Electronic Products & Technology

Engineers want test equipment at home

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Test & Measurement Newark Pico test

Newark element14 poll reveals that designers want hybrid working and use test equipment at home

Newark has run a poll of its element14 Community which shows engineers have a strong desire to be able to use specialized test equipment at home in order to become more productive. However, many companies still don’t provide any equipment at all for home use, despite many convenient and low-cost solutions being available.

The poll revealed some interesting insights: 

  • 90% of the respondents felt that engineers needed some equipment at home
  • 50% have no test equipment provided for use at home
  • Less than a quarter (24%) of the engineers that responded can work fully remote
  • Around a third felt that only some testing should be conducted at home, with the company lab still required for specialized test equipment

PicoScope 3000 Series USB-powered PC oscilloscopes are small, light, and portable and can easily slip into a laptop bag while offering a range of high-performance specifications. Source: Pico Technology

James McGregor, global head of test & tools, at Newark said, “There is a growing trend to support a new hybrid working environment in the electronics industry. This demand will drive an increased need for test equipment that engineers can use on site, at the lab and at home. We want to help our customers achieve greater efficiency by providing them with market-leading test solutions that offer high performance with greater flexibility.”

According to McGregor, these results show the need to deploy cost-effective PC scopes and similar products, offered through Newark by suppliers, to improve engineers’ efficiency by allowing them to create home labs.

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“Far more could be done from home if engineers had access to portable equipment that met their needs,” says Mike Purday, regional manager for EMEA, Pico Technology, a prominent test line carried by Newark.  “Historically test equipment has been complex, bulky and function-specific, but new PC-connected test equipment now has the same performance as, or in many cases is much better than traditional bench top instruments. Other advantages include cost effectiveness, portability, enablement of remote working and ease of moving data. There will always be tests which engineers can’t recreate in a home lab, but for all those they can, they should be provided with the equipment to enable them to.”

 

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