$5000 Electronics Lab Challenge

[Howardlong]

FYI the first piece of equipment I turn on in the morning, and the last thing I turn off at night, is the espresso machine.

... unless placing 0201s ... but then there's an exception to every rule.

[Smokey]

FYI the first piece of equipment I turn on in the morning, and the last thing I turn off at night, is the espresso machine.

... unless placing 0201s ... but then there's an exception to every rule.

You just need to add enough Baileys or Kahlua to even out the caffeine

[D3f1ant]

FYI the first piece of equipment I turn on in the morning, and the last thing I turn off at night, is the espresso machine.

... unless placing 0201s ... but then there's an exception to every rule.

I have single malt for those jobs.

[Howardlong]

I did try that once, well, to see how much I could drink alcohol-wise before I was a worthless lump when placing parts, on even a small run it's a boring task doing this by hand, at least you should be able to enjoy yourself, right? One glass of wine didn't make any noticeable difference. Two, and I might as well sit on the sofa and watch the TV instead, the difference in dexterity and concentration was startling. It was an experiment not worth repeating.

[MikeW]

This thread brings to mind the phrase 'All the gear, no idea,'

[6581]

FYI the first piece of equipment I turn on in the morning, and the last thing I turn off at night, is the espresso machine.

... unless placing 0201s ... but then there's an exception to every rule.

I have single malt for those jobs.

This topic is for $5000 lab. Which single malt would you recommend for this budget? My lab is in the $200 category and I'll have to manage with Lagavulin. Sure, it cuts into the DMM/DSO budget, but you can't realistically think working with empty Glencairn.

(I lied a bit about my lab, I've 87V + DS1054Z + FX888D and I think it's a great starting point for a beginners lab.)

[alexanderbrevig]

I just built my lab (some of you may have seen the thread) and in total it ended up close to that amount. Though, at least $1000 of that was to build the actual lab desks and static matting and things you may have already. There is a thread on it here, though some changes were made to the list on the first image. Furthermore I spent around $500 on the first project (my take on the word clock project, with 28x28cm PCB and laser cut aluminium front plate). I think including a first project to get the lab set up is a good thing to do.

If I did not have to spend money on desk and anti static matting etc I would've gotten a spectrum analyzer for that last $1k, and in retrospect I'd go for a MSO. Having the LA on the same unit as Osc makes so much sense. I get by with the separate one but it's those small things you learn along the way I guess...