New "lab" shopping list

[jimjam]

So I've decided to take up electronics as another hobby (never seem to get good at any of my hobbies but oh well) now I'm going to go shopping for some stuff. Looking for some additional suggestions / ideas.

What I already have:
- Fluke 87V DMM
- A stand alone non temperature controlled Hakko soldering iron
- A basic solder suction
- basic screwdrivers incl some small ones probably adequate for now

What I am going to get:
- An Elenco breadboard + breadboard jumper wires
- A JBC Soldering station that I can never remember the model number of. It's the integrated / compact one
- Solder wick, flux pen, a roll of solder
- A wire stripper http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000X4PSUA
- A Raspberry Pi kit
- An Arduino kit
- Hakko micro clean cutter http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FZPDG1K - I can't find the brand that Dave mentioned in his video
- Some extra solid core wires in a roll that I can cut, mainly for breadboard / other stuff.
- some stranded too
- tweezers
- Long nose pliers - any specific suggestions as to which one(s) to get?
- Some sort of protective desk mat - might as well get the anti static one like Dave's but don't know where to find one in Australia.


Other things I might need to get:
- Power supply? That rigol one that Dave reviewed maybe - I'm thinking of making do with the numerous wall adapters that I have collected e.g. from an old adsl modem, phone, etc...

Anything else?

I'll need to clear up a desk....

[RiverTown]

I think that JBC is overkill for you.
I would buy Hakko, Weller, or similar cheaper good brand soldering station.
With the rest of the money I would buy oscilloscope..

You realy need basic power supply, but you can easy make it yourself. Even some basic LM317 circuit will be ok for the first power supply

[karlmag]

You'll probably soon find you need more breadboards.

Some kind of storage solution(s) both for parts and tools - or at least start considering some.

Magnification lamp, or other means of magnification can be really useful.
And don't forget good lighting in any case.

... and a big hammer for all the stubborn stuff ;-)

[EEVblog]

First thing on your list should be an oscilloscope.
The JBC is overkill for first hobby use, it can cost more than a cheap scope.
A basic FX-888D will suit fine.

[M0BSW]

And really you should make your own power supply's, it's easy enough to do.

[jpb]

And really you should make your own power supply's, it's easy enough to do.

It depends where your interests lie. They make a good project, but only if you want to build one.

I'm very glad I bought my TTi power supply. It cost me £160 (for a dual quad-mode PL320QMD) but I suspect that if I tried to build one of similar quality, by the time I paid for a case and four meters and transformer as well as the electronics bits and terminals and switches and pots and heatsinks and so on I'd probably have spent the best part of £50 to £100 or even more and I'd have ended up with something which was unproven and probably worse quality.

In the UK, it is worth looking at getting a TTi power supply cheaply off e-bay as they are pretty robust, e.g.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TTi-PL154-15V-4A-PSU-Laboratory-Power-supply-/161301773941?pt=UK_BOI_Electrical_Test_Measurement_Equipment_ET&hash=item258e55be75

(I bought mine new from test-measure.co.uk but sadly he is sold out.)

[jimjam]

I don't want to end up with an FX-888D _and_ then eventually get a JBC one year later. So I'll get a JBC now and save that incremental upgrade wastage. I'll probably have it for life.

The two major things I didn't have on my list are scope and power supply. I am most likely going to get that Rigol power supply sooner or later. I don't think I want to build one especially at such an early stage. For now I just want to get into making stuff that I can be excited about first.

Any recommendations for scopes?

I already have a hammer but might need to get a bigger one 

Storage system.... hmmm... I'm planning to get those component kits / packs that come with some sort of organiser box.

[M0BSW]

And really you should make your own power supply's, it's easy enough to do.

It depends where your interests lie. They make a good project, but only if you want to build one.

I'm very glad I bought my TTi power supply. It cost me £160 (for a dual quad-mode PL320QMD) but I suspect that if I tried to build one of similar quality, by the time I paid for a case and four meters and transformer as well as the electronics bits and terminals and switches and pots and heatsinks and so on I'd probably have spent the best part of £50 to £100 or even more and I'd have ended up with something which was unproven and probably worse quality.

