Tools to make the job easier?

[KazooMan]

Yep, it was more than I would have liked to spend, but now I don't know why it took me so long to see the light.  That's just like what happened when I finally sprung for a good soldering station.  What a revelation.

I got a Patco PTS10 for $71.10 (don't forget the 10 cents!) from HMC Electronics.  I have several pairs of the usual sort of wire strippers with stops for different wire gauges.  Still, I found that I was apparently nicking the wires some of the time and this creates a weak point just where the wire is attached to the board.  The thermal stripper does a perfect job.  One drawback is that this one is for PVC insulation only.  You need a higher temperature unit for Teflon coated wire and that one is more expensive.

You should buy something from this company just to get on their mailing list for a catalog.  Almost 200 pages of amazing tools, instruments, gadgets, etc.   I spent quit a while leafing through it and wished I had won the lottery to support my habit.  Did you know that you can spend $162 for a pair of wire cutters?  

They have over 30 pages devoted to soldering gear ans supplies alone.  They stock the Hakko brass wire tip cleaner like Dave mentioned for $10.20.


Note added:  The $71.10 is the catalog price.  I just looked on-line and it is $65.50.

[R.G.]

Good question. Thermal stippers have always been a bit too pricey for me. Also, where did you get yours, KazooMan?

The Patco PTS-10 is the ne plus ultra. I got mine for $40 on ebay, but I see that Digikey has them for $48.58 all new and in a box.

Use one of these and you'll never go back to what you used to do.

Interestingly, you can't accidentally blister your fingers with these, which is both odd and very nice.

[KazooMan]

That price is a real bargain!  I can attest to the fact that you cannot burn yourself on the stripper.  One of the first thing in the instructions has you prove this to yourself by first rubbing the blade with your finger and then flat out squeezing it between two fingers.  Warm, but no burn.

My only gripe with the unit is the lack of an on/off switch.  It heats up in less than 5 seconds, so I see no reason to have it on all the time while I am working.  A momentary on push button with a locking feature for continuous use would be a nice feature.

[R.G.]

Other tools:

Wooden toothpicks.

Bamboo skewers from the grocery store.

This: http://www.harborfreight.com/circuitry-hook-and-pry-tool-99745.html
and this: http://www.harborfreight.com/chip-holder-tool-for-soldering-99562.html
or a set including them if you can get a twofer or a threefer.

[jefe]

The Patco PTS-10 is the ne plus ultra. I got mine for $40 on ebay, but I see that Digikey has them for $48.58 all new and in a box.

Use one of these and you'll never go back to what you used to do.

Interestingly, you can't accidentally blister your fingers with these, which is both odd and very nice.

I'm not seeing them at Digikey for that price, looks like $75.70:
http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail&name=PTS-10-ND

I'll have to keep an eye out on ebay.

[robmdall]

The Patco PTS-10 is the ne plus ultra. I got mine for $40 on ebay, but I see that Digikey has them for $48.58 all new and in a box.

Use one of these and you'll never go back to what you used to do.

Interestingly, you can't accidentally blister your fingers with these, which is both odd and very nice.

I'm not seeing them at Digikey for that price, looks like $75.70:
http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail&name=PTS-10-ND


£ I believe is the price quoted... (Damn, I got all excited)
I'll have to keep an eye out on ebay.

[phector2004]

Brass wool- solder cleaning pad.

http://www.rpelectronics.com/sr-460-soldering-iron-tip-cleaner-with-stand.html

dave

+1!

I love that thing!

[digthisbigcrux]

may be stating the obvious but alligator clip ended jumpers, i find myself using them way more than i thought i would when i bought them.  i only wish i had more.

i like hollow shafted nut drivers better than deep sockets,  imo.

[davent]

i like hollow shafted nut drivers better than deep sockets,  imo.

Me too! Mine had a beveled edge on the insides of the sockets so ground them down past that bevel and they now work much better with the thin nuts of electrical components.

dave

[chromesphere]

I'm in trouble next time i go to the hardware / electronics store.  lol

The other thing i was going to mention, i've been using for a while now but there might be people out there that havent caught on yet.  When your soldering or doing any electronics work for that matter, a good flourescent light desktop lamp.  I can not work without one anymore.  You just cant see whats going on properly without one.

Edit: Dont know if you guys have them in the states but this is the work lamp i use, its fantastic!  Even a dentist recommends it, it must be good..right?

http://www.toddschoenbaum.com/favorite-new-dental-products/2011/1/15/ott-lite.html


Paul.

[darron]

make yourself some simple drilling jigs so that you don't have to worry about miss drilling... that takes a lot of stress away for me...

IE a simple 3 knob one with a footswitch for the top. any additional LEDs or switches can be done later without real worry...

[davent]

Assembly jigs, just a piece of thin cardboard, plywood, plastic... drilled to match the enclosure layout.

dave

[familyortiz]

I guess I'd add some reverse action tweezers and I really like to use nice flush cutting cutters with a sharp taper to improve access in tight spots.

[pruttelherrie]

I built this transistortester a year ago: http://www.mikrocontroller.net/articles/AVR-Transistortester
Also good for diodes, fets, triacs etc.

[Gordo]

Assembly jigs, just a piece of thin cardboard, plywood, plastic... drilled to match the enclosure layout.

Damn, that's a great idea. I've heard of it many times but just rolled my eyes, now it makes sense. Also that case looks terrific. Nice job on the finish, how'd you do it?

All you guys are just a plethora of cool ideas on this thread and I'm bookmarking all this stuff.

[Gordo]

Oh, and it's cool to use the word "plethora" in a sentence 

[jasperoosthoek]

Oh, and don't forget 'hands'. Hands make almost anything. Even your drill press was made by hands, and if it was it was made by machines that were made by hands. Or by machines made by machines, .... , by hands.

Hands rule.

[bluesman1218]

What are you using for IC extracting? I know there are several tools out there, but haven't tried any. Right now, I use a dental pick with an L-shaped end to gently pry between the socket and underside of the chip.

[jimmybjj]

Assembly jigs, just a piece of thin cardboard, plywood, plastic... drilled to match the enclosure layout.

dave

I sorry I'm a little more dense than most. What is the purpose of this jig, can someone explain how it works. thanks.

[phector2004]

I sorry I'm a little more dense than most. What is the purpose of this jig, can someone explain how it works. thanks.

Lets you do the offboard wiring and have the thing ready to pop into the enclosure.

I tried wiring up a fuzz face out of enclosure. Ended up being a tangled mess that didn't really fit