Median hourly earnings of electronic home entertainment equipment installers and repairers were $13.08 in 2002. The middle 50 percent earned between $10.20 and $17.00. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $8.18, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $21.48. In 2002, median hourly earnings of electronic home entertainment equipment installers and repairers were $12.73 in electronics and appliance stores and $11.99 in electronic and precision equipment repair and maintenance.
Electronic home entertainment equipment installers and repairers, also called service technicians, repair a variety of equipment, including televisions and radios, stereo components, video and audio disc players, video cameras, and video recorders. They also install and repair home security systems, intercom equipment, satellite television dishes, and home theater systems, which consist of large-screen televisions and sophisticated surround-sound audio components.
Customers usually bring small, portable equipment to repair shops for servicing. Repairers at these locations, known as bench technicians, are equipped with a full array of electronic tools and parts. When larger, less mobile equipment breaks down, customers may pay repairers to come to their homes. These repairers, known as field technicians, travel with a limited set of tools and parts, and attempt to complete the repair at the customer’s location. If the job is complex, technicians may bring defective components back to the shop for thorough diagnosis and repair.
When equipment breaks down, repairers check for common causes of trouble, such as dirty or defective components. Many repairs consist simply of cleaning and lubricating equipment. If routine checks do not locate the trouble, repairers may refer to schematics and manufacturers’ specifications that provide instructions on how to locate problems. Repairers use a variety of test equipment to diagnose and identify malfunctions. Multimeters detect short circuits, failed capacitors, and blown fuses by measuring voltage, current, and resistance. Color-bar and dot generators provide onscreen test patterns, signal generators to test signals, and oscilloscopes and digital storage scopes to measure complex waveforms produced by electronic equipment. Repairs may involve removing and replacing a failed capacitor, transistor, or fuse. Repairers use handtools such as pliers, screwdrivers, soldering irons, and wrenches to replace faulty parts. They also make adjustments to equipment, such as focusing and converging the picture of a television set or balancing the audio on a surround-sound system.
Improvements in technology have miniaturized and digitized many audio and video recording devices. Miniaturization has made repairwork significantly more difficult, because both the components and the acceptable tolerances are smaller. For example, an analog video camera operates at 1800 revolutions per minute (rpm), while a digital video camera may operate at 9,000 rpm. Also, components now are mounted on the surface of circuit boards, instead of plugged into slots, requiring more precise soldering when a new part is installed. Improved technologies have lowered the price of electronic home entertainment equipment, to the point where customers often replace broken equipment instead of repairing it.
Employment of electronic home entertainment equipment installers and repairers is expected to grow more slowly than the average through 2012, due to decreased demand for repair work. In addition to job openings arising from employment growth, some will also result from the need to replace workers who retire or who transfer to higher paying jobs in other occupations requiring electronics experience. Opportunities will be best for applicants with hands-on experience and knowledge of electronics.
The need for repairers is expected to grow slowly because home entertainment equipment is less expensive than in the past. As technological developments have lowered the price and improved the reliability of equipment, the demand for repair services has slackened. When malfunctions do occur, it often is cheaper for consumers to replace equipment rather than to pay for repairs.
Employment growth will be spurred somewhat by the introduction of sophisticated digital equipment, such as DVDs, digital televisions, and digital camcorders. So long as the price of such equipment remains high, purchasers will be willing to hire repairers when malfunctions occur.
Employers prefer applicants who have basic knowledge and skills in electronics. Applicants should be familiar with schematics and have some hands-on experience repairing electronic equipment. Many applicants gain these skills at vocational training programs and community colleges. Training programs should include both hands-on experience and theoretical education in digital consumer electronics. Entry-level repairers may work closely with more experienced technicians, who provide technical guidance.
Field technicians work closely with customers and must have good communication skills and a neat appearance. Employers also may require that field technicians have a driver’s license.
Various organizations offer certification for electronic home entertainment equipment installers and repairers, including ACES International, the Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association, the Electronic Technicians Association International, and the International Society of Certified Electronics Technicians. Repairers may specialize in a variety of skill areas, including consumer electronics. To receive certification, repairers must pass qualifying exams corresponding to their level of training and experience.
Experienced repairers with advanced training may become specialists or troubleshooters, helping other repairers diagnose difficult problems. Workers with leadership ability may become supervisors of other repairers. Some experienced workers open their own repair shops.
Other workers who repair and maintain electronic equipment include broadcast and sound engineering technicians and radio operators; computer, automated teller, and office machine repairers; electrical and electronics installers and repairers; and radio and telecommunications equipment installers and repairers.
