Electrical

Electrical is a crafting skill in Project Zomboid used to create small electrical devices and operate generators as source of power once the power cuts out. This is a great thing to do if you have the required fuel to operate it. Non-Electrician occupations can also operate generators, but it requires finding certain skill magazines.

Usage

To unlock the recipes for several different electrical items such as the generator and to use them, the Electrical skill is leveled by dismantling electronic devices such as CD players. A screwdriver is required for dismantling electronics into scrap parts. Each craft gives 1 XP. Reading Electricity skill books will increase the rate at which you gain XP by adding a multiplier based on your skill level. It is possible to skip the grind by choosing the Electrician or Engineer occupation in the character creation menu. You can find items such as, an Electronics Magazine that teach recipes of electronics.

Since the addition of vehicles, the electrical skill has become valuable to any playstyle. If the player has level 1 electrical and level 2 mechanics, they'll be able to hot-wire any vehicle, making it driveable without a key.

Electrical Guide

Step 1: Character Creation

Although anyone can level up the electrical skill, choosing the right occupation can give a much needed experience boost, making it easier to master the skill. During character creation, choosing an occupation and traits will provide the player with some skill levels, but it will also give an experience boost to that skill depending on the starting level. This bonus cannot be gained after the character is created, making this an important step in mastering any skill.
Starting Skill Level and Experience Boost

Level 0 - 25% (Default for all skills)

Level 1 - 75%

Level 2 - 100%

Level 3+ - 125%

Name	Starting Points	Major Skills	Description	Notes
File:Electrician.png Electrician	-4	+3 Electrical	Can operate generators	Has a good understanding of electronics, already knowing a lot of recipes that may be able to help them survive.
Engineer Engineer	-4	+1 Electrical +1 Carpentry	Can make traps and explosives.	For anyone wanting to defend themselves with armed traps and explosives. The Engineer has a unique set of trap recipes that can't be learnt elsewhere.

The electrician occupation is recommended for those that might be starting a game mode with limited time before electricity shuts off or if it is already off. This occupation allows the player to operate generators, meaning they can connect it to a structure and check its info. Anyone can learn how to do this, however the How to Use Generators magazine must first be read, which may be a struggle to find. The electrician also gets a 125% bonus to electrical experience, compared to a normal 25%. Making this a valuable occupation for anyone wanting to focus on this skill. Along with the bonuses to experience and ability to use generators, due to being level 3, there are a few recipes that'll already be known. Such as crafting electrical parts like the crafted timer and V1 remote controller, or trap upgrades, however the recipe for the traps themselves must be learnt first through recipe magazines.

The engineer occupation has benefits for the electrical skill, however this will give the player a 75% bonus to experience. This occupation will also give a few unique crafting recipes that cannot be learnt any other way. These include all the engineered weapons, 2 of which can be learnt through recipe magazines, however the other 3 cannot, and include the aerosol bomb, flame trap and pipe bomb.

Step 2: Scavenge for Materials

The Screwdriver is the main tool for anything to do with electronics. Screwdrivers are often found in tool sheds, garages and warehouses. Whilst searching for a screwdriver, the player will often come across various electrical items, such as a CD player or TV remote, these should also be collected for later.

Unless either of the two electrical occupations have been chosen, there will be no electrical recipes available (apart from dismantling). recipe magazines are a big part of the electrical skill, with 10 to collect. These will also need to found if the player wishes to progress quickly, however most of them aren't required as the recipes can be learnt by leveling up electrical. There are 3 main categories of the recipe magazines; the Electronics Magazine, Engineer Magazine and Guerilla Radio, each with a unique set of recipes. The best place to find these is inside mail boxes and bookshelves.

Along with magazines, skill books can also be found, which will give the player an experience multiplier dependant on the book that is read. Finding and reading any of these books should be done before continuing with the guide any further.

Step 3: Dismantling Electronics

With the screwdriver in hand, it's time to start dismantling. Any electronics that have already been scavenged can now be dismantled, with the exception of the TV remote, as it should instead be used for crafting. The player can find various electronics in the world that must be picked up before dismantling.
The tables below display all the electronics and the parts that can be gathered from them.

Miscellaneous Devices

Disassembling these devices will give some basic electrical components.

Item	Available Parts	Description
ValuTech PortaDisc Cordless Phone Digital Watch Earbuds Headphones TV Remote Video Game	Scrap Electronics	CD player will always give 2 electronics scrap, everything else will only return 1.
Speaker	Scrap Electronics Amplifier
Home Alarm	Scrap Electronics Motion Sensor

Communication Devices

These devices guarantee at least 1 electronics scrap + 1 other high probability part. The amount of parts returned is dependant on the the electrical skill and the item being dismantled. For example, a HAM radio has a max electronics scrap return of 4, whereas a standard radio will only return 3, at level 0. The chance of getting a skill level dependant part can be calculated with the following equation: Skill Level * 5 + 50%.

