Superb PCB holder and tools bought after seeing NorthridgeFIX Youtube videos

[Fraser]

I recently discovered a Youtube channel called "NorthridgeFIX" that is similar in content to the Louis Rossmann repair video blog.
This post is NOT a review of NorthridgeFIX or the videos that he produces. What I am detailing here are some useful tools that I have added to my workshop to aid me in the repair and restoration of electronics, most commonly thermal imaging cameras. 

The owner of NorthridgeFIX believes in fast repairs and wants tools to help achieve this without lots of fussing around. He has a significant pile of equipment awaiting his attention so looks for products that will ease his life rather than be 'toys' that look good but do not perform. This mirrors my desire when it comes to tools 

The tools that I am showing in this post are some that NorthridgeFIX uses in his videos and they caught my eye so I sourced them in the UK and purchased them yesterday. Most of them arrived today ! Some items were sourced from other sellers and will take longer to arrive. If you live in the USA you can buy many tools direct from NorthridgeFIX and I am providing the URL for their online store. I have borrowed a few pictures of the PCB holder in use from their store pictures and hope they do not object. Out of respect for the NorthridgeFIX business I am not providing my eBay source links for items that they are selling, but the items can be found with some searching. I will include details of those items not sold by NorthridgeFIX.

The items that I have added to my toolbox are as follows:

MIJING T24 PCB Holder - 4 slot version (2 slot and 6 slot versions are available)

Mechanic UV curing Solder Mask - Green (available in several colours)

UV LED Torch - Nice quality 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/UV-Torch-Ultra-LED-Zoom-Flashlight-Violet-Purple-Blacklight-Lamp-Portable-Hiking/313314706421?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&var=612192495916&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649


Sunshine SS-022B Anti-static PCB cleaning brush - Fine steel and hard bristle heads

UT658DUAL (A&C type) USB Power Meter - This is very useful for analysing a units power consumption and gives an insight into charging circuits and over-current situations.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LCD-USB-Tester-Detector-Voltmeter-Ammeter-Digital-Power-Capacity-Tester-Meter/362976216098?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649


The links to the NorthridgeFIX review of PCB holders and their shop are shown below:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLaXgfNlVxY149shiA1pykQ

https://youtu.be/jL7wIGn5sXU

https://northridgefix.com/shop/


I will not produce a review here as NorthridgeFIX show the tools in use in most of the videos produced so you can see them in action. I did want to highlight the PCB holder though as it is truly excellent. The easily positioned, yet solid, PCB holding clamps are a joy to use and adapt to all manner of PCB shapes. I deal with some very unusually shaped and/or small PCB's that are populated tight up to the edges of the board. As NorthridgeFIX state, some PCB holders can knock tiny SMT components off of the board by their clamping action and 'jaw' shape. I opted for the medium sized ‘4 slot' model as it is the perfect size for the work I undertake and I have other options for larger PCB's.  The combination of good weight and securely affixed rubber feet means that the PCB holder stays put on the bench when working on a PCB. The height of the holder and its associated clamps are perfect for resting your hands comfortable on the bench/PCB holder whilst working with modern tiny SMT components that require a very steady hand. I cannot fault the design of the unit and it looks built to last. It is not the cheapest but then neither in the kit that I will repair with it and I lover the ergonomics of the design. My unit cost me £35 in the UK, inc next day delivery. Worth every penny to me. The '2 slot' MIJING T22 costs £22 and the '6 slot' MIJUNG T26 costs £45.


The other tools are pretty self explanatory but a word about the Solder Mask. NorthridgeFIX use Solder Mask to hold fine wires in place on PCB's and it offers the advantage over normal glue as it is UV cured. It works very well in the videos of repairs and I had not used it in this way myself as I tend to use epoxy or similar strong glues to hold wires safe and in position. I will now experiment with UV Solder Mask. I purchased a reasonably priced powerful UV torch that may be focused on a spot. It is also rechargeable which is a bonus. The UV torch cost only £5.59 and that is from a UK warehouse.

Hope this is of interest to others.

Fraser

[schmitt trigger]

That PWB holder is awesome.

I once attempted to repair an irregular shaped board held with a vise-type holder, and can attest to the major difficulty of holding the board securely without flexing it.

