What a switchboard passport is
The switchboard passport is the document that travels with a board. It records what the assembly is, which circuits it serves and which protective devices sit in it, so the panel can be built, labelled and understood away from the drawing it came from.
In GorkyCAD it is not a separate file you write by hand. It is one of the four parts of the PDF document set, generated from the same model that already holds your plans, your single-line diagram and your board definition.
That matters because the most common failure with board documentation is drift: the drawing is updated, the passport is not, and the two disagree by the time the board is built.
Think of it as the board's own record: everything a fitter, an inspector or a future maintenance visit needs to know about the assembly, kept together with the drawings that produced it.
Step 1 — finish the board in the model
The passport can only be as good as the board it describes, so start by closing the board in the model. This is quick but worth doing deliberately.
- Make sure every circuit you want on the board is drawn and assigned to it.
- Confirm each circuit references the protective device that serves it.
- Check cable types and sizes are set, since the schedule is generated from them.
- Give the board and its circuits clear names so the passport reads sensibly on its own.
Anything you fix here shows up in every document, so it is cheaper to correct in the model than in the output.
It helps to finish the board the way you would hand it to a colleague: circuits named, devices assigned and no placeholders left for later. A board that is complete in the model produces a passport that needs no tidying.
Step 2 — check circuits and devices
Before generating the set, run your eye over the board as the passport will present it: as a list of circuits and devices rather than as a diagram.
- The number of outgoing circuits matches the design you intended to issue.
- Device ratings match the circuits they protect, with spare ways left where you expected them.
- Circuit descriptions are meaningful to someone who only has the passport in front of them.
- Nothing is left unnamed or duplicated from a copy-and-paste in the design.
This review is minutes of work and catches the issues that would otherwise turn into a query during assembly.
Where the board is three-phase, it is also worth checking the balance across phases, since an uneven split shows up in the board's documentation just as it does in the design.
Step 3 — generate the PDF document set
With the board closed, produce the set. The passport is generated alongside the other parts of the document set, from the same project model, using the same project output area as the other formats.
- Open the project and confirm you are on the current revision.
- Choose the PDF document set as the output.
- Select the scope — a single board or the whole project.
- Name the file with the project, board and date so the version is obvious.
Because the passport is generated rather than typed, revising a device rating and re-running the export is all it takes to bring the document up to date.
In practice this is the whole point of generating the passport: it becomes a by-product of finishing the board rather than a chore that runs alongside it. Do the board once and the paperwork follows.
What the passport shares with the rest of the set
The passport is one of four parts of the PDF document set. Seeing them side by side makes clear why they agree: each is read from the same model.
| Part of the set | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Specification | The installation described in words, drawn from the model. |
| Cable schedule | Cables, circuit references and lengths generated from the design. |
| Estimate | The priced view of the same quantities. |
| Switchboard passport | The documentation that goes with each board. |
Alongside the PDF set you can export the same data to XLSX, DXF, IFC, BCF and GLTF, so the board information reaches procurement, other disciplines or a 3D view without being retyped.
That shared source is what makes the set credible. When the specification, the schedule, the estimate and the passport all point back to one model, a contradiction between them is not something you have to go hunting for at the end of a job.
Step 4 — review before you issue
Open the exported file and read it the way the person building the board will. A short final pass is the difference between documentation that is trusted and documentation that is questioned.
- The board name and revision on the passport match the drawing you are issuing.
- Circuits and devices are complete, with no obvious gaps or double entries.
- Descriptions and references line up with the cable schedule in the same set.
- The file name and date make the current version clear at a glance.
If something is wrong at this stage, fix it in the model and regenerate rather than editing the PDF by hand, so the correction is carried into every other part of the set at once.
Keeping the passport current
In a manual workflow the stale-document problem is the norm: a drawing is revised, the board paperwork is forgotten, and the two diverge quietly. Generating the passport from the model removes that gap.
When you change a board, the next export reflects the change, and the cable schedule and specification in the same set move with it. There is no second document to keep in step by hand, because there is only one source.
That is what lets you hand a set to a panel builder with confidence: the passport describes the board you actually designed, not a copy of an earlier one.
Next steps
Finish one board, generate the PDF document set and read the passport as if you were about to build it. That single run shows how much of the board paperwork the model can carry for you.
Open a project in the browser free of charge — no card required — and produce your first switchboard passport from a real board.
FAQ
What is in the switchboard passport?
The documentation that goes with each board: what the assembly is, the circuits it serves and the protective devices in it, all generated from the same project model.
Is the passport a separate file I write by hand?
No. It is one of the four parts of the PDF document set and is generated from your model, so it stays in step with the drawings.
Can I export a passport for a single board?
Yes. You choose the scope of the export, so a single distribution board can be produced as its own document for assembly or a staged package.
What else is in the PDF document set?
The specification, the cable schedule and the estimate, alongside the switchboard passport, all drawing on the same project model.