Need to purchase some gear

[extide]

So,
A buddy and myself are finally doing a little start-up gig we have wanted to do and I want to purchase some equipment for us. I am thinking of the following items:

• A proper soldering station (have just a cheap single-temp iron currently) (Hakko FX-888D OR FX-951) Is the 951 worth the extra money? What about a JBC unit? It will be used a decent amount.
• Triple output Bench power supply The Rigol DP832 seems pretty good, but has a few quirks, but overall seems very nice. What about B&K stuff? Others to look at in that similar mid $400 range? I am not afraid of getting a nice, but older used item on ebay here.
• De-Soldering station (PTH) -- Just going to go with the ZD-985 style one, don't need a super fancy thing here
• Decent bench meter Any complaints with the Rigol DM3058E? Looks like you can get that for under $500 whihc is really great. An older used high end piece of gear is definitely acceptable as well. I might end up getting a decent quality handheld meter as well, as right now my handheld meter is just a crappy radio shack one.
• "Extra set of hands" thing for holding stuff while soldering -- any suggestions here?
• Light w/magnifying glass - I don't even know where to look for one of these?
• Storage Drawers for components -- What is the best way to keep so many little things sorted out and whatnot? What kind of storage strategies do you use?
• Oscilloscope Eventually I will be getting one of these but I am pretty much decided on the Rigol DS2000 series, or the Agilent 2000-X series if we can spring for the extra cash (especially while they are doing that combo-deal to unlock all the options!) This will be purchased in the future, the above items are higher priority.

Yes, I have searched the forums and found some information but I would still like to see what you guys have to say.

Thanks!

[davorin]

I can't tell about any Rigol instruments as I never used them or even touched them...

But I recently piled up my lab as well....only thing I had was an old Weller soldering iron and a LeCroy 9354AL DSO I bought almost 10 years ago....and just started to use recently on a regular basis....

Next thing I bought was a dual power supply...big heavy, clumsy thingie I bought from Farnell...well actually form the bonus points...as well as a Metcal soldering iron...which I am more than happy with it...

The power supply died pretty soon, but was easy fixable with resoldering....but I only use it now and then to power up some stepper motor cards...


So the next things I got in my lab....and all from ebay...was:

4 * HP 6632B programmable power supply....for around $150 each....and I can never live without them since (o;
Although only doing 0..20V and 0..5A,,,they are perfect for embedded computing...and what is great...you can not only control them remotely....but also measure voltage/current remotely....many times more precise than an average multimeter...

They could even be used as a DC load...but never tested it so far...

Next things were two logic analyzers...used Philips and a Tektronix one....as well as a HP 8904A signal generator, which you could hack with some simple button presses to include all software features (o;

For higher frequency I have now an old Fluke 6060A/AN...mostly used for testing AM/FM radios...as I don't have any reception in my basement, where my lab resides...

As a bench meter I have now two HP 3456A...one of them was broken, but was fixable with a great help coming from this forum....

The last thing I acquired was a broken LeCory 9414 scope....had serious gain/offset calibration errors on channel 1/2...and couldn't be fixed with self calibration...
But oddly the errors were gone when I self calibrated it remotely via GPIB ;-)

Ah yes...the really last thing currently is a Beiming F82357 USB GPIB adapter....replacing my selfmade Prologix USB clone....

And this is definitively where the fun begins...starting GPIB programming to control all your devices....
Well...almost...for powering them on/off I use an IP capable power switch called NetIO :-)


Only thing I miss now is a nice spectrum analyzer....but they're way out of my regular budget....so I just ordered some DVBT-T USB adapters to start playing with this spectrum thingie...

[phil]

First of all, where do you live? That is an important factor for gear aquisition through ebay or special local sellers. As you didnt tell in your profile, I will assume that you live in the EU for now.

Regarding your list:
1.) JBC stations are really awesome. They are worth every cent you pay for them. However, there is no need to get the high end ones, their entry level analog stations are more than enough. Get the BT-2BWA from weidinger or ebay/chiemtronic.
2.) I have a DP832 here, I really like it, especially with the high res option. The fan is a bit noisy though, so I only use it if I need the accuracy or multiple channels. I use a few old DIY supplys most of the time.
3.) Seems like a good choice. This has been on my list for quite some time, too.
4.) Cant comment on the 3058E. If you just need an accurate bench meter without any extra functions and stuff, check the schlumberger 7150plus. They go as low as 100€ on ebay and some used equipment resellers.
5.) I use a small vise most of the time. Another neat thing are these magnetic PCB holders
6.) If you are on a tight budget: something like this?. Not the best quality, but gets the job done.
7.) That really depends on what you intend to do. I use drawers for THT components above my bench (prototyping etc) and store SMD components either on reels or in labeled bags/boxes. The idea here is that I use SMD mainly for finished boards, so I dont have to keep them that close to my bench. THT on the other hand is always handy to have nearby.
8.) If you can afford it, go for the agilent. I have never actually used the rigol one, but I have a DSOX2000 here, so I might be biased

-phil

[Ribster]

5.) I use a small vise most of the time. Another neat thing are these magnetic PCB holders
6.) If you are on a tight budget: something like this?. Not the best quality, but gets the job done.

