How to use the Tools of the Trade

The Betabox Electrician Foundations and Futures Hands-On Project box comes with some basic, but essential tools to begin your journey to harnessing electricity. These tools are the wirecutter/stripper, screwdriver, and the digital multimeter.

Wire Stripper/Cutter

The Wire Stripper/Cutter is a multi-purpose tool. The very tip of the jaws has teeth to use as a plier. As you move toward the back of the jaws, you notice a series of holes with numbers. These correspond to different wire gauges (the thickness of the wire). So the hole that is between the 14 and the 16 is used for stripping wires that are 14 and 16 gauge in diameter. Finally, at the back of the jaws, is a wire cutter.

To use the stripper function, you can insert the end of the wire you want to strip to see which hole it fits in best. Below, you can see the wire from the LED. This is a solid 18 to 20-gauge copper wire. 

To strip the wire, open the jaws of the stripper, insert the wire to be stripped at the desired location...

...squeeze the handles...

...and then pull the insulation off of the wire!

Occasionally, a twisting motion can be used to ensure the complete circumference of the insulation is cut.

The cut function is performed by putting the wire to the back of the jaws.

Be careful, cutting wires can send pieces flying! Use appropriate eyewear or other PPE to minimize risk.

Screwdriver

The #2 Phillips screwdriver has a few uses in this kit. First, the screwdriver is used to attach the hot and neutral wires to the Load Center.

Secondly, the screwdriver is used for tightening/loosening of the screw terminals.

The last use of the screwdriver is as a mandrel. A mandrel is a form for shaping metal.

Sometimes, especially when attaching to screw terminals, it helps to give the wire a hook shape on the end to help wrap around the screw head. 

The screwdriver is an excellent tool to help with this!

Digital Multimeter

The digital multimeter is the Swiss army knife of the electrician toolkit. This multi-use device will be covered in depth in Lesson 4, but the bottom line is that if you need to measure anything related to electricity in a circuit, this tool will likely be able to help!