Designing my own workbench/lab and portable tool set. Advices? Please help!

[timofonic]

Hello everyone!

I'll maybe receive a scholarship (finally!) in the coming weeks. My initial  budget is approximately 800 EUR, the rest will be spent on a private tutor, gym and maybe a bit for  some basic diy building and furniture stuff.

I'll decide where to put my new lab and even draw some basic blueprints (I'll use Microsoft Visio, I learned how to use it I'm a fast way).

This is my wish list. It's WIP and going to sort by priorities improved and even remove stuff that can wait!

Please give me advices about where to buy stuff and some available options. Shipping costs to Spain are a limiting factor.

Equipment:

• Reliable dual/triple power supply up to 30V: Programmable ones are nice, I used an HP one and loved it. I saw great second hand PSUs in eBay, but I don't know about qualities and most are from USA. There's lots of German ones (Voltcraft and weird brands), but not so much good ones at cheaper prices in Spain.
• Soldering station from THD to SMD: Ersa? Hakko?
• Desoldering for someone that needs to fix his own solders a lot.
• Portable DMM. A reliable one would be nice. Brymen?
• LCR meter? I need to check transistors.
• Bench DMM (I played with an HP one and loved it). Maybe this isn't a priority, so it's a secondary buy.
• Microscope. SMDs makes me blind.
• Good light.
• A good book stand that can be put at wall.
• ESD mat?
• A way to extract fumes in a reliable and low noise way.
• A laser printer. Standard paper or transparencies?
• A laptop for classes and secondary computer. That may get part of.budget, I'll consider to get an extra part of scholarship.
• PCB exposure box. DIY? UV LED or fluorescent UV tubes? Vacuum?
• Oscilloscope. Rigol?
• Some breadboards.

Tools:

• Magnifying glass.
• Helping hands.
• Tweezers.
• Precision screwdriver set.
• IC extractor.
• Wire stripper/crimper/cutter.
• Digital Caliper.
• Precision Pliers
• Bit Driver Kit.
• Flush Diagonal Cutters.
• Mounting Brackets.
• Arduino clone.
• Basic technical drawing tools (triangle, pens, compass, electronic symbol templates...) preferably in metal.

Materials:

• Lots of common ICs (4000 and 7400 series, counters, flip flops, voltage regulators, some microcontrollers...).
• Resistors
• Capacitors.
• Diodes (zeners, leds and others too).
• Stripboards.
• Wire wraps (one core wires).

Organization and sorting::

I'm totally chaotic (I have ADHD, anyway that's not excuse to let chaos surpass me) and I'm unable to find proper storage for THD and SMD components in the same toolbox/toolbag:

• A portable storage:
  
  • A small but very sorted set of SMD and THD components.
  • My  JBC 30S soldering iron with maybe extra tips.
  • Tools.
  • Wiring
  • PCBs: Done, WIP, stripboard and the ones to insulate I don't remember the name.
  • One or two DMM
  • A pair of breadboards.

• A bench version of the above, with more space, quantity and diversity. I need to think about it.

What do you think? I'm open to suggestions!

Regards.
[/list]

[ez24]

oh boy

I will watch this one - the only thing I see you need is more money.  The scope will take 1/2 of your budget

I hope the pros will chime in on this one. 

As a buyer of used equipment - my advice is don't.  If something is wrong you lose a lot of money on shipping, it is gambling.  And if you lose it sets you back in getting good equipment. 
(my used scopes have really set me back - I should have bought a new one).  My Power Design ps is fine.

Another piece of advice, make sure you are getting a warranty if you think you are.  Many in the US buy from China thinking (even if the seller says yes) they are getting one.  Yes if your are either in China or return it to China.   Another advice, make sure where your item comes from.  Here in the US, sellers on ebay and Amazon have figured out how to fool people.  Sometimes it is really hard to figure out.  I assume it is the same in Spain.

I have had no problem buying components from China including multimeters.

Good luck and lets hope this topic takes off

[lapm]

With that sort of money your not going to get everything listed.