Item	High Probability Parts	Level Dependant Parts	Other Parts	Description
ValuTech Radio Premium Technologies Radio	Scrap Electronics Electric Wire Aluminum	Amplifier Light Bulb Radio Receiver	Battery	A battery will always be given if it hasn't been taken out, or is dead.
Toys-R-Mine Walkie Talkie ValuTech Walkie Talkie Premium Tech. Walkie Talkie Tactical Walkie Talkie US Army Walkie Talkie	Scrap Electronics Electric Wire Aluminum	Amplifier Light Bulb Light Bulb Radio Receiver Radio Transmitter	Battery Scanner Module	A battery will always be given if it hasn't been taken out, or is dead. The Scanner module is not currently available.
Premium Technologies Ham Radio US ARMY COMM. Ham Radio	Scrap Electronics Electric Wire Aluminum	Amplifier Light Bulb Light Bulb Radio Receiver Radio Transmitter	Battery	A battery will always be given if it hasn't been taken out, or is dead.
Antique Television ValuTech Television Premium Technologies Television	Scrap Electronics Electric Wire Aluminum	Amplifier Light Bulb	Light Bulb Light Bulb	Only the Antique Television will return the green and red light bulbs.

Step 4: Crafting Electronics

The crafting is where the electrical skill really gets interesting. So long as the player has found some electrical magazines (unless they have either of the above occupations) they can begin crafting.

Communications

There are 3 different communication devices that the player can craft: the makeshift radio, makeshift walkie talkie or makeshift HAM radio. To unlock any of these recipes, the player must have read the corresponding Guerrilla Radio Volume; there is no other way to unlock these recipes. The performance of these devices is dependant on the player's electrical level, affecting the items weight, power consumption, base volume range, channel width (min-max) and transmission range.

The walkie talkie and HAM radio allow two-way communication, meaning that so long as they're tuned into the correct frequency, players can communicate with each other directly, through text. Whereas the radio is only one-way, therefore if they're tuned into the correct frequency, they will be able to hear everything any other player says, but they will not be able to communicate back.

Engineering

Engineering refers to the five weapon recipes that require reading either the Engineering Magazines or have the engineering occupation. These items aren't particularly useful on their own, considering how rare some of the parts may be, however they can be upgraded further. Refer to the Engineered Devices table for an overview of each item's stats.

The upgraded versions of these weapons will turn them into fully functional traps that can be placed anywhere, with a trigger depending on the upgrade chosen. There are 3 different types of triggers: the timer, which will be triggered after a given amount of time; the sensor, which is triggered once it detects motion; and the detonator, which will be triggered once the player activates it using a remote controller.

The table below gives a brief look at how each of the upgrades are crafted. For further specifics, go here.

Item	Crafted Timer	Motion Sensor	Crafted Trigger	Scrap Electronics	Duct Tape	Skill Level	Recipe Magazine
Add Timer	1	-	-	2	1	-	Electronics Magazine Vol.2
Add Motion Sensor V1	-	1	-	2	1	2	Electronics Magazine Vol.3
Add Motion Sensor V2	-	1	-	3	1	4	Electronics Magazine Vol.3
Add Motion Sensor V3	-	1	-	4	1	6	Electronics Magazine Vol.3
Add Crafted Trigger	-	-	1	2	1	2	Electronics Magazine Vol.4

Items

Tools

Item	Description	Weight	Classname
Screwdriver	Used in the dismantling and crafting of most electronics.	0.4	Base.Screwdriver
Saw Saw	Used in crafting the pipe bomb.	0.7	Base.Saw

Recipe Magazines

Item	Teaches Recipe	Description	Weight	Classname
Electronics Magazine Vol.1	Make Remote Controller V1 Make Remote Controller V2 Make Remote Controller V3	-	0.1	Base.ElectronicsMag1
Electronics Magazine Vol.2	Make Timer Add Timer	-	0.1	Base.ElectronicsMag2
Electronics Magazine Vol.3	Add Motion Sensor V1 Add Motion Sensor V2 Add Motion Sensor V3.	-	0.1	Base.ElectronicsMag3
Electronics Magazine Vol.4	Make Remote Trigger Add Crafted Trigger	-	0.1	Base.ElectronicsMag5
Engineer Magazine Vol.1	Make Noise Maker	-	0.1	Base.EngineerMagazine1
Engineer Magazine Vol.2	Make Smoke Bomb	-	0.1	Base.EngineerMagazine2
How to use Generators	Generator Maintenance	Teaches the character how to connect generators to buildings.	0.1	Base.ElectronicsMag4
Guerilla Radio Vol.1	Craft Makeshift Radio	-	0.1	Radio.RadioMag1
Guerilla Radio Vol.2	Craft Makeshift Walkie Talkie	-	0.1	Radio.RadioMag2
Guerilla Radio Vol.3	Craft Makeshift HAM Radio	-	0.1	Radio.RadioMag3

