Tips for Tradespersons

Honing your Troubleshooting Skills

Why should I use these programs?
Which programs should I use?
How do I use the programs?
- Tips for working through the program

Troubleshooting, like most skills requires it to be used in order to keep it sharp. Practicing troubleshooting however can be difficult. Usually you need to wait until something breaks down which may or may not happen very often.

The approach a troubleshooter uses can also set apart a good troubleshooter from the rest. Everyone has a troubleshooting approach, most of which are usually good enough to solve the simpler problems. However, when it comes to solving complicated problems many of these approaches may no longer work. Either components that are still good end up being replaced or the time to find the problem is excessive. In order to be a good troubleshooter you must use a systematic approach as well as practicing your troubleshooting skills.

The Electrical Troubleshooting Skills Series can provide this approach and practice. It is a series of programs that describe a systematic troubleshooting approach and then provides a number of circuit simulations in order to practice this approach.

Why should I use these programs?

Learn new troubleshooting techniques and tips -Included in these programs is a proven systematic troubleshooting approach.
Benefit from an expert's experience - These electrical training programs contain a sections where an expert guides you through a number of faults following the systematic 5 Step Troubleshooting Approach.
Practice your skills - Highly realistic simulations are used throughout these programs allowing you to practice your skills in a safe environment.
Become more valuable to your organization - By efficiently troubleshooting equipment you can reduce the costs of repairs as well as reducing the equipment's downtime.
High quality and effective - These electrical training programs have won several awards, the latest being from the Canadian Society of Training and Development for their training quality.
Learn on your schedule - These programs are flexible. You can work through them in the comfort and privacy of your own home or work location at a time that is convenient to you.
Get recognized - Not only will your on-the-job troubleshooting skills improve, you will also be able to print out a Certificate of Completion when you complete each program.

Which programs should I use?

Ideally it would be best to use the complete Electrical Troubleshooting Skills Series. The Series contains a total of 7 "Guided" faults and 68 "Test Your Skill" faults on three different circuits. This provides ample practice on a good variety of circuits. This variety will make it easier to apply your skills on the circuits and equipment found at your location.

The Electrical Troubleshooting Skills Series consists of three programs that can also be purchased separately.

Troubleshooting Electrical Circuits is the first in the series. It introduces Simutech's Systematic Troubleshooting Approach and contains lighting circuit simulations to practice this approach.

This is intended for someone new to troubleshooting or wishes to review or learn a new troubleshooting technique.

Troubleshooting Control Circuits is the second in the series and builds on the Troubleshooting Electrical Circuits program. It contains relay logic circuit simulations where you can develop and practice your troubleshooting skills.

This program is intended for someone with some troubleshooting experience, whether from basic techniques or learned elsewhere. Choose this program if you would like to practice your troubleshooting skills on a circuit containing numerous relays.

Troubleshooting Motor Circuits is the third in the series and builds on the Troubleshooting Electrical Circuits program. It contains a motorized garage door circuit simulation where you can develop and practice your troubleshooting skills.

How do I use the programs?

These electrical training programs assume the user has an understanding of the basic principles of electricity. They should also have a basic understanding of how control circuit components such as relays, switches, and contactors work.

If you have purchased the complete series, you should start with Basic Techniques. Once you have completed it you can then move on to either Basic Control Circuits or Motor Control Circuits.

Tips for working through the program

Before beginning the program obtain any troubleshooting processes or procedure which your organization uses. These procedures override any procedures shown in the Troubleshooting Skills Series programs.
How you work through the program depends somewhat on how much experience you have and what are your goals for working through it.
- If you do not have much troubleshooting experience, you should work through each program in the order it is presented starting with Basic Techniques. Do not skip sections or move on to the next program until it is completed.
- If you have some experience you have more flexibility working through the programs. You do not necessarily need to start at the beginning but should review the content in the Basic Techniques section which provides information on the Systematic Troubleshooting Approach used in these programs. Be sure to review the section on "Using the Tools" found in each program to understand how the simulator works.
The "Test Your Skill" section allows you to practice your troubleshooting skills on a number of faults on a circuit simulation. The following tips will help you get the most out of this section.
- Start with the basic level faults first. This will allow you to become more familiar with the circuit before you try the tougher faults.
- To successfully complete a fault you must repair the fault within the allotted time without replacing any good components or making any safety errors.
- Once a fault has been successfully completed it is taken out of the pool of faults. Once all the faults in a level have been completed the level will me marked complete. Once all levels are marked complete the program is complete and you will be able to print out a Certificate of Completion.
- If you want additional practice you can choose a level that has been marked complete. You will them be given a random fault from the already completed faults. You cannot retry faults until all the faults within a level have been completed.
- Be as efficient as possible when troubleshooting. Some activities such as locking out the circuit add additional time to your score to simulate the time it would take if you were to lock out an actual circuit. Review the "Using the Tools" section for more information.
- If you are really stuck on a fault click on the tips button for information to point you in the right direction. However, if you use a tip the time penalty will be sufficient to prevent you from solving the fault in the time allowed.
- The program records the number of attempts you make on each fault to successfully complete it. This can be viewed in the summary report.
- The program records each step you take to solve a fault and is shown in the detailed report. If you are having trouble solving a fault, review the information recorded here to see if you can spot where you are having trouble.
If you are having trouble solving the faults review the previous sections in the program especially the "Guided Troubleshooting" section. This section shows you how to apply the systematic 5 Step Troubleshooting Approach on sample faults.