Electronic Tools - Screw Drivers

fig 1. Standard, Flat or Negative Screwdriver
 Jiří Sedláček, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Basic Electronic Hand Tools

Before starting with electronics, it is very important for a beginner to know the different tools used in electronics and how to use these tools correctly and safely.

Lets start with the screwdrivers, there are two well known types of screwdrivers, these two are commonly referred to as "positive" and "negative" screw drivers, and in some cases also called as "standard" and "Philips". 

All of these terminologies are correct provided that your reference to a "negative" and "standard" screw drivers refers to one and the same tool as shown in fig 1.

For the "positive" or "Philips" screwdriver, it is shown in figure 2. 

fig 2 Positive or Philips screwdriver
Leon Brooks, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Screwdrivers can come in different sizes from the very small to a very long one, the purpose is to ensure that the driver fits perfectly to the screw head preventing for the possibility of damaging the head that would render the screw difficult to screw in and out.

Worth noting too is that the handle can also vary depending on the brand and the type of screw where the driver is designed for use.

Not limiting to our two basic types, there are lots of screw driver sets out in the market today that can handle different type of screws, with most popular are the screw driver with replaceable tips as shown in fig 3.

fig 3. A screw driver with a replaceable tips
Jacek Halicki, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

for my next blog, I will be discussing different type of pliers, till then. 😀