My "lab"

[Christopher]

Hi all



Just going to post these notes here so I can edit them and see them everywhere, and get advice from you guys!

I have:

• Multimeter: Extech EX330 (£40)
• Scope: Tektronix 2215 60 MHz (Free, need more leads and stuff though)

I need:

• Bench power supply, Dual output 0-30v, 2amp maybe?
• Function gen, Would those cheap chinese 3-5Mhz ones do?
• Soldering iron, probably going to get a cheap one OR import from Dealextreme a Hakko. Already got a cheap one but its bad.
• 2nd Multimeter: Some cheap chinese one (not urgent), OR a uni-t bench top meter and a cheapo £10 pocket meter

Can you think of anything else?

[Jad.z]

Can you think of anything else?

Sure,
1- Proper Lighting
2- Decent Camera

If you haven't already, watch EEVBlog #168 Link

Good luck, and most importantly have fun!

[Christopher]

Lighting - I have 3 halogen bulbs under the first shelf which looks nice! Also going to pickup one of those magnifier lamp things which can move about.

Camera - No need at the moment, webcam and mobile phone are fine. Will get something if it comes along though.

I've got a load of general tools, Im not a complete beginner .

[Flávio V]

I would recommend a JBC soldering iron,their irons and stations are very good,comparing to other's than i could use...a JBC iron can be better than a cheap/no-brand soldering station...

The reason to have a JBC is than it does't is made in china(made in spain),has a good temperature raise and control and their tips have a very large lifetime...over 3-5 times the "other brands"(has advertised by JBC)

And, of course than JBC has some pretty bad thinks, the price does't is the low one,but not that expensive, and their tips are a large pain to change(regular ones,not small and SMD ones)

But i can tell than they are very worth it to have...


For a decent cheap camera i can recommend the canon SX40,very cheap and it does't is compact(so it isn't a toy),personally i don't have it but i have tryed it and it is good for the price, of course than it does't beats my old canon 500d...

[RRobot]

Get a hardcover (bound, not spiral spine) log book and make notes on the things you work on.

Just yesterday I saved probably 2 hours dicking around when I picked up a project that I dropped 6 months ago and merely had to review my notes to get back on track.

[T4P]

I would recommend a JBC soldering iron,their irons and stations are very good,comparing to other's than i could use...a JBC iron can be better than a cheap/no-brand soldering station...

The reason to have a JBC is than it does't is made in china(made in spain),has a good temperature raise and control and their tips have a very large lifetime...over 3-5 times the "other brands"(has advertised by JBC)

And, of course than JBC has some pretty bad thinks, the price does't is the low one,but not that expensive, and their tips are a large pain to change(regular ones,not small and SMD ones)

But i can tell than they are very worth it to have...


For a decent cheap camera i can recommend the canon SX40,very cheap and it does't is compact(so it isn't a toy),personally i don't have it but i have tryed it and it is good for the price, of course than it does't beats my old canon 500d...

JBC = too pricey for a beginner. Still too pricey when it's absolutely overkill at a home lab, a hakko would do VERY WELL
A good all rounder camera will be the D3100 or the D3200
D3100 = 100$ cheaper 14.2Megapixels
D3200 = 24.2Megapixels much better low light performance, which matches mid-range DSLR's

[KTP]

The most used thing at my workbench other than my soldering iron and antistatic mat/wriststrap is a cheapy but usable binocular microscope for working on smt (everything now is smt almost).

I just finished soldering 144 PLCC-6 smt leds, 6 TSSOP 24 pin chips and a slew of 0805 resistors and caps...with zero mistakes or solder bridges.  I would die without that $200 microscope.  One time I managed to solder over twenty 30 gauge wires to a 0.64mm pitch chip and made teepees out of 0402 resistors because the correct values were not on hand....love that microscope!

[Pickers]

Component trays with assorted components to fill said trays!

[deephaven]

The most used thing at my workbench other than my soldering iron and antistatic mat/wriststrap is a cheapy but usable binocular microscope for working on smt (everything now is smt almost).

I just finished soldering 144 PLCC-6 smt leds, 6 TSSOP 24 pin chips and a slew of 0805 resistors and caps...with zero mistakes or solder bridges.  I would die without that $200 microscope.  One time I managed to solder over twenty 30 gauge wires to a 0.64mm pitch chip and made teepees out of 0402 resistors because the correct values were not on hand....love that microscope!

