Chapter 1
The Toolbox
Tasks Performed in This Chapter
To build anything, large or small, using the right tools makes a huge improvement in the quality of the finished product. The right tools will also speed up the process of building, minimize wasted materials, and reduce operator fatigue and stress. Sounds pretty important to have the right tools, doesnât it? Youâre right! This chapter shows you which, out of the zillions of tools, are the ones to use for building electronic circuits.
Basic Tools for Building Circuits
Youâll be pleasantly surprised to find that you donât need a giant set of fancy tools to do excellent work! In fact, you may have most of them already and a couple of additional acquisitions are all thatâs needed.
Mechanically speaking, youâll need squeezers, cutters, turners, pokers, holders, and hole makers. Thatâs pretty simple, isnât it? Of course, there is an incredible variety of available tools. Iâll list the basic items you really need, ways to upgrade them, and some optional tools that are handy but not necessities. Then you go shopping!
The selection of tools listed in this section has been made with electronics in mind, not robot assembly, plumbing installation, or home wiring. Tools for those jobs are often inappropriate for the smaller scale of electronics. Conversely, electronic tools are often overmatched for beefier work. There is no one-size-fits-all tool selection!
Safety and visibility
Before you head off to the hardware store with a big list, be sure that right at the top you include some basic safety equipment â goggles (or safety glasses), workspace ventilation (for soldering smoke or solvent fumes), and first aid. Electronics may sound tame, but the first time you snip a wire and hear the sharp end âpingâ off your safety glasses or take them off and find a small solder âsplatâ right in front of your eye, youâll be glad you had them on!
It sounds trite, but you really do need to be able to see what youâre doing! There are two paths to seeing your electronics clearly; lighting and magnification. Your workspace simply has to be brightly lit, preferably from more than one angle to minimize shadows. Inexpensive swing-arm laps with floodlight bulbs are good choices because they can be moved to put light where you need it.
Head-mounted magnifiers are inexpensive and lightweight. The Carson MV-23 dual-power magnifier (www.carsonoptical.com/Magnifiers/Hands%20Free) is widely available and provides both x2 and x3 magnification. Swing-arm magnifiers, such as the Alvin ML100 (www.alvinco.com), can be positioned in front of your face and provide additional illumination, too. Magnifiers are often found at craft and sewing stores for considerably less cost than at office or technical-supply stores.
Pliers and tweezers
In the âsqueezerâ category are pliers and tweezers. The largest electronic thing you are likely to have to grab with pliers is a half-inch nut; the smallest will be tiny set screws. Pliers and tweezers that fit things in that range are good to have in your toolkit. Figure 1-1 shows a few examples of the pliers and tweezers that I use a lot.
The most common type of pliers are slip-joint pliers (8â) which have jaws that can be adjusted to grip large or small things. A small pair of locking pliers (6â) (optional) â also known as Vise-Gripsâ˘, come in very handy when working with connectors and can be used as an impromptu clamp or vise.
Needle-nose pliers (a generic term that covers many different styles of pliers) with serrated jaws are a necessity. Youâll need a heavy pair of combination long-nose pliers (8ââ9â, with or without a side cutter) for bending and holding. Smaller needle-nose pliers (5ââ6â) will be used for positioning and holding delicate components. Additional pliers with extra-fine jaws (or bent-nose pliers) are nice to have in the toolbox, but not required.
Figure 1-1: This set of pliers and tweezers will grab anything youâre likely to encounter in electronics.
Tweezers are absolutely necessary when working with surface-mount devices (see Chapter 4) and small mechanical assemblies. They should be made of stainless steel; youâll need a pair with a blunt nose and a pair with pointed tips. Do not use regular bathroom or cosmetic tweezers â theyâre not really designed for electronics jobs.
Cutters and knives
Two pairs of wire cutters will suffice. For heavy wire, coaxial, and data cable, youâll need a pair of heavy-duty diagonal cutters (6â) like those in Figure 1-2. Get a pair with comfortable handles so that when you squeeze really hard you wonât...