Like any other project you may try to tackle, electrical work will require a few tools to accomplish

the job. This is a partial list of needed tools to take care of most electrical jobs. These tools are readily available at most building material outlet stores or electrical wholesalers. Hopefully the descriptions below will help you in selecting the proper tools for the type of electrical projects you will encounter. 1. Fish Tape

Tim Thiele

A fish tape is used to pull stranded or solid wire through metal or PVC conduit. Cable lube is available to assist you in pulling the wires through the pipe.

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Tim Thiele

A tape measure is use to measure heights for switches and outlets. You will also need it to center lighting fixture boxes.

3. Voltmeter A voltmeter is used to check voltages and verify that circuits are indeed live.

4. Hammer

Tim Thiele

A hammer is used to secure boxes equipped with nail-on brackets to studs in a home. Youll also need it to drive Romex straps when adding new Romex wiring in a home.

5. Channel Lock Pliers

Tim Thiele

Channel lock pliers are used to take knockouts out of the boxes, tighten down Romex connectors in the boxes, and adjust expansion-type ceiling-fan boxes.

6. Wire Strippers

Tim Thiele

Wire strippers are used to cut the insulation off of the wire. They are equipped with different sized cutting teeth for various sized wires. They also have a cutoff portion in order to cut the wire.

7. Non-contact Voltage Detector

Tim Thiele

A voltage detector is used for a quick safety check to see if there is voltage or current flow present. Some of these devices are automatic and some must be turned on via a switch. Simply place the end of the tracer beside a wire, breaker or cord to see if its energized.

8. Side Cutter Diagonal Pliers

Tim Thiele

These cutting pliers, sometimes called side snips, are used to cut wire. They are specially designed with a cutting edge that goes down to the tip of the pliers. The advantage being that you can get into tight areas to trim wires. There are some that are equipped with live wire detection capabilities.

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Tim Thiele

These pliers are the do-it-all pliers. They cut, twist wires together, and grip wires for pulling. They have a squared off end that is great for twisting wires together, a center cutting blade for cutting wire, and a grip area between the handles to pull wire.

10. Torpedo Level

Tim Thiele

A level is used to make sure your work is level and plumb. A great installation starts with straight switch and outlet covers.

1. Flashlight

Tim Thiele

A light comes in handy in those places where lighting is limited. Never try to reach into a panel without proper lighting.

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High Quality TransducersBuy Current Transformers, Voltage & Power Transducers. Call Now!www.CRMagnetics.com/Transformers Power Distribution SystemEasy, Swift Connection Availability Customized Solution Per Applicationwww.p2roinc.com/distribution 12. Allen Wrench Set (Hex Set)

Tim Thiele

Allen wrenches are used to tighten Allen-headed screws in your electrical panel.

13. Razor Blade Knife (Utility Knife)

Tim Thiele

This knife is needed to cut the insulation off of Romex wiring. You will also need to open boxes when doing installation and this tool will come in handy.

14. Phillips Screwdriver

Tim Thiele

A Phillips screwdriver has four blades used to install Phillips-head screws. The tip looks like a plus sign.

15. Straight-Blade Screwdriver

Tim Thiele

This screwdriver is used for straight slot screws. You will likely need more than one size for your project. If you have to choose just one, pick a medium blade. It will suit most projects.

16. Wire Crimpers

Tim Thiele

This tool strips the wire and also crimps lugs onto the wire.

Electrical Tools & Their Uses

By Mark Dennis, eHow Contributor

y Print this article If you are like most people, you aren't going to call an electrician every time you need a cord repaired. What you need are some tools of the trade to make that job a lot easier.

1. Volt/Ohm Meter
o

This tool measures volts and ohms. Volt tells you if you have voltage and ohms tells you if you have continuity (a continuous path or circuit).

Tick Tracer
o

These handy little gizmos can measure the electrical current right through the insulation. Just touch the end to a cord or wire and it will tell you if the wire is hot or not.

Solder Gun And Solder

o

When wires need soldered or unsoldered, you need a solder gun. Always use electrical solder because it has a resin core to help the solder stick to the wires.

Wire Strippers
o

These tools easily and properly strip the ends of the wires. They also have wire cutters and crimpers for attaching crimp terminals.

Electrical Tape
o

This tape has excellent insulating properties and can be used to wrap wires when there is a chance that a wire could come loose. It can also be used around switches and receptacles to insulate screws from touching the electrical wires in the box.
2. Introduction to Basic Electronic Tools 3. Assembling electronics project and making it works is a good start in helping one to learn troubleshooting methods as well as becoming familiar with your tools, test equipments, electronic schematics and component color codes. 4. It's hard to do a good job of electronics construction unless proper electronic tools and knowledge of using them are adequate. Some of the basic tools that should prove useful are listed below. 5. Get quality battery packs for sophisticated features and reliability. For a handy storage consider portable tool holders. 6. Electric Drill and Drill Bits 7. Electric drill and drill bits in the range of 1/8 inch to 1/2 inch will come in handy when you need to drill holes on the printed circuit board that has been etched. Drilling of plastic or metal enclosure that houses the printed circuit board are sometimes necessary. A suitable PCB high speed drill can be easily obtained from any electronic shop. 8. Soldering Iron 9. A 20 Watt to 30 Watt soldering iron with tips of 1/8 inch to 1/2 inch can be used for soldering of through hole components. Soldering of surface mount components may require smaller tips depending on the sizes of the components. Soldering iron normally will last a long time if it is taken care of properly by keeping the tips clean and well tinned. 10.

Wire Stripper 11. Wire stripper is used to strip off wire insulator from its conductor before it is used to connect to another wire or soldered into the printed circuit board. Some wire stripper or wire cutter has a measurement engraved on it to indicate the length that will be stripped.

12. Long nose Plier 13. A 4-inch long nose plier will come in handy when you need to hold components that have short leads that need to be soldered onto the PCB but will be too hot to handle with bare hands. It will also be useful to hold the component that needs to be desoldered from the board.

14.

15.
Side-Cutting Plier 16. A 4-inch side cutting plier will come in handy as one of the electronic tools when one need to trim off excess component leads on the printed circuit board. It can also be used to cut wires into shorter length before being used.

17.

18.
Tweezers

19. Small tweezer is used to hold small components especially when doing soldering and
de-soldering of surface mount components. 20. Allen Wrench set 21. Allen wrench set is sometimes used to unscrew or screw Allen type of screws.

22.

23.
Philips Head Screwdrivers

24. Various sizes of Philips head screwdrivers will be handy as a lot of electronics
projects that use screws are Philips Head type. 25. Flat Head Screwdrivers

26. Flat head screwdrivers of various sizes are also necessary as many screws that are used are of this type. 27. Hammer 28. A small, light hammer will be useful when assembling projects that involved casing. 29. Socket wrench sets 30. A socket wrench sets that include nut drivers, hex drivers, and starters in assorted sizes will come in handy during the assembly work of electronics project. 31. Pocket Knife 32. Pocket Knife will be useful when one need to cut PCB, wires or remove some cooper from the printed circuit board. 33. Maintenance Tips Of Electronic Tools 34. Good quality tools that are being purchased can last a lifetime if they are taken care of properly. Ensure that the tools are used only for their intended purposes, keep them lubricated with a light film of oil to inhibit rust, keep the tools clean and sharp, keep the soldering tips clean and well tinned and ensure that proper use of the tools are always adhered to by following the instructions of using the tools.

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