Advice Please: Setting Up A Home Electroinics Workshop

[Paladiamors]

Hi there,

I'm sort of new here and interested in learning more about electronics.
I've don't a little electronics work at school and would love to setup a
little lab space at home to work on stuff at home. I was wondering if
anyone out there could give me some advice or reccomendations on invaluable
tools or parts that you've found really helpful tools that really helped you
working on electronics at home. I've got a short list of parts I'd like to
get already, perhaps anyone out there would like to expand on this? Thanks

Equipment for home electronics lab:

-Soldering Iron
-Solder
-Soldering Wick
-Solder sucker
-Multi-meter

-Computer power supply (to use as +/- 12V, 5V power rails)
-Resistors (recommendations on what values you like to stock up on would be
cool~)
-Capacitors (recommendations on these would be nice too)
-Transistors (matched transistors, 0.5mA, 1A 4A transistors)
-ICs: (LM555, LM741, Comparators)
-Photo diodes
-IR transmitter/recievers
-Diodes

-PIC controllers
-PIC programmers
-Serial cables

Thanks~

Paladiamors

 

[Rich Webb]

[snip...snip...]

-Soldering Iron
-Solder
-Soldering Wick
-Solder sucker
-Multi-meter

Start with a "reasonable" soldering iron not a cheapie, copper-tipped
wonder. The latter will work but you'll hate yourself...

This http://www.web-tronics.com/aueltecosost.html won't break the bank
and can take a range of tip sizes. I have one of their (Xytronic's)
larger stations and I've been quite happy with it for a home setup.

A bennie of Web Tronics aka Circuit Specialists is that web order over
US$50 qualify for a freebie multimeter. It's not a Fluke, by any means,
but I don't leave my Fluke in the garage, either. It's a "good enough"
meter until you're ready for something more up-scale (no pun intended).

-Computer power supply (to use as +/- 12V, 5V power rails)

Not the best idea. These often need a minimum load to stay in regulation
and may need to have some control signals tickled. The other Bad Thing
is that you don't have a user-settable current limiter so if you
accidentally get something mis-wired then instead of getting a voltage
foldback at the current limit, you will let the smoke out of a component
or two. This http://www.web-tronics.com/018vdc2abenp.html may be more
appropriate. Go up a link and there are also multiple-output supplies.

Note: Web Tronics certainly isn't the only place that has this stuff.
Jameco, JDR, Digikey, Mouser, Newark to name a few others. Shop around.

-Resistors (recommendations on what values you like to stock up on would be
cool~)

Go to Jameco and pick up one of their resistor kits

-Capacitors (recommendations on these would be nice too)

and capacitor kits.

-Transistors (matched transistors, 0.5mA, 1A 4A transistors)

2N4401 / 2N4403 will get you started.

-ICs: (LM555, LM741, Comparators)

The vintage 741 is, well, vintage. Expect to see it soon on the Antiques
Roadshow. Perhaps an LM324 as the op amp and LM339 for a comparator.

-Photo diodes
-IR transmitter/recievers

RS has a cheap xmtr/rcvr pair for non-modulated tinkering. Were you
looking at "IR remote" apps where there's a 40KHz carrier?

-Diodes

IN914 / 1N4148 and a few Schottky 1N5817, perhaps.

-PIC controllers
-PIC programmers

If you have a choice, also look at the Atmel AVR line. Nicer instruction
set and architecture. (hint: count the working registers available in
each design)

 

[Jeffrey C. Dege]

Equipment for home electronics lab:

Oscilloscope
Bench Supply
Breadboards

Good ventilation
Good lighting
optovisor

--
Soon or late the money to pay the State's mounting bills will have to
be found, and there is only one place to look for it. That is in the
pockets of persons who earn the communal income by doing some sort of
useful work. Politicians never earn it, and neither do the uplifters.
It must always come, in the last analysis, from men who go to work in
the morning and labor hard all day.
- H. L. Mencken

 

[Paul_Morphy]

I'd go along with all of this, and I have the same soldering station. I
think one device you're going to want fairly soon is an oscilloscope. Most
of my work is with rf stuff, but I use my scope more than any other
instrument. There are plenty of good, used scopes around. Get the best you
can afford.

