Gear

This is some of the tools, equipment, and test gear that I use personally. Some of these are affiliate links, so I’ll get a small percentage of any sales made from them. However, I never link to something I don’t use myself. These items are all in regular use in my own lab.

The gear I buy tends to be “high-end hobbyist / low-end professional”. I aim to spend just enough money for good quality tools that will handle regular long-term use, but without paying a premium price for high-end professional gear.

If you buy cheap, crappy gear then you’ll regret it later. Buy good gear and it’ll serve you for years to come, long after you’ve forgotten how much you paid for it. Buy once, cry once!

But we all have to be careful with our budgets, so don’t waste money on top-of-the-range gear if you don’t need it.

Soldering

  • Microscope: I use a Fyscope simul-focal trinocular head with cantilever arm, and camera. You can also get it without the camera. A microscope is one of the best tools you can ever get! Once you’ve used one, you’ll wonder how you survived without it. The cantilever arm is the most expensive option but it’s worth it, because you can push the microscope to wherever you want it. When you’re finished, you can swing it out of the way.
  • Main soldering iron: Aixun T320. This soldering iron is amazing value for money. Whichever package you order, make sure it includes a T245 handle because it’s compatible with JBC T245 tips. That way you can use the supplied third-party tips, or use genuine JBC tips if you prefer.
  • Secondary soldering iron: Aixun T3A. Make sure you get the “T245” version, which uses JBC style tips. There’s also an optional fancy stand which includes a tip-changing bracket and tip cleaner, so get that too. It’s worth the extra cost because it allows you to change tips mid-job, even when the iron is hot.
  • Portable soldering iron: Miniware TS-101. I have the older TS-100 but that has now been replaced by the TS-101, so get the newer one instead. I personally prefer the “KU” tip on this iron, which is like a smaller version of the “K” tip I use on my Aixuns and Hakkos. I’ve also replaced the firmware with Ben Brown’s far superior (and Open Source) firmware which is now called IronOS. There are a variety of pencil style irons available but many of them only support USB-PD, so I specifically chose the Miniware iron because it supports both USB-PD *and* a DC barrel jack. That allows me to power it from any handy battery or power source in the field.
  • Solder wick: NTE Electronics SW02-25 no-clean wick.
  • Flux: Chipquik SMD29130CC no-clean tack flux. Flux is like magic juice for soldering. It will bring sunshine and rainbows on a cloudy day. Learning to use flux will make your life better.
  • Hot air: 858D hot-air rework station.
  • Solder reel stand: nothing fancy required. I have a few of these solder stands, but I’ve also made my own laser-cut double-reel stands just because they look cooler.
  • Solder: Mechanic HX-T100 63/37 Sn/Pb rosin-core leaded solder. This is surprisingly good solder with an effective flux, and it doesn’t smell bad! I normally have reels of both 0.6mm and 1.0mm on my bench.
  • SMT reflow oven: Puhui T-962C. The “T-962C” model is the big brother of the popular T-962 oven, which is a more practical size for hobby use. Get the smaller T-962 unless you need to process a lot of boards!
  • PCB pre-heater: Aoyue 853 PCB pre-heater.
  • Tweezers: Fine tip non-magnetic tweezers.

Test Gear

  • Bench Multimeter: Owon XDM1041. This is pretty decent, and provides a USB connection for external datalogging. It has the annoying feature of starting in “slow” sample mode by default which provides higher accuracy at the expense of slow updates, so I’m in the habit of hitting the speed button twice to put it into fast mode every time I turn it on. Not a big deal. There’s also a version called the XDM1241 which is exactly the same meter with a battery inside, so you can use it on the road or fully isolated.
  • Portable Multimeter: I have a few UNI-T UT61E multimeters, and there’s always one in my backpack. It’s not a Fluke, but it’s a huge step up from the typical hobbyist multimeters. UNI-T is an established Chinese brand that is well trusted, and makes good quality gear. They have a wide range of test equipment but the model to get is the UT61E. Be careful when buying, because they have other meters with almost identical model numbers but very different features. I’ve hacked mine to add backlighting to the LCD, and also designed the UT61E Multimeter WiFi Interface that adds wireless datalogging using MQTT.
  • Multimeter probes: The probes included with the UT61E are acceptable, but for only a few dollars you can get some that are much nicer. Select the “20A Gold” version which has very sharp points and soft cables.
  • Oscilloscope: The best bang-for-buck scopes on the market right now are the DHO9xx series from Rigol. They’re part of the 12-bit revolution: the new generation of low to mid range scopes with higher sampling resolution and big touchscreen interfaces. I have the Rigol DHO924S which is the version with all the options. You can save a little by skipping the signal generator option or decreasing the frequency range.
  • Lab power supply: I have a few different power supplies from RD-Tech. I have a couple of RD Tech RD6006 supplies (60V 6A) for general use, and an RD Tech RD6018 supply (60V 18A) which is useful for high current projects like robotics jobs.
  • Function / signal generator: A signal generator is used to produce things like clock signals for microcontrollers, or specific PWM signals, or whatever else you need. My needs are fairly simple, so a UNI-T UTG962E 60MHz function generator does the job very well.
  • USB power meter: UNI-T UT658B. Handy to see how much power is being used by microcontroller boards like Arduino, Wemos D1 Mini, NodeMCU, and other USB devices.

Hand Tools

  • Lindstrom Rx8150 micro-bevel sidecutters. This is probably the most I’ve ever spent on a basic hand-tool, but the quality is amazing.
  • HS-D1 automatic wire strippers.
  • MaAnt D1 “B1 Set” speed adjustable grinding pen. Yes, really! This is one of those tools that looks like a gimmick, but after you start using it you’ll love it. It’s like a teeny tiny battery-powered Dremel, and the small grinding tips are fantastic for PCB rework including neatly stripping off soldermask and cutting tracks.

Miscellaneous Equipment

  • USB hubs: I have 2 of the Simplecom CH371 ultra-slim aluminium 7-port USB 3.0 hub flush-mounted under the shelf directly above my electronics bench, so that I can conveniently plug in devices while they are sitting on the bench. However, this seems to have been replaced by a newer model called the CH372. Another similar form factor is the Belkin F4U041TT 7-port ultra-slim desktop hub, but it’s only USB 2.0. I also have a mBeat 4-port USB3.0 + 3-port USB2.0 switchable powered hub, which has the advantage that individual ports can be turned on and off without unplugging.
  • Thermal camera: PureThermal 2 with Lepton sensor. I have the older 2.5 sensor which are now obsolete, and have been replaced by the 3.5 sensor. They come up on GroupGets and other places from time to time.
  • Chair: Stateline “Nicholas”, which is a fantastic chair with a heavy steel frame. I have 2, and after 10 years they’re as good as the day I bought them. I upgraded the wheels to ATOMDOC 3″ soft rubber casters, which are amazing! Really smooth and quiet.