I want to set up my own workbench. Advice needed for a complete newb.

[hdk103]

Hi. I'm a software developer/product designer. I want to start learning electronic engineering, but I'm almost completely illiterate in this industry and I don't even know where to start. I need some help.
It turns out to me that this is actually an incredibly deep and old industry, and I just feel lost in the sheer amount of manufacturers and models which I didn't know even existed until a few hours ago. My biggest problem here is that I don't even know anything and anyone in this industry, that I can't figure out who-makes-what, which is big trouble if I'm going to purchase a bunch of equipment which I will probably use for years. I'm also not sure what are the must-have equipment for the projects I'm considering, and the specs I should be looking at in order to get the appropriate tool for my goal.

I know I will be getting more meaningful advice if you know what I'm trying to achieve with the tools I will be buying, so let me share some of the things I want to do:
My goal at this moment is being able to do circuit design and microprocessor programming to make computer/gaming peripherals I've been designing as my side project lately. I think it would be nice to implement wireless connectivity to these projects, such as Bluetooth as well as making these devices battery powered.
I'm also interested in lithium batteries and battery control circuits, and I'm quite sure that at some point I will be poking at raw battery pouches and control circuits.
Most likely I won't be handling high-voltage or high-current electricity, and would probably stay within the range of electricity used for consumer electronics and microcontrollers. I would be very happy if I could get some help figuring out the manufacturers and models I should look for or avoid, and the metrics and specs I should be looking at in order to find the right devices.

If it helps, I can fairly confidently solder and de-solder through-hole components, but surface mount components freak me out and I don't know how drag-soldering even works. So you can see here the skill level you are dealing with

[tautech]

Welcome to the forum.

In order to make real progress your bench layout is very important IMO, even before selection of what equipment to grace it with. Particularly a bench PC with a large display as one is always referring to datasheets and circuit schematics.
After just using an old but good size writing desk placed in the corner of my shed with shelves to the left and behind it I added a long wing on the right so bench space forms an L with the PC near the corner so on a swivel chair access to the bench and the PC is simple.
Shelves above the ~1.4M workbench give room for the rework/soldering station, PSU's, an AWG and a DSO.
The 2.4M wing carries the PC with 2 displays and tool drawers which also doubles as my business office.

There's lots of ideas in this thread:
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/whats-your-work-benchlab-look-like-post-some-pictures-of-your-lab/

Getting down to instruments that you might require is another matter as it is need and budget dependant.
Hand tools are many and varied and other than the basics (nippers, screwdrivers etc) you can get these as you need them.
The 'glue' of building projects is soldering and a skill that requires some mastering and I recommend getting a rework station with a soldering pencil and hot air capability.
You'll need at least one PSU and a 3ch model costs a little less than a starter scope.
If you are tight for room maybe consider a scope with an AWG and MSO options.

[MarkF]

Since you have absolutely nothing, you might consider the Analog Discovery 2 Pro Bundle :
   

• Two-channel USB digital oscilloscope (1MΩ, ±25V, differential, 14-bit, 100MS/s, 30MHz+ bandwidth - with the Analog Discovery BNC Adapter Board)
  
• Two-channel arbitrary function generator (±5V, 14-bit, 100MS/s, 12MHz+ bandwidth - with the Analog Discovery BNC Adapter Board)
  
• Stereo audio amplifier to drive external headphones or speakers with replicated AWG signals
  
• 16-channel digital logic analyzer (3.3V CMOS and 1.8V or 5V tolerant, 100MS/s)
  
• Digital Bus Analyzers (SPI, I²C, UART, Parallel)
  
• 16-channel pattern generator (3.3V CMOS, 100MS/s)
  
• 16-channel virtual digital I/O including buttons, switches, and LEDs – perfect for logic training applications
  
• Two input/output digital trigger signals for linking multiple instruments (3.3V CMOS)
  
• Single channel voltmeter (AC, DC, ±25V)
  
• Network Analyzer – Bode, Nyquist, Nichols transfer diagrams of a circuit. Range: 1Hz to 10MHz
  
• Spectrum Analyzer – power spectrum and spectral measurements (noise floor, SFDR, SNR, THD, etc.)
  
