What's in an electronics hobbyist's toolbox?

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The discussion revolves around essential tools and components for an electronics hobbyist's toolbox. Key items mentioned include multimeters, various screwdrivers, soldering stations, and a range of hand tools like pliers and tweezers. Participants emphasize the importance of having a good collection of components, such as resistors, capacitors, and integrated circuits, along with power supplies and breadboards for prototyping. Many contributors also highlight the value of specialized tools like magnifying glasses and oscilloscopes for detailed work and troubleshooting. Overall, the conversation underscores the necessity of a well-rounded toolkit for effective electronics experimentation and repair.
  • #121
Thanks for the response at length, Jim.

jim hardy said:
To check ground integrity i make a "poor man's test fixture",
consisting of a 100 watt lightbulb in a lamp socket,
center of socket connected to hot and barrel of socket switchable to either neutral or earthing conductor.
Lightbulb should light with neutral selected to neutral, of course,
and also should light with neutral switched to earthing conductor unless it's on a GFCI circuit.
Voltage measurements between Neutral and Earthing conductor give me a clue as to condition of those two paths.
I've found and fixed a lot of loose connections in old buildings that way.
But that's something you shouldn't try unless you're very familiar with electrical safety.

Yes, this is one of "ordinary means" I was referring to; I agree with the caveat.

As for the plugin tester vs. other options, I really like the procedure that the Shock Zone guy describes for the neon light gadget. Ironically the neon light gadget gets more abuse than the plugin does. I now prefer the neon light (plus instructions), along with a DMM and whatever "ordinary means" make sense for the situation.

The bootleg situation becomes a concern if you're, say, a roadie helping your band set up at some venue. It becomes helpful to have a good way of detecting the worst problems quickly. I learned about this as an issue - including the various "shocking" incidents on stage that have now & then maimed and/or killed electric guitarists - via a forum, http://www.thegearpage.net, that has a very active sub-forum on guitar amp building, modifying, and repair. I've done a fair amount of hobbyist work w/ amps over the past few years, so workshop & home electrical safety have become important for me.
 
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  • #122
UsableThought said:
I really like the procedure that the Shock Zone guy describes for the neon light gadget.

That's indeed a good article. All of those links are good.

When things get confusing I revert to the voltmeter to Earth method he describes. I use a cheap analog meter because it's not very sensitive so draws enough current , about a millliamp, to not get confused by stray capacitance.

I never thought about musical stage setups for i was just never was around them. I'll bet you have seen a LOT of near misses and have some great experiences you could relate.

old jim
 
  • #123
Thanks Jim and usablethough for your input
 
  • #124
Can't see this one mentioned:

Magnetic trays. The kind auto-mechanics use. Annoying when you brush a bunch of carefully laid out screws everywhere, and you wanted them to go back into the holes they came out of. I prefer pushing screws into foam, but trays are useful when working in awkward positions.
 
  • #126
I began my electronics hobby at age 10.
By age 18 I had built an oscilloscope. I couldn't afford to buy one ready-made but I found it indispensable for the hobby.
Likewise a capacitance bridge (nowadays cheap capacitance meters are available via eBay).
And I built a transistor tester at age 14 (ditto above).

Recently I treated myself to a cheap SILICONE RUBBER SHEET 3MM THICK A4 SIZE.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/271226312255

I wish they'd been available when I was a boy. It would have saved me from a lot of spankings resulting from burned table tops!

Also, when I began doing repairs, I built an ESR meter kit. An ESR meter is absolutely essential for detecting those failed electrolytics! It has saved me many hours of heartache. A professional TV repairer friend didn't believe that my $20 ESR meter could beat his $100 capacitance meter until I used it to diagnose a fault in a VCR that he'd had on the bench for a week. Not only did it locate a faulty electrolytic (which his meter had pronounced OK) but it did so without even the need to desolder the little beast!
 
