1-12Testing and troubleshooting are the areas of maintenance that require the greatest technical skill.Testing procedures are referred to as measurements, tests, and checks. The definitions of these termsoften overlap, depending on their use and the results obtained. For example, a power measurement and afrequency check could constitute a test of the operation of the same radio transmitter.Troubleshootingis a term which we in the electronics field use daily. But what does it mean?Troubleshooting is sometimes thought to be the simple repair of a piece of equipment when it fails tofunction properly. This, however, is only part of the picture. In addition to repair, you, as a troubleshooter,must be able to evaluate equipment performance. You evaluate performance by comparing yourknowledge of how the equipment should operate with the way it is actually performing. You mustevaluate equipment both before and after repairs are accomplished.Equipment performance data, along with other general information for various electronicequipments, is available to help you in making comparisons. This information is provided in performancestandards books for each piece of equipment. It illustrates what a particular waveform should look like ata given test point or what amplitude a voltage should be, and so forth. This data aids you in makingintelligent comparisons of current and baseline operating characteristics for the specific equipmentassigned to you for maintenance. ("Baseline" refers to the initial operating conditions of the equipment oninstallation or after overhaul when it is operating according to design.)Remember, maintenance refers to all actions you perform on equipment to retain it in a serviceablecondition or to restore it to proper operation. This involves inspecting, testing, servicing, repairing,rebuilding, and so forth. Proper maintenance can be performed only by trained personnel who arethoroughly familiar with the equipment. This familiarity requires a thorough knowledge of the theory ofoperation of the equipment.A logical and systematic approach to troubleshooting is of the utmost importance in yourperformance of electronics maintenance. Many hours have been lost because of time-consuming "hit-or-miss" (often referred to as "easter-egging") methods of troubleshooting.GENERAL TEST EQUIPMENT INFORMATIONIn any maintenance training program, one of your most important tasks is to learn the use of testequipment in all types of maintenance work. To be effective in maintenance work, you must becomefamiliar not only with the common types of measuring instruments, but also with the more specializedequipment. Some examples of common types of typical measuring instruments are the ammeter,voltmeter, and ohmmeter; examples of specialized test equipment are the spectrum analyzer, dual-traceoscilloscope, and power and frequency meters.TEST EQUIPMENT SAFETY PRECAUTIONSThe electrical measuring instruments included in test equipment are delicately constructed andrequire certain handling precautions to prevent damage and to ensure accurate readings. In addition, toprevent injury to personnel, you must observe precautions while using test equipment. You can find a listof applicable instructions in appendix II of this module.Instrument PrecautionsTo prevent damage to electrical measuring instruments, you should observe the precautions relatingto three hazards: mechanical shock, exposure to magnetic fields, and excessive current flow.
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