• Data Logger - Exportable data and plot functionality
  
• Impedance Analyzer - Capacitive and Inductive Elements
  
• Protocol Analyzer - SPI, I2C, UART, and CAN
  
• Two programmable power supplies (0…+5V , 0…-5V). The maximum available output current and power depend on the Analog Discovery 2 powering choice
  

[aheid]

If you have nothing, maybe check out any local maker spaces. One I visit has a lot of gear like soldering/dedoldering, oscilloscopes, reflow oven etc freely available. There's also people with experience that can help with learning the gear or tools like kicad. Hopefully you have something similar nearby.

That can give you some experience and tips before buying gear you find don't quite match what you need.

[james_s]

It sounds to me like you're a long way off from needing a bunch of equipment, the place to start is hitting the books, then the first tool you're going to want to get is a multimeter. The Art of Electronics is a popular book, there is also a EE program on Khan Academy

[rstofer]

I'm going to second the opinion above for the Analog Discovery 2 - I'm a HUGE fan!

Sooner or later, you're going to want a logic analyzer that can decode SPI and I2C between the uC and some peripheral.  The AD2 can do that.

You will ALWAYS need an oscilloscope and the AD2 has a two channel scope.  It does have limited bandwidth and a constrained voltage range but it should be more than adequate for uC projects as long as the frequency isn't too high.  These limitations may seem severe but, for uC projects, it should be more than adequate for getting started.  Later on you can look at the Rigol DS1054Z or Siglent SDS1104X-E.  These are great entry level scopes (the Siglent is a few years newer on the market) and reasonably priced for hobbyists.

The thing is, these scopes fall flat on their face in every way except bandwidth when compared to the even less expensive AD2.  True, both of those scopes are 4 channels but the only reason I have the Rigol is that I wanted to decode SPI on a scope.  Clearly, it can be done better and with  more decoding using the logic analyzer capability of the AD2.  So, maybe two channels isn't all that limiting given 16 digital IOs.

Starting at message 52, I post 4 experiments with the AD2 (not quite consecutive) that are darn hard to do with a scope and are dead simple with the AD2.  Of course, a 27" monitor makes the plots even more impressive.

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/starter-scope/50/

Digilent has an EE program called Real Analog - like the Khan Academy EE track, it is well worth the time to go through the program.  There is a textbook, homework and quizzes.  It is based primarily on the AD2.

It sounds like you are going to be spending more time on code than parts and that's fine.  Download the free Waveforms software and look at the list of software defined tools in the AD2.

https://store.digilentinc.com/waveforms-download-only/

There's a 'demo' mode so you don't have to actually have an AD2

Make friends with LTspice because it is often better to simulate before breadboarding.  Not always but usually.

Also, make friends with one of the solvers like MATLAB or Octave (free MATLAB work-alike).  Nobody wants to solve simultaneous equations by hand.

Replies 7, 15 and 17 of this link give a flavor for MATLAB and I believe the code, 7 and 17 will run unchanged on Octave

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/c-programming-plottingvisualizing-seeking-recommended-direction(s)/

Reply 15 uses the optional Simulink toolbox and this isn't available for Octave.  I'm into analog computing so something like Simulink is pretty cool.  So are 3 actual analog computers...  That Mass-Spring-Damper example runs well on a real analog computer and seeing it actually work on a scope is quite an education.

Reply 17 solves a 6x6 matrix problem - something I don't want to do by hand even with a sparse matrix.  This kind of thing comes up when using Kirchhoff's Laws to solve circuits.  The only difference is that AC circuits will use complex numbers instead of just reals like the example.  I truly hate solving matrix problems by hand when they contain complex numbers.

No bench works without a signal source - these days an Arbitrary Waveform Generator (AWG) and the AD2 has two channels of signal generation.

In the short term, you need to know Ohm's Law in its various forms including the Power equations, Kirchhoff's Laws (the current law comes up with op amps) along with Norton's Theorem and Thevenin's Theorem.  Being able to sling these concepts around is a real help when you start to design stuff.

[rstofer]

It sounds to me like you're a long way off from needing a bunch of equipment, the place to start is hitting the books, then the first tool you're going to want to get is a multimeter. The Art of Electronics is a popular book, there is also a EE program on Khan Academy

Don't be surprised if you find a need for 3 DMMs simultaneously.  It comes up all the time.  I have all kinds of multimeters from the cheapest Aneng AN8008 up to a Fluke 189.  The one I reach for is the AN8008 - it's just darn handy.  I also reach for my ZT-X as the large and bright display are easier for my old eyes to see

https://www.amazon.com/True-RMS-Multimeter-Auto-Ranging-Temperature-Capacitance/dp/B07JJ9MR3L

In fact, it is laying on my table just to the left of my HP48-GX calculator and my AD2.  Three very handy things for a bench.

