What's in your tool bag?

[kagman]

In my bag, which is pretty much the same as lots of guys and gals here, I ordered myself 2 roll up keyboards. They are great and very inexpensive. Purchased a wireless rollup keyboard, which never knew they made one. Keep one of them in my techbag at all times. Dont want to use the a clients keyboard if its really nasty looking..

 

[SThompson86]

When you guys break out the roll out keyboard at a clients house are you guys just blunt about it, and say I do not use customers keyboards? Or do you tell the client that the roll out keyboard does something "special" so the client does not feel so ashamed ? lol just curious on how you guys go about implementing the roll out keyboard without creating some ackwerd situation.

 

[kagman]

lol... One could say that the rollup keyboard is water proof and other liquid proof to. lol...

Or say that the keyboard has "Special Tech Powers".. lol..

 

[notto]

Tools of trade; Depends on the job you are doing....

must have tools
Screwdriver Kit
Thermalpaste
Zip Ties and something to cut them with
Some sort of diagnostic software e.g. hirens
Deoderant never ever smell bad at a clients site even if you think you dont use it
mouth freshner always good to have to make a impression
wear a belt do not show "plumbers crack"
tested working network cable
laptop
internet

Optional but highly reccomended
Compressed Air
Mobile Phone
Precision Screwdriver kit
Windows Discs
usb floppy drive
external hdd
usb dvd drive

I use the 1440 pelican case as i can put in a big laptop.
tools, spare parts, leather/vinyl professional looking document holder with pens and cards, paper. It is also good for public transport! secures easily! on rollers!
Downside can be heavy.

 

[Hamish]

Police Bag

Dell Mini 10
Handcuffs
CD Wallet (Various Bootable CD's & Instillation Discs)
iPhone 3GS
Notepad
Letterheads
Business Cards
Various Adaptors (Small Things)
Screwdriver
AVG Reseller Price Guide
16GB USB Drive
WD 500GB Passport
Promotional Pens
Hand Sanitizer
Tissues
Water Bottle

Tub 1

Network Cables, About 50 Pre-Packaged, Various Lengths
Roll's of Cat5e
Wireless PCI Cards
Wireless Modems
ADSL2+ Modems
Line Filters
RJ25 Cords

Tub 2

Keyboard
Mice
Powercords
Wide range of adaptors

Box 1 (Things to Sell)

LCD Cleaner Kits
USB - IDE/SATA
Card Readers

Box 2 (Things to Sell)

Micro fibre cloths
USB Hubs
USB Extension leads

Box 3

Screws
Screwdrivers
Fans
Gloves
Dust Blower
Brush
Anti-Static Wrist Band
Card Readers
USB - IDE/SATA
Zip Ties

Box 4

Head Light (Cree)
IDE Cabels
Keyboard Fittings
Mouse Fittings
Network Tester
Power Tester
Motherboard Diagnostic Card
Tubes of Thermal Paste

This all fits in the back of my sporty golf

Also in the back is a portable Air Compressor to blow out any filthy computers!

 

[vdub12]

Do you like having a Netbook over a laptop? I have a laptop, and I have always straid away from net books due to their low performance. Not that I am a youtube freakazoid or anything, but I read that they have trouble playing HD quality videos, and that pretty much turned me off because thats a very basic function. I would like to have one due to the small size, but for more computing power my laptop is worth the extra bulk.

Do you watch HD videos often at customers houses, lol.

We should honestly use an ESD strap every time we go into a PC.

I don't like them personally. I have never had a problem with ESD. Just make sure you touch the case before you touch anything inside. And make sure the computers unplugged. If its not then touching the case or using an ESD strap is worthless.

Police Bag

Handcuffs

? For people that don't pay ?

 

[Hamish]

? For people that don't pay ?

Well in Australia, You have to have some element of fun and laughter on the job

 

[coreyspeed]

I don't like them personally. I have never had a problem with ESD. Just make sure you touch the case before you touch anything inside. And make sure the computers unplugged. If its not then touching the case or using an ESD strap is worthless.

not if you actually get a plug to ground you, hooking up to the case is not a good way to ground your self anyway.

 

[kagman]

Tools of trade; Depends on the job you are doing....

must have tools
Screwdriver Kit
Thermalpaste
Zip Ties and something to cut them with
Some sort of diagnostic software e.g. hirens
Deoderant never ever smell bad at a clients site even if you think you dont use it
mouth freshner always good to have to make a impression
wear a belt do not show "plumbers crack"

Ok I love the Deodorant idea to keep in your tool bag. lol... Nice. I keep one of these with me at all times. http://www.neweggmall.com/Product/2003836030/product.html
Each spray can only has 0.15oz of clean freshness lol... The link shows a pack of 4.

