc Flash | Incident energy, PPE, boundary | What PPE label goes on the gear? |
In SKM the load-flow and short-circuit pair are launched together from the balanced-system (DAPPER) studies; equipment evaluation, coordination and arc flash are their own study runs.
Print this. Tick it off as you harvest data from each drawing — when every box is checked, you can build the model with confidence.
Everything on this page is traceable. Open these public documents and find the exact numbers used above — that is the best way to learn what real study data looks like.