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  • #127
About those resistor kits. About a year ago I bought one of the Chinese resistor kits and then filled out the selection with "brand name" (forget which one) from a major USA mail-order outfit. I decided to spot-check the values. Good thing I did. The Chinese kit had about 3% of the resistors either out-of-tolerance or marked with the wrong value. The "brand name" had just under 1% out-of-tolerance. And yes, I took into account meter tolerance and accuracy.
 
  • #128
I would also include an Arduino (or any other board):smile:!
 
  • #129
ISamson said:
I would also include an Arduino (AND any other board):smile:!
Fixed it for you :P
I have a bunch of Arduino Pro Minis, a large assortment of different STM32's, R-Pi, etc
 
  • #132
dlgoff said:
I can't wait to see some images, so please purchase it. :approve:
My house is old and will likely horrify you with it's inefficiency :biggrin:
 
  • #133
My buddy just got a new phone from CAT with FLIR capability.. it's pretty nifty, but expensive of course.. on the screen you can swipe up/down to switch between standard camera and FLIR, and can take simultaneous pictures with both...
 
  • #134
Greg Bernhardt said:
Looking at buying one of these iphone thermal imagers next fall when I winterize
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071Z63RSL/?tag=pfamazon01-20
We have used one of those (I think that same brand) for studying hot spots and heat flow in our new circuit designs. Pretty handy device! :smile:
 
  • #135
ISamson said:
I would also include an Arduino (or any other board):smile:!

Arduino has their own engineering kit now.

https://store.arduino.cc/usa/arduino-engineering-kit
 
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  • #137
Rx7man said:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/MUSTOOL-MT...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
Interesting! Can you post a link to a datasheet? What is its bandwidth?
 
  • #138
berkeman said:
Interesting! Can you post a link to a datasheet? What is its bandwidth?
With that link, you know as much as I know about it!.. haven't played with it much yet but I did get a nice sine wave out of my wall socket..
 
  • #139
The ADC sample speed is 200ksps so it's only useful for audio range stuff.

Analog Bandwidth: DC AC ~ 10kHz
The maximum real-time sampling rate: 200ksps
128X64 high contrast LCD with LED backlighting.

Not going into my toolbox.:cool:
 
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  • #140
I'm going to be using it for troubleshooting on automotive stuff.. for example I have weird shift problems on my truck, I can probe the TPS sensor (responsible in part for shifting) and see if it's glitchy.
Maybe someday I'll get something more capable.. I am looking at getting one of these logic analysers which can help me with multichannel stuff
https://www.ebay.com/itm/LHT00SU1-Virtual-Oscilloscope-Logic-Analyzer-I2C-SPI-CAN-Uart-New/172570014287Here's something I also just added to the toolbox, hot air rework and solder station with 15V power supply... seems well optioned and is cheap enough I can take a chance on it.. After seeing Louis Rossmann's tirade on the idiocy of Hakko stations for >10x the price I'll give it a shot
https://www.ebay.com/itm/3-in-1-853...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
 
  • #141
A Hickory hatchet is a good addition to the tool box.
 
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  • #142
If only all projects were so challenging.
 
  • #143
that hv coil from the transformer would make a handy search coil for detecting ac magnetic fields around your house.
Hook to an AC meter set for lowest scale , maybe 200 mv

see if you can find any.

I used in the power plant ten turns encircling 1/10th square meter
only in vicinity of huge ac currents was my measurement useful
i got two volts a couple feet from a bus carrying 20 kiloamps

that coil has thousands of turns but encircles only perhaps 1/40th of a square meter
volts per turn e = dΦ / dt
check my arithmetic
at 60 hz you'd get 377/40 X nturns volts per Tesla ?
If nturns is 1000 that'd be 45 millivolts per microTesla?
check my arithmetic
i expect there's way more than a thousand turns on that coil probably closer to 5,000.

anyhow - a reason to be gentle with the hatchet...

ahhhh I'm distractible to a fault. OTOH in this age of fascinating gizmos there's no excuse to be bored..

old jim
 
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  • #144
242030
 
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  • #146
I wouldn't bother with PCBs and etching solutions. There are a few places that offer quick turn around prototype manufacturing, making your own just doesn't make sense. For a very rough prototype, use a vector board, if you want something that works well, then there is no substitute for a 'real' PCB.
Some of those vendors provide software for PCB design, other require Gerber files. A few companies offer free or low cost PCB design software.