Arguably, you should not trust the CAT rating on any of the low cost meters.  But for low energy electronics these meters are just fine.  The Test Equipment forum will have a lot of information (and absolutely no consensus except "Buy Fluke") but it's worth spending time on the threads.  Then decide that 2 of the 3 meters can, in fact, have no safety rating at all.  There was a time before CAT ratings and most of us survived.  Do as you see fit!  For me and the projects I work on, CAT ratings are meaningless.  I'm talking 5V at 2 Amps,  a Raspberry PI, that kind of thing.  Usually served from a wall wart or current limiting bench supply.

The CAT ratings revolve around working on mains voltage and that's something I don't do with DMMs.  I have other tools, like solenoid style testers, for working on 480VAC.  Beyond that, it just gets spooky.

Dave has done a review of the AN8008 and he mentions a couple of warts but, overall, it's pretty positive.  There are videos for the ZT-X

[james_s]

Don't be surprised if you find a need for 3 DMMs simultaneously.  It comes up all the time.  I have all kinds of multimeters from the cheapest Aneng AN8008 up to a Fluke 189.  The one I reach for is the AN8008 - it's just darn handy.  I also reach for my ZT-X as the large and bright display are easier for my old eyes to see

I must have 5 or 6 DMMs floating around, but I use my Fluke 87 handheld at least 90% of the time, the 45 bench meter another 9% and then the remaining 1% for all the others combined. There have been times when I've used more than one meter at a time but I can't actually recall the last time I did it. It all depends on what you're doing, but for a novice stating they are starting from zero there is no point in buying equipment before they're even mastered wiring up an LED and familiarized themselves with Ohms law, Kirchoff's laws and the other low level basics. I've seen too many people get excited, buy a bunch of gear and then either damage it because they don't know what they're doing, or they play with it some and then it sits collecting dust because they never bothered to learn the most basic fundamentals.

[rstofer]

I was thinking about a transistor circuit and measuring base current, collector current and probably collector to emitter voltage.  Simultaneously...

[bunnyThief]

Digilent has an EE program called Real Analog - like the Khan Academy EE track, it is well worth the time to go through the program.  There is a textbook, homework and quizzes.  It is based primarily on the AD2.

I couldn't agree more. I picked up an AD2 and have been working my way through Digilent's Real Analog course. The course is very thorough. There is a text to read, video lectures and accompanying labs that utilize the AD2 along with an Analog Parts Kit. I really like that everything is connected. You don't gave to find 4 or 5 different sources. Besides the AD2 and the parts kit you just need a multimeter.

I was on the fence about the buying the AD2 and the course is what really sold me on it. Now that I've started using it I see that it's a really good investment, especially when starting out.

The videos are a little old and some are a bit grainy but the quality of the instruction is very high. I would love to see a better all-in-one resource out there that is also free.

Last I checked the AD2 Pro bundle (AD2, BNC board and BNC probes) was sold out on Digilent's site. Have a look at Digikey if it's not available. I scored the AD2 on ebay and managed to order the board and probes at a good price from Digikey. I think the way to do it is to try to get everything from Digikey so you can save on the freight. I'm in Canada and Digilent wanted to charge me $35 to ship the AD2 by itself to me.

Another way is to buy the student bundle from Digilent. It has the AD2 and the parts kit. Then buy everything else from Digikey.

Digilent also sells a multimeter from Mastech that looks pretty decent for the price. It's the MS8217. Digikey carries it as well. Another DMM option that is popular for beginners is the Extech 330. I ended up ordering an Aneng AN 870 from Bangood. I'm happy with the meter so far but it took a while to get here.

[Cerebus]

As far as a workbench itself goes, once you actually get to that stage, figure out how many mains outlets you need, then double it, then add 4. Do that and you'll only be 3 or 4 sockets short of your peak requirement. 

[hdk103]

Serious thanks for all the replies!

