Electrical Contractor Work: There’s an App for That

When you think of apps, you probably picture games, random widgets, and entertainment-related programs. There are always exceptions to such generalities, and this case is no different. If you’re involved in the electrical contracting industry like Dunedin Electric, “there’s an app for that” too!

In fact, you may have more choices than you would think. Calculations and and sizing are two common activities in our field, and an app can help you work faster while out on the job. Interested? Read more thanks to the Pegasus Lighting article below:

Top 3 Android and iPhone Apps for Electrical Contractors

If you’re an electrical contractor, any tool that makes your job easier/more efficient is a good tool. Derek Singleton of Software Advice shares this guest post with us reviewing Smartphone apps designed specifically for electrical contractors.

Derek researches the best mobile apps for various industries and is considered an expert in the mobile app world. Enjoy, and be sure to leave a comment if you have any favorite apps not mentioned here!

At Software Advice, we spend a considerable amount of time reporting on construction technology and trends such as electrical estimating programs. Every now and then, however, we like to take a look at the lighter side of the construction industry. This time, we decided to report on apps. In today’s mobile world, an app can save an electrician, engineer or student precious time and is a helpful tool in the field or the classroom.

I recently scoured the iTunes and Android markets in search of the best apps for the electrical industry. I came up with 20 apps – 10 for each operating system (OS). Here are the top three apps that I came across for each OS.

Android

Electrodroid – 5 stars with 11,071 ratings | Free

This is far and away the most popular electrical app available on the Android market. It can do everything from calculate voltage divides to determine the PCB trace width. To run the app, users will need Android 1.6 or later.

ElectricalWiringPro – 4.5 stars with 333 ratings | $1.99

This app is best-suited for determining the proper wire size needed for a particular job. All tables are based off of NEC 2006, 2008 and 2011 standards. It will run on Android 1.5 and later.

Ohm’sLaw – 4.5 stars with 2,403 ratings | Free

There are a ton of Ohm’s Law apps out there but this is the best rated one I was able to find. Users running on Android 1.6 or a more recent version can use this app to quickly find the proper resistance, voltage, power or current.

iPhone

ElectricalToolkit – 3 stars with 3,776 ratings | Free

This app has a calculator for everything from capacitive and inductive reactance to resistor color codes. The app is compatible with iPad and iPhone running on iOS 3.0 or after.

iCircuit – 4 stars with 234 ratings | $9.99

iCircuit allows you to test MOSFETS, digital gates and can model analog as well as digital circuits. It’s recommended that users run this app on an iPhone 4 or iPad because it’s a hardware intensive app.

ElectricalPro – 3 stars with 93 ratings | $6.99

This app is preloaded with more than 180 different formulas. Helpful conversions included in the app are BTU conversions, kilowatts and lumens conversions and several others. The app with run on any Apple device with iOS 3.1 or later.