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Electronics Lab Bench Setup Guide

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Re: Electronics Lab Bench Setup Guide

#51

Post by dekhn »

seabass-labrax wrote: post #40

I have one of the more basic UNI-T multimeters and can highly recommend it. It's always there when I need it (the single 9V battery keeps it going for years) and has great precision. One thing that I don't have - and really want to have - is a variable power supply with constant voltage/current. They can be used when you have an unusual battery you need to charge safely, for instance. Unfortunately, they always seem…

Just buy this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FPU6G4E worth every penny

the answer to your question is in Art of Electronics.

Re: Electronics Lab Bench Setup Guide

#53

Post by phcreery »

Wafje wrote: post #8

I am interested in the airtable inventory system. Anyone else got good experience with airtable?

Me too! I have never used airtable before but have heard of it. I needed an inventory system but I wasn't satisfied with the options I found so I created my own. Right now it is rudimentary but it can import BoM, export to CSV, "build" BoM's (auto-deduct from inventory), octopart API integration for grabbing component info/specs, and all of this compiled to single binary for lightweight selfhosting.

https://github.com/phcreery/partman

Re: Electronics Lab Bench Setup Guide

#54

Post by geocrasher »

myself248 wrote: post #46
geocrasher wrote: post #17

That is wonderfully thorough. And overkill for a large number of projects. But if you're doing real EE work, this is excellent stuff.

> real EE work Oof, we must have different concepts of what that means; I thought just the opposite. The dummy-load is awful and prone to oscillation on certain sources. The o'scope is entry-level, 50MHz (100 with hacks), and doesn't support any advanced analysis. There's no discussion of scope probes whatsoever. There's only one power supply, for cryin' out loud, and it's neither precise nor clean. The DMM is 3½ dig…

You have a good point. I'm thinking of prototyping more generic "stuff" with that setup. For my own work (mostly amateur radio stuff) the setup is quite different.

I also noticed that the scope was only 50 MHz and the power supply was... ungreat.

Re: Electronics Lab Bench Setup Guide

#55

Post by linker3000 »

ssklash wrote: post #50
nunuvit wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> why aren't more on the internet like this, with specific parts lists and sources? There are forums where people post pictures of their benches, but it's a lot of work to document everything and you're going to use whichever distributor has sufficiently similar items in stock at your price point and can ship to your country.

Got any links/suggestions for those forums? I'd love to get some inspiration, like the OP provides in spades.

Reddit. r/electronics. Workbench Wednesdays.

https://www.reddit.com/r/electronics/?f=flair_name%3A%22Work...

Re: Electronics Lab Bench Setup Guide

#56

Post by realharo »

foofoo55 wrote: post #26
Scene_Cast2 wrote: post #18

I see a fume extractor under the desk. As someone who was in the market for one recently, I'd love some discussion (like loudness, price, performance, etc).

Absolutely essential. Fumes from lead-free solder fluxes are nasty [1]. I find that bench-top "fume extractors", consisting of a fan and thin dust filter, are extremely noisy and essentially useless. I love my Hakko FA430-16. It's relatively quiet such that a regular conversation can be had in its presence, and it really works with the right hose & hood setup. 1: https://www.hse.gov.uk/lung-disease/electronics-solder…

I wouldn't call the simple fans useless - just the fact that the fumes are being blown away from your face is a huge improvement over not even having that.

Of course there needs to be somewhere for them to go, but if you can have an open window close to your bench, that solves that problem quite nicely.

Re: Electronics Lab Bench Setup Guide

#59

Post by Workaccount2 »

mwbajor wrote: post #29
Workaccount2 wrote: post #23

This looks like a beautiful setup that isn't used too much. Or perhaps I am just jealous that I can't keep my active work spaces neat.

Do you buy alot of surplus components/equipment? 50% of my garage workshop is from bulk buys from hamfests and machine shop auctions. Its nearly impossible to keep organized because you always get extra stuff that you "can use later" which just adds to the clutter since there isn't always a place to put it.

Here's the worst part:

When I spin up a new project I just buy everything new from digikey rather than deal with the hassle of picking out parts from the part pile.

Re: Electronics Lab Bench Setup Guide

#60

Post by jimnotgym »

danaos wrote: post #48

> Rigol DS1054Z Digital Oscilloscope Interesting as I'm considering buying a scope. Does this still give the most bang for your buck in 2023? Many online commenters mention the Siglent SDS1104X-E as a more modern alternative.

Or you can buy an old crt one for £10 and see if you have use for a scope before you commit. They do take up more room though!
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