For information on careers and certification, contact:
For example, some devices contain tiny gears that must be manufactured to within one one-hundredth of a millimeter of design specifications, and other devices contain sophisticated electronic controls. Camera and photographic equipment repairers work through a series of steps in fixing a camera. If the repairers decide to proceed with the job themselves, they diagnose the problem, often by disassembling numerous small parts in order to reach the source. Watch and clock repairers work almost exclusively on expensive and antique timepieces, as moderately priced timepieces are cheaper to replace than to repair. Musical instrument repairers and tuners combine their love of music with a highly skilled craft.
Summary of: http://www.collegegrad.com/careers/insta16.shtml
Job opportunities will be best for applicants with knowledge of electronics and with related hands-on experience. Customers usually bring small, portable equipment to repair shops for servicing. Repairers at these locations, known as bench technicians, are equipped with a full array of electronic tools and parts. When larger, less mobile equipment breaks down, customers may pay repairers to come to their homes. When equipment breaks down, repairers check for common causes of trouble, such as dirty or defective components.
Summary of: http://www.collegegrad.com/careers/insta03.shtml
Job opportunities will be best for applicants with knowledge of electronics and with related hands-on experience. Repairers at these locations, known as bench technicians, are equipped with a full array of electronic tools and parts. When larger, less mobile equipment breaks down, customers may pay repairers to come to their homes. Miniaturization has made repairwork significantly more difficult, because both the components and the acceptable tolerances are smaller. Improved technologies have lowered the price of electronic home entertainment equipment, to the point where customers often replace broken equipment instead of repairing it.
Summary of: http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos187.htm
Equipment includes televisions, radar, industrial equipment controls, computers, telephone systems, and medical diagnosing equipment. Repairers have numerous job titles, which often refer to the kind of equipment they work with. For information on workers who operate and maintain electronic equipment used to record and transmit radio and television programs, see the statement on broadcast technicians. During these calls, repairers may also advise customers on how to use equipment more efficiently and how to spot problems in their early stages. Training includes general courses in mathematics, physics, electricity, electronics, schematic reading, and troubleshooting.
Summary of: http://www2.jobtrak.com/help_manuals/outlook/ocos183.html
It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job. Job Training Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. Job Zone Examples These occupations usually involve using communication and organizational skills to coordinate, supervise, manage, or train others to accomplish goals. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Summary of: http://online.onetcenter.org/link/summary/49-2096.00
Employment of repairers is expected to decline because it is often cheaper to replace equipment rather than pay for repairs. They also repair home security systems, intercom equipment, and home theater equipment, consisting of large-screen televisions and sophisticated, surround-sound systems. Repairers at these locations, known as bench technicians, are equipped with a full array of electronic tools and parts. When equipment breaks down, repairers check for common causes of trouble, such as dirty or defective components. The International Society of Certified Electronics Technicians (ISCET) and the Electronics Technicians Association (ETA) administer certification programs for electronics technicians.
Summary of: http://www.umsl.edu/services/govdocs/ooh20002001/329.htm
Those who work for the Defense Department install radar, missile control, and communication systems on aircraft, ships, and tanks, and in buildings and other structures. Some set up and service electronic equipment which controls machines and production processes in factories. (See the statements on industrial machinery repairers and millwrights elsewhere in the Handbook). Employment Commercial and industrial electronic equipment repairers held about 66,000 jobs in 1994. About 1 out of 3 repairers was employed by the Federal Government, almost all in the Department of Defense at military installations around the country.
Summary of: http://www2.jobtrak.com/help_manuals/outlook/ocos184.html
Growth will result from the increasing use of commercial and industrial electronic equipment as businesses strive to lower costs by implementing automation. These complex pieces of electronic equipment are installed, maintained, and repaired by electronics repairers of commercial and industrial equipment. Many repairers, known as field technicians, travel to factories or other locations to repair equipment. These workers often have assigned areas where they perform preventive maintenance on a regular basis. When equipment breaks down, repairers first check for common causes of trouble, such as loose connections or obviously defective components.
Summary of: http://www.jobbankusa.com/ohb/ohb184.html
For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job. Job Training Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. Job Zone Examples These occupations usually involve using communication and organizational skills to coordinate, supervise, manage, or train others to accomplish goals. Some may require a bachelor's degree. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Summary of: http://online.onetcenter.org/link/summary/49-2097.00
Employment is projected to grow more slowly than average, but will vary by occupational specialty. Job opportunities will be best for applicants with a thorough knowledge of electrical and electronic equipment, as well as repair experience. Industrial controls automatically monitor and direct production processes on the factory floor. Electronic sensors monitor the equipment and the manufacturing process, providing feedback to the programmable logic control (PLC), which controls the equipment. When equipment breaks down, repairers first check for common causes of trouble, such as loose connections or obviously defective components.
Summary of: http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos184.htm