History of electronic engineering

The modern discipline of electronic engineering was to a large extent born out of radio and television development and from the large amount of Second World War development of defence systems and weapons. In the interwar years, the subject was known as radio engineering and it was only in the late 1950s that the term electronic engineering started to emerge. In the UK, the subject of electronic engineering became distinct from electrical engineering as a university degree subject around 1960. Students of electronics and related subjects like radio and telecommunications before this time had to enroll in the electrical engineering department of the university as no university had departments of electronics. Electrical engineering was the nearest subject with which electronic engineering could be aligned, although the similarities in subjects covered (except mathematics and electromagnetism) lasted only for the first year of the three-year course.

Electronic test equipment

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.

Types of test 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:

• Power supplies
• Signal generator
• Pulse generator
• Pattern generator

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)