[Fraser]

Yes that PCB holder is a thing of beauty. It may look simple in design but it is very nicely executed and the way the clamps slide neatly into place before you apply the spring pressure to them with the silver buttons is very nice. Someone spent some time designing that clamping system and it works well. I do not see the PCB holder wearing out any time soon and it looks like it could take some serious abuse. Not that I advocate abusing your tools of course ! The holder is all metal except for the clamps that are heat resistant hard plastic of some sort. Lots of nice screws and no cheap rivets or glues anywhere on it

Fraser

[cybermaus]

So anyone has any expectance with these magnetic board holders, for example like this (but many variants exists):
like this]https://www.banggood.com/Universal-3-Flexible-Arms-Soldering-Station-Holder-PCB-Fixture-Helping-Hands-with-4Pcs-Magnetic-Column-p-1550056.html?cur_warehouse=CN&rmmds=search]like this
I like the fact the extra hands and so can be mechanically fixed as well as magnetic.

I am thinking of combining it with this weller holder that is nice and sturdy and could elevate and angle the magnet holder.
this weller holder]https://cdn.sos.sk/imagecache/product-detail/b3/f0/6604a14e/esf120-t0051502699-1.jpg]this weller holder

Its for hobby use only.
Northridgefix is also selling similar, but I cannot order anything from his site anyway, prohibitive shipping fees to Europe (otherwise I would already have gotten his ultrafine braid, where does he source that).

[Fraser]

My experience with ‘magnetic post’ type clamps has been mixed. As NorthridgeFIX shows in his review of such PCB holders, you need to be careful that the posts have wide slots to avoid damaging edge mounted components plus you need to consider the risk of the metal post shorting components together  The strength of the magnets can also vary depending upon the model of PCB holder. Mine are all decent strength and use neodymium magnets. Such magnets are very strong but need to be of decent size in this application.

My best Magnetic Post type PCB holder is the SensePeek model that uses posts that incorporate a spring loaded clamping system. They work well and have PTFE pads to protect the PCB from shorts and damage. The down side of the clamps is their height. I feel the clamps are really most suited to diagnostic work when using the associated flexible arm probes to test various points on a PCB. I do not feel comfortable using them when soldering as the PCB is held too high off of the bench. I used a raise hand rest to resolve that situation but the PCB holder derealised in this thread is far better for comfortable soldering work. You use case is different as you are intending to use the Weller stand with the magnetic PCB holder.

https://sensepeek.com/

You might want to look at Amazon to see what they sell. If the magnets are too weak, you can return the unit. Otherwise, see if you can see the size of the post magnets in eBay sellers images. You want nice large diameter neodymium magnets, that will be silver in colour, rather than the cheaper and often less powerful grey ceramic (Ferrite) magnets commonly found on fridge magnets and magnetic notice boards.

Fraser

[Fraser]

This is the SensePeek kit that I bought when it was on discount from Elektor magazine. It is relatively expensive but saves me much effort and frustration when probing modern high density PCB and their associated tiny SMT components. A steady hand becomes less of an issue. Note that the probes only work on a PCB sat in the horizontal plane as gravity is used to hold the spring loaded probe tips in place. Working on an angled workbench is not an option really.

https://sensepeek.com/pcbite_20

I also purchased one of the SP100 oscilloscope probes for my diagnostic work and it is an excellent performer 

https://sensepeek.com/sp100-100-mhz-handsfree-oscilloscope-probe-1

There is now a 200MHz oscilloscope probe as well.

https://sensepeek.com/sp200-200-mhz-handsfree-oscilloscope-probe-1

Fraser

[Fraser]

I just added another MIJING PCB holder to my toolkit. The K22 is a miniature vice/clamp that holds both small PCB’s and components securely during rework. For me the combination of the MIJING T24 and K22 PCB holders will cover most scenarios I face when doing rework on modern electronics  At £17 delivered from a UK warehouse, the K22 appears excellent value fir money.

