jimjam,
It "appears" that money is not a serious issue for you. Sounds like you can afford to buy pretty much whatever you want. If true, then that's fine.
BUT, I want to make a different case;
I think mosaic's list of things you need is WAY too long. If you can easily afford it, then fine, but like you and others have said, if your new hobby turns out not to hold as much promise as you are expecting, you could end up with a bedroom full of $3000 of equipment that you bought new, that you could barely sell for half as much.
Personally, I benefited a lot by having quite limited equipment in the beginning. Actually, I still DO have pretty limited equipment. It makes you resourceful, and it makes you learn how to actually make a piece of equipment work for you, and to THINK about what the equipment is doing, and how to use it.
When I watch Dave's video's and I see 3 channel Rigol Power Supplies that show the exact voltage to four digits and the current draw down to milliamps, and even power in watts, I feel like it is almost cheating. Yeah, you'll have beautiful equipment that can do everything but walk the dog, but you'll be missing out on some of the "basic" type things that are good for learning when you have to "make do" with more limited stuff.
With that said, here is my own personal set of recommendations for a fairly comprehensive but still "basic" bench. Of course, your preferences will vary. I really emphasize though, don't overspend in the begining. Get "reasonable" quality gear, don't buy crap. But at the same time, you don't need Tektronix scopes or Agilent frequency generators. Start slow, buy as you need, and just buy as much power as you need, plus maybe 20%. Learn how to exhaust the capabilities of your equipment, then trade up. And wahtever you do, TAKE GOOD CARE of what you own. Treat it all like precious materials. Don't loose attachments, cords, or manauls. When you go to trade something in, or to sell something privately, you want it to look brand new, no scratches, no dents, nothing missing. Keep everything in perfect working order, and in perfect appearance, then you'll always be able to sell it for the best price, or get the best trade in. If you loose the manuals for something, or it has scratches all over the face plate, you've cut at least a third or more off it's value.
For some items, it is important to buy "really, really good stuff-extremely high quality". For other items, just high quality is good enough, doesn't have to be the best in the world.
IN ORDER, here is what I would add, keeping in mind what you already have:
oscilloscope. you already have a Fluke 87 DMM, which is great. That is the single most needed piece of gear to have. When you are comfortable with the cost, add another DMM, doesn't need to be at the same $400 (US) level of the Fluke, but another one or two DMM's around the $100 mark each would be very helpful (see Dave's video's).
But, regarding the scope. I think that in the $330-$400 range, the Rigol 1052 and the 1102 are both great, if you want a digital scope. I would be very careful though about spending $800-$1000 on a digital scope, brand new, to start out. Might be way more than you need. If you've got money nto burn, then fine, but I would start at the $400 point, unless you geneuinely needed the better stuff.
I would actually, myself, start with a USED analog scope (see Dave's video about getting an analog scope). I would buy a good quality (not primo) USED analog scope, in the $300-$500 range, tops. Maybe the Tek 2000 series. Maybe 100 to 250 Mhz. I would ONLY buy a used scope that you can TEST where and when you buy it, which eliminates ebay, etc. That's just my preference. Use whatever Autralia has that is similar to craigslist, or find some shops that sell used electronics test equipment. Test it, get two very good quality probes with a variety of tips.
If you buy a digital scope, just choose whatever Rigol price point you are comfortable with. Just don't over spend. You can always upgrade later, and if you buy high quality gear to start with, you can sell it. But you can't sell low grade equipment, if you don't like it, just doesn't hold it's value.
Of course, anything from Tek, HP-Agilent, Fluke, holds it's value fairly well. Not NEW value, but better than other brands.
POWER SUPPLY(s)
After a scope, this is the very next thing you need. Yes, you could try to "make" a power supply or two, and re-used PC power supplies are OK to do that. But I would recommend a plain jane NEW 2 channel (or three, with a fixed 5 volt channel) supply. You want something with good regulation and accuracy, and very good output protection. . Make sure you have SEVERAL usable digits of resolution showing the output. A multiturn pot would be great, if you can get it. I bought my VIZ power supply in the mid-80's, and I made a poor choice. The display only shows tenths of a volt, and it is not very accurate either. Also, although it is 0 to 25 volts, those are in steps of 5 volts, which is a mechanical switch, so you have to switch from the 0-5 volt range, 5 to 10, etc. You probably can't even buy something so crappy anymore. But you'll need at least 2 channels of zero to 25 volts or more, at a minimum of 2 amps, 3 amps is much better, and more than 3 amps is great, if you can get it. It is very important to buy a high quality power supply, don't skimp here. You'll never be sorry to have bought very high quality when it comes to power supplies. Eventually you'll want more than one power supply.
