What are your favorite tools and accessories?

[mathsquid]

One thing that just came to mind is the flashlight. 

My flashlight of choice is a Fenix e15. It's about the size of my thumb, runs on a123 battery that I can recharge with a micro usb cable, and has 4 brightness levels. Level 2 is usually enough for my needs, but level 4 is super bright and can light up half of my yard.

[tooki]

I’d love to see a full teardown of one of those, to see if it can be DIY replicated at reasonable cost.

Pretty simple construction, The central core does weigh in at almost 1.5kg for stability. Don't really need the knurling. Hard rubber discs glued to washer and core to sandwich and protect workpiece. I'm sure anyone with a lathe could crank them out by the boatload..

https://photos.app.goo.gl/eGcn7NvWJBEU3efd8

So it’s actually nothing more than a giant standoff, plus a bolt-action extender?! And for that they want $60 or whatever it is?

At school, I asked to do an extra machining session, and need some ideas for things to make. I think this looks like a great candidate...

[tooki]

That knurling seems more than pointless, it actually seems counter productive. As the central core is only held up on one side by the 'gearstick' slot, it's relying for a good fit and parallelism between the core and the sheath to hold it square and level. Adding the knurling is going to make the fit of the core in the sheath less precise and, as can be seen I think on the photo you liked to, going to wear more against its contact points than a smooth finish would. Odd.

I don’t think precise parallelism matters (it looks like the jaws have rubber in them anyway, and these aren’t intended as anything but PCB holders for hand soldering), and a tight smooth fit could become much, much harder to move if it gets gunked up with flux. The knurling reduces the contact area with the outer sleeve, which I think would help if it gets gummy.

[Renate]

And for that they want $60 or whatever it is?

Yeah, but you want to buy three!
I think that the gear shift is bogus.
I question whether a circular gripping area is even useful.

How about making one out of 1" - 2" square steel stock.
Put a square plate on top with a locating pin and stock knob (from your hardware store) with threaded shaft on top.
Want more possibilities? Machine one or two corner edges so that the "chord" is 1/4-1/2" long.
Of course you glue 3 pieces of rubber on this, bottom, top face, plate.

Still, most of the time I want to get under and over the board so that I can solder from the top and solder suck from the bottom.

[Cerebus]

That knurling seems more than pointless, it actually seems counter productive. As the central core is only held up on one side by the 'gearstick' slot, it's relying for a good fit and parallelism between the core and the sheath to hold it square and level. Adding the knurling is going to make the fit of the core in the sheath less precise and, as can be seen I think on the photo you liked to, going to wear more against its contact points than a smooth finish would. Odd.

I don’t think precise parallelism matters (it looks like the jaws have rubber in them anyway, and these aren’t intended as anything but PCB holders for hand soldering), and a tight smooth fit could become much, much harder to move if it gets gunked up with flux. The knurling reduces the contact area with the outer sleeve, which I think would help if it gets gummy.

Think of the gripping surfaces as vice jaws or pliers jaws (and yes, they are rubber). I'd want them parallel so that they grip across the whole surface rather than gripping at one point, or along a line, so that they minimise the pressure applied in getting a good grip. Think of things you've marred with a set of pliers that you wouldn't if you'd gripped them in a vice instead. I've seen them illustrated as being used on populated SMD boards, I'd rather grip the whole surface of the highest component (pressing it equally into the board) than one corner or edge of it (torquing it, puling one side up and pressing one down). I'd be looking for a loose sliding fit of a plain surface (shaft basis of C11/h11 or D9/h9 at most), not a tight sliding fit.

You're going to have to be pretty messy, and pretty poor at cleaning tools when you've finished a job, to gum something like that up with flux. As a post facto justification for the knurling it's somewhat plausible, but if I'd sat in on a design review of this I don't think it would have got my vote on that basis.

[tooki]

That knurling seems more than pointless, it actually seems counter productive. As the central core is only held up on one side by the 'gearstick' slot, it's relying for a good fit and parallelism between the core and the sheath to hold it square and level. Adding the knurling is going to make the fit of the core in the sheath less precise and, as can be seen I think on the photo you liked to, going to wear more against its contact points than a smooth finish would. Odd.

