Electrical Contracting News (ECN) August 2017 | Page 44

SPECIAL
FEATURE
SOFTWARE & APPS
INFORMATION AT
YOUR FINGERTIPS
Claire Fletcher discovers how a new app from Pro Certs Software provides electricians with instant
access to all the tools, reference charts and tables required for complex electrical calculations.
guide which has got lost in the back of the
van somewhere; just open the app and the
info you need is there.’
It seems the app is certainly a
convenient pocket tool to have by your side
and the ability to make quick references
means it could become an essential in any
electricians’ kit.
A
imed squarely at
tradesmen in the
electrical industry, the
Electrical Tools app
gives professionals
access to a range of
information through
their smart phone.
Supported by iOS and by the Android Play
Store, where it is called the Electrical Tools
and Reference app, the software is designed
to make day-to-day electrical calculations
and decisions faster and easier.
‘Searching for the right reference
charts, tables, and tools for every electrical
job can take time,’ explains Gary Lince,
founder of Pro Certs Software. ‘But with
the Pro Certs app, everything is just a touch
of a button away, helping to speed up the
job and ensure that everything is accurate.’
Easy navigation
The app is full of useful features from
watts, amps, and volts calculators to
mains earthing and bonding conductor
size calculators. It also contains reference
charts and tables for double checking
equipment types, all of which support the
BS 7671 regulations.
Designed for ease of use, the app is
arranged under easy to navigate headings
and sub menus. It does not require a Wi-Fi
or phone signal to function, since all the
charts and calculators are embedded
into the app itself. This ensures that once
downloaded, the app will function fully,
even in Airplane mode.
44 | August 2017
Day-to-day
electrical
calculations and
decisions are
faster and easier
using the app.
Updates ensure charts and calculators
are constantly revised and with the soon
to be realised 18th edition of the IET
wiring regulations, the app will undergo
further changes to keep it in line with the
current edition.
On-site checks
‘With the Pro
Certs app,
everything
is just a
touch of a
button away,
helping to
speed up
the job and
ensure that
everything is
accurate.’
With access to this information at your
fingertips, the app can take the hassle
out of everyday calculations. One user,
for instance, tried the app while carrying
out a recent Electrical Installation
Condition report (EICR). ‘We were able
to look up the maximum permissible
values for the miniature circuit breakers
and fuses so we could cross reference
them against the readings we obtained,
as we obtained them,’ he explained. ‘This
removed the need to check them later,
back at the office, or hunt for them in the
on-site guide.’
Overall, the app was found to be very
handy. The same user tried the cable
calculator while out on a site survey
where he needed to determine the
required cable size for a new machine.
He insists, having instant access to this
resource demonstrated a high level of
professionalism and attention to detail to
his client.
Gary Lince of Pro Certs Software,
concludes, ‘Today, most electricians carry
a smart phone. Having the Electrical Tools
app at your fi ngertips when it is needed
most can be of great value. No more
hunting for the tea stained, ripped, on-site
The app is arranged
under easy to
navigate headings
and sub menus.