In the UK, it is worth looking at getting a TTi power supply cheaply off e-bay as they are pretty robust, e.g.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TTi-PL154-15V-4A-PSU-Laboratory-Power-supply-/161301773941?pt=UK_BOI_Electrical_Test_Measurement_Equipment_ET&hash=item258e55be75

(I bought mine new from test-measure.co.uk but sadly he is sold out.)

I only seriously got back into this about a year ago,my early days was tubes(valves), so had to learn this modern stuff, my main interest now and something I've fallen into really,which is servicing and repairing items ,I find this very fascinating,and I'm happy the way I'm progressing, so the power supply I built, has variable output plus some fixed outputs, mainly that's for TV's with different power rails, so that was my interest and need to build one .

[GreyWoolfe]

I agree with the overall sentiment-buy the Hakko FX-888D and get your oscilloscope and power supply(buy or build).  Get the pieces/parts and hand tools you need/want, then, get your JBC.  The Hakko won't go to waste, I am sure you can find reasons to have a second solder station.  Start off with all the basic gear you need and upgrade as time/money permit.  Just to mention, my Hakko 936( real, not a clone) is about 6 years old now.  Granted I don't use it every day but it looks almost new and works as new.

However, if you have enough coin of the realm to buy everything including the scope, power supply and the JBC at the same time, then by all means, add to the corporate coffers.

[LoyalServant]

For cutters I like the Xuron brand myself.
They make all kinds of cutters and needle nose pliers.
They have an ESD safe line as well.

Good all around solid cutters.. those would be your good set and you can get some cheapies to destroy for next to nothing.

[zapta]

However, having said that, I also believe there is for everyone a balance between price and value. You can make great solder joints with a much cheaper station. Just like 99.99% of voltage measurements made by a hobbyist can be made to no more than 4 significant digits.

Without knowing you beyond your posts here you seem like the "type" who likes to have the name brand stuff. But I don't want to be picking on you, you are not alone. I believe the people happiest with their hobbies are the people who realise their creativity and not those who crave more stuff. The constant craving to acquire new stuff is a sign that they are not content.

Very well said.

Photography enthusiasts and cyclists and particularly golfers also have a strong culture of buying new expensive stuff rather than making do with more practice, more pictures or more kilometers.

A few years ago I stopped upgrading my bikes and just make sure to keep pedaling.  It doesn't matter what tools you have, it's matters what you build with it.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[jimjam]

I have already ordered the JBC today along with an anti static mat (which costs $110 ouch).

I can still get an oscilloscope + power supply but I'm still doing my research. I don't want to get super expensive scope / power supply but I do want to get a good/decent one. I don't want to upgrade my scope 1 year later. To me that is a waste of money.

I'm currently looking for cutters, pliers and wire strippers.

[Paul Moir]

Just a couple thoughts on the small stuff:

Pliers, cutters, etc - make sure you've got a set of cheap tools before you get a set of good ones.  You need both and you don't want to abuse the good ones.  If you only want to get one set now, get something intermediate so you don't feel bad when you inevitably misuse them cutting up lobster or whatever.

Wire:  You don't say where you are but if you're in North America, get a length of old 24ga phone quad.  It's perfect for breadboards (cat 5 is too loose) and you can strip it with your fingernails.  Commonly found for free near the fuse panel.  Also some wire-wrap wire (30ga) and a stripper for it is perfect for point-to-point circuit wiring or modifying PCBs.

Congrats on the JBC!  I've been a hobbyist since the 80's and only recently got a 888D and have easily spend much more than it cost on Radio Shack pencils & Weller-with-a-dimmer "stations" before.  What a difference!  I have used a Metcal and while it was wonderful, I really can't justify one for how little I use it.

 

[jimjam]

I am in Australia, but I'm ordering some stuff from the USA (cheaper).

I'm going to get a Hakko wire cutters, they're about $5 each. Also getting a jagged and smooth pliers, $11 each. Would you consider these hakko (or maybe xcelite) the "good ones"? For now I'm just getting something to get by because they're cheap enough.