I don’t think precise parallelism matters (it looks like the jaws have rubber in them anyway, and these aren’t intended as anything but PCB holders for hand soldering), and a tight smooth fit could become much, much harder to move if it gets gunked up with flux. The knurling reduces the contact area with the outer sleeve, which I think would help if it gets gummy.

Think of the gripping surfaces as vice jaws or pliers jaws (and yes, they are rubber). I'd want them parallel so that they grip across the whole surface rather than gripping at one point, or along a line, so that they minimise the pressure applied in getting a good grip. Think of things you've marred with a set of pliers that you wouldn't if you'd gripped them in a vice instead. I've seen them illustrated as being used on populated SMD boards, I'd rather grip the whole surface of the highest component (pressing it equally into the board) than one corner or edge of it (torquing it, puling one side up and pressing one down). I'd be looking for a loose sliding fit of a plain surface (shaft basis of C11/h11 or D9/h9 at most), not a tight sliding fit.

Yeah but we aren't talking about massive non-parallelism, just very minor misalignment that'd be well within what the rubber would accommodate. Remember, this thing is mostly just an alternative to helping hands, where alligator clips hold on at any which angle.

You're going to have to be pretty messy, and pretty poor at cleaning tools when you've finished a job, to gum something like that up with flux. As a post facto justification for the knurling it's somewhat plausible, but if I'd sat in on a design review of this I don't think it would have got my vote on that basis.

Bruh, have you seen how some people work? (I work at a vocational training center where groups of apprentices come in for courses. We see the whole gamut.) Regardless, I guarantee that if you were doing lots of hot air rework right at the edge of a board, you'd eventually blow flux off the edge of the board and onto the holder. If it were a really snug, smooth fit, it could become quite difficult to move if sticky flux got in there, making it hard to get apart to clean.

Given that knurling is another machining step that adds production time, I doubt they'd be doing it for aesthetics alone, so I suspect they did it for sound reasons. My guess is primarily to provide good grip when tightening.

[Cerebus]

That knurling seems more than pointless, it actually seems counter productive. As the central core is only held up on one side by the 'gearstick' slot, it's relying for a good fit and parallelism between the core and the sheath to hold it square and level. Adding the knurling is going to make the fit of the core in the sheath less precise and, as can be seen I think on the photo you liked to, going to wear more against its contact points than a smooth finish would. Odd.

I don’t think precise parallelism matters (it looks like the jaws have rubber in them anyway, and these aren’t intended as anything but PCB holders for hand soldering), and a tight smooth fit could become much, much harder to move if it gets gunked up with flux. The knurling reduces the contact area with the outer sleeve, which I think would help if it gets gummy.

Think of the gripping surfaces as vice jaws or pliers jaws (and yes, they are rubber). I'd want them parallel so that they grip across the whole surface rather than gripping at one point, or along a line, so that they minimise the pressure applied in getting a good grip. Think of things you've marred with a set of pliers that you wouldn't if you'd gripped them in a vice instead. I've seen them illustrated as being used on populated SMD boards, I'd rather grip the whole surface of the highest component (pressing it equally into the board) than one corner or edge of it (torquing it, puling one side up and pressing one down). I'd be looking for a loose sliding fit of a plain surface (shaft basis of C11/h11 or D9/h9 at most), not a tight sliding fit.

Yeah but we aren't talking about massive non-parallelism, just very minor misalignment that'd be well within what the rubber would accommodate. Remember, this thing is mostly just an alternative to helping hands, where alligator clips hold on at any which angle.

You're going to have to be pretty messy, and pretty poor at cleaning tools when you've finished a job, to gum something like that up with flux. As a post facto justification for the knurling it's somewhat plausible, but if I'd sat in on a design review of this I don't think it would have got my vote on that basis.

