An arc flash study is only as accurate as the data going into it. The calculation is deterministic; the field data is where studies actually succeed or fail. The slow, error-prone part has never been the math. It is walking the facility, capturing every nameplate and feeder, matching photos to equipment later, and driving back when a field is missing.
AmpSketch is the field-capture step, rebuilt for a phone. You walk the site once and leave with a structured equipment list, a one-line diagram, and a PDF package that feeds your existing study software.
How it works
Snap each nameplate
AI reads kVA, voltage, and trip ratings into the right fields. Or enter by hand. Works fully offline in basements and electrical rooms.
The one-line builds itself
Capture the hierarchy and the single-line diagram assembles as you go. Pin panels onto an uploaded floor plan.
Leave with the package
Export the one-line, equipment schedule, and floor plan as a PDF report, ready to feed your study software.
What you capture, by equipment type
AmpSketch prompts the fields IEEE 1584 needs per equipment class, so the record is complete before you move on:
Utility: available fault current and X/R at the service point (requested from the utility), service voltage.
Transformers: kVA, primary and secondary voltage, percent impedance, winding configuration, tap setting.
Switchgear and panels: bus rating and voltage, main and branch breaker trip ratings, frame size, interrupting rating (AIC), trip-unit settings.
Motors, generators, and sources: HP and FLA, reactances where listed, and the transfer switches and feeders that tie alternate sources in.
Conductors: size, material, conduit type, and measured run length between buses.
Photos: every nameplate, tagged to the equipment, so nothing is orphaned back at the office.
For the exhaustive list, read the field checklist: Arc flash study data collection: a field checklist.
Catch the second-visit triggers before you leave
The most expensive thing in field data collection is the drive back. Because AmpSketch captures structured data per piece of equipment and checks it as you go, the usual culprits surface on the walk instead of in the office:
Missing transformer percent impedance, branch breakers without an interrupting rating, guessed feeder lengths, an undersized conductor against its breaker, or a transfer switch with no named source. AmpSketch flags these on capture, while you are still standing in front of the gear.
Built by a licensed PE
AmpSketch is built by Alex Woodhams, a licensed professional engineer, because the structured data capture above was always the limiting factor on a study. You can have a perfect checklist and still lose hours transcribing notes and matching photos to equipment days later. The point of the tool is simple: the walk produces the deliverable, not a pile of photos to sort out at your desk.
Pricing
- Unlimited projects
- Build and capture for free; exports unlock when you subscribe
- Shared team workspace, one centralized bill
Just need one deliverable? A single-project unlock is $199 one-time, full PDF report, no subscription.
Frequently asked questions
What data do you need to collect for an arc flash study?
IEEE 1584 needs a specific set of inputs per equipment type: utility short-circuit data, transformer kVA and percent impedance, bus and breaker ratings including interrupting rating (AIC), electronic trip-unit settings, motor contributions, and feeder conductor sizes and lengths. AmpSketch prompts the required fields per equipment type so you do not leave the site with a half-filled record.
Does AmpSketch calculate incident energy?
No. AmpSketch collects the field data and builds the one-line. The incident-energy calculation runs in your existing power-system study software. Clean, structured field data is what makes that calculation accurate.
Can AmpSketch read equipment nameplates automatically?
Yes. Photograph the nameplate and AmpSketch reads values such as kVA, voltage, and trip ratings into the right fields. You verify and move on. You can also enter data by hand.
Does it work offline?
Yes. Electrical rooms and basements rarely have signal, so capture works fully offline and syncs when you are back online.
Do I need CAD?
No. The one-line diagram and equipment schedule build from your field capture and export to PDF. There is no AutoCAD drafting step.
What does AmpSketch cost?
$69 per user per month, or $690 per user per year, with a 14-day free trial. Building and capturing are free; exports unlock with a subscription. A single-project unlock is $199 one-time.
See if the capture flow matches how you collect arc flash data
Open the demo in your browser with a sample facility. No signup, no install. Walk through a capture and watch the one-line build.
Open the demo →