In order to make real progress your bench layout is very important IMO

Living in a more crowded part of the city I really don't have the luxury of space. I agree that workspace layout is very important, and I will make sure I get creative with space management

Since you have absolutely nothing, you might consider the Analog Discovery 2 Pro Bundle

YES! This is just the kind of thing I was looking for! I also have special preference for compact, multifunctional devices, so I will definitely give this one a try

If you have nothing, maybe check out any local maker spaces.

I don't know if I have any of those places nearby, but I will try to see if I can find any.

The Art of Electronics is a popular book, there is also a EE program on Khan Academy

Thanks for the recommendation. Other than Khan Academy I'm subscribed to Pluralsight and Skillshare. I've been mostly watching programming and design-related courses only, but I will try to find any EE classes there as well. Dou you also know any courses you could recommend there?
Luckily I already have a multimeter I purchased some time ago, so at least I have that one off my list

It sounds like you are going to be spending more time on code than parts and that's fine.  Download the free Waveforms software and look at the list of software defined tools in the AD2.

In fact that's correct. Being more of a programmer guy I honestly I am more interested in MCU programming than actual electricity... I'm sure I'm the kind of guy who dave would say 'you are not doing actual electronic engineering' to. But I still think I should at least be able to draw out wiring and handle the powers coming in and out of the circuit.

As far as a workbench itself goes, once you actually get to that stage, figure out how many mains outlets you need, then double it, then add 4.

Nice advice. I'm already running out of power outlets because of my servers and computers, so I really should consider that as well.

Also, do you have any advice on choosing the benchtop power supply? I think it would be handy to have one, but I'm not sure which one I should buy. I've been looking into some old HP PSU on eBay lately, but most of the ones I can afford rarely go above 1A and I'm not sure it that's enough for my use case.

[krayvonk]

Whatever excitement your feeling now, on the entry to the wonderful world of electronics, always remember it!  Because once youve disillusioned yourself potentially some of the magic dies, and dont let it happen to you! Stay excited all the way till God takes your soul away!

You can make full blown RAM chips and CPUs once youve worked it all out,  but making those requires miniaturized components you have to print yourself from scratch.

A cool "from scratch" guy on the internet is Robert-Murray-Smith on youtube,  His initials are a funny correllation to root-means-squared(something you learn in sound engineering). He makes resistors, capacitors and batteries from scratch and touches on simple circuits like voltage dividers.  Total Genius in my mind.

Learning the circuit pieces is one thing,  but the harder thing is actually using them... putting them in working formations together, and being able to read circuits on sight.   I cant do it yet but im getting better at it. Takes time.

[rstofer]

Re: PSUs

There are a lot of threads on this subject and most involve people wanting to build power supplies equal to factory units for 1/10 the cost.  Try the Search feature.

The projects don't always end well.  In fact, 'seldom' comes to mind.  Google for power supplies and you can find dozens of schematics, some of which might work on a good day.  Yes, I'm kind of down on DIY power supplies.  Before you even think about building one from plans, look into switching transients.  Turn-on and turn-off spikes seem quite prevalent.

I bought a Rigol DP832 after many years, not because I needed it so much as just because I could.  It works well, has plenty of features and capabilities but it is pricey.  There was an 'oopsie' in the heatsinking on early units, since corrected.

Dave did 3 videos, Google for 'eevblog dp832'

Most MCU projects seem to be powered from the USB cable.  Almost all development boards take USB or wall-wart power.  For fixed voltages, like 5V, at modest currents (< 2A), wall warts work fine.  The output doesn't need to be adjustable.  Batteries work as well.

The AD2 has two power supplies, one for 0..5V and one for 0..-5V and they work well for breadboard projects.

Need low current but adjustable voltage?  The AD2 AWG will output a signal of DC.  In other words a constant voltage and any level within its range of +-5V.  I don't think you can use this for a power supply but if you are breadboarding 5V single rail op amps, you will almost always need Vcc/2 as a reference voltage.  The AWG will work for this and is probably more accurate than a voltage divider built with 10% resistors.  Besides, the value is easy to twiddle.

At $550, the DP832 is pricey but it's a very nice supply.  It's amazing that the PS is $200 more than the DS1054Z scope.  Google for 'w2aew power supply'.  Alan has some videos on the subject as does EEVblog.  Search for 'eevblog power supply'.  Most of the low cost power supplies are 'switching' and the output is seldom all that clean.  Linear supplies have cleaner output but dissipate a lot more heat and that's one reason the DP832 is pricey.

