"Tool Time"

[moody07747]

It could just be that I have nothing to do and its 5:30 am here but I decided to make a thread about the tools everyone uses.

So explain what you have and use for electronics work and if you want, post photos of the work area and/or tools.

My work area:

Anywhere in the basement...I normally work in the finished off area as its much more comfortable.

My tools:
- Digital multi meter
- Loads of random electronic parts that have been saved for years....(ya never know where you will need one of those parts)
- Mini and full size hand tools (pliers, cutters...)
- Circuit specialists soldering station
- 2 different solder suckers
- Disordering wick
- Small torch for soldering and shrink tubing.
- Metal C clamps with heatsinks welded to one side so you can clamp it to a part and unsolder it without burning it up.
- 3 different solders...(all 60/40, different dia.)

That's mainly it. I normally don't do much electronic type work but after getting a cheap wah pedal I had to mod it and so electronics got back into my life.

I have some more parts on order for the wah pedal. The mods will be done at the end of the week.

As for my next project. I have a Boss DS1 distortion pedal that sounded great on the reviews and sound samples but as soon as I get it I turn to advice on out to get more distortion out of it at the guitar message boards. They say its a light distortion pedal that's said to be heavy and that its really only good after being modded.

So I'll be doing the "Keeley Boss DS1 Mod" next weekend.

It's not really that big of a project...hard part is fitting 3 extra 3 way toggle switches into the Boss pedal housing that's already really small.

 

[stevez]

I am sure I don't have time to list everything however tool/things that I find useful:

A. Several DMMs - if for no other reason than to have something to check the other with if readings don't make sense.

B. Scope - simple one, 20 mHz, 2 channel and probes. Electronics is not my specialty or my day job. The scope provides so much more insight that it allows me to learn/understand much more.

C. Recently added - a vise that will hold a circuit board in multiple positions. It will also hold a cable or other things in better positions.

D. Dip meter to help with RF circuits or to find capacitor or inductor values. Use with good receiver or freq meter to improve accuracy.

E. Magnifying tools - especially important as I get older. I have a low cost (but good enough quality) head band type that helps me spot soldering errors or read faded part numbers.

 

[Dr.EM]

I use the following tools:

1 DMM, cheapo one, seems ok though
1 old (1984?) basic oscilloscope, which is remarkably useful
A little thing for holding bits while they are being soldered
An 18W fixed temperature Antex soldering iron and holder
Lead free solder (need to get more of that too, check)
Screwdrivers, pliers, stripboard cutter

I made a DS1 circuit on breadboard once. It's a simple but well designed circuit. It's caracter seems to come from the tone control/output arrangement. I say that because I once made a totally different design, but found the tone controls a bit ineffective so changed them for the DS1's tone circuit, and it immediately sounded very similar to the DS1 overall.

A bit random, but I noticed something typing that. I couldn't remember if my iron was 15W but noticed that if it was, I would type:

"A" 15W soldering iron

But as it is, I typed:

"An" 18W soldering iron

How is it that the "A" wants to change to "AN" just by changing the following number?

 

[JimB]

I How is it that the "A" wants to change to "AN" just by changing the following number?

Because the number starts with a vowel sound.

JimB

 

[HiTech]

My home shop has:
2 benches and many wall shelves
insulated walls and acoustic ceiling tile to diminish ambient noise
overhead lighting and positionable bench lighting
120VAC conditioned power
CATV, phone, & wireless internet
benchtop drill press w/ additional small chuck for wire bits (PC board drilling)
Tektronix 2215 & 442 o'scopes
Wavetek DM27XT port. multimeter
B&K FET benchtop VOM, Capacitor tester, Xsitor tester
Hewlett Packard variable voltage and current pwr. supply
three 12v regulated supplies (3 amps, 5amps, & 12amps)
Zener diode analyzer
Logimetrics RF signal gen w/ digital freq. readout
Hewlett Packard audio test oscillator
Fluke digital thermometer
Courier communications test set
EICO resistance decade box
Blonder Tongue adjustable attenuator pad
Heath flyback/yoke tester
Cole-Parmer variable AC controller
Tripp Lite AC line conditioner (15a)
SOLA AC power event monitor
Heath communications receiver w/ VLF adaptor
Kenwood receiver & Pinnacle speakers
Sony broadcast video monitor
Sony CATV tuner adaptor
Crown CD player
Elenco tube tester
Microwave oven leakage tester
Realistic Sound Pressure Level meter
ECG remote control tester: IR and ultrasonic
Weller variable soldering station w/ ISO tip (700w)
Realistic vhf/uhf scanner
Realistic and Elenco battery testers
drawers of Xcelite and Craftsman handtools for electronics
Beckman mini-multimeter

numerous self-designed and built items:
- breadboard lab
- crystal tester / freq. spotter
- accurate RF wattmeter
- 120vac isolation supply
- and more

 

[Dean Huster]

After being in the hobby for 44 years and in electronics professionally for 36 years, one tends to build quite a collection of equipment, parts and tools. I have three scopes allowing everything from battery-operated work at 1MHz to 500MHz lab stuff. Trouble is, I haven't had time to mess with my hobby over the past several years, so some of the equipment is going to seed from lack of use -- yes, it's true: If you don't use it, you lose it, and that's definitely true for test and measurement equipment. I've had a Tektronix 212 scope and Tektronix DM501 DMM go sour on me from lack of use. I turn the Tek 7904 on every few weeks just to keep the capacitors formed, for I don't want to lose that one. I still have and use the Knight-Kit KG-620 VTVM that I first put together back in 1963 ... it's never needed a repair.

You can't imagine all of the specialty tools (designed for one job on one particular model of equipment) that I've made. How about a special, long, thin-shank, insulated screwdriver made especially for adjusting the frequency on an AN/URQ-10 frequency standard? Or the Craftsman 5/8" box-end wrench that's been ground down to engagement ring dimensions for getting to the BNC nuts on some Tektronix gear?

I've been collecting parts all that time, too, harvesting most of them from old PCBs. Name the TTL IC and I can supply it. I still have several 74100's ... look those up in your databook.

Eventually, I'll get my hobby back.

Dean