General Resources:
Skills for Basic Electronics

The skill standards cited in this section are abstracted from a report prepared jointly by the Electronic Industries Association (EIA) and the Electronics Industries Foundation (EIF). The project was funded in 1992 by the U.S. Department of Education's Business and Education Standards Program, which is, in turn, an offshoot of the Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) program.

The technical skills and competencies listed below are classified as General, DC Circuits, and AC Circuits. These topics fall within the scope of Basic Electronics, Ninth Edition. Also included is an additional categories from the report called "Behavioral Skills and Work Habits," These skills, often included in a group referred to as "soft skills," have been identified as key components of job-related success for many career fields and are included in the competencies for electricity and electronics. They are included in this section to emphasize their overall value to the worker.

SKILLS FOR BASIC ELECTRONICS

TECHNICAL SKILLS

General

Demonstrate an Understanding of:

• Proper safety techniques for all types of circuits and components.
• OSHA safety standards.
• Proper troubleshooting techniques and the use of listening skills or assisting devices to assess signs and symptoms of malfunctions.
• Basic assembly skills using hand and power tools.
• Acceptable soldering/disordering techniques including through-hole and surface mount devices.
• Proper solderless connections.
• Use of data books and technical manuals.
• Design curves, graphs, and recording of data.
• Color codes and other component descriptors.
• Site electrical and environmental survey.
• Interpretation and creation of electronic schematics, technical drawings, and flow diagrams.
  

DC Circuits

Demonstrate an Understanding of:

• Sources of electricity in DC circuits
• Principles and operation of batteries, DC series circuits, DC parallel circuits. DC series-parallel and bridge circuits, the Wheatstone Bridge, DC voltage divider circuits (loaded/unloaded), DC RC and RL circuits
• The meaning and relationships among and between voltage, current, resistance and power in DC.
• Measurement of resistance and conductors and insulators and the computation of conductance.
• The measurement of power in DC circuits.
• Application of Ohm's Law to series, parallel, and series-parallel circuits.
• Magnetic properties of circuits and devices.
• Physical and electrical characteristics of capacitors and inductors.

Fabricate and demonstrate the operation of DC circuits, including:

• DC series circuits.
• DC parallel circuits.
• DC series-parallel and bridge circuits.
• DC voltage divider circuits (loaded/unloaded)
• DC RC and RL circuits.

Troubleshoot and repair DC circuits, including:

• DC series circuits.
• DC parallel circuits.
• DC series-parallel and bridge circuits.
• DC voltage divider circuits (loaded/unloaded)
• DC RC and RL circuits.
  

AC Circuits

Demonstrate an Understanding of:

• Sources of electricity in AC circuits.
• Properties of an AC signal, including the characteristics of sinusoidal and nonsinusoidal waveforms.
• Basic motor-generator theory and operation.
• Measurement of power in AC circuits.
• Principles and operation of power conditioning devices (isolation transformers, surge suppressors, uninterruptable power systems, etc.).
• Principles and operation of safety grounding systems (lightning arrestors, ground fault interrupters, etc.).
• Impedance-matching theory.
• Principles and operation of AC capacitive circuits, AC inductive circuits, AC circuits using transformers, AC differentiator and integrator circuits (determine RC and RL time constants), AC series and parallel resonant circuits, AC RC, RL, and RLC circuits, AC frequency selective filter circuits, AC polyphase circuits.

Fabricate and demonstrate the operation of AC circuits, including:

• capacitive circuits.
• inductive circuits.
• circuits using transformers.
• differentiator and integrator circuits.
• series and parallel resonant circuits.
• RC, RL, and RLC circuits.
• frequency selective filter circuits.

Troubleshot and repair AC circuits including:

• capacitive circuits.
• inductive circuits.
• circuits using transformers.
• differentiator and integrator circuits.
• series and parallel resonant circuits.
• RC, RL, and RLC circuits.
• frequency selective filter circuits.
• AC phase-locked loop circuits.
  

GENERAL SKILLS APPLIED TO ELECTRONICS TECHNICIANS

BEHAVIORAL SKILLS AND WORK HABITS (SOFT SKILLS)

Work Ethics and Behavior

Understand:

• and practice cost effectiveness.
• and apply ethical principles to decision making.
• the importance of providing good customer service (internal and external).

Also:

• Implement responsibilities of job position including exhibiting dependability and meeting organizationally defined expectations.
• Follow rules, regulations and policies as established including interpreting employer/employee handbook and procedures.
• Practice time management and follow work schedule.
• Assume responsibility for own decisions and actions.
• Exhibit pride.
• Display initiative in undertaking new tasks.
• Show assertiveness appropriate to the situation.
• Seek work challenges.
• Comply with company standards including dress, personal hygiene, and cleanliness.
  

Interpersonal Relationships

Exhibit:

• positive behavior.
• sensitivity to internal and external customer needs.

Recognize:

• problems and work toward their solution.
• non-verbal communication.

Also:

• Respond constructively to suggestions for improvement.
• Provide praise and suggestions for improvement
• Channel/control emotional reactions constructively.
  

Teamwork

Understand:

• interactive relationships required for effective teamwork.
• team's operating procedures.

Also:

• Adapt as necessary to complete the team task.
• Evaluate outcome.