Workstation configuration

[professormudd]

Greetings,

I was wondering what you all might consider essential supplies/tools/components to have on hand at your workstation? I am new to working with electronics and I would like to be well-equipped to experiment and build things on a whim.
Here is the current inventory of my workstation:

• Magnifying lamp

• Multimeter

• Soldering stuff (iron, solder, flux, sponge, etc..)

• Magnet tray

• Strippers (wire, not lady)

• Small dykes (again, wire)

• Small needle-nose pliers

• Alligator clip leads

• Bamboo skewers (for poking around)

• Approx 600 ceramic capacitors (10pf to 100nF kit)

• Approx 150 polypropylene capacitors (400V/0.01uF ~ 0.56uF 630V/ 0.001uF ~ 0.068uF kit)

• Approx 1,000 1-watt metal film resistors (1ohm - 1Mohm kit)

• Approx 500 1/4-watt metal film resistors (0ohm - 1Mohm kit)

• Approx 500 aluminum electrolytic capacitors (0.1uF－1000uF kit)

I am curious what people who actually know what they are doing have on the ready at their workstations.

[Guy77]

Get one of these too.
https://www.grainger.ca/en/product/p/ST ... Google+PPC

Stanley Scratch Awl. Comes in handy for marking holes to drill and pushing things out of tight places in your chassis!

Guy

[sluckey]

Light bulb current limiter, Variac, speaker dummy load, amp cradle.

[pdf64]

Attempting to mess with amps without a scope and sig gen is kinda shooting in the dark

[professormudd]

Attempting to mess with amps without a scope and sig gen is kinda shooting in the dark

Any particular specs or model recommendations for those? I went casually "shopping" for both of those items, but it felt pretty overwhelming.

[romberg]

For guitar amps, you onlly need test gear that covers audio frequencies. So, you can save a bit of cash if you keep this in mind.

I've been pretty happy with this function generator. Sure there are ones with more features. But they also cost more. This one is under 100 dolars US:

https://www.bkprecision.com/products/si ... rator.html

For a scope, you can find them cheap, used and without manuals on ebay and such. I've had pretty good luck with a new Rigol. For an affordable Chinese scope, they have a pretty good reputation. Again, we only need to be concerned with the 20-20k frequency range. So, there lower cost line works fine:

https://www.rigolna.com/products/digita ... pes/1000z/

[erwin_ve]

Jbc solder station, best buy ever!
2× Multimeter
Signal generator
Scope
Magnifier lamp
Pcb cradle
All kinds of small tools to make building easier, fe stripper.
5 chests of drawers with all parts used in tube amp building, incl several thousands of NOS piher and beyschlag resistors(and still having parts in carton boxes )
Laptop
1x12 evm thiele cab
100w dummy load

[norburybrook]

I'm at the other end of the spectrum I don't have space to keep stocks of things so just order what I need to build a particular amp. I have no scope or sig generator, or an amp cradle, again as I don't have the space. I use basic hand tools to make my cabinets. It can be done

I would love to have all that stuff and a workshop/specific room but I live in one of the most expensive cities in the world regarding real estate prices so have to make do, I sometimes have to park my car half a mile from my house for example as there's no space on the street near my house!

My point is to say, you don't 'need' all that stuff, yes it all helps but it's surprising what you can create with limited resources.


M

[erwin_ve]

I'm at the other end of the spectrum I don't have space to keep stocks of things so just order what I need to build a particular amp. I have no scope or sig generator, or an amp cradle, again as I don't have the space. I use basic hand tools to make my cabinets. It can be done

I would love to have all that stuff and a workshop/specific room but I live in one of the most expensive cities in the world regarding real estate prices so have to make do, I sometimes have to park my car half a mile from my house for example as there's no space on the street near my house!

My point is to say, you don't 'need' all that stuff, yes it all helps but it's surprising what you can create with limited resources.


M

Shhhtttt....

[norburybrook]

I'm at the other end of the spectrum I don't have space to keep stocks of things so just order what I need to build a particular amp. I have no scope or sig generator, or an amp cradle, again as I don't have the space. I use basic hand tools to make my cabinets. It can be done

I would love to have all that stuff and a workshop/specific room but I live in one of the most expensive cities in the world regarding real estate prices so have to make do, I sometimes have to park my car half a mile from my house for example as there's no space on the street near my house!

My point is to say, you don't 'need' all that stuff, yes it all helps but it's surprising what you can create with limited resources.


M

Shhhtttt....

Ha ha LOL

[pdf64]

I'm at the other end of the spectrum ... I have no scope or sig generator, or an amp cradle, again as I don't have the space. I use basic hand tools to make my cabinets...

Wow, that make your builds really remarkable, kudos
I've often wondered whether DAW could be used to do basic scope and sig gen type stuff?
If not, there are small USB modules (eg Picoscope) that can be used with a PC.

[professormudd]

...
Pcb cradle
...

Man, I was wishing for something like this. Had I known there was a name for it, I would have avoided a lot of headaches.

[professormudd]

I use basic hand tools to make my cabinets. It can be done

You sir, are the real deal. I am more of a wood butcher than wood worker. I have a lot of woodworking tools. I also end up making a lot of firewood. But it sure is fun.

My point is to say, you don't 'need' all that stuff...

You sound like my wife.