What Are Some Hardware Tools Every Successful Electrical Engineer Needs? Leave a comment

Every successful person has his/her own secret. Just like that, behind every successful electrical engineer, there is a set of hardware tools. Hardware tools are a necessity for their job.

Electronic projects are extraordinarily complex and risky. To avoid that risk, every electrical engineer must have essential tools with them that ensure their safety. Below are a few tools that are a crucial part of every electrical engineer’s toolkit.

1.  Pliers

There are pliers that are available in our house. But for an electrical project, there are slightly different kinds of pliers that have narrow tips and can take care of small and minute stuff like resistor leads, copper wires, project dashboards, etc.

A lineman plier is one of the common tools of the plier set. (Note: There are many other pliers that are designed explicitly for other jobs too.)

These versatile and rugged tools are best for bending large-gauge wires, pulling cables through conduits, cutting small bolts, screws, and even hammer screws into initial positions.

2. Wire Cutter

The typical wire cutters are good for home and automotive usage. But, every tool changes when it comes to electrical projects because they are sensitive and risky at the same time.

The electrical cutters come with blades that can spear through and flush over a surface for trimming component leads over a PCB (Printed Circuit Board). They are mainly used to cut copper, brass, iron, aluminum, and steel wire.

Every electrical engineer needs three types of cutter: automatic wire cutter stripper, tapered head cutter, and diagonal flush cutter.

3. Wire Strippers

Wire strippers are used to remove the insulation from electric wires in order to make contact. There are two primary types: manual and automatic.

A manual wire stripper has opposing blades like a pair of scissors but has a notch in the middle of the blades to place the wire. The stripper is then rotated around the wire, so the outer insulation comes off while leaving the actual wire intact.

There are three types of wire stripper that an electrical engineer should have; a wire stripper for UTP/STP strips, a tool wire stripper, and an automatic wire stripper.

4. Torpedo Level

Torpedo Level is a perfect tool to level and plumb your work. Any installation task would need outlet covers, straight switch, and level boxes. Make sure you are completely prepared with the best tool in hand.

5. Socket and Hex Drivers

It’s the most common socket set available in every hardware store. Socket drivers are considered hand tools and are typically used on bolts that are hard to reach with a standard socket and wrench.

Hex wrenches come with ball-type ends and help wrenches in torque applied to a fastener without aligning it with screws or bolt axis.

Every electronics project has different needs, so you need to own an electronic-special socket driver kit along with the regular one. They don’t come with a ratchet; you will need to plug the tools into a common handle. Every single entity in this set has an integrated handle.

6. Dies and Taps

Taps and dies are tools used to create screw threads, which is called threading. A tap is used to cut or form the female portion of the mating pair (e.g., a nut). A die is used to cut or form the male portion of the mating pair (e.g., a bolt).

A tap and die can come in handy at any moment. Dies are also useful in repairs of damaged bolt threads.

7. Tweezers

Tweezers are a simple but essential tool that comes in handy when working with small and complicated stuff.

There are numerous types of tweezers;

• Fine-tip Straight Tweezers:

They’re made of stainless steel, with extremely solid tips, exposed steel for the tips, and a matte-black finish on the rest, making them easy to grip.

• Straight Cross-locked:

These have a nice fine point, which is perfect for dealing with fine components and parts, and their anti-static coating ensures that they are ESD-safe.

• Multi-meter Probes:

They have conductive tips that connect to probe attachments for a multi-meter. This allows you to easily measure the resistance, capacitance, polarity, etc., of components that are already soldered in place, without the need for the gymnastics, which often takes place with regular multi-meter probes.

Conclusion:

If you are an electrical engineer, check your toolkit to make sure you have all these to ensure your safety and success.