Creating a Maker Wish List

RE: Creating a Maker Wish List

rachaelp — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 23:00:37 GMT

6. stereoscopic microscope (or at least high magnification inspection goggles) electronics are shrinking all the time - it is hard to work effectively if you can't see what you are working on

You seeded an idea for more lab equipment to add to my wish list. Looking online at what's available this could get expensive! If I accidentally make a large purchase I blame you entirely [View:/resized-image/__size/16x16/__key/commentfiles/f7d226abd59f475c9d224a79e3f0ec07-5c5b856c-c760-485b-850a-3be52b407bde/contentimage_5F00_2516.png:16:16]

RE: Creating a Maker Wish List

COMPACT — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 04:14:54 GMT

CAD = Compact's Agile Dexterity!

(which has long since gone.)

RE: Creating a Maker Wish List

COMPACT — Tue, 20 Dec 2016 05:25:40 GMT

I started out in 1975 with just:

A 25 Watt Soldering iron and side cutters added to my hand tools.

This was enough to successfully build a TV Game!

RE: Creating a Maker Wish List

Jan Cumps — Mon, 19 Dec 2016 19:25:52 GMT

(I did 30 out of 35 electronics years with 4 items out of this list [View:/resized-image/__size/16x16/__key/commentfiles/f7d226abd59f475c9d224a79e3f0ec07-5c5b856c-c760-485b-850a-3be52b407bde/contentimage_5F00_1.png:16:16] )

RE: Creating a Maker Wish List

DAB — Mon, 19 Dec 2016 19:24:48 GMT

Nice list Douglas.

Over the years I have accumulated some of the stuff on your list, though I do not do electronics as a main effort.

My scientific research takes me to interesting ideas all of the time, so I make new tools as I resolve what I want to measure.

DAB

RE: Creating a Maker Wish List

rachaelp — Mon, 19 Dec 2016 15:07:06 GMT

Hi Douglas,

That's a good set of things on that list, all really handy for anybody serious about making things in their own lab. There's probably a few things I would add to that list if I may:

Assorted USB serial widgets e.g RS-232 to USB, TTL to USB etc so you can easily hook up to debug serial ports of development kit.
Cheap JTAG type programmer if you need to flash an MCU (if it's not like an Arduino and already has a boot loader).
Solder fume extractor (Lead free solder is really horrible to breath in so some basic extraction is essential).
Desoldering tool so you can take stuff apart more easily (bare minimum a mechanical pump, ideally a vacuum desoldering station).
Other soldering accessories like a flux pen, solder wick and a couple of sizes of solder depending on what your needs are.
A selection of different cables with different terminations (banana plugs, clips, bnc connectors etc) so you can hook your boards and test equipment up.
Sample books for R's and C's in assorted sizes so your never stuck for such a basic part.

From your list I would say that you'd probably want a selection of multi meters rather than just one as you often need to measure several things at once (e.g. voltage and current simultaneously, possibly at the input and output).

I agree a temperature controlled soldering station is a must for anybody serious about electronics, and a range of different tips and accessories for different tasks too. It's amazing how quickly time can disappear trying to get something assembled if you are struggling to get your soldering right so a decent station is an investment in being able to spend more time designing and testing and less time being frustrated trying to rectify a solder covered mess!

Best Regards,

Rachael