KTP: What microscope do you have?

[codeboy2k]

Get a hardcover (bound, not spiral spine) log book and make notes on the things you work on.

Just yesterday I saved probably 2 hours dicking around when I picked up a project that I dropped 6 months ago and merely had to review my notes to get back on track.

I do this, but I love my spiral bound notebook, because it lies flat on the desk. Hardbound books I always have to press on the spine, and they eventually crack.

Tell me why you have a preference for hardbound books over spiral bound.

[KTP]

KTP: What microscope do you have?

I have no clue what the model is or manufacturer....The only label says "#1 good microslope, made in China".  It has 1x and 3x objective and 10x eyepieces.  I mostly use the total 10x magnification doing smt.

I really shouldn't be so down on it....even if the screws are some patented offcenter version of a phillips head, it still has served me quite well for like 9 years.

[Monkeh]

KTP: What microscope do you have?

I have no clue what the model is or manufacturer....The only label says "#1 good microslope, made in China".  It has 1x and 3x objective and 10x eyepieces.  I mostly use the total 10x magnification doing smt.

I really shouldn't be so down on it....even if the screws are some patented offcenter version of a phillips head, it still has served me quite well for like 9 years.

Torq-set?

[deephaven]

KTP: What microscope do you have?

I have no clue what the model is or manufacturer....The only label says "#1 good microslope, made in China".  It has 1x and 3x objective and 10x eyepieces.  I mostly use the total 10x magnification doing smt.

I really shouldn't be so down on it....even if the screws are some patented offcenter version of a phillips head, it still has served me quite well for like 9 years.

Thanks. I like the label!  I've always used X4 and X7 eye magnifiers and often wonder if a microscope would be better.

[KTP]

KTP: What microscope do you have?

I have no clue what the model is or manufacturer....The only label says "#1 good microslope, made in China".  It has 1x and 3x objective and 10x eyepieces.  I mostly use the total 10x magnification doing smt.

I really shouldn't be so down on it....even if the screws are some patented offcenter version of a phillips head, it still has served me quite well for like 9 years.

Torq-set?

Is there really a screw done like that on purpose?  These are supposed to be phillips actually, but they were machined by a blind monkey being chased by a panda.

[KTP]

KTP: What microscope do you have?

I have no clue what the model is or manufacturer....The only label says "#1 good microslope, made in China".  It has 1x and 3x objective and 10x eyepieces.  I mostly use the total 10x magnification doing smt.

I really shouldn't be so down on it....even if the screws are some patented offcenter version of a phillips head, it still has served me quite well for like 9 years.

Thanks. I like the label!  I've always used X4 and X7 eye magnifiers and often wonder if a microscope would be better.

The best writing/label from China I have ever seen was in a manual for a bench lathe we bought at my old company.  I kid you not, here is what it said "Please not to put lathe in place where sun don't shine"

I wish I had taken that manual with me or photocopied it.

Get a microscope...you will wonder how you ever soldered before.

[Monkeh]

KTP: What microscope do you have?

I have no clue what the model is or manufacturer....The only label says "#1 good microslope, made in China".  It has 1x and 3x objective and 10x eyepieces.  I mostly use the total 10x magnification doing smt.

I really shouldn't be so down on it....even if the screws are some patented offcenter version of a phillips head, it still has served me quite well for like 9 years.

Torq-set?

Is there really a screw done like that on purpose?  These are supposed to be phillips actually, but they were machined by a blind monkey being chased by a panda.

Yes, actually. They're designed for aerospace applications, and are designed for precise torque setting (hence the name).

[deephaven]

KTP: What microscope do you have?

I have no clue what the model is or manufacturer....The only label says "#1 good microslope, made in China".  It has 1x and 3x objective and 10x eyepieces.  I mostly use the total 10x magnification doing smt.

I really shouldn't be so down on it....even if the screws are some patented offcenter version of a phillips head, it still has served me quite well for like 9 years.

Thanks. I like the label!  I've always used X4 and X7 eye magnifiers and often wonder if a microscope would be better.

The best writing/label from China I have ever seen was in a manual for a bench lathe we bought at my old company.  I kid you not, here is what it said "Please not to put lathe in place where sun don't shine"

I wish I had taken that manual with me or photocopied it.