You can search ebay for 'HP Power Supply', there are many available and they're reasonably priced.  The question is: Do they need to have the capacitors replaced?  Probably...

Ask about specific models over in Test Equipment.

[Old Printer]

Careful with power supplies, they can be addictive   I got on ebay and bought one after another, all pretty good analog units, none over $75. Most proved too bulky for my bench and I settled on the older HP 6216A units and bought a few. They can be stacked and combined and had in various voltage and amperage ranges. I don't think I spent over $50 on any one of them, usually about $35.

[MarkF]

Hey @Old Printer, I know about those little HP 6216A Power Supplies. 
I believe they are all 120VAC though.



Plus for @hdk103, building a few 3-terminal power supplies might be a good start.
Especially, a +/-12V linear one comes in handy.  Both for op-amp circuits and 12V battery circuits.

[rstofer]

Those old HP PSs are all over eBay.  However, some devices want all power supplies to come up together (I'm not going to get into chips that want PS sequencing) and one approach is to wire 3 of them through a 3PST toggle switch.  With a 3PDT center off switch, it would be possible to short all 3 supplies at the same time to adjust the current settings.  Yup!  Three of these small supplies might make a very nice setup.

I'm not fond of setting the current limit by shorting the output and adjusting the current but apparently that's the way it's done on some PSs.

I like the all-digital controls of a modern supply like the Rigol DP832.  I'm sure Siglents are similar.

SPD3303X-E is similar to and cheaper than the DP832 10 mV resolution
SPD3303X    is similar to and cheaper than the DP831   1 mV resolution

The third output on the Siglent is switch selectable of 3 voltages (2.5V, 3.3V, 5V) whereas the Rigol is continuously adjustable over 0..5V

There was a time when folks were complaining that a Siglent supply had non-standard spacing of the banana jacks.  It is worth investigating which model and whether it has been fixed.  I haven't followed along.

What may be a big deal and is worth investigating is that the current limit of the Siglent 3rd output is not adjustable.  I only looked through the User Manual briefly but if this is true, it's a really big deal.  In fact, if true, it might be a deal breaker for me.  Here's why:  I would tend to use the fixed 5V output for things like uC projects and I really want current limit when I first bring a system up.  Some time back, I did  Z80 project and I had a bus address conflict so two devices were driving the bus simultaneously and were shoring each other out.  The current limit was set very low so there was no damage and things worked out fine.  The Rigol went into current limit and dropped the output voltage to essentially 0V.  Dumping 3+ amps into the board would have been a huge mistake and I would have had magic smoke all over my workspace.  Kudos to the Rigol!

It could be argued that I should have used one of the other outputs and that is a fair statement.  The question is whether I would have...  Given that the other two outputs are usually set to +-15V for op amp projects, I'm pretty sure I would have used the 3rd output for the logic project.

There are always choices to be made.  I like the modern digitally controlled PS.  I could work around the 3rd output of the Siglent now that I know about it and I would probably buy the X-E model (10 mV resolution) for less money than my DP832 cost.

ETA:  I didn't study it but apparently the Siglent has power sequencing and ramping - more reading required...  The Rigol does too but I have never used the feature.  I really should read the User Manuals!

[wizard69]

Hi. I'm a software developer/product designer. I want to start learning electronic engineering, but I'm almost completely illiterate in this industry and I don't even know where to start. I need some help.

The way to move beyond ignorance is to study a bit.    How much to study depends on your end goals, if you want to get into designing products for sale get into an engineering program.   Anything below that  can be meant with various forms of self study.   In any event self study should cover basic circuit analyst before getting to excited about hardware.

It turns out to me that this is actually an incredibly deep and old industry, and I just feel lost in the sheer amount of manufacturers and models which I didn't know even existed until a few hours ago. My biggest problem here is that I don't even know anything and anyone in this industry, that I can't figure out who-makes-what, which is big trouble if I'm going to purchase a bunch of equipment which I will probably use for years.

I wouldn't invest in a massive amount of instrumentation up front.   Instead buy as your knowledge and commitment increases.   If you have absolutely nothing in the way of tools, both hand tools and instruments, initially buy equipment that you can justify for a life time.   That is tools you can likely leverage even if your interest in electronics dries up or gets sidetracked by other responsibilities.   

