Getting started

CablePilot is a desktop app for the electrical design of machines and control panels: multi-page schematics with IEC symbols, reference designations, cross-references and wire numbers; terminal, cable and wire lists, PLC I/O lists and the BOM generated from the schematic; a cabinet layout in 2D and 3D; and a PDF drawing set in your company's frame and title block. It runs on your computer, needs no account and works offline.

Install

Download the file for your computer from the latest release:

The builds are not signed yet. On a Mac, open the app the first time with right-click > Open and confirm. On Windows, choose More info > Run anyway if SmartScreen warns. On Linux, make the AppImage executable (chmod +x CablePilot-linux-x86_64.AppImage) and run it.

Every feature is free for 30 days on each computer, with no account. After the trial CablePilot needs a license key, one per user or seat: see Pricing. Your projects and exports stay yours, also without a key.

Your first ten minutes

1. Open a sample. Choose Sample projects in the top bar: the conveyor with a direct-on-line starter, the pump station or the 110 V DC battery charger (27 pages). Every feature can be tried on them.
2. Move around. The page list is on the left. Zoom with the mouse wheel, pan with the middle button or Space + drag, and press F (or Fit page in the status bar) to see the whole sheet.
3. Place a symbol. Search the symbol list (press /), click a symbol, click on the page. The designation is given automatically (-K1, -Q2...), following IEC 81346. R rotates and M mirrors while placing.
4. Draw a wire. Press W, click from pin to pin, Enter to finish. A symbol placed on an existing wire splits it between its pins.
5. Make a device. Give a contact the same designation as a coil: they become one device, and the cross-references appear on both (08-E3 or 8.3, as set in the project settings).
6. Give it a part. In Properties, pick a part from the library: the BOM counts it at once.
7. Number the wires. Wires > Number wires uses your pattern (by potential, by page and column, sequential, or by rung on ladder pages). See How numbering works.
8. See the lists. Reports > Reports: terminal diagrams, cable and wire lists, connector pin lists, the BOM, legends and more, all generated from the schematic and updated live.
9. Check it. The warnings banner appears as soon as the electrical rule check finds something (a loose wire, a duplicate designation, a cable too small for its breaker). Many findings have a one-click fix.
10. Print the set. Export PDF writes the whole drawing set, or one page, as a vector PDF at true scale.

Everything you do can be undone (Ctrl+Z), including imports, renumbering and the assistant's proposals.

Working like in your CAD

The command line at the bottom takes the commands electrical CAD users know: L, PL, REC, C, M, CO, RO, MI, E, TR, EX, O, Z, ZE, U, PAN, LA, DI, plus CablePilot's own (INSERT, WIRE, NUMBER, REPORT, CHECK, SIZE, ERP, LADDER, AUTOWIRE, HISTORY). Enter or Space repeats the last command, Esc cancels. Points can be typed: 30,40 (absolute), @60,0 (relative), @50<90 (relative polar). The status bar switches the drafting aids: grid F7, ortho F8, snap F9, object snap F3, polar tracking F10. Press F1 for the full list of keys.

Your files

A project is one file, name.cablepilot.json: open, documented JSON that diffs well in Git (file format). CablePilot autosaves while you work and offers to recover after a crash; History keeps a daily backup and the versions you name, and restores one as a single undo step.

Optional: the assistant

The AI assistant uses your own API key (Claude, OpenAI or Gemini), stored encrypted by your operating system. Open AI settings in the chat panel, paste the key and press Test key. The assistant proposes changes as a preview that you accept or reject; every claim shows its source, and electrical values are labelled as suggestions to confirm. Without a key, the app works fully.

Where to go next

• How numbering works: designations, wire numbers and terminals.
• Project file format: what is in the file and how versions are migrated.
• ERP link and layout exchange format: sharing data with your ERP.
• Questions and ideas: GitHub Discussions.