Personally i would recommend get decent new entry level oscilloscope. One adjustable lab power (dont forget adjustable current limit), decent soldering station. Some hand tools.

Highly recomment watching Daves video about setting up your own electronics lab... You dont need everything right away, just most important stuff to get you started...

[VK5RC]

I would go for a few but good quality items,  esp good desk,  soldering station,  snips,  small pliers,  magnifying light,  anti-static mat,  good dmm,  good psu,  reasonable scope.  I think that lot would blow your budget.
Other stuff get later/as needed.

[nanofrog]

First off, please realize that you're not going to get all of this ^ for your budget. So to start, get the Rigol DS1054Z + FX-888D bundle from Batterfly. Granted, it's half of your budget, these are items you'll really want to have getting into the formal program you're about to start.

Of the list, I'd put priority on the following:
Hand tools

• Screwdrivers (not the cheapest, but Wiha are well made). Basic set of electronics drivers & standard sized screwdrivers (i.e. Philips/Pozidrive & Flat) + bit set for Torx, Hex, & security bits to start (cheaper than buying sets for all of this). Some people are also fond of Wera.
• Cutters You'll want a good pair of oval or taper cutters.
• Wire stripper (example)
• 2 layer rubber ESD mat & wrist strap kit not sure of price or availability, but you don't need a huge one at all; think a bit larger than a place mat for a dining table for example

Quality consumables

• Solder (63/37, ~0.5mm diameter, 3.3% RA flux by weight <aka P3 or Core 66> would be a good general purpose roll IMHO) from companies such as Multicore, Kester, AIM (American Iron & Metals), Alpha (Cookson), Indium, and Stannol.
• Desolder Wick (I'd recommend Chemtronics, though Multicore/Loctite is good, and may be easier to find in Europe, say in size GREEN/#3).
• Flux (MG Chemicals Rosin 835 comes in hobbyist friendly sized containers <100ml & 1L>, and use a needle bottle, brush, or refillable pen to dispense it; cheaper than disposable pens this way

Additional T&M Equipment:

• Handheld DMM's (Brymen BM257s + Uni-T UT139C <check eBay; they usually go for ~45USD shipped> for example).
• 3 output PSU at a reasonable price is going to be hard to come by (even single output are running ~100UER), so you may actually have to settle for using wall worts & build some linear regulators, and/or rely on batteries until your budget permits.

Electronic Components: Salvage what you can, and check out Tayda Electronics for others to get your stock up at cheap prices. Do understand they're based in Thailand, so they're not going to be fast delivery (best to only order parts that are in stock).

Figure on having to buy some cheap lighting, such as a couple of inexpensive swing arm lamps.

This ^ will probably blow your entire budget due to shipping.

Cutting the gym membership might also mean the difference between having parts or not, so that may have to be sacrificed (jogging in a park, doing push-ups, ... sorts of things are still free I hope).

Do educational institutions in Spain offer free tutors?

[JackP]

I can vouch for the Uni T-139 series (I have the B). They are nice little meters, very solid and cost me <£20. It has been very reliable for me, and its my only meter. I'm looking for a bench meter as well, found a nice Thandar one for £20, which matches my function generator (on that note, anyone got any of the Thandar older series instruments, dimensions ~25x15x5?).

[ivan747]

Equipment:

• Reliable dual/triple power supply up to 30V: Programmable ones are nice, I used an HP one and loved it. I saw great second hand PSUs in eBay, but I don't know about qualities and most are from USA. There's lots of German ones (Voltcraft and weird brands), but not so much good ones at cheaper prices in Spain.

[/list][/list]

Two words: European Union  You can get one from the german eBay, maybe, or one from the UK. No need for the thing to be in Spain.

[alexanderbrevig]

Nice! I'm glad to see I'm not the only one doing this. Here's a thread on my plans if you feel like reading about it.

[jpb]

Equipment:

• Reliable dual/triple power supply up to 30V: Programmable ones are nice, I used an HP one and loved it. I saw great second hand PSUs in eBay, but I don't know about qualities and most are from USA. There's lots of German ones (Voltcraft and weird brands), but not so much good ones at cheaper prices in Spain.

