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  • Author Author: baldengineer
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What are the most important parts to have in your electronics kit?

baldengineer

This weekend I went to build a circuit for use in an upcoming video. There were two components I was confident that were in my parts kit: a 555 timer and a counter. Now, I did not know which counter I had, but I assumed I must have at least one decade counter in my pile of ICs. Imagine my surprise when I realized that I had no 555 timers and only a single type of counter. And that counter was a johnson-counter designed to drive common cathode 7-segment displays. To make things worse, the only 7-segment displays I have were common anode!

 

Thinking about all the various types of components, I started to wonder, what else should I check to see if I have in stock? Passives like capacitors or resistors seem like an easy one. But what values? Are inductors critical? If so, what kind? And then when it comes to ICs, what are ones people are still commonly using?

 

So, two questions for the community:

What are the top 5-10 parts you keep your electronics kit?

 

Related to that idea, what about consumables such as solder, cotton swabs, and tape?

What electronics consumables do you keep on-hand?

Anonymous
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  • That's sad. Would you like a free 555 IC with free shipping to anywhere in the United States?

     

    Anyways.

     

    I need lots of jumper wires. They tend to get lost easily. Should invest in some 22AWG wire.

     

    Microcontrollers. The heart and soul. SBCs too.

     

    Soldering iron and accessories.

     

    Breadboards. These aren't all that useful but ok

     

    LCDs and other displays. Any display. I like making portable stuff that don't ever leave the house.

     

    Batteries. I have some lithium batteries I never use.

Comment

  • That's sad. Would you like a free 555 IC with free shipping to anywhere in the United States?

     

    Anyways.

     

    I need lots of jumper wires. They tend to get lost easily. Should invest in some 22AWG wire.

     

    Microcontrollers. The heart and soul. SBCs too.

     

    Soldering iron and accessories.

     

    Breadboards. These aren't all that useful but ok

     

    LCDs and other displays. Any display. I like making portable stuff that don't ever leave the house.

     

    Batteries. I have some lithium batteries I never use.

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