Press Releases

RS Components Supports Engineers on the Move with Handy Reference Mobile App

• Free RS Toolbox app provides single reference point for range of electronics design information and tools

• Saves time compared to sourcing reference material, formulas and lookup tables through Internet search engines

• Empowers engineers to capture design ideas on-the-go 

New Zealand, 11 December 2013 :

RS Components (RS), the trading brand of Electrocomponents plc (LSE:ECM), the world's leading high service distributor of electronics and maintenance products, has unveiled its first design support app for iOS-based mobile devices. Called RS Toolbox, this new app, which is available free-of-charge, provides a central access point to popular electronic reference materials and calculation and conversion tools in an easy-to-use format for electronics design engineers, hobbyists and students.

RS Toolbox runs on mobile devices that use the iOS operating system, which includes iPads, iPhones and iPod Touch devices from Apple. A version that runs on Windows 8 devices is also planned. The new app is based upon the 'Electronic Toolbox Pro' app, which was developed by Marcus Roskosch, the creator of a range of highly successful apps for engineers. Electronic Toolbox Pro has attracted a high level of acceptance from engineers with more than 200,000 downloads to date.

RS Toolbox offers an extensive range of functions, which are grouped as icons on the main screen, including a multitude of engineering calculators, converters and lookup tables. For example, included in the functions are RLC filter calculators, a 555 timer configurator, calculators for a variety of voltage regulators and op-amps, and essential tools such as numbering systems converters, Ohm's Law calculator and lookup tables for battery types and sizes, cable colour codings, package sizes, toroid specifications and much more. The app offers a high level of customisation and is available in 16 different languages.

"Electronics design engineers are continually under pressure to save time and are always on the lookout for design shortcuts," said Mark Cundle, Global Head of Technical Marketing, RS Components. "This highly useful app places a vast amount of component data and online calculations at their fingertips, enabling them to exploit creativity and innovation. It is yet another example of our mission at RS to deliver free, high performance software tools that make the design process faster, easier, and affordable for engineers."

RS Toolbox can be downloaded via the RS website at www.rsnewzealand.com/toolbox.