What skills does a computer hardware test technician need?

A computer hardware test technician needs 23 essential skills including hardware platforms, quality assurance procedures, hardware components, hardware testing methods, electrical discharge. Core competencies include .

Will AI replace computer hardware test technician jobs?

The AI disruption score for computer hardware test technician is 60/100 (high risk). Some tasks may be automated but the role will evolve rather than disappear entirely.

Engineering ServicesScience and engineering associate professionalsISCO 3114

computer hardware test technician

Computer hardware test technicians conduct testing of computer hardware such as circuit boards, computer chips, computer systems, and other electronic and electrical components. They analyse the hardware configuration and test the hardware reliability and conformance to specifications.

European Skills Framework

Skills and knowledge areas required for this occupation based on European classification.

Essential (23)

hardware platformshardware platformsThe characteristics of the hardware configuration required to process the applications software product.quality assurance proceduresquality assurance proceduresThe procedures to inspect a product or system to ensure that it is according to specifications and requirements.hardware componentshardware componentsThe essential components that make up a hardware system, such as liquid-crystal displays (LCD), camera sensors, microprocessors, memories, modems, batteries and their interconnections.hardware testing methodshardware testing methodsThose processes in which hardware components or systems are tested, such as the system test (ST), the ongoing reliability test (ORT), and the in-circuit test (ICT).electrical dischargeelectrical dischargeThe qualities and applications of electrical discharge, including voltage and electrodes.hardware materialshardware materialsThe characteristics, applications and environmental effects of materials used to develop hardware.instrument performance elementsinstrument performance elementsElements that indicate or influence instrument performance. A first indication of the performance of the instrument is the accuracy or precision of the instrument, such as its response time, resolutio...quality standardsquality standardsThe national and international requirements, specifications and guidelines to ensure that products, services and processes are of good quality and fit for purpose.hardware architectureshardware architecturesThe designs laying out the physical hardware components and their interconnections.interpret circuit diagramsinterpret circuit diagramsRead and comprehend circuit diagrams showing the connections between the devices, such as power and signal connections.inspect quality of productsinspect quality of productsUse various techniques to ensure the product quality is respecting the quality standards and specifications. Oversee defects, packaging and sendbacks of products to different production departments.measure electrical characteristicsmeasure electrical characteristicsMeasure voltage, current, resistance or other electrical characteristics by using electrical measuring equipment such as multimeters, voltmeters, and ammeters.read assembly drawingsread assembly drawingsRead and interpret drawings listing all the parts and subassemblies of a certain product. The drawing identifies the different components and materials and provides instructions on how to assemble a p...conduct quality control analysisconduct quality control analysisConduct inspections and tests of services, processes, or products to evaluate quality.test hardwaretest hardwareTest computer hardware systems and components using appropriate equipment and testing methods, such as the system test (ST), the ongoing reliability test (ORT), and the in-circuit test (ICT). Monitor ...read standard blueprintsread standard blueprintsRead and comprehend standard blueprints, machine, and process drawings.use testing equipmentuse testing equipmentUse equipment to test performance and operation of machinery.analyse test dataanalyse test dataInterpret and analyse data collected during testing in order to formulate conclusions, new insights or solutions.communicate test results to other departmentscommunicate test results to other departmentsCommunicate testing information such as testing schedules, samples testing statistics and test results, to the relevant departments.meet deadlinesmeet deadlinesEnsure operative processes are finished at a previously agreed-upon time.read engineering drawingsread engineering drawingsRead the technical drawings of a product made by the engineer in order to suggest improvements, make models of the product or operate it.use measurement instrumentsuse measurement instrumentsUse different measurement instruments depending on the property to be measured. Utilise various instruments to measure length, area, volume, speed, energy, force, and others.ensure conformity to specificationsensure conformity to specificationsEnsure that the assembled products are conform to the specifications given.

Optional (21)

printed circuit boards testing methodsprinted circuit boards testing methodsPrinted circuit board (PCB) testing methods consist of those processes in which PCB components or systems are tested, such as the in-circuit test (ICT), joint test action group (JTAG) test, and automa...microelectronicsmicroelectronicsMicroelectronics is a subdiscipline of electronics and relates the study, design, and manufacture of small electronic components, such as microchips.consumer electronicsconsumer electronicsThe functioning of electronic consumer goods such as TVs, radios, cameras and other audio and video equipment.waste removal regulationswaste removal regulationsThe regulations and legal provisions governing waste removal activities.electronicselectronicsThe functioning of electronic circuit boards, processors, chips, and computer hardware and software, including programming and applications.mechanicsmechanicsTheoretical and practical applications of the science studying the action of displacements and forces on physical bodies to the development of machinery and mechanical devices.resolve equipment malfunctionsresolve equipment malfunctionsIdentify, report and repair equipment damage and malfunctions. Communicate with field representatives and manufacturers to obtain repair and replacement components.perform in-circuit testperform in-circuit testConduct in-circuit test (ICT) to assess whether the printed circuit boards (PCB) were correctly manufactured. The ICT tests for shorts, resistance, and capacitance, and can be performed with a "bed of...remove defective productsremove defective productsRemove defective materials from the production line.operate precision measuring equipmentoperate precision measuring equipmentMeasure the size of a processed part when checking and marking it to check if it is up to standard by use of two and three dimensional precision measuring equipment such as a caliper, a micrometer, an...perform test runperform test runPerform tests putting a system, machine, tool or other equipment through a series of actions under actual operating conditions in order to assess its reliability and suitability to realise its tasks, ...test wireless devicestest wireless devicesAnalyse and test wireless devices and digital platforms that use power management integrated circuits (PMIC), radio frequency integrated circuits (RFIC) or wireless chipsets.calibrate electronic instrumentscalibrate electronic instrumentsCorrect and adjust the reliability of an electronic instrument by measuring output and comparing results with the data of a reference device or a set of standardised results. This is done in regular i...research equipment needsresearch equipment needsResearch equipment or required machine parts; compare sources, prices and delivery times.maintain test equipmentmaintain test equipmentMaintain equipment used for testing the quality of systems and products.check system parameters against reference valuescheck system parameters against reference valuesMake sure that the measurable factors which define the operation of a system correspond to the predetermined norms.liaise with engineersliaise with engineersCollaborate with engineers to ensure common understanding and discuss product design, development and improvement.send faulty equipment back to assembly linesend faulty equipment back to assembly lineSend equipment that didn't pass inspection back to the assembly line for re-assembly.keep records of work progresskeep records of work progressMaintain records of the progress of the work including time, defects, malfunctions, etc.write inspection reportswrite inspection reportsWrite the results and conclusions of the inspection in a clear and intelligible way. Log the inspection's processes such as contact, outcome, and steps taken.test printed circuit boardstest printed circuit boardsTest the printed circuit board with special testing adapters to ensure optimal efficiency, functionality, and that everything works according to design. Adapt the testing devices to the type of circui...