Electronic test equipment

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A Tektronix model 475A portable analogue oscilloscope

Electronic test equipment (sometimes called 'testgear') is used to create stimulus signals and capture responses from electronic Devices Under Test (DUTs). In this way, the proper operation of the DUT can be proven or faults in the device can be traced and repaired. Use of electronic test equipment is essential to any serious work on electronics systems. Practical electronics engineering and assembly requires the use of many different kinds of electronic test equipment ranging from the very simple and inexpensive (such as a test light consisting of just a light bulb and a test lead) to extremely complex and sophisticated such as Automatic Test Equipment. Generally, more advanced test gear is necessary when developing circuits and systems than is needed when doing production testing or when troubleshooting existing production units in the field.

1 Types of test equipment
2 Manufacturers

Types of test equipment

Basic equipment

Commercial digital voltmeter checking a prototype

The following items are used for basic measurement of voltages, currents, and components in the circuit under test.

Voltmeter (Measures voltage)
Ohmmeter (Measures resistance)
Ammeter, e.g. Galvanometer or Milliameter (Measures current)
Multimeter e.g., VOM (Volt-Ohm-Milliameter) or DVM (Digital "Volt" Meter) (Measures all of the above)

The following are used for stimulus of the circuit under test:

Howard piA digital multimeter

The following analyze the response of the circuit under test:

Oscilloscope (Measures all of the above as they change over time)
Frequency counter (Measures frequency)

And connecting it all together:

Test probes

Advanced or less commonly used equipment

Meters

Solenoid voltmeter (Wiggy)
Clamp meter (current transducer)
Wheatstone bridge (Precisely measures resistance)
Capacitance meter (Measures capacitance)
EMF Meter (Measures Electric and Magnetic Fields)
Electrometer (Measures charge)

Probes

A multimeter with a built in clampfacility
Pushing the large button at the bottom opens the lower jaw of the clamp, allowing the clamp to be placed around a conductor (wire).

Analysers

Logic analyzer (Tests digital circuits)
Spectrum analyzer (SA) (Measures spectral energy of signals)
Vector signal analyzer (VSA) (Like the SA but it can also perform many more useful digital demodulation functions)
Time-domain reflectometer for testing integrity of long cables