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Module one: History and Safety
Module four: Specialist Electricians Tools
Module three: Core Electricians Tools
Module three: Core Electricians Tools
ESD and Precision Tools.
History and Development
As we mention in the crimping tools module, the late 1800’s saw the greatest progress in electrical engineering which literally powered up the second industrial revolution.
The massive growth in automotive, electric and electronic industries led to the development of all manner of things we take for granted in modern life such as computers, TVs, radios, photo copiers, mobile phones and domestic appliances. In fact the list is endless.
Early electrical and electronic control systems used electro-mechanical devices to achieve the desired results. However they could be bulky and unreliable – not something an astronaut would be keen on.
The pictures opposite show the internals of a 1930’s radio next to a modern mini radio alarm; which adequately makes the point.
Small became the big issue, and the development of semiconductors in the 1970’s was the key to the problem.
This lead to the development of small, reliable and infinitely more flexible electronic components, which coupled with printed circuit boards and much reduced cost, gave the impetus for the massive explosion of products using them.
Almost nothing was untouched by these developments, take a look around. You will be hard pressed to find any electrically powered item that does not have some kind of electrical control system embedded in it.
All this has implications for hand tools. Professionals working in today’s electrical and electronic industries need tools for ultra fine work or where use of intricate components or tight access are issues. In addition many of the components used need to be protected from damage caused by static electricity, but more on that later.
Before we look at the tools in detail, we need to explain some stuff: