Electronics > Beginners
My purchase list for my new lab -- budget $1000+, thoughts?
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Discotech:

--- Quote from: AnyNameWillDo on July 22, 2018, 12:10:53 am ---Picking parts for a lab is a total nightmare as a beginner, lol. The learning curve is incredibly steep. "Just buy a few x/y/z!" doesn't tell me specifically what to get because there are often so many variants or other considerations to take into account.

--- End quote ---

It's honestly not, most labs will have multiple scopes, power supplies, dmms, tools etc

It's simply a case of starting off with a few basics and growing your equipment as you grow your skills

Do you know what you're going to use your scope for ? No ? Then you don't need one yet, if you do then you should know roughly what qualities in a scope you need, for instance if you're using scope for audio electronics you're better off with analog over digital due to different things you'll want to be measuring for (distortion in amplifier crossover for instance) that a DSO will be really lacking in showing you over an analog scope

Flush cutters ? They're £3 here for a decent pair, if they break after a year just buy another pair or have spares, you're over thinking things on flush cutters just get one with good reviews and use it until it breaks then buy another because you can't expect mechanical tools to last forever certainly not ones that cut stuff which will dull over time even if they cost £1000 and are made of kryptonite.

Engineer make some relatively cheap but terrific ESD safe tools, their range isn't as large as the likes of Knipex but they're just as good and a lot cheaper

TS100 is a good iron, there's plenty information if you google, there's even a guide on the cheaper/fake irons on this forum you can look at

Building your own supply is from what I've been told a great first project, obviously if you don't understand electronics and are still learning how to light an LED without it burning out then it's not a first project but if you're wanting a lab, then you should really have some good grasps of electronics and be capable to at least follow the instructions on the many guides for building a supply, or just buy one with 1 or 2 outputs, nothing fancy just something OVP and OCP with a reasonable range of Vage & Aage to get you started

You're finding it a nightmare because you're trying to get too much too soon, just focus on the bare essentials and expand as you tinker and find a need for X tool/equipment

Using google for reviews on stuff is useful too, most of the questions you have will likely have been answered in the past and if you can't find an answer either ask or just learn by trial and error
rstofer:

--- Quote from: AnyNameWillDo on July 21, 2018, 10:20:39 pm ---Thanks for the replies everyone but I feel like tearing my hair out at this point, lol.

There are simply too many options and I'm spending hours and hours and hours and hours and *hours* on every little thing and I feel like I'm just spinning my wheels.

--- End quote ---

It's known as analysis paralysis!  It's pretty common.
If you ask 5 engineers for an opinion, you will have 10 results.  That's just the way it goes.

None of the answers are wrong.  I take exception to the GW power supply.  Analog meters scaled in Furlongs Per Fortnight are not appropriate when I need 1.8V or 3.3V.  Furthermore, I want to know exactly where the current limit is set and I don't want to set it by shorting the output and adjusting the dial until the meter reads something.  For decades I got along without a lab quality PS, just to show how unimportant they really are, but when I decided to buy one, I wanted a real PS with all the modern features.  Yes, it cost a boatload of money.  Dave has reviewed power supplies.  Maybe something will turn up in his videos.

Start simple and leave out all the high dollar stuff.  Get a couple of multimeters and all the hand tools.  That Hakko soldering station will be just fine.  I bought one for my grandson.

https://www.amazon.com/Bundle-Soldering-Station-CHP170-cutter/dp/B00AWUFVY8

There are some better prototype boards but they are pricey
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0040Z4QN8

Just buy the simple stuff and get started.  See where the hobby takes you!  At this point, you need projects and parts more than you need test equipment.  As you move along, you will discover what you really need and then you can do a bit more specific research and make a decision.

Waiting for a new scope to come on the market is foolish.  It takes at least 2 years before they work out the firmware issues and by then there is another new scope.  Which will take at least 2 years to get the firmware debugged.  And then there will be another new scope...  Better to drive a stake in the ground and buy something that is already known to work.  Ask for known bugs over in the Test Equipment forum.
AnyNameWillDo:

--- Quote from: rstofer on July 22, 2018, 12:41:33 am ---Start simple and leave out all the high dollar stuff.  Get a couple of multimeters and all the hand tools.

--- End quote ---

But that's just the thing -- if I start with one set of gear and then upgrade things repeatedly over time, I'm spending more money in the long run, compared to if I just bought the right gear right off the bat. I'm trying to minimize overall/long-run cost, because I know once I get past these beginner hurdles this will be a hobby I'll spend a lot of time on.