Skill Books

Item	Description	Weight	Pages	Multiplier	Classname
Electricity for Beginners	Provides an XP Multiplier upon the completion of reading. This book is for level 1 and 2 Electrical.	0.8	220	3	Base.BookElectricity1
Electricity for Intermediates	Provides an XP Multiplier upon the completion of reading. This book is for level 3 and 4 Electrical.	0.8	260	5	Base.BookElectricity2
Advanced Electrical	Provides an XP Multiplier upon the completion of reading. This book is for level 5 and 6 Electrical.	0.8	300	8	Base.BookElectricity3
Expert Electricity	Provides an XP Multiplier upon the completion of reading. This book is for level 7 and 8 Electrical.	0.8	340	12	Base.BookElectricity4
Master Electricity	Provides an XP Multiplier upon the completion of reading. This book is for level 9 and 10 Electrical.	0.8	380	16	Base.BookElectricity5

Materials

Item	Description	Weight	Classname
Alarm Clock	A device that goes off after a set amount of seconds, and creates a sound-based distraction. Used via the standard throw attack.	1.5	Base.AlarmClock
Aluminum	Used in crafting Aerosol Bombs.	0.1	Base.Aluminum
Amplifier	Used in crafting Noise Makers.	0.3	Base.Amplifier
Battery	-	0.3	Base.Amplifier
Box of Sparklers	Used in crafting Aerosol Bombs.	0.2	Base.Sparklers
Cold Pack	Used in crafting Smoke Bombs.	0.1	Base.Coldpack
DuctTape	-	0.3	Base.DuctTape
Electric Wire	-	0.1	Base.ElectricWire
Scrap Electronics	Obtained by dismantling various electronic items. Used to craft Noise Makers, Pipe Bombs, Smoke Bombs, and among other items as well.	0.1	Base.ElectronicsScrap
Gas Can	-	5	Base.PetrolCan
Glue	Used to glue stuff together.	0.1	Base.Glue
Gunpowder	Used in crafting Pipe Bombs.	0.1	Base.GunPowder
Hairspray	Used in crafting Aerosol Bombs.	0.2	Base.Hairspray
Light Bulb	10 different coloured light bulbs.	0.1	Base.LightBulb Base.LightBulbRed Base.LightBulbGreen Base.LightBulbBlue Base.LightBulbYellow Base.LightBulbCyan Base.LightBulbMagenta Base.LightBulbOrange Base.LightBulbPurple Base.LightBulbPink
Motion Sensor	A motion sensor.	0.1	Base.MotionSensor
Newspaper	-	0.1	Base.Newspaper
Metal Pipe	Used in crafting Pipe Bombs.	0.3	Base.Pipe
Radio Receiver	-	0.1	Base.RadioReceiver
Radio Transmitter	-	0.1	Base.RadioTransmitter
Ripped Sheets	-	0.05	Base.RippedSheets
Scanner Module	-	0.1	Base.ScannerModule
Timer	A timer.	0.3	Base.Timer
Twine	-	0.1	Base.Twine

Craftable Parts

Item	Description	Weight	Classname
Crafted Timer	recipe: Add Timer	0.5	Base.TimerCrafted
Crafted Trigger	recipe: Add Crafted Trigger	0.2	Base.TriggerCrafted
Remote Controller	RemoteRange = 7,	0.4	Base.RemoteCraftedV1
Remote Controller	RemoteRange = 11,	0.4	Base.RemoteCraftedV2
Remote Controller	RemoteRange = 15,	0.1	Base.RemoteCraftedV3

