Re: [Amateur-repairs] SETTING UP A TEST BENCH

Lots of good feedback and ideas here when it comes to test bench setup.  Certain test gear is pretty much a given but there are three key elements of my test bench that have made more of a difference than anything else:

1. Lighting & magnification.  I have a swing-arm lamp with a magnifying lens in the middle of it, and it's an absolute essential for close-up work.
2. Desoldering gun.  I use a Hakko desoldering gun and it's one of the most potent weapons on the bench  I do mostly restoration work, so it's essential.
3. Downsized test gear.  Let's face it – most of us don't have the room for full-size scopes and signal generators.  The TinySA is extremely powerful, and has fabulous signal generator capabilities, and it's no bigger than my cell phone.  It's not the be-all, end-all piece of test gear, but just fine for working with boat anchors, especially as a signal generator for IF and RF alignments or running a quick analysis of oscillator operations.  Other gear I've downsized is the scope (to a Siglent digital), and a more robust signal generator (also Siglent). 

YMMV!

 

73 – Steve, KW4H

Tucson, AZ

 

From: Amateur-repairs@groups.io <Amateur-repairs@groups.io> on behalf of J.D. Barron KE4MD <jeter.d.barron@gmail.com>
Date: Monday, October 23, 2023 at 8:49 AM
To: Amateur-repairs@groups.io <Amateur-repairs@groups.io>
Subject: Re: [Amateur-repairs] SETTING UP A TEST BENCH

To add to the earlier comment about soldering irons and mass - You need a nice hefty iron or a big gun to desolder or solder to something that is a pretty good heat sink; like perhaps a nice ft ground plane on a board.
Thinking that a smell iron is somehow better or safer is incorrect as the quicker you get up to temp and finish the job the less damage you are likely to do.
A good assortment of irons for the tasks is a good idea. 
I have 10 watt and 150 watt irons (and guns) along with a small butane powered portable iron of unknown wattage.
Often the hot air station is used to do the work or to just preheat so that the irons have less work to do and to reduce thermal stress.
Thanks.
JD
KE4MD