Bruh, have you seen how some people work? (I work at a vocational training center where groups of apprentices come in for courses. We see the whole gamut.) Regardless, I guarantee that if you were doing lots of hot air rework right at the edge of a board, you'd eventually blow flux off the edge of the board and onto the holder. If it were a really snug, smooth fit, it could become quite difficult to move if sticky flux got in there, making it hard to get apart to clean.

Given that knurling is another machining step that adds production time, I doubt they'd be doing it for aesthetics alone, so I suspect they did it for sound reasons. My guess is primarily to provide good grip when tightening.

Man, you do love making a mountain out of a molehill.

[tooki]

Man, you do love making a mountain out of a molehill.

Come again? You're the one who brought up the knurling. Not that any part of my replies could even distantly be construed as "making a mountain out of a molehill", unless to you the fact that I didn't prostrate myself at your feet and say "o, dear Cerebus, I apologize for the insolence of disagreeing with you, how many floggings shall it be?" is "making a mountain out of a molehill".

[Cerebus]

Man, you do love making a mountain out of a molehill.

Come again? You're the one who brought up the knurling. Not that any part of my replies could even distantly be construed as "making a mountain out of a molehill", unless to you the fact that I didn't prostrate myself at your feet and say "o, dear Cerebus, I apologize for the insolence of disagreeing with you, how many floggings shall it be?" is "making a mountain out of a molehill".

And once you've made it you do love digging in it too. 

You have a tendency to take posts that are tangential, and of minor significance to the main thread, and pick at the details. If you do it to one of my tangential posts I fully confess that I tend to act as an enabler. I thought I'd short circuit that for once.

Oh, and a simple scourging will do. 

[tooki]

Man, you do love making a mountain out of a molehill.

Come again? You're the one who brought up the knurling. Not that any part of my replies could even distantly be construed as "making a mountain out of a molehill", unless to you the fact that I didn't prostrate myself at your feet and say "o, dear Cerebus, I apologize for the insolence of disagreeing with you, how many floggings shall it be?" is "making a mountain out of a molehill".

And once you've made it you do love digging in it too. 

You have a tendency to take posts that are tangential, and of minor significance to the main thread, and pick at the details. If you do it to one of my tangential posts I fully confess that I tend to act as an enabler. I thought I'd short circuit that for once.

Oh, and a simple scourging will do. 

In all fairness, the details are often really interesting. There’s a lot to be learned or explored in the nitty-gritty of things. I mean, I wanna make a few of these myself, so it’s a decidedly non-abstract question!

[connectTek]

My Weller W60D soldering iron.
The tips NEVER corrode, last forever.
Heats up quick and holds great temperature.
Have used it for over 30 years and and still have original tips, barrel and heater.
This tool was made to last.

[IDEngineer]

I must vote for two, and most of you will think they're mundane.

1) Hakko FR-300 desoldering gun. I was in this industry for 3+ decades before I convinced myself to spend the money on a formal desoldering gun. Now there's no going back. I don't need it every day, but when I do there is no substitute. Say goodbye to solder wick that heat-sinks the needed heat away and makes a giant solder mess. Laugh as you happily throw away those spring-loaded suction "pens" and turkey-baster-like "bulbs" whose tips seem always melted into useless shapes and are always, always too big for the target. A proper desolder gun with a hollow vacuum tip just works. Every time. I've come to using it to clean up after removing SMD devices by "vacuuming" their pads (and with a larger tip, the gun just outright removes smaller size SMD components entirely). Even my 18YO college son loves this tool like no other. It's expensive and totally worth it.

2) Hakko 951 soldering station and a wide variety of tips. I'm not brand loyal, I'm sure other stations are equally useful, but I love the ability to swap to a more appropriate tip instead of "making do" like I did for so many years. Sometimes I'm soldering 30ga wire directly to the pads of upside-down leadless SMD devices, and minutes later I'm building an associated wiring harness with 16ga cable and heavy connector contacts. There is no one-size-fits-all tip that does those two jobs equally well, and it's a joy to switch off, swap tips, switch on, and ~10 seconds later be up to temperature and have the proper tip for each job. I just bought two more tips yesterday, in fact, knowing that I'm heading into some very fine SMD breadboarding soon.

