WHAT DOES AN ELECTRONICS TECHNICIAN DO?
Updated: Jun 02, 2025 - The Electronics Technician modifies, maintains, and installs PLC programs while developing new programs. This position troubleshoots and resolves PLC issues, ensuring updated documentation and wiring changes are consistently maintained. The technician also installs, repairs, and adjusts machines and electronic systems, following blueprints and specifications to ensure optimal plant operations.
A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Electronics Technician
1. Electronics Technician Accountabilities
- Collaboration: Work directly with the hardware engineering team to update existing and create new electronic designs.
- Schematic Interpretation: Read electronic schematics and work from written or verbal instructions with little or no formally released documentation.
- PCB Assembly and Debugging: Assemble, bring up, debug, and rework new PCBA designs, including surface mount parts down to 0402 and fine-pitch ICs.
- Prototype Development: Build prototype and limited-production electronic systems with minimal guidance.
- Hardware Testing: Develop and build hardware test fixtures.
- Wiring Harness Assembly: Assemble and test wiring harnesses.
- Sub-system Commissioning: Commission electronic subsystems, including executing commands in Linux.
- Lab Operations Support: Support electronics lab operations, including specifying new tools and parts.
- Failure Analysis and Repair: Test and debug failed units, generate failure reports and perform or oversee repairs.
- Repair Prioritization: Prioritize repairs as to production priority.
2. Electronics Technician Job Description
- Schematic Interpretation: Read and interpret schematics, wiring diagrams, layouts, and engineering drawings.
- Bill of Material Management: Understand and use the Bill of Material.
- Wire Harness Assembly: Build and assemble wire harnesses/cables using a Bill of Material and engineering documents.
- Hand Tool Usage: Use hand tools including but not limited to wire cutters, strippers, crimpers, screwdrivers, drills, and DMM.
- Soldering: Soldering of through-hole and SMT components.
- Mechanical Assembly: Able to build mechanical assemblies using layouts and Bills of Material.
- Inspection and Testing: Perform inspections and continuity testing.
- Collaboration: Collaborate with electrical engineers and other personnel to identify, define, and solve developmental problems.
- Test Equipment Operation: Set up and operate test equipment to evaluate the performance of parts or assemblies.
- Customer Support: Occasionally travel to customer sites to install and troubleshoot equipment.
- Housekeeping: Employ good housekeeping on the shop floor.
- Documentation: Record and maintain thorough, accurate, legible records of all pertinent project information.
3. Electronics Technician Details and Accountabilities
- Customer Support: Provide on-site and phone support for equipment installations and roll-out of fleet safety systems, including video and safety sensor products.
- Issue Resolution: Provide answers to customers calling with installation and operating concerns.
- Planning and Coordination: Arrange and perform deep-level planning of equipment installations and roll-out of fleet safety systems.
- Training: Set up and conduct customer training sessions.
- Progress Tracking: Document and track customer implementation progress.
- Help Desk Management: Utilize the help desk tickets/resolution system and work with the Warranty department to identify product areas requiring attention.
- Reporting and Analysis: Provide in-house reporting and analysis of issues to manufacturing, sales, and purchasing departments.
- Diagnostics and Troubleshooting: Perform diagnostics and troubleshooting of system issues via Team Viewer.
- Technical Support and Training: Provide computer help desk support and technical training on hardware/software to end users.
4. Electronics Technician Additional Details
- Instrumentation and Interconnection: Build instrumentation and interconnect.
- Cable and Harness Assembly: Assemble/build test cables and engine harnesses.
- Circuit Assembly: Build electronic circuits and assemblies per engineering schematics.
- Subassembly Construction: Build electronics subassemblies per planning.
- Testing: Perform Hypot/Bonding and continuity tests on numerous engine models.
- Modification: Make modifications as directed to existing electrical equipment and fixtures.
- Troubleshooting and Repair: Troubleshoot and repair instrumentation/electronic anomalies.
- Parts Management: Order and maintain any critical parts needed to ensure production reliability and eliminate downtime during production runs.
- Circuit Board and Motor Repair: Repair circuit boards and motors when possible.
- Fabrication: Fabricate parts on obsolete equipment to keep equipment working and eliminate expenses.
5. Electronics Technician Essential Functions
- Preventative Maintenance: Perform Preventative Maintenance inspection of assigned equipment, report findings, and take appropriate action.
- Work Order Management: Write and perform maintenance work orders.
- Mechanical and Electrical Repair: Make mechanical and electrical repairs in servicing electronic equipment, including assembling, modifying, repairing, and replacing individual electronic parts within components, circuit modules, and printed circuit boards.
- Equipment Servicing: Service electronic equipment by checking, testing, and replacing faulty components, circuit modules, printed circuit boards, and similar electronic devices.
- Cable and Wiring Maintenance: Maintain, install, or repair all communication cables, power distribution cables, and wiring splicing.
- Electrical Maintenance: Perform any types of plant-wide electrical maintenance, including installation of electrical conduit.
- Repair and Adjustment: Determine the need to analyze and make all necessary running adjustments, repairs, overhauls, and replacement of parts to all electrical equipment.
- Inventory and Record Maintenance: Maintain performance inventory and maintenance records for electrical and electronic equipment.
- Training and Guidance: Advise operators, mechanics, and other electrical maintenance personnel of standard operating procedures and requirements for electronic and electrical equipment and controls.
- Safety and Compliance: Notify the supervisor of potentially dangerous electrical equipment noted and corrective action taken.
- Operational Support: Operate equipment and assist production as directed.
6. Electronics Technician General Responsibilities
- PLC Programming: Modify, maintain, and install PLC programs.
- Program Development: Develop new programs as directed.
- Troubleshooting and Documentation: Identify PLC problems, troubleshoot, and maintain updated documentation and wiring changes.
- Machine Layout and Installation: Install and/or change the layout of machines and mechanical equipment in a plant layout and assemble conforming to building codes and similar specifications.
- Equipment Handling: Perform duties such as dismantling, moving, installing, or repairing shafting, conveyor hoists, and other equipment.
- Measurement and Positioning: Use measuring devices in constructing machine foundations and installing machines and equipment in the correct position.
- Repair and Installation Planning: Receive wiring diagrams, drawings, specifications, and instructions covering scheduled and emergency repair, installation, and inspection work to be done.
- Electrical and Electronic Theory: Plan and perform work requiring a thorough knowledge of electrical and electronic theory and principles of wiring, specifications, codes, properties of various materials, and principles of operation and application of electronic equipment.
- Circuit Analysis: Analyze all types of circuits, wiring diagrams, networks, and drawings to install, repair, adjust, calibrate, construct, modify, replace, or service all types of electronic devices and systems, including communication systems, electronic gauges, controls and regulator power, and distribution control equipment measuring, recording, processing, and indicating devices.
- Industrial Equipment Maintenance: Perform industrial truck repair and maintenance work on all industrial and small motorized equipment with gas, diesel, propane, and electrical motors.
- Design and Construction: Make sketches of parts and layouts, design and construct adaptations or conversions of parts, including the necessary phases of development work.