[/list][/list]

Two words: European Union  You can get one from the german eBay, maybe, or one from the UK. No need for the thing to be in Spain.

I'd recommend the TTi ones, they are robust and reasonably cheap on ebay. But they are also very heavy which makes shipping a bit of a problem. Any linear power supply will be heavy but they do have much lower ripple and noise generally so for a bench supply I think it is worth it - efficiency is not such an issue if it is just being run for experiments and testing.

[G0HZU]

If you are just starting out from scratch with a limited budget then the best advice I can give you is to forget about having a 'lab' and most of the items in your list.

By all means buy a few basic essentials like a soldering iron, a basic DMM and some hand tools but I would recommend you decide what aspect of electronics interests you most and then tailor your purchases towards your first task/project.

That's how it was done by most people when I was starting out.

[timofonic]

First off, please realize that you're not going to get all of this ^ for your budget. So to start, get the Rigol DS1054Z + FX-888D bundle from Batterfly. Granted, it's half of your budget, these are items you'll really want to have getting into the formal program you're about to start.

Of the list, I'd put priority on the following:
Hand tools

• Screwdrivers (not the cheapest, but Wiha are well made). Basic set of electronics drivers & standard sized screwdrivers (i.e. Philips/Pozidrive & Flat) + bit set for Torx, Hex, & security bits to start (cheaper than buying sets for all of this). Some people are also fond of Wera.
• Cutters You'll want a good pair of oval or taper cutters.
• Wire stripper (example)
• 2 layer rubber ESD mat & wrist strap kit not sure of price or availability, but you don't need a huge one at all; think a bit larger than a place mat for a dining table for example

Quality consumables

• Solder (63/37, ~0.5mm diameter, 3.3% RA flux by weight <aka P3 or Core 66> would be a good general purpose roll IMHO) from companies such as Multicore, Kester, AIM (American Iron & Metals), Alpha (Cookson), Indium, and Stannol.
• Desolder Wick (I'd recommend Chemtronics, though Multicore/Loctite is good, and may be easier to find in Europe, say in size GREEN/#3).
• Flux (MG Chemicals Rosin 835 comes in hobbyist friendly sized containers <100ml & 1L>, and use a needle bottle, brush, or refillable pen to dispense it; cheaper than disposable pens this way

Additional T&M Equipment:

• Handheld DMM's (Brymen BM257s + Uni-T UT139C <check eBay; they usually go for ~45USD shipped> for example).
• 3 output PSU at a reasonable price is going to be hard to come by (even single output are running ~100UER), so you may actually have to settle for using wall worts & build some linear regulators, and/or rely on batteries until your budget permits.

Electronic Components: Salvage what you can, and check out Tayda Electronics for others to get your stock up at cheap prices. Do understand they're based in Thailand, so they're not going to be fast delivery (best to only order parts that are in stock).

Figure on having to buy some cheap lighting, such as a couple of inexpensive swing arm lamps.

This ^ will probably blow your entire budget due to shipping.

Cutting the gym membership might also mean the difference between having parts or not, so that may have to be sacrificed (jogging in a park, doing push-ups, ... sorts of things are still free I hope).

I can vouch for the Uni T-139 series (I have the B). They are nice little meters, very solid and cost me <£20. It has been very reliable for me, and its my only meter. I'm looking for a bench meter as well, found a nice Thandar one for £20, which matches my function generator (on that note, anyone got any of the Thandar older series instruments, dimensions ~25x15x5?).

Equipment:

• Reliable dual/triple power supply up to 30V: Programmable ones are nice, I used an HP one and loved it. I saw great second hand PSUs in eBay, but I don't know about qualities and most are from USA. There's lots of German ones (Voltcraft and weird brands), but not so much good ones at cheaper prices in Spain.

[/list][/list]

Two words: European Union  You can get one from the german eBay, maybe, or one from the UK. No need for the thing to be in Spain.

Nice! I'm glad to see I'm not the only one doing this. Here's a thread on my plans if you feel like reading about it.