The important things to have are: an oscilloscope and a signal generator.
Sounds expensive, but if you look around you might pick up a second-hand unit for a very reasonable price.

Next, a few BNC cables.

At least one power supply with variable voltage and current limit (in addition to standard 5 V, +/- 15 V ones)

Good isolating tape. (I have Kapton)

flux

q-tips and isopropyl alcohol (to clean the flux)

Good lighting
 
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  • #147
I agree about making your own PCBs. There are plenty of 'free' for hobbyist design programs like Eagle that do a great job of transferring schematic design into board design with vendor build files generated with one mouse click.

This was a recent project to make a automation SECS/GEM host emulator with a 8-bit controller. The first prototype was built on a vector board using a surface mount adapter for the controller.
47310690802_eebda05454_z_d.jpg


Using the verified circuit design from that board in Eagle a few two layer board spins were made by a local quick turn around vendor in a few weeks for a hand soldered (with a SMD hot air gun for controller) production host controller PCB with a external optional display for operational testing.
47582934222_7254f19526_z_d.jpg

33733956268_2e6d6da39b_z_d.jpg

Left: first board layout test prototype, Right: final board design.
 
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  • #148
Debugging hints on the PCB are also sometimes a good idea when the circuit is confusing.
IMG_3402.JPG
 
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  • #149
My electrical hobbyisting is more or less limited to restoring & maintaining a herd of pinball machines, of both the electromechanical and digital vintage, and I typically take the attitude of buying a new remanufactured circuit board whenever an the OEM board fails the rudimentary test that techs would go through to figure out if it needed to be swapped out - or failing that, aside from checking individual resistors, diodes, transistors and capacitors that appear a possible cause of failure, shipping it out to someone to repair it; I consider any chip to be a "black box" and don't fool with it. I work on a few other basic things like a vintage lamp or traffic signal, but this is all pretty basic. I once diagnosed that the soldered in fuses on the circuit board on my Kill-A-Watt were blown, so I fixed that. Also, one time I got a remanufactured fuse/power board for one my machines that was all screwed up, and I had to modify it by hand, cutting some board lines and soldering in jumpers, but what was a real pain was having to reseat the pin connections (the guy making them claimed that the pinball parts retailer gave him the wrong specs, but it was pretty obvious that this idiot had looked at the drawing upside down).

As for my toolkit, I have a 120W pistol solder gun, and a variable (up to 50W) ice-pick solder, and all the regular accoutrements thereof, but the solder vacuum I have is this beautiful piece of engineering, and worth the 6X price from the standard ones:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002MJMXD4/?tag=pfamazon01-20

For wire, I had originally bought a rainbow of 25-foot spools of 18 Ga hookup wire, and I still have some of that remaining. I've also bought a rainbow 22 Ga wire (1-foot sections) for the few times when I have leads that are too small for the 18 Ga. I rarely need a wire for more than 10A (which the 18 Ga wire handles), and for the few times I need more, I just double up. I also have some wire harnesses scavenged from a few machines, and lately I've been using that.

I have for my main multimeter the Ideal 61-361, which has a wonderful rubber case that seems to make it near indestructible (I would post a link to it, but Amazon doesn't seem to have it anymore). The only problem is that it doesn't have a good range for capacitors, so I bought another multimeter that has a good range, and it serves as a spare.

I have over 2 dozen different models of fuses (mainly 6 x 30 mm appliance-style), for seemingly every possible amperage, fast & slow blow, etc., and try to keep at least 5 on hand in case I have to attrit them to solve the problem.

I think I have about a dozen pairs in various colors of alligator clip jump wires that appear to be 20 Ga (I guess I should measure the resistance to back out the Ga), but I have some 14 Ga ones that I use for high current applications. I'd like to be able to buy more good ones in different colors. I've been thinking about making my own.

I've got some wire strippers, and a Molex crimper (which I had to use extensively to replace about 100 total wires in a bunch of harnesses).

