100$ What to Buy?? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Joshua
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 22, 2011, 02:52:38 am
content: Hey Everybody!My birthday is this week and my parents usually spend around 100$ USD, and want to know what I want. I know it's last minute, but it hasn't been at the top of my mind.Anyway I have multimeters, a rigol scoope, and a hakko soldering iron. Those are the main pieces of 'kit' I have.Does anyone have any suggestions in this price range (can be more or less) of something that is very useful in a lab. I really want something I can use alot, not some specialty piece of equipment that gets used 2 times a year.I've been bouncing around the thought of a Atten 858D+ and a panavise work holder.So any suggestions?Joshua

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 22, 2011, 03:01:39 am
content: Power supplySelection of good quality toolsLCRLots of storage boxes to finally sort all your junk (if you have lots)SiggenDremelGlue gunNew workdesk/shelvingAntistatic matsToolboxAlso a nice movable magnifying desk lamp is really handy if you don't have one. Not just for magnifying stuff, its really useful to have a movable light source above your work area.

author: Joshua
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 22, 2011, 03:08:27 am
content: Thanks Psi for the reply...Power supplyCurrently Building one, but have one to use temporarilySelection of good quality toolsWhat tools do you use the most? I have screwdrivers, cutters, tweezers, etc...LCRI guess I don't really have a need for this yet (I am, by the standards that be, still a intermediate beginner) Where do you use this?Lots of storage boxes to finally sort all your junk (if you have lots)Plenty of these...I like things organizedSiggenWhat is the application of these? I don't really understand where to use one. Links?DremelCheckGlue gunCouldn't live without itNew work desk/shelvingNot possible considering i'm on a computer desk in my small bedroom...Antistatic matsCheck, so as to not destroy the nice desk while soldering and suchToolboxCheckAlso a nice movable magnifying desk lamp is really handy if you don't have one.Yes, that sounds like something useful. I am always having to use a flashlight and a little magnifier. Any suggestions?Thanks again! Keep the suggestions coming!Joshua

author: Conrad Hoffman
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 22, 2011, 03:09:09 am
content: MCM electronics has a surprisingly good capacitance meter for $34. They aren't glamorous or exciting, but the things I use more than anything else in the lab are BNC cables, adapters and clip leads. One can never have too many cables and adapters, hopefully good ones from Pomona.

author: Joshua
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 22, 2011, 03:14:39 am
content: Quote from: Conrad Hoffman on October 22, 2011, 03:09:09 amHow often do you use a capacitance meter? Is it mainly just for testing caps you suspect to be bad?Hmmm very true. I am always wishing I had a certain cable. Added to the list.

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 22, 2011, 03:26:31 am
content: Quote from: Joshua on October 22, 2011, 03:08:27 amTools i use the most are probably- screwdrivers, cutters, SMT tweezers, solder sucker, pliers, antistatic pcb cleaning brush, jewelers screwdrivers.Tools that i don't use very often but that are really useful and make things easier- dot punch, step drills, nibblerQuote from: Joshua on October 22, 2011, 03:08:27 amI bought my peak LCR because i had a box of inductors and i had no idea what value they were. I like building switchmode supplies and i would always have to buy an inductor to get the right value. With the LCR i can find and reuse old inductors.I actually got my peak LCR in a kit with the peak component tester at the same time (DCA55).I must say i use the component tester far more often than the LCR.

author: amspire
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 22, 2011, 03:37:49 am
content: Do you have any particular interests?Just for example, for $100, instead of spending it on equipment, you could get an Arduino Uno board, several shields, 10 spare processor chips, 10 Freeduino boards for embedding into things you make, a $3 Nokia CA042 USB cable so you can make a USB programming cable for the freeduino boards, the Maker's Notebook (ISBN 978-0-596-51941-4 - it is not a bad way to record the work you are doing), and perhaps book or two on Arduino programming.If this kind of thing interests you, then it is not just that you can learn to make impressive things very quickly. If you think about it, the Arduino has several channels of 10 bit A/D converters and lots of digital inputs, timers, PWM outputs. You can program it to measure something that most people cannot do without some very expensive instrument. In this threadhttps://www.eevblog.com/forum/index.php?topic=5259.15, Neutron7 wants to capture certain type of waveform, and found his Rigol scope didn't really do a good job. So he is now programming a micro to capture the data instead. That is the kind of thing that is possible.Richard

author: grenert
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 22, 2011, 04:14:47 am
content: Going from a Radio Shack "holding hands" to a Panavise was like night and day. I'm not sure you need to get it now, when you are first starting out, but it is definitely something to get sometime. I use both the PCB holder and the extra-wide holder; never tried the standard vise head.

author: sub
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 22, 2011, 04:41:35 am
content: Some of the digital stuff that Dangerous Prototypes makes might be useful (though I don't own any of it personally). They have a JTAG adaptor (Bus Blaster), logic analyser (Open Logic Sniffer), and a PC interface (Bus Pirate) for testing SPI/I2C/etc. buses from a PC, at $30/$50/$35 respectively. The JTAG interface might be useful if you want to get into ARM or FPGAs.Alternatively, what about books? The ARRL handbook is fairly cheap and is rather interesting if you're into RF.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 22, 2011, 04:48:42 am
content: A copy of The Art of Electronics!Dave.

author: McPete
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 23, 2011, 04:27:42 am
content: ATerasic DE-Nano, and a second hand copy of Digital Systems (Tocci/Widmer/Moss)! Get ahead of the game and start learning VHDL! Fun and useful down the track!

author: joelby
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 23, 2011, 10:31:27 am
content: +1 for a hot air tool. The soldering iron that comes with the 898D is pretty decent and handy for those times when you need a second iron.

author: ThePranksta
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: October 24, 2011, 03:30:10 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on October 22, 2011, 04:48:42 amI'll second that. But you can only get the softcover copy of "The Bible" for $100 and out of experience a 1kg (2lb) softcover book don't last long.At my previous employer (a large company by South African standards) they were "spring cleaning" and while I was scavenging the heap over lunchtime (it covered about three parking spaces in the basement). I discovered the "treasure" under a pile of 1990's component catalogs, a 2nd edition hardcover Art of Electronics with only the cover slightly torn.Chuffed with my find at my desk the afternoon, the CTO came up to me noticed the book. Opened the cover looked at the first page ..... The horror, his name and the date was written in there. It was his textbook from uni "and had a lot of sentimental value".

author: Excavatoree
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 24, 2011, 03:49:46 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on October 22, 2011, 04:48:42 am12345

author: McMonster
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 24, 2011, 03:55:00 pm
content: A nice set of adaptors (of almost any kind), connectors, banana-alligator clips cables, a high quality coax cable with BNC connectors, 50 Ohm BNC terminator etc. etc. You can never have enough of this stuff and some of those things are suprisingly hard to get when you really need some particular piece.That reminded me I was going to buy a crimping tool and some good cable and connectors by the way. I bought a function generator like two months ago and it's just sitting on the desk because I keep forgetting about this.

author: ejeffrey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 24, 2011, 05:26:59 pm
content: +1 for Art of Electronics. It will last you forever and be more useful that almost any other $100 bit of kit. There are also other excellent books if you have more specialized interests.