LCR meter. No, you don't need this to start. You can get it later, when you have a better understanding of what you'll use it for. You'll be able to make a more informed decision. And depending what you work on, you might want a good ESR meter later, but you don't need that to start, either.
Frequency Generator/Function Generator
Again, if you can find a very high quality used one, that would be good enough, as long as it is in perfect condition. Otherwise, if you buy new, you'll have many choices, and they aren't very expensive. Get one with a variety of Sweep and modulation settings, etc. Mhz is not terribly important in my opinion. Anything from 2 Mhz to 10 Mhz is enough to start. Quality and accuracy are most important. You do NOT need an arbitrary waveform generator (AWG). Quality generators start in the $200 to $300 range and go up.
Counter
You need this. If you get a high quality scope or function generator that has a good counter built in, then fine. Otherwise buy a good quality new counter, they don't cost too much.
Variac and isolation transformer
You need this. You can buy them as separate tiems, or as one unit. This is a pretty basic item, just be sure you buy very high quality. Don't buy used, buy new. Strongly recommend analog meters for both current and voltage (you need meters for both, at the same time). This is one of those things where you can almost judge the quality by how much it weighs. Heavier=better. I have an older VIZ (not top quality, but plenty good enough for me) combination variac and iso-tap, that I can barely lift.
I can't think of any other important pieces of test gear for now, you'll know as you grow into the needs for them.
Hand tools
WIHA is the only way to go for small screwdrivers and nutdrivers, torx, similar tools, in my opinion.
Xcelite is crap.
Buy GOOD QUALITY cutters, long nose, wire strippers, etc
You'll find the top quality hand tools in all the catalogs. You'll know it's the good stuff when they cost more than $30-$50 for cutters and long nose pliers. Don't buy crap hand tools, ever. And treat them like gold. Don't be cutting paper clips with your $45 Lindstrom cutters.
Sounds like you already bought the solder stuff, but I wouldn't overdo it unless you've got oodles of money.
Pomona and Probemaster both sell excellent kits of multimeter probes with attachments. Get the nicest most extensive sets of probes and attachments you can afford. But ONLY top quality silicone probes (meaning the leads), no plastic insulated ones. You will need LOTS AND LOTS of jumper leads, with varieties of tips; banana ends, various clip style ends, etc. Get lots, and buy good quality.
Scope Probes. Very important. Buy very good quality, of whatever frequency range you need, but no more.
You don't need to make your own pcb's, for now. Just buy lots of breadboards, and various types of "VaroBoards", or whatever perfboards are called down under.
Logic Analyzer
No, you don't need that.
Temp sensor?
No, you don't need that now
breadboard wires
Like you said you are planning, you can buy rolls of different colors, or buy a couple of the premade kits. I have a kit from 3M, it is exquisite.
Components
Yes, lay in a very large selection of components, from all the passives, through transistors, op-amps, etc.
Places like Jameco and DigiKey sell kits to (assortments). Getting several of these with lots of values, is one of the best ways to start (for passives I mean-resistors, inductors, capacitors). Not sure if they have transistor assortments, but with transistors and op-amps you want a very wide range. 3 each of 40 types is better than 10 each of 5 types. Components are always very easy to add to later
Other silicon
You'll need lots of voltage regulators, zener diodes, and some FET power transistors. Maybe a bunch of digital chips if that floats your boat. Also optocouplers, photo diodes and photo transistors, etc.
Other stuff
Don't be concerned about having every single brand new perfect tool you can think of before you sit down to start your firszt projects. If you've got money, you can get anything else you need via FedEx in a few days, from many suppliers. Just stay with quality, tazke care of your stuff, and grow your collection as needed.
That's my opinion. Have fun, and emphasize safety. It's amazing how many ways there are to hurt yourself in a lab, and I've done most of 'em.
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