Electronics Lab

[awyeh1234]

Hello i am 13 and trying to set up an electronics lab. What kind of things do i need for my lab besides the basic things like a soldiering iron and components?

And where can i get either cheap or free stuff?

-Chris

[george graves]

[nowlan]

More general answers.
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/building-a-lab-essential-components/

I suspect a 13 yr old will have limited budget.
1. multimeter
2. power supply (variable voltage plugpack is cheapest).
3. breadboard.

Cheap bits.
https://www.taydaelectronics.com/
dx.com
hobbyking.com

[Noise Floor]

Look for local swap meets, use eBay and Craiglist depending on where you are located.
Any interest in measurement automation or documentation?  May want a PC in your lab in addition to typical equipment.

[Lightages]

Hello i am 13 and trying to set up an electronics lab. What kind of things do i need for my lab besides the basic things like a soldiering iron and components?

And where can i get either cheap or free stuff?

-Chris

Where do you live? What is your budget?
I made a thread on a cheap lab for a budget of $250.
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/the-$250-electrnoics-lab-a-suggested-setup-for-beginners/

But to really know how to help you we need your location, budget, and if you have access to buying things online through an adult.

[magetoo]

https://www.taydaelectronics.com/

Tayda are good, especially for getting things like breadboards, connectors and battery holders cheaply.

They also post coupon codes on their Facebook page, right now there's one for 15% off until the weekend.

[oldway]

Try to buy a cheap analog oscilloscope as an Hung Chang OS620.

[JoeO]

Hello i am 13 and trying to set up an electronics lab. What kind of things do i need for my lab besides the basic things like a soldiering iron and components?

And where can i get either cheap or free stuff?

-Chris

This is a world wide forum.  To best answer your question, we need to know where you are.
Please go back to your profile and let us know what country you are in.  If you are in a large country (US) let us know where you are located. 
Good Luck!

[VK5RC]

Could I suggest you find out where your local Amateur radio club is. Show your interest in electronics (and maybe a bit in Amateur radio) and I suspect some of the guys might dig around in their spare parts box. Also some of those guys have serious credentials in high end RF / electronics (3 of my radio club worked for the defence electronic department) and are often quite happy to chat. The clubs often run "basics courses" like inductors, resistors etc and these are often very well attended by even some who i would consider 'electronic gurus'.
The advantage of the Amateur route into electronics is you can study toward and get a certificate , some levels of which are actually recognised internationally in  Amateur radio. It is also VERY practically oriented.
73 VK5RC Robert

[Leestons]

Great video but I doubt a 13 year old will have $1500+ to spend on a lab.

[jlmoon]

Dumpster diving, surplus stores can be fun and a gold mine of really good parts, only work required is removing them.  Look for old computers, stereos, and other electronics.  If dumpster diving is too low of class, check out the neighborhoods on trash day.  In the U.S.A. it is amazing what people throw away that still contain good resources. 

[macboy]

I agree with dumper diving, scavenging parts from old PCBs. If you have little money, but lots of time and interest, then this can be a good source of some types of parts.

One of the first things you will need is a power supply. You could scavenge 5 and 3.3 V fixed output regulators from old PCBs and use any wall-wart with 9-12 V or so output to power them. But even this is hardly worth it. For $1 (shipped!) on ebay you can get a power module that neatly plugs into the two power strips on either side of a typical solderless breadboard, giving you 5 and 3.3 V rails. Search on ebay: "Breadboard Power Supply". You can also get a bundle of a breadboard, the supply, and jumper wires for around $5, like this http://www.ebay.com/itm/331329599179  (I do not endorse the seller, it's just a search hit).

I LOVE surplus stores. Sadly, the two I knew of in my area (Ottawa, Canada) closed up shop and I don't know of any others around.

[Rigby]

local hackerspaces often have all this stuff, plus people willing to teach.

if you have one locally available, spend some money on a few months' worth of membership.

In the end, if you spend a lot of time there, you'll either come out knowing that this is something you don't want to do, or you'll know a lot more about electronics and where you want to go with electronics in the future.

[Noise Floor]

local hackerspaces often have all this stuff, plus people willing to teach.

if you have one locally available, spend some money on a few months' worth of membership.

In the end, if you spend a lot of time there, you'll either come out knowing that this is something you don't want to do, or you'll know a lot more about electronics and where you want to go with electronics in the future.

This is great advice.  Many people get spun up on an area of interest only to burn out on the topic after a few months, engaging a space like this makes a lot of sense.

[aidan2496]

I'm your age and i rely on a multimeter so start with that!

[Cherry]

Looking forward to more details.