Hobby Electronics Projects: Essential Equipment and Costs for Beginners

[Mindscrape]

I was just wondering if anybody does electronics projects at home, as a hobby. What kind of equipment do you have, and what are the essentials and associated costs?

I am thinking of maybe doing some stuff at home because the hobbyist industry really seems to be expanding. There's places like sparkfun and parallax, and I can get one of those launchpads for cheap. I imagine that I could get by on a couple simple switching supplies (say 20V and 10V) with a LM317 for voltage regulation (i.e. cheapo power supply). Evaluation boards are pretty cheap as well. I imagine I could get myself going on some basic projects for <$50. What do you think?

Share your projects and any thoughts on getting started!

 

[CronoSpark]

Equipments that you will probably want:
Wire cutter, multimeter, soldering iron/solder, oscilloscope (you can get those cheap ones where you plug it into the computer), electrical tape, needle nose pliers. You probably don't need an oscilloscope yet for some basic projects, but will probably like one for a more detail analysis on your circuits.

Start small for your project, I suggest getting an atmel168 chip and program it to blink an LED. Play with assorted motors, such as servos, steppers and DC. Once you get a good handle on those I think you are good for a lot of cool projects.

 

[Mindscrape]

I've done quite a few research projects with µCs at this point (made a ColdFire run a PLL for locking a laser). So I could definitely do anything basic, which is probably all I'd want to do anyway given that it would be for hobby purposes.

Yeah, good suggestions, a soldering iron would be good for anything I wanted to be permanent. I've never heard of a scope that plugs into a computer, but that sounds really cool. How do they compare to a quality tektronix scope, what kind of bandwidths do they have have?

 

[Topher925]

I used to do hobby electronic stuff all the time, but then I started doing it for my research projects and it took all the fun out of it so now its just work. My main equipment includes a multimeter, oscilloscope, soldering iron, hot-air station, and an architects lamp. I of course have a bunch of other stuff like tweezers and breadboards and such. For a power supply, I just have a modified ATX PSU from a PC and despite what other people say, it works just fine.

To get started I would suggest starting with a GOOD multimeter and soldering iron. None of that chinese stuff from Harbor Freight. I've got a OKI PS-900 iron and if I could keep only one tool on my desk, it would be that. Be sure to get a good meter too, as you should have one around even if you're not doing electronics. I've got an agilent u1242b and its got a lot of nice features for the money. Hold off on getting a digital oscilloscope unless you know you're serious about the hobby as its a big investment.

As for uC's, everyone has their own tastes. I'm a big PIC fan but that's only because I get their chips for free and the PICkit3 is cheap and programs and debugs everything they make. The TI launchpad is nice cause its cheap but TI chips can be...frustrating. It took me an entire day just to figure out what IDE I should use. Do some searching. If you're really new to this I recommend starting with the Arduino.

As for those PC based oscilloscopes, stay away from them. Those things are really just toys, not tools. If you decide electronics is a hobby you want to stick with then Rigol and Instek make a very good 50MHz scope for about $400. Or you can always try your luck on ebay or craigslist. I got an agilent DSO3102A off ebay for $400 that I'm pretty happy with.

 

[CronoSpark]

I was just thinking that if you didn't have cash and wanted to try an oscilloscope, those cheap 30$ ones might come in handy. But, I never really tried one out myself (bought a 300$ analog oscilloscope a while back and that's when I stumbled on usb oscilloscopes). Topher925 kindly remarked that they're no good, then it's best you hold off on it until you get more into it to buy a more expensive/reliable one.

I also second the Arduino purchase if you want to skip over making a programming circuit and extra headaches involving using single chip uCs

 

[Mike_In_Plano]

I've been a hobbiest since I was about 10. I still play, but the enthusiasm has died greatly after doing it for a living all my life (I'm 46 ;).

As a hobby, electronics can be a great means of keeping you from a boring day job, or to prepare you for further training. In my time, you could hope to get a job repairing electronics (stereos, TVs, VCRs). Now, the replacement cost of consumer equipment is pretty much nothing, so you do well to have a plan for an education and an industry.

I don't know what your finances are, but one of the easiest ways to get started is to purchase a lab station. They typically have a meter, power supplies, a solderless breadboard, and a few extra nicities, like a signal generator.

As to the tools:
-I've made great utility out of telephone wire - very cheap.
-A small combination needle nosed plier + cutter from Sears served me for years - Just make certain that it closes nicely before buying it.
-There are many varieties of screwdrivers. If you like to tear down equipment for parts, you'll probably want to be choosy about the tip. Pawn shops are a good place for these
- Working without a meter is working blind. Again, pawn shops are a good place to look. Fluke is a good brand, and if it happens not to be the auto-ranging kind, that may be better. Some of those old Flukes were very accurate and under priced.
- Building you're own power supply can be fun, and you'll have it until you get bored (or rich). A small stereo is a great place to scavenge the parts. Power cord, fuse, transformer, capacitors, and a nice large heat sink are all in one package :-)
- A cheap soldering iron will give you nothing but misery. Without temperature regulation, they overheat and the tips go bad very quickly. So, If you get stuck with a cheap iron, keep it cold except when using it. Also, keep a wet pad nearby to clean the tip with. Harsh chemicals and abrasives quickly wear off the outer layer of a tip and it degrades quickly after that.
- Good solder is a must. Lead free is available, but next to useless. Ersen multicore is a good brand. Also some solder wick (to remove solder) and some flux. Flux will greatly help and can make old wick like new.
- If I were looking for a beginner scope, I choose an old analog scope that still has a bright, focused trace and probes. The price of probes can eat you up, so treasure them. Many old scopes have dirty controls. That's really not as bad as it seems. With a can of cleaning spray, a bit of care, and some patience, you can coax many more years out of a scope that was ready for the heap. This is an ebay / pawn item. I wouldn't pay more than 200-250

Best of luck. If you choose to hop on the train, I wish you a great ride.

- Mike