Good lighting is important, too. If you're in the U.S., Northern Tool sells
an illuminated magnifier that uses a floor stand for about $70.00, much less
than the Luxo model.

"PM"

 

[Rich Grise]

-Soldering Iron
-Solder
-Soldering Wick
-Solder sucker
-Multi-meter
-Computer power supply (to use as +/- 12V, 5V power rails)

Personally, I'd buy/build an adjustable supply - for some reason,
I just don't trust a PC supply for the bench.

-Resistors (recommendations on what values you like to stock up on would be
cool~)

100, 470, 1K, 2K2, 4K7, 10K, 22K, 47K, 100K, 220K, 470K, 1M, and
whenever you need a different value for a project, order a bunch of
them. Or you could go all-out and get one of those $100.00 assortments.

-Capacitors (recommendations on these would be nice too)

A billion .1 uF for bypass, some 1uF tantalum for board-wide bypass,
some 10, 220, 1000 alum. elec. and same as resistors (buy as needed +
spares)

-Transistors (matched transistors, 0.5mA, 1A 4A transistors)

2N3904 NPN 2N3906 PNP (or any general-purpose: 2222/2907, 4401/4403)
power transistors as needed

-ICs: (LM555, LM741, Comparators)

556 dual timer, LM324 quad opamp, maybe some TIL082/TIL084

-Photo diodes
-IR transmitter/recievers
-Diodes

1N4007, 1N914/1N4148

-PIC controllers
-PIC programmers
-Serial cables

A decent desk lamp - maybe even one of those ones with the fluo
ring and big lens if the budget can take it,
and most important of all -

A comfortable chair, the right height, and the workbench the right
height. You don't want to get a crick in your back hunched over some
little circuit.

Have fun, and welcome to the zoo!

Cheers!
Rich

 

[Rich Grise]

[snip...snip...]

-Soldering Iron
-Solder
-Soldering Wick
-Solder sucker
-Multi-meter

Start with a "reasonable" soldering iron not a cheapie, copper-tipped
wonder. The latter will work but you'll hate yourself...

Actually, I've got a $9.00 RS iron. It eats tips, of course, but
they're 39 cents for a two-pack, so you can file it to your heart's
content. Also, while in RS, see if they still have that "tiptinner"
stuff - the one I have is in a little tub about 1" dia. and about
3/8" tall (2.5 x 1 cm). And see if you can find a proper sponge for
wiping the tip. Also 63/37 eutectic flux-core solder.

Hang out at construction sites when they're installing the telephone
trunk and snag a remnant - it's a lifetime supply of #24 solid wire,
ideal for protoboards. And it's color-coded twisted pairs. Or if you
want to get high-falutin', get some bare #24 wire and teflon tubing.

And you can probably get some #12 or #14 household wire, just 'cuz. ;-)

X-acto knife and blades.

A Decent Wire Stripper.

So, it looks like you'll be able to set up shop as soon as your
inheritance comes in! ;-)

Cheers!
Rich

 

[Paladiamors]

I appreciate all the wonderful advice from you guys. Thanks a lot for
pointing me in the right direction and getting me started. I've just done
some tinkering here and there at school so, I thought it would be fun to do
something at home.

I'll be getting on to setting up a little lab at home shortly~

Paladiamors

 

[Mark Fergerson]

I appreciate all the wonderful advice from you guys. Thanks a lot for
pointing me in the right direction and getting me started. I've just done
some tinkering here and there at school so, I thought it would be fun to do
something at home.

I'll be getting on to setting up a little lab at home shortly~

<snip great advice, especially the lighted magnifier>

One thing nobody mentioned is a handy bookshelf to keep
parts manuals, other tech books, and parts bins in. Might as
well get a six-footer as you'll want one later.

Also look for a decent document holder (one of those
stick on the side of the monitor/scope dinguses) and maybe a
cookbook-style bookholder that will let you read without
using a hand to keep your place.

Which reminds me; you never have enough hands. Find or
make a "third hand" to hold stuff in place while soldering.
I'm thinking about bolting one directly to my lighted magnifier.

In my experience, your biggest problem with a home lab
will be convincing your Significant Other that it'll look
good in your home office. (Don't forget an air purifier to
dissipate the flux fumes.) ;>)

Mark L. Fergerson

 

[Mr Humblebum]

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and would like them to remove their products from the
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