Set the preference-language to english, else it will not give the correct item..

[joshhunsaker]

For a soldering station, I have this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Full-Pack-USA-GQ-brand-SMD-Rework-station-5200-2-in-1-hot-air-soldering-Iron-/120824510629?_trksid=p2054897.l5659

It's totally solid.  I've abused this thing and can't find fault with it.  Just keeps on ticking.  Heats up relatively quickly.

The Vichy VC8145 is also a great cheap bench meter with boatloads of functions.

[phil]

Be careful with cheap soldering stations for commercial work. The above mentioned stations are sold under many names and some irons die very quickly. Not the heater but the cable to be precise. I used them in the past and had to replace several hand pieces. They may be fine for occasional hobby use but are by no means suitable for serious work where reliability is important.

5.) I use a small vise most of the time. Another neat thing are these magnetic PCB holders
6.) If you are on a tight budget: something like this?. Not the best quality, but gets the job done.

Set the preference-language to english, else it will not give the correct item..

I am not sure what you mean by that?

[Ribster]

Be careful with cheap soldering stations for commercial work. The above mentioned stations are sold under many names and some irons die very quickly. Not the heater but the cable to be precise. I used them in the past and had to replace several hand pieces. They may be fine for occasional hobby use but are by no means suitable for serious work where reliability is important.

5.) I use a small vise most of the time. Another neat thing are these magnetic PCB holders
6.) If you are on a tight budget: something like this?. Not the best quality, but gets the job done.

Set the preference-language to english, else it will not give the correct item..

I am not sure what you mean by that?

If you click on the site and your language is not english, the page will not be found. By default my page wasn't english.

[extide]

Sorry about the location, I am in the US and have set my location in my profile. Thanks for all the tips, definitely some things to check out!

[Smith]

You might give Rigol/Agilent/Tektronix/Fluke/Whatever a call. They might let you test one of their products. Most of the big companies do. Ask if they have used, refurbished or ex demo equipment. This usually saves you up to 50 percent and normally they do give you a warranty.

Whatever you do, do not cut costs on a soldering iron and multimeter. Quality will pay itself back. It will probably last longer and more spare parts & options wil? be available.

[nanofrog]

1. If you go with a Hakko, the FX-951 is worth the extra cost, especially for commercial use (stand controlled sleep function will help reduce tip costs). That said, like others, I'd recommend seriously looking into JBC instead, if you can swing it financially (they do come up used from time to time on eBay at decent prices, which might be a viable alternative).

2. Should be fine IMHO, but again, the used market might be worth a serious look, and can extend your budget (things like hand tools, consumables, parts, .... types of things you may not have accounted for yet, but add up fast). Look for 10 turn pots with both adjustable voltage and current limiting.

3. Wick and pump will still be needed, even with a desoldering gun or station. For a dedicated unit however, you might want to take a look at the Hakko FR-300 that's just come out (seller offers EEVBlog members a 6% discount; email or call for the code). There's a nice thread on it here (some impressions and links on pg. 5 to review videos by a few members that bought one).

4. Never used it. There's plenty of good quality 5.5 digit bench meters available in the used market though, and would be less expensive ( i.e. HP/Agilent, Fluke, Keithley).

5. For commercial stuff that will actually work, you might want to take a look at Panavise. Not exactly inexpensive, but well worth it IMHO (Panavise 350 + Panavise 315 will make a very nice & flexible configuration that will hold most anything you'd need IMHO). You can also DIY some really decent ones (thread or two on them in here; example, example 2). Perhaps a bit of both would be even better (DIY probe holders, wire holder for tinning that works better than the Panavise 358, ...).

6. You mean a 5x Magnification Clamp-on Lamp?

7. No simple answer IMHO. Small drawer units are popular, as are bags & envelopes (many other ideas/solutions). There's at least a couple of threads on this, and PTH or SMD complicate matters (SMD seems easier to me, and doesn't take up as much space). For commercial products that might be of use to you as a business, might be turntables or portable racks that hold plastic storage boxes (Durham Manufacturing is another company to look into). The commercial stuff won't be cheap, but may be worth it to you, particularly if seen by customers (gives a more professional impression).

8. Rigol would make for a nice scope IMHO, and offer more value than Agilent or Tektronix before even hacking it to permanently enable all of it's features (4 channels can be nice to have, and isn't that horrible on the wallet either with Rigol; i.e. DS1074Z is the entry 4ch. model).

Hope this helps, and good luck.