Control panel design guidance, tools, and resources built for real automation work.
Practical articles, calculators, checklists, and design helpers for control panel layout, wiring, CAD workflow, component selection, and standards-related design decisions.
Tools Area
Design tools for control panel work
Practical calculators and design helpers built around real control panel decisions. Use the tools area to check common design conditions, review important details, and document decisions before a project moves forward.
Browse by Topic
Explore practical control panel topics
Find articles and resources by the type of design work you are trying to solve.
Control Panel Design
Layout, enclosure planning, component placement, spacing, and practical design decisions.
⎋Wiring & Terminals
Wire numbering, terminal strips, ferrules, grounding, shielding, and field wiring practices.
✎Electrical CAD
EPLAN, AutoCAD Electrical, schematics, templates, macros, reports, and documentation workflow.
◇Standards & Compliance
Practical notes on UL 508A, NFPA 79, SCCR, enclosure ratings, and design considerations.
◫Components & Hardware
PLCs, VFDs, power supplies, disconnects, relays, circuit protection, and industrial hardware.
Design Workflow
Drawing reviews, release packages, checklists, project handoff, and design department processes.
Why 791 Controls
Built from real design work, not generic electrical theory.
791 Controls focuses on the practical decisions that come up when control panels move from drawings to purchasing, panel build, checkout, troubleshooting, and service.
Resources
Checklists, worksheets, and references
Use downloadable resources to support design reviews, panel layout, wiring checks, and documentation workflow.
View resources →Latest Articles
Recent practical notes and guides from 791 Controls.
-
Control Panel Design ROI: How to Find and Measure Real Engineering Time Savings
Design efficiency is not just faster drafting. Real ROI comes from finding repeated delays, rework, unclear handoffs, review loops, and shop questions — then measuring what actually improved.
-
Phase Balancing in 480V Control Panels: Design for What Actually Runs Together
Phase balancing in 3-phase control panels is not just equalizing horsepower. Learn how to account for single-phase loads, VFD-fed non-concurrent motors, transformers, and avoidable imbalance mistakes.
-
Type 4X Is Not a Washdown Strategy: What to Check Before You Call the Panel “Washdown Rated”
Type 4X matters, but it does not answer every washdown question. Here is how to translate a vague “washdown” requirement into the enclosure, sealing, mounting, and hygiene decisions that actually affect panel performance.
