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As a part of a larger project I am working on at the moment, I have decided to invest in some new equipment for manufacturing / fabrication. This is the fifth in a series of posts where I will discuss some of the equipment I am looking at.

As mentioned in an earlier post, today I am going to talk about Electronics Tools.

When working on electronics, there are a few basic tools you should have.  At a minimum I would suggest:

  • Multimeter
  • Soldering iron (and solder)
  • Side cutters

This will enable you to do basic circuit construction and repair.  Of course the following items will make your experience easier (and don't really cost a lot):

  • Sponge (for cleaning the soldering iron)
  • Solder wick and/or desoldering pump (for fixing up mistakes)
  • Isopropyl alcohol (for cleaning up the finished PCB)
  • Hook-up wire

If you are prototyping your own boards, or troubleshooting more complex boards, then the following may also be of use:

  • Protoboard / Vero board / Strip board
  • Logic analyser
  • Oscilloscope
  • Bench top variable power supply
  • PCB design software
  • Spare parts

Learning to designing your own circuits is a very large topic, and unless you're someone who has studied doing this, there is a lot to learn.  However if all you interested in is troubleshooting / repairing simple circuits,  or indeed building a circuit from a kit, then the top two lists will see you well on your way.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please leave a comment below.

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