It's also unclear to me what "all the hand tools" includes or what would be considered sufficient.

(Definitely right with the paralysis -- I went through this same analysis paralysis problem when I was building my home gym but I eventually got it settled and have been using the same equipment for years now because I bought good/quality parts and not cheap things that will need replacement, so it's a strategy that's worked for me even though it's infuriating while in the thick of it)
rstofer:
When you get conflicting opinions, it's hard to say which is correct.  Truth is, all are correct and that just further complicates things.  Most of us will tell you what we do/use/buy.  We can't come to terms with what we don't do/use/buy.

Hand tools:  xcelite but I'm not hung up on them.  You should expect to pay something like what xcelite costs and the $2 Harbor Freight variety probably won't work well. These will probably last a lifetime.  There are other good brands.

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dindustrial&field-keywords=xcelite

One diagonal cutter, one flush cutter, one needle nose, one long nose, various driver sets, etc.

Search DigiKey for other manufacturers.  None of them will be junk, DigiKey doesn't sell junk:

https://www.digikey.com/products/en/tools/wire-cutters/234?k=flush%20cutter
https://www.digikey.com/products/en/tools/screw-and-nut-drivers-sets/249?k=hex%20driver%20set

Flush cutters are used to cut leads very close to the surface of a PCB.  Diagonal cutters are more general purpose and won't cut very close to the surface.  Buy the hex drivers and screwdrivers when you need them.


Solder: 0.025" Multicore 0.7 mm  I solder a lot of small SMD devices and I simply don't want large diameter solder.  I also buy solder paste and solder flux in syringes

https://www.amazon.com/Multicore-Ersin-Solder-0-7Mm-Diameter/dp/B0001P0GLW
https://www.amazon.com/MG-Chemicals-8341-10ML-Clean-Syringe/dp/B00425FUW2
https://www.amazon.com/Clean-Leaded-Solder-Paste-Grams/dp/B017RSZFQQ
https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/multicore/386824/82-104-ND/2498902

I do NOT mess around with Lead Free so others may choose different products.

As to solder diameter, this decision is unimportant because you can always buy another roll of solder with a larger diameter.  It's perfectly OK to have two or more rolls of solder.  Some people might have 3 rolls.  I just have the one...  And I buy it in much larger rolls and I think my current roll is about 15 years old.  It'll run out some day.

I have 3 different widths of SolderWick and all of them serve a different purpose.

It is unreasonable to expect people to defend YOUR list when they are using something different.  Your choices may be better but they won't know because they are using THEIR choices.

Don't overthink things.  Get the simple stuff, get started and see where you go.

And, no, I can't defend my choices above against anybody else's opinion.  Their view is just as valid as mine.
Relayer:
Hello AnyNameWillDo,
You're definitely going to need parts draws, as there's nothing worse than trying to find a particular
value of a component, and in some cases, the working voltage. Get a Dymo labeler as well.
Sort by colour. i.e. Yellow for all resistors, white for transistos and MOSFETS etc.
Transistors are essential, from the small signal type to the brute power ones.
Try sticking to one type of transistor, i.e. 2NXXX USA types, European BC, BD etc, or
the Japanese ones, 2SXXXXX.
No point in buying inductors, unless you're into making SMPS or RF work. Just buy to demand.
You'll need electrolytic capacitors, ranging from 1uF to 4700uF with voltages ranging from 16V to 160V.
Anything higher than 4700uF or 163V should be purchased on demand.
A good stock of disc ceramic caps, as well as the MKT or Polyester types. Ceramics from 1pF to 100nF.
MKT or Polys from 1nF to 1.5uF.
Trimpots from 100Ω to 1MΩ, not the SMD types unless you're going to be doing heaps of SMD designs.
Potentiometers, mainly buy on demand, but if doing audio projects, then you'll need a stock of them, not
only linear types, but also logarithmic. And perhaps the dual types as well, but only on demand.
A decent multi-meter.
A capacitance or LCR meter would be good.
An ESR meter
A Digital Frequency Counter
A DC Lab power supply. Say 0 to 50V @ 5A
An isolation transformer, especially if trouble-shooting SMPS.
A good LED type bench magnifier.
An ESD mat with wrist strap.
But most important of all: A Fozgene Rectifier

Regards,
Relayer
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