What are your favorite low-end consumables? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: zeeloli6
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: February 19, 2021, 06:28:40 pm
content: Each of us has some products on our bench that we can't live without. Those which make all the difference between our time being "effective" and "enjoyable".I was recently chatting with someone who pointed out how making their own probes with copper plated acupuncture needles was a game changer (heatshrink and a soldered lead wire and now you have a 0.2mm diameter flying probe).After trying that out I thought "sheesh! why didn't i think of this years ago!" Similarly, I gave up normal cotton "make up pads" a while ago in favor of "lint free" ones for cleaning up flux. Since then, no more lint left on THT components.The rubric for the discussion:What are the "consumables" on your bench which you can't live without? The things which for which spending less than $20/20€/20₤ is a "no brainer".

author: opabob
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2021, 06:50:15 pm
content: A coffee pot!!! I have a small 5 cup coffee pot that I got as I was stocking my bench. Meter, scope, coffee pot, freq counter, sig gen, ...

author: zeeloli6
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: February 19, 2021, 07:03:50 pm
content: opabob: that's actually great timing... i was just getting together supplies for etching some Pyralux (flexible PCB material) and repurposing an old coffee pot (i know, not what you meant) would be great for heating the etchant (plus.... glass container!).nctnico: that reminds me that a while ago, on top of having super glue on hand, I started keeping some "B7000" glue around. It's what's used to re-attach mobile phone screens after and LCD repair. Surprisingly useful.

author: jjoonathan
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2021, 07:12:15 pm
content: What's the key advantage of B7000?

author: JohnnyMalaria
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2021, 07:17:43 pm
content: Yorkshire Gold teabags.Strictly, not an essential bench supply, but the tea made with them is.

author: Gyro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2021, 07:36:02 pm
content: They can then be re-used for soothing soldering iron burns.

author: SilverSolder
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2021, 09:35:22 pm
content: A pack of wooden toothpicks. Perfect for applying tiny quantities of flux, glue, etc., perfect for poking small components around on a PCB (no static electricity, no magnetism), disposable.

author: joeqsmith
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 20, 2021, 02:22:53 am
content: All the standard amenities. Wooden blocks, beach towels, aluminum foil and paper clips.

author: zeeloli6
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: February 20, 2021, 02:27:11 am
content: Quote from: jjoonathan on February 19, 2021, 07:12:15 pmTo start with "what" B7000 is, B7000 is a non-branded version of E6000 glue with some packaging improvements over the original (a blunt metal syringe with a stopper built into the cap).As to it's advantages: it's self-leveling, waterproof, non-flammable (once the solvents evaporate off), stable at -40 to 66 C (but can be melted above that to remove it), and can best be described as "holds like an epoxy, applies like silicone". Here's a video of it's most common usage: re-gluing a mobile phone screen into place, creating a waterproof seal -joeqsmith: thanks for the important reminder to never forget my towel!edit: fixed formatting

author: SilverSolder
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 20, 2021, 05:43:29 am
content: B7000 looks significantly thinner (lower viscosity) than E6000. Looks handy...

author: T3sl4co1l
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 20, 2021, 12:29:29 pm
content: Copper clad, solder, and paste flux, those count, right?Scope probes are a bit consumable, at times; I got a quad of TP6100 probes some years ago, that the last one or two of are finally fraying apart (most common failure in my setup, seems to be internal connection of the coax, signal or shield, near the BNC end). Will be time to get some more soon. They're so cheap I don't really care.Though in the mean time I also have a pair of ELDITEST probes, which seem alright. Ask me again in a few years?Neither is very much bandwidth ("100MHz"), which I'm fine with for the most part, as, much more than that from a clip-on probe, just isn't a practical expectation. (Not to say the brand-name ones aren't good for the 500MHz or whatever they claim -- they're better designed, including being much smaller in size.) When I need more, I'm happy just plunking down an ad-hoc low-Z probe.Tim

author: Ground_Loop
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 20, 2021, 02:18:57 pm
content: DuPont connectorsPin stripsSolder braidRazor bladesSMD adaptor boards

author: JohnPen
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 20, 2021, 03:06:11 pm
content: Isopropyl Alcohol, artist's brush, cotton buds, 0.5 mm solder and solder wick.

author: Zeyneb
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 20, 2021, 03:34:47 pm
content: Foam swabs

author: joeqsmith
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 20, 2021, 05:01:29 pm
content: Quote from: zeeloli6 on February 20, 2021, 02:27:11 amAssuming you read the book. I enjoyed it as well.I use the towels to control the air drafts.

author: crerus75
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: February 26, 2021, 07:07:07 pm
content: Guitar picks-- Cheap for a bag of 50 and they're indispensable for popping apart plastic cases. I like them better than spudgers.Plastic pipettes/droppers-- I just used one yesterday with acetone to remove a drop of cured cyanoacrylate from an assembly. Less than $8/100 and I always find uses for them.T-pins-- Great for backprobing automotive connectors. Scope probes hook onto them very solidly.Ice cube trays from the dollar store-- useful for keeping small parts organized in a particular disassembly/assembly sequence. Disposable mainly because I end up using them on mechanical repairs and they get dirty, broken, etc.Cheap containers that fit my ultrasonic cleaner-- I keep different solvents in each one depending on application. One has water-based cleaner for degreasing, another has vinegar for removing corrosion and/or alkaline battery leakage, etc. Kinda satisfying to watch the alkaline-crusted battery terminals from a neglected Simpson 260 shedding chunks and fizzing like an Alka-Seltzer in an ultrasonic vinegar bath.LA's Totally Awesome cleaner from the dollar store-- Costs $1 per quart and is a good general purpose degreaser. Mild enough not to remove paint (most of the time). I've even scrubbed circuit boards with it, then rinsed them clean with ordinary tap water followed by IPA. Yes, it worked. Yes, my knuckles drag on the ground sometimes.Nitrile gloves from Costco-- The older I get, the more sensitive my skin becomes to even mild chemicals like IPA. Using nitrile gloves has become second nature and Costco has the best prices so far (or had-- I think they stopped carrying the gloves, unfortunately).