I have lots more tools that are valuable, but for (1) making a formerly difficult job almost infinitely easier and better, and (2) doing each type of soldering properly instead of trying to fudge everything with a one-size-fits-none single tip, these two (types of) tools really stand out in comparison to how their respective jobs were done before I owned both of them.

[tooki]

1) Hakko FR-300 desoldering gun. I was in this industry for 3+ decades before I convinced myself to spend the money on a formal desoldering gun. Now there's no going back. I don't need it every day, but when I do there is no substitute. Say goodbye to solder wick that heat-sinks the needed heat away and makes a giant solder mess. Laugh as you happily throw away those spring-loaded suction "pens" and turkey-baster-like "bulbs" whose tips seem always melted into useless shapes and are always, always too big for the target. A proper desolder gun with a hollow vacuum tip just works. Every time. I've come to using it to clean up after removing SMD devices by "vacuuming" their pads (and with a larger tip, the gun just outright removes smaller size SMD components entirely). Even my 18YO college son loves this tool like no other. It's expensive and totally worth it.

I totally concur with the value of a desoldering station: there is no comparison! (That reminds me, I still need to buy parts for the used Pace desoldering station I bought a few months ago. It needs a new gasket, and I want more tips!)

2) Hakko 951 soldering station and a wide variety of tips. I'm not brand loyal, I'm sure other stations are equally useful, but I love the ability to swap to a more appropriate tip instead of "making do" like I did for so many years. Sometimes I'm soldering 30ga wire directly to the pads of upside-down leadless SMD devices, and minutes later I'm building an associated wiring harness with 16ga cable and heavy connector contacts. There is no one-size-fits-all tip that does those two jobs equally well, and it's a joy to switch off, swap tips, switch on, and ~10 seconds later be up to temperature and have the proper tip for each job. I just bought two more tips yesterday, in fact, knowing that I'm heading into some very fine SMD breadboarding soon.

Does the Hakko require you to shut it off to change tips?!? We use JBC at work, and the stand has notches on it specifically for pulling out hot tips, and indentations for you to press against to insert another tip, since holding them by hand, it'd be burning hot before you got it inserted all the way — all designed around hot-swapping with the station turned on. I think Pace is the same, but I haven't used their cartridge systems yet.

[IDEngineer]

Does the Hakko require you to shut it off to change tips?!? We use JBC at work, and the stand has notches on it specifically for pulling out hot tips, and indentations for you to press against to insert another tip, since holding them by hand, it'd be burning hot before you got it inserted all the way — all designed around hot-swapping with the station turned on.

Strictly speaking, no - you can swap tips with the power on but the base station will report an error when it notices the tip is missing. I just cycle the power to avoid that.

The T15 tips use holders like the one below, so you can remove the tips even when fully hot. It's a matter of seconds to swap them. And the station comes with a handy storage stand for tips that is temperature insensitive, so you can just drop the tips in whether hot or not.

[tooki]

It doesn’t recover from the “no tip” error without power cycling it?

Oh, yeah I’ve seen those grips before, I just didn’t realize they came off with the tip!

[jfiresto]

The high frequency Xytronic LF-3000 soldering station I have is perhaps not as refined, but since the heat is largely in the tip, I can quickly enough, with bare hands: switch off, uncollar and slide off a hot tip, slide on another (cold) one, collar it and switch back on.

[IDEngineer]

It doesn’t recover from the “no tip” error without power cycling it?

It does, yes, but while the tip is missing it gives a constant beep. And it's my practice to not intentionally put equipment into an error condition. The power switch is right there, no big deal.

[jfiresto]

Continuing my project of improvising tools to work on cables with small connectors, here is a precision XYZ third hand I threw together to tack-solder a connector with tangs every 1.2mm:



(I cheated and used a microscope.)

[alanambrose]

Wow, like it!

Another thread on 'specialist tools I've made'? I just saw a Robin Renzetti set of videos on making his 'Versa-Ohm' .... and I thought I was pernickety.