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

All suggestions good. I would suggest also an old fashioned large
soldering iron. I had three, all stolen by exterminators. The idea is
that for large items, like can capacitors, you need a soldering iron
with mass. Mass is more important than temperature. A small iron will
not heat large items no matter how hot it gets but it may burn things. A
large iron is more controllable than a heat gun. Heat gun is necessary
for other things.

On 10/22/2023 9:14 PM, David VK2CZ wrote:
> My general purpose bench uses:
>
> Best solder station / vacuum desolder tool you can afford (eg Metcal and
> others). Normal 60/40 solder ( the eco friendly stuff will cause your
> hair to go grey), SMD flux stick, Fibreglass brush to remove solder
> resist, and if your into serious work, conformal coatings, isopropyl
> alcohol and toothbrush / cotton balls.
> Hot air gun to pre-heat connections on large components.
> 30 Gauge insulated wire (to remake broken tracks or wire in mods)
>
> DMM, with continuity beep, multiple test leads with sharp pin ends,
> alligator spring clip ends and SMD tweezer.
> CRO over 100Mhz with 2 or more channels, and ideally with I2C, RS232,
> CAN protocol analysis / trigger abilities..
> PSU with adjustable volts and current limits
> FET/BJT/SCR component tester, great to confirm pinouts when building,
> and confirming go/nogo of suspect devices and LED testing. (never to be
> used on GaAs FETS).
> SIG GEN / Function Gen for audio and RF, again, the best you can afford.
> Old 10w HF rig (to listen and talk to equipment under test)
>
> FLIR camera to identify that component hot spot and excess current
> issue, noting basic ones can be found under $300.
>
> Conductive rubber mat to avoid scratching equipment, noting caution if
> working on gear that has more than 100v floating around.
> hand tools, precision screwdrivers, long socket sets (5.5mm, 6mm, 7mm
> and up), alignment tools, power drill (for 2mm - 32mm drill
> bits/cutters), PCB drill for 0.3mm - 1.4mm drill bits.
> ** Your AC power outlet MUST have RCD / RCBO or earth leakage protection
> fitted, just to protect yourself.
>
> Some ideas, David VK2CZ
>
>

--
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles
WB6KBL
SKCC 19998


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