I'm getting wire rolls for breadboard stuff. They came in 6 different colours so that'll be good. Thanks for reminding me about the wire wrap stuff. It would come in handy. What's a good stripper tool for the breadboard / wirewrap wires?

[Paul Moir]

Ah, that would be about intermediate for hand tools.  Good stuff - don't get me wrong - but you won't cry if they get wrecked.  The finer vintages start ~$30 and go up;  a nice set of Wiha cutters will set you back something like $70.  You don't want to be using those to hack through a bit of casing.


I've had a wire wrap tool with stripper like this:
http://www.mindkits.co.nz/store/tools/wire-wrap-tool
For almost 30 years and haven't lost the stripper because it's inside the wire wrap tool (which I haven't used for 20 years).  But that's *way* too much money for what it is.  I'll hunt around and see if I can find a better recommendation.

[jimjam]

I nearly fell off my chair. $144 for a wirewrapping tool?? http://au.rs-online.com/web/p/wire-wrapping-tools/1944103/

[Paul Moir]

The market has gotten very very small. 
They used to be much more common and cheaper.

[jimjam]

It makes the JBC soldering station seem cheap. A bit of metal.. no electronics, no need for "technical support"... sells for a quarter of the price of a soldering station with complex electronics and bits and pieces. Heck I could get a decent mobile phone for $144! Shocked.

I think I'll pass on the wire wrapping for now.... I'll put it on the list for the next shopping spree Meanwhile, I'll just use the solid breadboard wire + soldering if needed.

[Paul Moir]

Oh you can do yourself a big favour and pass on wire wrapping permanently.  It's just the wire itself that is useful.  But a stripper that will work with it is important.

The breadboard wire should work well.  The only nice thing about the wire-wrapping wire is that the insulation doesn't tend to melt if you're soldering really near it.  And the plating is very easily soldered:  you don't have to tin it.

PS - I've been holding out a long while, but I'm pretty sure the Rigol 1000Z series is in my future.  4 channels for that price and the other features is quite a bargain.  Say you're looking at a SPI bus and you need to watch the chip select.  You can sorta do it on 2 with triggering but 4 makes it much more obvious.  Right now I have an old Tek 465.  (And a much older Heathkit!)

[jimjam]

That Rigol 1000Z is pretty cool, especially the model that has 2 channel signal source too... does it do the job of a function generator?

[MrsR]

Most of the small stuff, Bread Boards wire cutters etc you can get from Jaycar.
They have some good wire cutters and fine work ESD safe Tweezers.
RS and ELEMENT14 can scare your pants off with the prices they want for some of their gear.

It's a great hobby hope you enjoy it.

Rachael

[FrankenPC]

For what it's worth, I agree about the wire cutter sentiments.  I would rather fork out for two good cutters and risk snapping a blade off one than buy one that costs a ton of money.
 
Screwdrivers are the only hand tool I spend a lot of money on.  Reason being I need to make sure the head on the driver is in good strong shape to minimize stripping risk to the screws.  Wiha is unbelievably good in this regard.

[Yago]

Can I ask, have you any experience/education in physics/electronics ?

A lot of test and service gear will do nothing without the pilot.
Or worse!
imvho.

[GreyWoolfe]

I have some xcellite tools, mostly a bunch of  the 99 line and a couple of hand tools.  I like them and they won't break the bank.  I also have some Bondhus ball end torx drivers.  Very inexpensive, no more than about $7 USD each but have held up very well after about a year of almost every day use.  The only visible wear is the name on the handles wearing off.

[Dongulus]

Can I ask, have you any experience/education in physics/electronics ?

A lot of test and service gear will do nothing without the pilot.
Or worse!
imvho.

That was my concern too. In your first post you mentioned that you never seem to get any good at any of your hobbies. How sure are you that you will enjoy working with electronics? 

I don't want to make any presumptions, but some people get gung-ho about their hobbies then abandon them quickly after great expense.