What do I mean here?   Well this a good set of hand tools for an electronics lab shares a lot with what every home owner should have anyways.   Of course there are specific tools for electronics work but the idea is that at first you are investing in tools that a homeowner should have anyways.   As your commitment grows you buy the more dedicated tools.    Honestly these days, a decent handheld DVM should be part of that basic kit.

I'm of the opinion that you can learn a lot by building stuff.   So before you go out and buy a fancy bench power supply build a power supply or two yourself.   I know that much gets said here about the quality of the DIY power supply but to me that isn't the point.   Rather the point is to grab a datasheet and design something with that information.   Spend some time debugging and spend some time seeing what happens at the extremes.   Decade boxes are another traditional DIY project.

I'm also not sure what are the must-have equipment for the projects I'm considering, and the specs I should be looking at in order to get the appropriate tool for my goal.

A scope, multimeter and power supply are  good start for most interests.   The specs on that equipment has a personal component and a technical component.   Personal components are things that a specific person will consider to be must have features and frankly might not mean much to somebody else.   Technical components are things like minimal scope bandwidth, multimeter digits of resolution.

Now I could go out on a limb here is say that a digital multi meter should have 4.5 digits of resolution with DC & AC voltage, AC & DC current, OHMs and diode test ranges.   There are likely to be a lot of good arguments against such a simple list, but in the case of a DVM it is actually a good idea to have more than one.   Then there is the idea that a handheld portable and a bench top, serves different needs.   Also special features may be important to your specific needs, an example here might be temperature transducer input ranges.

In any event before buying equipment, especially the expensive stuff, get enough electronics under your belt to understand what is important to your interests.

I know I will be getting more meaningful advice if you know what I'm trying to achieve with the tools I will be buying, so let me share some of the things I want to do:
My goal at this moment is being able to do circuit design and microprocessor programming to make computer/gaming peripherals I've been designing as my side project lately. I think it would be nice to implement wireless connectivity to these projects, such as Bluetooth as well as making these devices battery powered.
I'm also interested in lithium batteries and battery control circuits, and I'm quite sure that at some point I will be poking at raw battery pouches and control circuits.
Most likely I won't be handling high-voltage or high-current electricity, and would probably stay within the range of electricity used for consumer electronics and microcontrollers. I would be very happy if I could get some help figuring out the manufacturers and models I should look for or avoid, and the metrics and specs I should be looking at in order to find the right devices.
[/'quote]
First off I'm of the opinion that a handheld meters should be properly safe on High voltage or power systems.   It is just too easy to pick one up to look at a power problem.    So if you buy a hand held meter be sure it is CAT rated and  that that rating if proven to be accurate.   Given that I'd suggest a decent hand held meter from a reputable manufacture as your first instrument purchase.   The manufacture names that immediately comes to mind are Fluke, HP(Keysight), BK & EXtech, but there are certainly more manufactures to choose from.   There is a list on the forum someplace that highlights meters that seemingly have issues meeting their safety expectations, so consider that a list of meters to avoid.   Personally I've used Fluke hand held DVM's at work and HP bench meters.

If it helps, I can fairly confidently solder and de-solder through-hole components, but surface mount components freak me out and I don't know how drag-soldering even works. So you can see here the skill level you are dealing with

There are all sorts of skills that develop over time in this field (probably true of almost any field).    Some guys can do really fantastic chassis work, with minimal tools but don't expect your first complete build to be a work of art.   Even though we might cal this electrical engineering there are a lot of mechanical skills that one needs to refine to be successful on the bench.   Considering your interests you are likely to be building things where the electronics are a small part of the guts of the device.   This can have a very significant impact on your tool requirements.

[PixieDust]

I am currently in the market for a new desk/workbench. I can tell you what is wrong with my current desk. Well it's glass and I put a giant chip into the very middle of it which is the main reason why I started looking for a new desk/workbench. Anyway, the point is, apart from the chip, the biggest problem that I've been running into with it is that it's too small. It's roughly 700mm deep. Very hard to do anything on it. Get a 900mm deep desk, much more space for work. Apparently, 900mm is pretty much ad deep as they get unless you go full on custom.