 

[vdub12]

I don't like them personally. I have never had a problem with ESD. Just make sure you touch the case before you touch anything inside. And make sure the computers unplugged. If its not then touching the case or using an ESD strap is worthless.

not if you actually get a plug to ground you, hooking up to the case is not a good way to ground your self anyway.

Computers have static electricity in them. If you are grounded then you can discharge that static and destroy system components. By touching the case unplugged you are not discharging static but your equalizing yourself with the components in the case.

In a situation like your ground device you have there you can become the ground if the components or case has a charge to it.

 

[coreyspeed]

I don't like them personally. I have never had a problem with ESD. Just make sure you touch the case before you touch anything inside. And make sure the computers unplugged. If its not then touching the case or using an ESD strap is worthless.


Computers have static electricity in them. If you are grounded then you can discharge that static and destroy system components. By touching the case unplugged you are not discharging static but your equalizing yourself with the components in the case.

In a situation like your ground device you have there you can become the ground if the components or case has a charge to it.

i have all ways worked in a stricked ESD controlled area and have learnt to al ways ground things, i do also ground the case as well as my self

 

[DarDar]

I don't like them personally. I have never had a problem with ESD. Just make sure you touch the case before you touch anything inside. And make sure the computers unplugged. If its not then touching the case or using an ESD strap is worthless.


Computers have static electricity in them. If you are grounded then you can discharge that static and destroy system components. By touching the case unplugged you are not discharging static but your equalizing yourself with the components in the case.

In a situation like your ground device you have there you can become the ground if the components or case has a charge to it.

I had a big long post written up in reply to this but lost it all due to stupid adobe reader!!!
Basically it doesn't matter whether the case is plugged in or not when touching it for the purpose of "equalization" as you put it. Equalization and discharging of the static are the same thing. In both situations, static build up is traveling from the body of higher potential to a body of lower potential. You can still do a lot of damage to a device simply by touching it before grounding yourself. Static on the device is not a bad thing - it is the discharge that does the damage

The real protection is in the use of proper procedures and equipment. One of the key components in an esd strap is the >1 mega ohm resistor. This reduces any static discharge down to a trickle to avoid damage. The proper procedure is to ground oneself, then the device, then you can touch the device as both should now be at the same potential. If you are connected to the device and static builds up due to your movement then it will be at the same level on both you and the device and therefore avoid a discharge. If the connection is broken (which will nearly always happen) the large value resistor will reduce any discharge from you to a trickle and avoid damage to the device. The use of the grounding plug after initial grounding of you and the device simply provides an extra layer of protection.

A common mistake is to simply connect a wire from you to the earth connection of a socket. This is a bad move as you are now a very nice conduit for electricity to ground. The large value resistor also serves a safety purpose in this case by encouraging any dangerous discharge to take a different path. For this reason, once i have used the grounding plug initially, i prefer to disconnect from it to remove this possibility.

 

[reesk92]

I don't like them personally. I have never had a problem with ESD. Just make sure you touch the case before you touch anything inside. And make sure the computers unplugged. If its not then touching the case or using an ESD strap is worthless.


Computers have static electricity in them. If you are grounded then you can discharge that static and destroy system components. By touching the case unplugged you are not discharging static but your equalizing yourself with the components in the case.

In a situation like your ground device you have there you can become the ground if the components or case has a charge to it.

sort of the remaining voltage left in the components cant do anything its the static built up in your body that does the damage

usually what you do with that devide is

place the pc on a static mat conect the mat to earth

sonect your wristband to the chasis so yours and the pcs static equalizes(its science trust me its true) you then work on the pc nothing bad happens

although i dont recomend switching the pc on if the wrist band is still conected if the psu shorts to the chasis the voltage is going direct to your wrist

 

[vdub12]

sort of the remaining voltage left in the components cant do anything its the static built up in your body that does the damage

usually what you do with that devide is

place the pc on a static mat conect the mat to earth

sonect your wristband to the chasis so yours and the pcs static equalizes(its science trust me its true) you then work on the pc nothing bad happens

although i dont recomend switching the pc on if the wrist band is still conected if the psu shorts to the chasis the voltage is going direct to your wrist

There are many instances where esd damage occurs that the technician is the ground, not the source of the static. In these cases grounding yourself makes the problem worse. Electricity is going to find ground, its in the nature of the beast. If you are grounded and the static charge on the component is higher then you then it will discharge in to you. By grounding yourself you are automatically lowering your own static charge guaranteeing the components charge will be higher just making it more likely to cause damage.

 

[DarDar]

If you are going to ground yourself, you should also ground the device or a static build up on one will have the "potential" to transfer static from the item with the higher potential to the lower one. Touching the case only without grounding either you or the case results in both you and the case being at the same potential.

 

[nfojunky]

18) Portable Printer (for the car to print out invoices and such)

I like the idea of a portable printer. It would be nice to print invoices, contracts, etc. without having to borrow the customers printer.