To a certain extent, every electronics technician is ultimately only as good as the electronics components that he or she uses on a daily basis. Equipment plays a hugely important role in things: it helps keep the technician safe, it allows them to actively accomplish their goals and it helps identify certain issues that may be arising. Every business owner should be going out of their way to make sure that every technician has the tools necessary to thrive at all times. There are a few key electronics components in particular that no electronics technician should be without while on the job. These are the tools that not only allow technicians to excel at their jobs, but that also empower businesses to continue to grow and achieve higher levels of success through maximum customer satisfaction. Here we will look at three real world tools and two science fiction tools we all wish we had.
The Flow and Temperature Transmitter and Sensor
At its core, a flow and temperature transmitter and sensor is a relatively simple device that combines the functionality of either a thermocouple or RTD sensor with a transmission medium in the same instrument. The sensor measures the temperature of a transmission while the transmitter, as its name suggests, passes that information along to a monitoring system, control room or other type of location by way of a two wire, 4 to 20mA output. This simple yet versatile tool is great for everything from standard monitoring to advanced troubleshooting.
A Pressure Transducer
At its most basic concept, a pressure transducer is in a category of electronics components that produce an electrical output signal that is directly proportional to the electrical source that they is connected to. One of the most important elements of any fluid-power circuit is pressure, which is why it needs to be regulated constantly not only for the continued operation of the system but also for the safety of everyone around. When a pressure transducer receives information about pressure by way of a sensing element, it then uses increased or decreased fluid pressure to create a proportional response – making sure that everything is working exactly as it should be at all times. These devices can save businesses huge amounts of money in costly repairs over time.
Code Scanners
When certain types of electronics components malfunction, they spit out a numerical code as a result. That code corresponds with the specific issue the device is having. The issue is that some devices can have thousands upon thousands of codes associated with various errors, so the sheer amount of time that technician’s waste manually looking up these codes by hand is astronomical. With the right type of advanced code scanner, that technician can save a huge amount of effort just by plugging in the scanner, running a diagnostic test and waiting to see what needs to be done next.
Cybernetic Reading Hardware (Science Fiction)
Cybernetic reading hardware has long been a staple of many science fiction shows and movies, like “Minority Report.” At its core, a sensor implanted on the wearer’s finger is hooked up to a small component that is implanted in just the right part of the brain. By moving your finger across a printed page, the sensor will convert the words into a signal and transmit them to the implant for processing, word recognition, translation and more. This would be especially beneficial to electronics technicians, as they would instantly be able to decode all of the latest safety requirements, compliance mandates and more – which is essentially like reading another language to begin with.
An R2-Series Astromech Droid (Science Fiction)
If you’ve seen any of the six (soon to be nine) “Star Wars” films, you’re no doubt already aware of just how useful an R2 Droid can be to an electronics technician. R2 Droids take automation to the next level: not only can they run general diagnostics when plugged into something like an X-wing starfighter, but they can also use both software and hardware-based hyper intelligent analytical functions to instantly take care of most repairs at the same time. It’s one of the most valuable electronics components a technician can have. The result is a Droid that “learns” from each mistake it fixes and helps perform general maintenance and upkeep at the same time. This can free up the human resources of the technicians to move onto where they’re needed the most.
Ultimately, by taking the steps to provide technicians with the right electronics components, business owners are making a true investment in the company as a whole. With the right equipment those technicians can do better work must faster, which ultimately leads to increased productivity, increased satisfaction and increased sales before you know it.