Equipment:

• Reliable dual/triple power supply up to 30V: Programmable ones are nice, I used an HP one and loved it. I saw great second hand PSUs in eBay, but I don't know about qualities and most are from USA. There's lots of German ones (Voltcraft and weird brands), but not so much good ones at cheaper prices in Spain.

[/list][/list]

Two words: European Union  You can get one from the german eBay, maybe, or one from the UK. No need for the thing to be in Spain.

I'd recommend the TTi ones, they are robust and reasonably cheap on ebay. But they are also very heavy which makes shipping a bit of a problem. Any linear power supply will be heavy but they do have much lower ripple and noise generally so for a bench supply I think it is worth it - efficiency is not such an issue if it is just being run for experiments and testing.

I already started and going to finish my first year, but I'm failing. I'm afraid about not able to pass this year.

Oscilloscope isn't mandatory and we use some crappy old ones (20mhz promax, uncallibrated)  for some practices at lab, but we use it for some lab practices and I think it can help me a lot with Active Learning.


Thanks for all your great ideas! I'll improve the original forum thread based on all that.

Budget is limited, that's a concern.

Do educational institutions in Spain offer free tutors?

Hello no! Do we have educational institutions? We have stupiditional institutions!

Here concerned parents able to obit spend part of their salary on private tutors.

ADHD receive little support from public institutions, but even less for adult ones. There's some movements from support groups and foundations to change that, but it's a total political mess and tons of economical interests from private mental health proffessionals.

I pay 15 EUR per class, ideally I would need to have five per week so....

15 * 5 * 4 = 300 EUR a month

[cpt.charlie]

If you want to go cheap, have a look at satkit:

ESD mat (not the best quality, but for its price no worries!):
http://www.satkit.com/b2c/index.php?page=pp_producto.php&md=0&ref=5755

PSU (just a Chinese design, simply works if it doesn't blow up):
http://www.satkit.com/b2c/index.php?page=pp_producto.php&md=0&ref=476

Soldering iron (A copy of the hakko 936, if you don't need much power it does the job, the original one is way expensive in Europe):
http://www.satkit.com/b2c/index.php?page=pp_producto.php&md=0&ref=5233

DSO (don't waste your time with second hand DSO in spain, they don't exist  ):
http://www.satkit.com/b2c/index.php?page=pp_producto.php&md=0&ref=ADS1022C-5-25
http://www.satkit.com/b2c/index.php?page=pp_producto.php&md=0&ref=5125

If you want to spend more in PSU and DSO the rigol 1054z and dp832 from batronix are the best option per €, unfortunately they had to increase the price a bit because of the depreciation of the euro.

[JackP]

To go ultra low budget, my ideas:
Get what you need as you need it, the big one. To start, you do need a few things though.
1) DMM - The Uni T 139 series £20
2) PSU - Chinese one for ~£40
3) don't get a scope if it is just for learning, and you are on a budget (see below though)
4) decent PC, not my territory but don't be dealing with a slow computer, maybe a laptop for travelling
5) soldering iron - £20 936 clone
6) consumables, test leads and parts, don't skimp on leads as u never have the right one, and apart from bulk resistors and caps, get parts as you need
With £80 equipment, you can afford a good computer, and a good stock of parts and consumables. One big tip, check eBay periodically. Go to the general test equipment page, filter to used and sort by lowest price. You'll have to wade through crap like manuals, but I search every week or so and watch the bargains. I find it almost therapeutic in a way! With the money left over, you could afford used function generators, PSUs, scopes, you just have to wait! Hope this helps a little.

[ivan747]

DSO (don't waste your time with second hand DSO in spain, they don't exist  ):
http://www.satkit.com/b2c/index.php?page=pp_producto.php&md=0&ref=ADS1022C-5-25
http://www.satkit.com/b2c/index.php?page=pp_producto.php&md=0&ref=5125

Lol, they don't exist
Siglent has a raffle (una rifa) where you have a 1 in 10 chance of winning an oscilloscope or arbitrary function generator worth like 250 US dollars, at least. You only have to buy something from them, write a review and send them an email with a link to the review. I think there is information of that promotion here somewhere in the forum.