Get a microscope...you will wonder how you ever soldered before.

Love it! Many years ago I was on a sales trip in Hong Kong. There was a song contest going on on the TV. The winning song was titled "I've got you on the backside of my mind".

[RRobot]

Get a hardcover (bound, not spiral spine) log book and make notes on the things you work on.

Just yesterday I saved probably 2 hours dicking around when I picked up a project that I dropped 6 months ago and merely had to review my notes to get back on track.

I do this, but I love my spiral bound notebook, because it lies flat on the desk. Hardbound books I always have to press on the spine, and they eventually crack.

Tell me why you have a preference for hardbound books over spiral bound.

Probably force of habit.

Every engineering place I've worked (except one hell hole) issued black HC notebooks. The idea is no pages can be torn out or go missing and the books are property of employer when you leave. If they are good quality, the spine shouldn't be splitting or cracking and they should lay fairly flat after they wear in. Since you carry the thing with you all day, they need to be durable. Never worked at a place that issued spiral notebooks for log books. The other thing is I am left handed and the spiral makes writing a bit more awkward. I use the same sort of notebooks at home. I probably go through 2 or 3 a year. Never lost a page.

[codeboy2k]

Every engineering place I've worked (except one hell hole) issued black HC notebooks. The idea is no pages can be torn out or go missing and the books are property of employer when you leave. If they are good quality, the spine shouldn't be splitting or cracking and they should lay fairly flat after they wear in. Since you carry the thing with you all day, they need to be durable.

Yeah my company did that too, they were bound tightly, and they do wear in. Top quality note books.  The spines were double re-inforced, they never cracked.

At home I only use the cheap spiral log books

[Short Circuit]

....
A good all rounder camera will be the D3100 or the D3200
D3100 = 100$ cheaper 14.2Megapixels
D3200 = 24.2Megapixels much better low light performance, which matches mid-range DSLR's

Slightly offtopic of course, but any SLR is a waste of money for electronics purposes.
A simple compact camera with macro range is much more useful for photos in electronics context, which is mostly about macros. Because of their smaller sensors, these compacts have much greater depth of field. An SLR with (expensive) macro lens produces a very narrow DOF and is also quite troublesome wrt flash because the stupid lens tends to get in the way.
Had a D70S with all the bells and whistles - lenses actually, but for electronics documentation purposes I'm much more happy with my Panasonic ZX1. And it probably costed less than any of the lenses I had with the D70...

[T4P]

....
A good all rounder camera will be the D3100 or the D3200
D3100 = 100$ cheaper 14.2Megapixels
D3200 = 24.2Megapixels much better low light performance, which matches mid-range DSLR's

Slightly offtopic of course, but any SLR is a waste of money for electronics purposes.
A simple compact camera with macro range is much more useful for photos in electronics context, which is mostly about macros. Because of their smaller sensors, these compacts have much greater depth of field. An SLR with (expensive) macro lens produces a very narrow DOF and is also quite troublesome wrt flash because the stupid lens tends to get in the way.
Had a D70S with all the bells and whistles - lenses actually, but for electronics documentation purposes I'm much more happy with my Panasonic ZX1. And it probably costed less than any of the lenses I had with the D70...

I had a superzoom AND i had enough of it. Noise. My greatest enemy

[JBC Tools]

Thank you for recommending JBC! 

Our range of soldering irons includes from the  most precise NT105,  perfect to work under a microscope,  until the powerful T470. The short distance  between the tip and the handle enables to obtain the highest precision. JBC tools are currently the smallest,  the lightest and the most ergonomic.

More info: www.jbctools.com

We try to make your job easier.

[DeanA]

My Lab,
Named Spark,
3 years old.
 

[peter.mitchell]

A small small vice attached to the desk is absolutely invaluable (there is also a thread about it/helping hands somewhere). A lot of component storage  containers! Also some small storage containers for parts while building/breaking stuff. Cigarette lighter (you never know when a flame will be useful). Hot glue gun and glue sticks. A fan to ventillate and one to cool things that may need cooling.


Lots more!

Storage doesnt seem important now but youll regret it later if you dont have it.

[slateraptor]

@Christopher: Is your bench an Ikea Fredrik? If so, what are your thoughts on build quality?