Consider a Weller Xcelite 170MN or a Hakko CHP-170įor mini needle nose pliers, you can use whatever is cheapest. The cutting edges need to be sharp and line up perfectly to cut through heavier connector leads, and the steel needs to be high quality so the cutting edge doesn’t dent. I do mean a good pair – a cheap pair is next to useless. Side cutters like the ones above are handy, but a good pair of flush trim cutters are well worth having. When you need to trim a wire soldered to a board, or the leads of through-hole components/connectors nothing beats flush trim cutters. You might think if you’re just working on microelectronics, you can skip these, but you’ll be looking for them after a day or two!īuy from: hardware store, electronics tool suppliers, electricians suppliers A good set will include needle nose, side cutters, and linesman/combination pliers. If you’re dealing with mains voltages, the quality insulation may save your life. Like screwdrivers, the German tools are going to have better quality steel and better fit of the jaws. Once again, forget the cheap options and stick with the German tools like Wera, Wiha, Felo or Knipex. When buying, make sure the set goes down to at least size 0, having hex and Torx is very handy too.īuy from: hardware stores, electronics tool suppliers, electricians suppliers You can find these at most hardware stores and electronics tools suppliers. If you are working with mains voltages, a quality set of VDE drivers may save your life over a cheap no-name brand set. The quality of the steel and laser etched tips means they last much longer and do less damage to fasteners. At a minimum, you want the straight needle pointed (#10) and curved needle pointed (#15 or #17)įorget the cheap screwdrivers, go straight for Wera Kraftform or Wiha drivers. A set of these from eBay/Amazon will be cheaper than a single one from an electronics supplier, and you won’t be able to tell the difference between the cheap ones and expensive ones. These make placing small SMT components when soldering or pulling them from the board very easy. Put heat shrink over the jaws to protect wire insulation and boards. Opt for the third alligator clips over a magnifying glass. Super handy for holding wires, boards, and components. Helping Hands (without a magnifying glass) Whether you’re working on aerospace components or assembling your first PCB, everything here will apply to you. These are the components and tools I feel everyone should have on their desk. I generally won’t buy or recommend something just because a specific brand makes it, as I care much more about the right tool for the job. When it comes to testing equipment for example, it’s because the brand is offering the best specifications for the money in that market segment. I’m very hesitant to recommend specific brands, but if I occasionally do so, it is because I have tried many of the competing brands and wouldn’t use anything else. All options are based on what I’d expect to see in the hands of the target audience the suggestions focus on total performance and capabilities per dollar, including wages where relevant, rather than just trying to spend lots of money (for the higher end options) or spend the least money (for the low-end option). A serious hobbyist with a little more money to dedicate for a good tool might look at the middle option rather than the budget one. A professional will be more efficient with the mid or upper range of tools, which are more expensive but pay for themselves in labor savings. The budget option will be useful for students and hobbyists, but probably doesn’t have the performance, or perhaps ease of use, for a professional. If you’re designing and building products even if they are only for your own usage, however, I think you’ll find yourself with everything here eventually, even as a hobbyist or an electronics engineering student. If you’re just getting started in electronics as a hobby, everything on this list might be slightly overkill it’s a lot of tools and hardware. You’re working with microcontrollers, FPGAs or other digital processors where code and hardware need to be debugged together.You’re hand building and reworking prototypes in-house.You’re primarily working on digital electronics, not radio modules or high-end audio.The equipment selected here comes with the following assumptions: I’m going to try to cover a range of budgets in this article, so whether you are a hobbyist, a large company/organization looking to expand into cutting edge electronics, or somewhere in between, you will find what you need for setting up a new lab from scratch. Some of these have been on very tight budgets, while others I’ve had a couple of million dollars to play with. Having moved country multiple times, and having worked at several companies (or divisions of) without a strong electronics engineering team, I’ve had to set up more than a couple of electronics labs for myself and my clients.
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