Electrical Tools & Wiring Practices

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering basic electrician tools, test equipment, wiring standards, ampacity, and electrical circuit symbols/diagrams based on the lecture notes.

Wire Strippers

Tools that remove insulation cleanly without nicking the conductor, essential for splicing and terminating.

Lineman's Pliers

Heavy-duty tools used for gripping, twisting, and cutting thicker conductors during rough-in work.

Combination Pliers

A multi-purpose tool designed for gripping, bending, and cutting thin wires for general installation tasks.

Long Nose Pliers

Tools with tapered jaws used to reach tight spaces, hold small conductors, and shape wire ends securely.

Voltage Tester

A crucial safety instrument used to check if a circuit is energized before touching conductors.

Impact Driver

A compact, high-torque driver for long screws and lag-style hardware that uses rapid impact action to reduce wrist strain.

Outlet Tester

A device with three indicator lights used to detect incorrectly wired wall outlets.

Multimeter (VOM)

A diagnostic instrument used to measure voltage, current, and resistance in either analog or digital formats.

Clamp-On Ammeter

An instrument that measures current up to $200\,A$ without requiring the circuit to be broken.

Megger Insulation Tester

A diagnostic tool that provides a direct reading of insulation resistance in ohms or megohms.

Grounding Resistance Tester

Equipment used to measure soil resistance for the purpose of sizing and projecting grounding grids.

Wire

A single conductor sized at AWG\,#8 and smaller.

Cable

A single insulated conductor sized at $No.\,6\,AWG$ or larger, or multiple conductors assembled together.

Ampacity

The maximum current a conductor can carry continuously without exceeding its official temperature rating, as defined in NEC Art. 100.

MCM (thousand circular mils)

The unit of measurement used for electrical conductor sizes that go beyond $4/0\,(0000)$.

THHN

Heat resistant thermoplastic conductor insulation suitable for dry locations with a temperature rating of $90^\circ\text{C}$.

XHHW

Cross-linked synthetic polymer conductor insulation suitable for wet locations with a temperature rating of $90^\circ\text{C}$.

AVA

Asbestos and varnished cambric conductor insulation suitable for dry locations with a temperature rating of $110^\circ\text{C}$.

Schematic Diagram

A drawing that shows complete electrical connections using symbols, though it is not drawn to physical scale.

Single Line Diagram (SLD)

A diagram that uses one line to represent multiple power lines, showing ratings and interconnections.

Ladder Diagram

A diagram that illustrates control logic and sequence of operation using ladder-style rungs.

Riser Diagram

A diagram showing vertical distribution and multilevel routing for building systems.

Floor Plan

A drawing showing room-level layouts and device locations used for installation and coordination.

Load

One of the five basic circuit components; a device that uses electrical power to do work.

Overcurrent Protection

A fuse or breaker that protects a circuit during overloads or shorts by opening the circuit.

Potentiometer

An adjustable resistor that has $3$ terminals.

Thermistor

A thermal resistor that changes its resistance based on changes in temperature.

Zener Diode

A diode that allows current flow in one direction but also allows reverse flow when above the breakdown voltage.

Darlington Transistor

A component made from $2$ bipolar transistors with a total gain equal to the product of each individual gain.

Schmitt Trigger

A component that operates with hysteresis to reduce noise, often used in analog-to-digital conversion.

Optocoupler

Also known as an opto-isolator; it isolates a connection to another board.

XOR Gate

An Exclusive OR logic gate that outputs $1$ when the inputs are different.