Communication Devices

Item	Description	Weight	Noise Range	Channel	Transmit Range	Classname
_new!! Toys-R-Mine Walkie Talkie	-	1.0	5 Mic 8 Base Volume	75000 Min 150000 Max	1000	Base.WalkieTalkie1
_new!! ValuTech Walkie Talkie	-	1.5	5 Mic 10 Base Volume	50000 Min 200000 Max	5000	Base.WalkieTalkie2
_new!! Premium Tech. Walkie Talkie	-	2.0	5 Mic 12 Base Volume	25000 Min 300000 Max	4000	Base.WalkieTalkie3
_new!! Tactical Walkie Talkie	-	2.5	5 Mic 14 Base Volume	10000 Min 500000 Max	6000	Base.WalkieTalkie4
_new!! US Army Walkie Talkie	-	3.0	5 Mic 16 Base Volume	200 Min 1000000 Max	10000	Base.WalkieTalkie5
_new!! Makeshift Walkie Talkie	-	1.0	5 Mic 8 Base Volume	75000 Min 150000 Max	1000	Base.WalkieTalkieMakeShift
_new!! Premium Technologies Ham Radio	-	20	5 Mic 10 Base Volume	10000 Min 500000 Max	6000	Base.HamRadio1
_new!! US ARMY COMM. Ham Radio	-	20	5 Mic 15 Base Volume	200 Min 1000000 Max	10000	Base.HamRadio2
_new!! Makeshift Ham Radio	-	20	5 Mic 10 Base Volume	10000 Min 500000 Max	6000	Base.HamRadioMakeShift
_new!! Premium Technologies Radio	-	1.5	0 Mic 15 Base Volume	88000 Min 108000 Max	-	Base.RadioRed
_new!! ValuTech Radio	-	1.5	0 Mic 10 Base Volume	88000 Min 108000 Max	-	Base.RadioBlack
_new!! Makeshift Radio	-	1.5	0 Mic 10 Base Volume	88000 Min 108000 Max	-	Base.RadioMakeShift
_new!! Antique Television	-	10	0 Mic 10 Base Volume	200 Min 1000000 Max	-	Base.TvAntique
_new!! Premium Technologies Television	-	10	0 Mic 15 Base Volume	200 Min 1000000 Max	-	Base.TvWideScreen
_new!! ValuTech Television	-	10	0 Mic 12 Base Volume	200 Min 1000000 Max	-	Base.TvBlack

Engineered Devices

Item	Description	Weight	Swing Speed	Pitch Distance	Time Before Activation	Range Of Effect	Power	Can Be Placed
Aerosol Bomb	-	1.5	1.5	10	50	6	70	-
Fire Bomb	-	1.5	1.5	10	-	6	97	-
Smoke Bomb	-	1.5	1.5	10	50	5	-	TRUE
Noise Maker	-	1.5	1.5	10	50	17	-	TRUE
Pipe Bomb	-	1.5	1.5	10	-	7	90	-

Trap Upgrades

Timer
Item	Description	Weight	Swing Speed	Pitch Distance	Sensor Coverage	Time Before Activation	Range Of Effect	Power	Can Be Placed
Aerosol Bomb with Timer	-	1.5	1.5	10	-	10	6	70	TRUE
Flame Trap with Timer	-	1.5	1.5	3	-	10	6	97	TRUE
Smoke Bomb with Timer	-	1.5	1.5	10	-	10	5	-	TRUE
Noise Generator with Timer	-	1.5	1.5	10	-	10	17	-	TRUE
Pipe Bomb with Timer	-	1.5	1.5	10	-	10	7	90	TRUE
Motion Sensor
Item	Description	Weight	Swing Speed	Pitch Distance	Sensor Coverage	Time Before Activation	Range Of Effect	Power	Can Be Placed
Aerosol Bomb with Sensor	-	1.5	1.5	10	3 Sensor V1 4 Sensor V2 6 Sensor V3	5	6	70	TRUE
Flame Trap with Sensor	-	1.5	1.5	10	3 Sensor V1 4 Sensor V2 6 Sensor V3	5	6	97	TRUE
Smoke Bomb with Sensor	-	1.5	1.5	10	3 Sensor V1 4 Sensor V2 6 Sensor V3	5	5	-	TRUE
Noise Generator with Sensor	-	1.5	1.5	10	3 Sensor V1 4 Sensor V2 6 Sensor V3	10	17	-	TRUE
Pipe Bomb with Sensor	-	1.5	1.5	10	3 Sensor V1 4 Sensor V2 6 Sensor V3	5	7	90	TRUE
Remote Trigger
Item	Description	Weight	Swing Speed	Pitch Distance	Sensor Coverage	Time Before Activation	Range Of Effect	Power	Can Be Placed
Remote Aerosol Bomb	-	1.5	1.5	10	-	-	6	70	TRUE
Remote Flame Trap	-	1.5	1.5	10	-	-	6	97	TRUE
Remote Smoke Bomb	-	1.5	1.5	10	-	-	5	-	TRUE
Remote Noise Generator	-	1.5	1.5	10	-	-	17	-	TRUE
Remote Pipe Bomb	-	1.5	1.5	10	-	-	7	90	TRUE

Recipes

Dismantling

Output	Recipe	Description	Skill Level

Makeshift Communication

Output	Recipe	Description	Skill Level

Crafted Parts

Output	Recipe	Description	Skill Level

Engineered Weapons

Output	Recipe	Description	Skill Level

Trap Upgrading

Output	Recipe	Description	Skill Level
Timer





Motion Sensor





Remote Trigger

History

Alpha
Build 32.2	*Added sidetable loot table for bedroom: it can spawn electronics stuff
Build 32	Electronic items can be now be dismantled for electronics scrap Introduced