Ricardo Mitchell
Electrician & Construction Professional, CN Coterie
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Co-authored Articles (82)
How to Set an Indoor or Outdoor Outlet Timer
Learn how to program a plug timer to automatically turn your lights onAre you tired of looking for the light switch when you come home and it’s dark? Then a plug timer is a perfect solution to power up your devices dur...
Identifying Positive & Negative Wires: Colors & Power Types
When you're dealing with electrical wiring, it's important to know which is positive and which is negative—but how are you supposed to tell them apart? The easiest way to tell is by looking at the color, but the colors...
How to
Test Continuity with a Multimeter
To test continuity, all you have to do is stick 2 terminals on your multimeter against 2 ends of an electrical current. Testing continuity in a wire, current, or fuse is a good idea if you’re installing or repairing an...
How to
Crimp Rj45
Expert guide to crimping an RJ-45 to a cableYou can quickly and easily crimp an RJ-45 to a cable with or without a crimping tool. If you have a crimping tool, strip away a portion of the sheath, untangle and arrange the ...
How to
Install an Ethernet Jack in a Wall
If you’re planning on adding a new Ethernet jack to one of the walls in your home, you can save a few bucks by doing it yourself. Installing a network jack is surprisingly easy, and only takes a matter of minutes with ...
How to
Test a Fuse With a Multimeter
Cars and older homes that don’t use modern circuit breakers use fuses to prevent damage from electrical surges. Sometimes these fuses require testing to check that they are still in good working order. Testing fuses ca...
Easiest Way to Install LED Strip Lights
Here's how to put up eye-catching, mesmerizing LED lights in your space Whether you're giving your kitchen a modernist vibe with cabinet downlighting or giving your bedroom a bright, trendy flourish, hanging LED strip li...
How to
Set up Ethernet
Easy ways to set up EthernetThis wikiHow teaches you how to connect your computer directly to an internet router using an Ethernet cable, as well as how to set up your Ethernet settings on Windows and Mac computers, and ...
The Ultimate Guide to Ground Rod Installation
Learn how to drive in a ground rod and easily connect it to your electrical panel One of the best ways to protect your home from lightning strikes or electrical shorts is to put in ground rods. Ground rods create a route...
How to
Check Earthing at Home
Earthing is a process similar to grounding that transfers discharged electricity from an appliance directly to the ground so you don’t get shocked if there’s a faulty wire. While the standard electrical code requires...
How to
Wire a Potentiometer
Potentiometers, or pots, are a type of resistor used to control the output signal on an electronic device, like a guitar, amplifier, or speaker. They have a small shaft on top that functions like a knob; when the user tu...
How to
Hook up an Equalizer
An equalizer is a useful piece of audio equipment that allows the user to adjust the frequency responses of an audio signal. They are available in a range of different prices and features, but all perform the same basic ...
How to Install a Subwoofer
Do you want to install a subwoofer in your car? If the music coming out of your sound system seems weak and unimpressive, you may need subwoofers. Subwoofers are speakers that play low-frequency sounds called bass and s...
How to
Test a Relay
Relays are discrete devices (as opposed to integrated circuits) that are used to allow a low power logic signal to control a much higher power circuit. The relay isolates the high power circuit, helping to protect the lo...
How to
Use a Voltmeter
A voltmeter is one of the most useful devices for home electrical testing, when used correctly. Before using a voltmeter for the first time, learn how to set the device correctly, and test it out on a low-voltage circuit...
How to
Make an Infinity Mirror
An infinity mirror is an optical illusion that you can put up in your home as a fun and interesting décor item. It’s made in a shadowbox frame with a mirror in the back, some LED lights around the middle, and a partia...
How to Strip Wire with or without a Wire Stripper
Remove wire insulation quickly and easily with this guide Whether you’re working on a home electrical project or removing the metal to sell scrap, wire stripping is really simple, and there are quite a few different to...
How to
Cut Led Strip Lights
LED strip lights are designed to be easy to cut apart with a pair of scissors. Each LED has a pair of copper dots at the end. As long as you cut between the dots, all of the LEDs will work. From there, you can connect th...
How to
Check a Phone Line
A simple guide to troubleshooting landline phone problems in your home or officeProblems with your phone line can be really irritating, but you can likely figure out what’s wrong. First, look for connectivity issues in...
How to
Wire a Double Switch
A double-switch allows you to operate two lights or appliances from the same location. Double switches, sometimes called "double pole," allow you to separately control the power being sent to multiple places from the sam...