I've got a bunch of flat-edge connectors (male & female) that are supposed to be for 14-18 Ga, a bunch of eyehole connectors for 16-22 Ga, and the whole gamut of thimble connectors in their standard colors (grey/blue/orange/yellow/red in ascending size) - which I always prefer to use instead of soldering whenever possible. I seem to use the blue a lot, and will soon be buying another pack of that.

I have DeOxit contact cleaner, which is the best I've come across, and Brasso and a steel or brass brush for the really caked up contacts. I also use 0000 steel wool sometimes, but one has to be careful to clean up all the little hairs!
 
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  • #150
swampwiz said:
My electrical hobbyisting is more or less limited to restoring & maintaining a herd of pinball machines, of both the electromechanical and digital vintage, and I typically take the attitude of buying a new remanufactured circuit board whenever an the OEM board fails the rudimentary test that techs would go through to figure out if it needed to be swapped out - or failing that, aside from checking individual resistors, diodes, transistors and capacitors that appear a possible cause of failure, shipping it out to someone to repair it; I consider any chip to be a "black box" and don't fool with it. I work on a few other basic things like a vintage lamp or traffic signal, but this is all pretty basic. I once diagnosed that the soldered in fuses on the circuit board on my Kill-A-Watt were blown, so I fixed that. Also, one time I got a remanufactured fuse/power board for one my machines that was all screwed up, and I had to modify it by hand, cutting some board lines and soldering in jumpers, but what was a real pain was having to reseat the pin connections (the guy making them claimed that the pinball parts retailer gave him the wrong specs, but it was pretty obvious that this idiot had looked at the drawing upside down).

As for my toolkit, I have a 120W pistol solder gun, and a variable (up to 50W) ice-pick solder, and all the regular accoutrements thereof, but the solder vacuum I have is this beautiful piece of engineering, and worth the 6X price from the standard ones:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002MJMXD4/?tag=pfamazon01-20

For wire, I had originally bought a rainbow of 25-foot spools of 18 Ga hookup wire, and I still have some of that remaining. I've also bought a rainbow 22 Ga wire (1-foot sections) for the few times when I have leads that are too small for the 18 Ga. I rarely need a wire for more than 10A (which the 18 Ga wire handles), and for the few times I need more, I just double up. I also have some wire harnesses scavenged from a few machines, and lately I've been using that.

I have for my main multimeter the Ideal 61-361, which has a wonderful rubber case that seems to make it near indestructible (I would post a link to it, but Amazon doesn't seem to have it anymore). The only problem is that it doesn't have a good range for capacitors, so I bought another multimeter that has a good range, and it serves as a spare.

I have over 2 dozen different models of fuses (mainly 6 x 30 mm appliance-style), for seemingly every possible amperage, fast & slow blow, etc., and try to keep at least 5 on hand in case I have to attrit them to solve the problem.

I think I have about a dozen pairs in various colors of alligator clip jump wires that appear to be 20 Ga (I guess I should measure the resistance to back out the Ga), but I have some 14 Ga ones that I use for high current applications. I'd like to be able to buy more good ones in different colors. I've been thinking about making my own.

I've got some wire strippers, and a Molex crimper (which I had to use extensively to replace about 100 total wires in a bunch of harnesses).

I've got a bunch of flat-edge connectors (male & female) that are supposed to be for 14-18 Ga, a bunch of eyehole connectors for 16-22 Ga, and the whole gamut of thimble connectors in their standard colors (grey/blue/orange/yellow/red in ascending size) - which I always prefer to use instead of soldering whenever possible. I seem to use the blue a lot, and will soon be buying another pack of that.

I have DeOxit contact cleaner, which is the best I've come across, and Brasso and a steel or brass brush for the really caked up contacts. I also use 0000 steel wool sometimes, but one has to be careful to clean up all the little hairs!
Do you follow Joe's classic arcade games on youtube? A lot of the old machines had very standard TTL/Cmos logic circuits that aren't too hard to fix.. really great channel https://www.youtube.com/@LyonsArcade