Instrumentation

The documentation, drawings, and circuit diagrams are available under the CC BY-SA-4.0 license.

When choosing your tools, it is difficult to find the right price-value ratio. Avoid cheap junk, you will only have a bad experience. Forget the Parkside soldering station.... There is no upper price limit, but choosing from that range is often an overshoot. Here I make a few suggestions and link my own tools.

• How To Solder: A Beginner's Guide
• How to Solder: Through-Hole Soldering - for my english readers I recommend this guide

Here is a list of what we will need, based on the Hungarian/European market availability:

• Soldering station - this is the most important tool, we can use a digital one for more precise work or an analog one because of its cheapness. The point is that the temperature should be adjustable. I have both types, I use them for different types of projects. I would like to mention three examples, the first two are my own:
  • RS PRO soldering station - HUF 84,173
  • hestore - Fahrenheit soldering station - HUF 10,445
  • Conrad - Basetech soldering station - HUF 10,990
• Tip cleaner - HUF 3,690
• Solder - HUF 5,000
• Solder vacuum - we can fix our soldering errors with this
  • Praktiker - Topex - HUF 1,499
• Multimeter - this will be our measuring instrument. I have 3-4 different types, in 2-3 different places. It is convenient to always have at least one in the drawer. You don't need to buy more than one for the project, just be prepared if you find yourself with more than 3 a year later. I would highlight two here. GreatScott! EEVblog - $25 multimeter
  • UNI-T UT131C - HUF 5,800
  • RS PRO RS-960 Multimeter - HUF 27,419
• Power supply - we can get +5 V from USB, the other voltages require an external power supply. If a single fixed voltage is required, I buy a power supply for that, for example a +12 V. If we are building a more serious working environment, it is worth thinking about a laboratory power supply that also includes over-current protection.
  • Voltcraft 12V 2,25A - HUF 8,990 - make sure that it can supply enough current
  • UNI-T UTP1303 ~ DC Laboratory power supply - HUF 40,900 - single-channel, programmable
  • UNI-T UTP3303 ~ DC Laboratory power supply - HUF 87,045 - three-channel, programmable
  • Modified ATX power supply - we can even make it ourselves, but don't start your career with this project, because it could be your last also
  • Panel that can be connected to an ATX power supply - for less dangerous adventures
• Side clip - go to your local DIY store, electrical shop, electronics supplier and buy one. Later we find ourselves with 4-5 scattered on the work table.
  • Toolcraft - HUF 2,490

Optional list:

• Heat-resistant table top - HUF 6,990
• Oscilloscope - if we also want to measure the signal in time
  • OWON SDS1102 - HUF 93,552 - 2-channel, 100 MHz - I have one, from the lower shelves