It sounds to me like you're a long way off from needing a bunch of equipment, the place to start is hitting the books, then the first tool you're going to want to get is a multimeter. The Art of Electronics is a popular book, there is also a EE program on Khan Academy

Also agree with this statement. I am presently heeding this advice myself.

[rstofer]

Reading books never did much for me and lectures were only slightly better.  I learn best by doing experiments.  Once I know how something is going to work, the paperwork end of the learning makes a lot more sense.

I'm not of the opinion that you can learn a lot about electronics without an adequate lab for experiments.  A whole shelf full of tools would be nice but expensive.  That's why I recommended the AD2 above.

You can quote V_out=V_in*(1-e^-t/RC) until the cows come home but until you see it in practice it is only an equation.  Yes, you can even plot it on paper but it still isn't the same as modeling it on a breadboard.

[GreyWoolfe]

I am currently in the market for a new desk/workbench. I can tell you what is wrong with my current desk. Well it's glass and I put a giant chip into the very middle of it which is the main reason why I started looking for a new desk/workbench. Anyway, the point is, apart from the chip, the biggest problem that I've been running into with it is that it's too small. It's roughly 700mm deep. Very hard to do anything on it. Get a 900mm deep desk, much more space for work. Apparently, 900mm is pretty much ad deep as they get unless you go full on custom.

Why not build one.  With a basic electric saw, drill/driver, hand tools and screws/nails(based on preference), you can build something custom to your needs for not a huge amount of money that will be stronger/better built.  I have less than $175 USD including the hardware for adjustable shelves and my bench is 8 feet long, depth is 33 inches and I have 3 full length adjustable shelves 12 inches deep. If you make your shelves fixed, you save money on the shelf hardware.  I thought about it quite a bit what I wanted and got it almost perfect the first time.  I ended making 1 minor change and in the near future, when I change locations of my office, I plan to redo the power points to make things neater.  I do keep making changes to equipment layout to improve function but the bench stays the same.

As far as a workbench itself goes, once you actually get to that stage, figure out how many mains outlets you need, then double it, then add 4. Do that and you'll only be 3 or 4 sockets short of your peak requirement. 

Don't double the amount, square it and you will be close.   I have 3, 8 outlet surge protectors plugged into the UPS that controls the bench and there is only 1 outlet left.  I have used 3 extra outlets in the UPS for other stuff.  I also saved outlets by using a PDU for the rackmounted network equipment.  There is a 2 gang electrical box mounted at the front of the workbench with 4 outlets for plugging in anything I am working on/checking out/need to power, etc.  Mind you, I have a fraction of the equipment some of the people have.  I may add an additional surge protector to have more outlets when I move the bench and clean up the wiring.

[PixieDust]

Reading books never did much for me and lectures were only slightly better.  I learn best by doing experiments.  Once I know how something is going to work, the paperwork end of the learning makes a lot more sense.

I'm not of the opinion that you can learn a lot about electronics without an adequate lab for experiments.  A whole shelf full of tools would be nice but expensive.  That's why I recommended the AD2 above.

You can quote V_out=V_in*(1-e^-t/RC) until the cows come home but until you see it in practice it is only an equation.  Yes, you can even plot it on paper but it still isn't the same as modeling it on a breadboard.

You need both, practical and theoretical. Reading books with no practical side is very hard, ?impossible? to learn anything. However, once you start playing around with stuff, referring to books is a great way to quickly explain things that would have taken you a very long time to learn otherwise. Practical and books complement one another very nicely.

Why not build one.  With a basic electric saw, drill/driver, hand tools and screws/nails(based on preference), you can build something custom to your needs for not a huge amount of money that will be stronger/better built.  I have less than $175 USD including the hardware for adjustable shelves and my bench is 8 feet long, depth is 33 inches and I have 3 full length adjustable shelves 12 inches deep. If you make your shelves fixed, you save money on the shelf hardware.  I thought about it quite a bit what I wanted and got it almost perfect the first time.  I ended making 1 minor change and in the near future, when I change locations of my office, I plan to redo the power points to make things neater.  I do keep making changes to equipment layout to improve function but the bench stays the same.

I don't have the required tools to build myself. I don't do furniture construction. To build a desk that will pass the "can I have this thing in the house?" test, you need a planer, one of them table saws and probably a whole bunch of other stuff that I'm unaware of. If I build one using the tools that I possess it's going to look like a dogs breakfast.