There is a nice demo video here...

https://youtu.be/Q_z8qQjTWng

Fraser

[Fraser]

Nice little video of the T series fixture in use holding various shapes of PCB and even a battery.

https://youtu.be/LipPyaGgdbg

Fraser

[cybermaus]

Yes, I know about the sensepeek, a local shop (eleshop.nl) is selling them.
But a bit pricey to my liking, I already blown my hobbybudget on a Heat Camera, need to be a little careful for now.
I also did see the Northridge video of course.

I wonder if I should just make them myself with good magnets, I have a friend with a proper lathe.

[Fraser]

I had a look on eBay for magnetic PCB holders and it may be my imagination but they seem to be a lot more expensive than when I bought one from China. If you have access to a lathe it is likely making the magnetic posts yourself and fitting neodymium magnets to suit your needs. 

Fraser

[Shock]

Is the plastic on the MIJING T24 and K22 high temp heat resistant? How does that spring system release, do you just press down?

[Fraser]

Yes the material used for the clamps is heat resistant. I thought it was plastic but having received the fixtures I can see that it is more like the material used in modern brake linings of cars, minus the metal particles. So a sort of synthetic asbestos material. It us not moulded but rather CNC cut to shape as would be required with a material that does not melt. Sadly I have not read what the maximum temperature limit is for the clamping material but I am going to ask the official UK Agent that I bought the fixture from as they are very helpful.

https://www.techzone.co.uk/

The clamping action of the T series fixture is very clever. The blue clamp is first pushed up to the PCB edge and then the silver button is pressed down to release it from the locking slot built into the metal base. The silver button is pushed towards the blue clamp causing compression of the spring and when it us released it locks into the nearest locking slot so the spring pressure continues to be applied. To release the pressure on the clamp, the silver button is pressed down and the spring pressure is released as you slide the silver button away from the clamp. The whole clamp assembly may be slid away doom the PCB by just holding the silver button down and sliding it and the connected blue clamp away from the PCB. It is a relatively simple idea, well executed in this fixture 

Regarding the K22 fixture. My unit arrived but was not the design that I was expecting. I asked Techzone about the difference and they investigated for me. Apparently MIJING have just changed the K22 fixture design but have yet to update their catalogue or advise their agents if the change ! Techzone were as surprised as me when I highlighted the change in design. No worries though. The K22 fixture will still be useful to me and Techzone were the cheapest source in the UK at £16.99 delivered.p next day 

I attach pictures of the two K22 with the older model showing the wider multi slot lower jaw and the newer version of the K22 fixture that better supports the needs of the Apple iPhone X. MIJING should have called the new version the K22A or some other number to avoid confusion.

Fraser

[Shock]

Thanks. From the T24 photos, the mounts with the button system seem to be a little low but aside from that it looks pretty good.

Am wondering the potential of blue plastic like parts to be converted to metal. If you get bored, would be interesting seeing what they (one of each) look like close up removed from the base.

[Fraser]

The OEM shares your thoughts.... MIJING have just released the T PRO series that is all metal 

I will see if I can find a picture of it. The down side for my needs is that metal clamps create the possibility of shorting components when using the fixture for diagnostic work with power applied.

Fraser

[Fraser]

Here you go. The MIJING T PRO series.

The clamps have been redesigned to lower the risk of shorting components on the PCB.

The metal clamps are slotted so you would need to be careful to not dislodge components at the edge of the PCB with the clamps. I personally still prefer the original non conductive clamps that are flat faced. I have contacted the European Agent for MIJING and asked them to find out what temperature the clamps are rated for.

Fraser

[Fraser]

MIJING Tools have a Facebook presence where their products are details and videos provided. May be worth a look

Just search Facebook for “MIJING Tools”

The MIJING web site is to be found here......

https://www.gdmijing.com/

Fraser

[Shock]

Could always file out the slot if there is enough meat left on the bone, or use some high temp heat shrink tubing like Raychem HT-200 for some grip and insulation.

[Fraser]

From what I can establish from available sources on the internet, MIJING use a high temperature material fir test fixtures that will be exposed to the heat of a soldering iron or hot air rework tool. The material is rated fir exposure to hot air temperatures commonly used to rework lead free components and it does not need protection from that heat. Whole mobile phone fixtures have been made from the high temperature material as can be seen in the attached pictures. I await comment from MIJING on the materials maximum temperature rating.

Fraser