BMS Engineers Bonus Carry Items
BMS Engineers Bonus Carry Items
Here are five items that I always include when commissioning any project.
These are not your typical items, such as screwdrivers and multimeters; these are bonus items that will make your day much easier, but they wouldn’t be a showstopper if you didn’t have them.
All these items are low-cost and easy to bring along.
Coloured pens (at least 2 colours)
So many times I have seen engineers commission a job without a single pen, let alone two. I always keep a red and a black Uniball with me. I chose these types because they make a firm mark and can be easily seen on a drawing.
The reason I want two colours is so that I can make a distinction between the two. I like to mark up any comments in black, since these are easy to see anyway, as you will be writing in clear areas on the page. I then use the red to mark up the drawings for any modifications I have made. This way, it stands out, making it easy to locate when completing the paperwork at the end of the job.
You can get these for less than £5, and they take up so little space you would be daft not to have them. Amazon link below:
Link to Uniball Search on Amazon
A good mouse
Who likes trackpads, seriously?
I know they are getting better, and they are okay for short periods, but if you ever need to do a significant amount of work, you would be miles better off with a high-quality mouse.
My mouse of choice is the ProtoArc wireless Bluetooth trackball mouse. It connects via Bluetooth, so you don’t have to use any of your USB ports, which is always a bonus. It does come with a USB receiver, though, so if Bluetooth is not an option, there is always that fallback available. The battery life is excellent. I have had mine for years, and I bet I charge it once every six months or so, maybe not even that; often, I use it for 8 hours a day.
Other great features include a horizontal scroll. Although there is no support for this function in Niagara, it works well within the CPT tool and also when used with most Windows applications. It is ideal for use with large spreadsheets. The standard vertical scroll also features a “free scroll” option, which allows you to let it spin, resulting in faster navigation around the page. This is particularly useful when working on large spreadsheets.
It is a larger, deeper mouse that sits firmly in your palm, but it certainly works for me.
This is the most expensive item on the list, but I would definitely recommend it. Coming in at a little over £50.00 it might make your employers eyes water a little for a “mouse”.
Pop-up table and chair
Everybody makes such a fuss about ergonomics and the like when they are sat in their comfy offices, but when you are out on site it is often impossible to find a comfy spot to settle down and concentrate on your work.
This is why I carry a fold-away table and a pop-up chair to use when on site. They are a lifesaver. Granted, some plant rooms are restricted, and I may not have room to set up a table, but more often than not, it’s fine.
The table is just big enough to house my laptop, a mouse, and some paperwork.
The table folds completely flat, allowing it to pack away nicely, and the stool collapses to the size of the seat base. All in all, it adds around 7kg for me to carry, well worth the additional weight.
There are often times when I find myself using one or the other on its own. Panel modding for example, the stool is perfect for getting set up in front of a panel at a comfortable height, did I mention it is also modular so you can alter the height?
The same can be said for the table, which doubles up as an excellent additional bench if required on site. The table can be set at 3 different heights, to be honest, I found myself sitting at the highest height 99% of the time.
The table is currently available on Amazon for £39.99, and the stool can be purchased for £29.99. There are cheaper options available, but I like to keep it as lightweight and portable as possible. In hindsight, I would get a different table. The surface area of the table is fine, but the legs don’t actually fold in; they just close flat to the table. This means that when stored away, it is actually just over a meter in length. The table is 770mm in length.
Headphones
Now this may depend on the site and location where you work. Not all places allow people to wear headphones in any situation, but when you can, it’s great.
I like to use them because they leave my hands free. I often find myself working with another engineer or electrician carrying out point to point checks, if I had one hand on the phone I would be limited when trying to test out cables, operate a laptop or use a hand tool.
Equally, when you receive a phone call, do you need to stop using your hands? Whenever possible, I will carry on as long as it isn’t too distracting and is safe to do so.
Any headphones will do, I like to use the wired set that comes with the phone; therefore, there is no additional cost to me. Ideally wireless would be better though, less likely to snag on anything when working on site, just remember to keep them charged up.
Wireless access point
This is a luxury item and probably overkill in many situations, but it has its place.
The TPLINK TL-WR802N can be powered via USB, which means it can be powered from most modern controllers; in the worst case, you will have to use the socket outlet on the panel. There is some initial setup required, but it is straightforward and doesn’t need to be done each time you use the device. It then plugs into the network port of the controller and can be accessed wirelessly, making your connection to the controller wireless and almost effortless.
Now you don’t have to squash into the plant room, you can give yourself some space and get a comfy set up with your table and chair.
Admittedly, it is often not necessary, but in some situations, it can be worth its weight in gold.
Mine is an older model, which isn’t too readily available anymore; the newer version can be picked up for less than £50 and looks to have more functions should they be required.