[MarkF]

How about a folding table?
   36" x 72" Rectangular Wood Folding Banquet Table

   

Or cover your glass with an ESD mat if you can live with the depth?
   FT Series 2-Layer Rubber Worktop Mat Kit with Wrist Strap, Ground Cord and Two Snaps, Dark Blue/Black, 24 x 48 x .080

   

[Simon_RL]

I was in the exact same position as you a few months ago, so I know exactly how daunted you are feeling.

Unless I missed it, no one has mentioned yet is lighting. You need decent lighting when your soldering, just an overhead light will cast shadows over your work. I have a bright LED strip under my bottom shelf and a clamp on LED desk lamp with a long flexible neck. One you are working with tiny and components you will need good magnification. Being on a budget I ended up buying a cheap microscope with 7” HD lcd screen for less than AU$100 and it works fantastic. I also have a helping hand with a magnifying glass that get used a lot, there are a lot of options out there and you will easily find some thing that meets your needs and budget.

As far as learning goes, I have been using Khan Academy, working through the Art of Electronics and also Foundations of Analog and Digital Electronics Circuits. Coming from a software development background I found the language in the latter book very relatable and easy to digest, it is a free (legal) download:
https://neurophysics.ucsd.edu/courses/physics_120/Agarwal%20and%20Lang%20(2005)%20Foundations%20of%20Analog%20and%20Digital.pdf.

[PixieDust]

Yes lighting is extremely important I would even go so far as to say mandatory. Unless you're soldering next to a window during the day, you need a good lamp. Your room's lights are not enough, especially if you're doing surface mount components.

[rdl]

How about a folding table?
 ...

I agree. Put an ESD mat on top also. Works great.

[mossygreen]

My comments are those of a relatively new “newb” - i.e., someone that realizes they are a newb and is just forming longer term thoughts about their status as a newb. There is a lot of great advice on this forum, but for me some of the wisdom in that advice was only apparent in hindsight. I can’t contribute to that wisdom but may be able to help in sharing my learnings gained along the way.

W/r to the credo “buy what you need when you need it” - I think that’s good advice with some caveats. First, if you are on your own with nobody right there with you, then I think some form of signal generator in known working order is essential. If you don’t know what clean, near-perfect signals X, Y, and Z look like on your instrument (scope, DMM, etc.) - then how will you recognize them as you probe in-circuit? The absolute best part of “buy what you need” is that you’ll then learn how to use it much more effectively and retain that knowledge.

Second, used eBay equipment can be an awesome benefit to ramping up quickly - but there are real caveats. Buying a quality analog scope off of eBay can be a huge boon - you can learn a ton from these. However, scopes aren’t precision instruments in a metrology sense. If you buy a nice semi-vintage frequency counter to use with your semi-vintage oscillator (that’s probably making beautiful sine waves at some frequency and phase), which one is right? It’s no surprise that in the background on EEVblog, The Signal Path, Mr. Carlson’s Lab, etc. are lots and lots of gear to compare the “instrument of the day” with. I am absolutely not saying that refurbished/used/vintage kit isn’t a good option - just think carefully of what “known good” looks like on your bench.

Third, treasure the debugging moments. Just today I was picking back up a radio kit that I’d started with a week ago. The very first diagnostic test failed right after I’d finished the first pass of assembly. I checked my solder joints, I replaced (brand new) caps, etc. Okay, back to square one. I extracted the circuit corresponding to the initially assembled portion and built it on a breadboard. I then compared it against the one IC’s data sheet. Those seemed mostly fine and adding the suggested decoupling cap did nothing to help. I then determined that there should be a lot of “hum” on the speaker but that there shouldn’t be as much current sunk from the supply as I was seeing on the PCB. That then focused my diagnostics on the PCB and, sure enough, the headphone jack (a supplied part I had torqued too far) was shorting the audio input to ground. Slow down - think things through - experiment don’t flail - and you’ll learn.

Finally - I saved myself a few dollars building a power supply kit. I learned something about assembly, layout, etc. that’s helped me lay out the one PCB I’ve had made. However, in hindsight just working with soldering practice kits (0603 and up) would have been better and getting a good deal on a basic switching bench supply was easy.

Enjoy!