Electronic test equipment is a type of specialized equipment used to test electronics. It can be used to build prototypes and new products, as well as for maintenance and troubleshooting. Electronic test equipment covers a wide range of components, from simple equipment used for routine home repairs to sophisticated systems used exclusively by engineers. Many companies sell used electronic test equipment, which is often far less expensive and just as useful as brand new products.
The devices in the electronic test equipment family are all capable of providing information about an electronic device or circuit in some way. This data can range from the simple, such as whether current is flowing through a circuit, to the complex, such as whether the components on a motherboard are functioning properly. Electronic test equipment can be passive or active, emitting a signal and registering a response, and providing precise measurements or more generic data.
Electronic test equipment typically includes a probe or clip to interface with the item being tested, as well as a readout that provides information, which can range from a light that illuminates when something is working properly to a readout with measurements. Sophisticated equipment can be connected to a computer for diagnostic purposes, with the equipment running multiple tests at once and compiling the results in a computer program. Electronic test equipment of this type is frequently used in the development of new products to ensure that they are safe and to test their limits.
A continuity tester is one of the most basic pieces of electronic test equipment, and many people are familiar with it. To determine whether a circuit is open or closed, a continuity tester is used. If the circuit is open, it indicates a fault or ground, whereas if it is closed, it indicates that it is functioning properly. Continuity testers are frequently used to diagnose electrical problems in the home, such as a suspected outlet fault.
Current, resistance, voltage, capacitance, charge, and digital circuits can all be measured with more advanced equipment. For convenience, testgear, as electronic test equipment is sometimes called, can combine multiple functions. Electronic test equipment is used by engineers, physicists, and a variety of other researchers and inventors, and it is carried by electricians, phone repairmen, and cable installers.