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Electronics Lab Bench Setup Guide

badar.tech

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Re: Electronics Lab Bench Setup Guide

#71

Post by amluto »

massaman_yams wrote: post #3

Mean Well has some constant current dimmable 24v power supplies with zero flicker. You'd need 2 if you want each strip to be independently controllable. They also can take a PWM signal if you're so inclined, but I bought them because I prefer flicker-free dimming. e.g. https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/709-HLG40H-24B

You are unlikely to get amazing dimming performance using constant current with a 24V strip intended for constant voltage operation.

For a bench application like this, get a constant current strip from Bridgelux. They’re cheap and excellent. Digi-key sells them. The “thrive” series is a bit less efficient but has a very nice spectrum. The tiny drivers from Cuvee Systems work well, start quickly, and dim well, but any ordinary LED driver can drive them. Or the bench power supply :)

For 24V tape, here are a few decent choices for drivers:

The Meanwell PWM series. The frequency is below IEEE 1789 recommendations but is okay.

eldoLED LinearDRIVE. The best, but kind of expensive and annoying to use. Program it for a log curve. Here, for example:

https://www.ll-sales.com/eldoled-lineardrive-212d-dmx-led-dr...

These are convenient but massively overpriced:

https://www.diodeled.com/switchex.html

Re: Electronics Lab Bench Setup Guide

#72

Post by OJFord »

mwbajor wrote: post #31
sokoloff wrote: post #5

I find "SMD Sample Books" to be a more effective storage/retrieval system for SMD passives than the lidded parts enclosures. I've got some of the latter, but stopped using them for passives (and repurposed them for small 3-6 pin commonly used parts). But I have to admit that that setup is far cleaner and more organized overall than my disaster of a workbench...

Its a pain to restock the books though and they store alot less. Buying SMD box kits that are already populated is worth the cost. Like this. https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/analog-technologi...

$625?! I'm not saying it's not worth that, for the ... 510 values, 100 of each, but who's this advice for?

To a newcomer, just get some common values, and perhaps not even 100 of them. Then you find out which ones you use most, or a slightly less common value you're missing but use/want, and restock those.

To anyone else, you know what you do, what you use, get that - I'm not sure there's any point in generic advice.

Re: Electronics Lab Bench Setup Guide

#73

Post by prova_modena »

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…

As someone who owns a FA430 and has a sensitivity to flux fumes causing headaches and drowsiness, I agree with everything in this comment. Keep in mind you can become sensitized to flux fumes after repeated exposure (happened to me) so IMO it's better to go overkill on fume extraction before it becomes a problem.

Re: Electronics Lab Bench Setup Guide

#74

Post by cschneid »

myself248 wrote: post #38

I was expecting to grouch all over this, but I really like it. A lot of thought went into this, and the choices are mostly very good. A few notes from someone who's been doing this 30+ years and 10 of those years as a volunteer in a community makerspace: * 10" shelves aren't nearly deep enough for vintage test equipment. If all you need is a DS1054Z, that's fine, but as you move up and your needs expand, you'll find…

For shelves, he's using a track system from home depot that I was looking at for a different project - it has 16 and even 20" deep shelf options.

Re: Electronics Lab Bench Setup Guide

#75

Post by atoav »

rzzzt wrote: post #65
KaiserPro wrote: post #64

This is a very nice guide. Lots of good choices. One thing I would add is that having a solid bench with a replaceable surface to do dirty/cutting things on is really useful. I have a really solid desk I made out of scaffolding planks and recycled roof timbers. The surface is then made using either Ikea bamboo chopping boards (they were on offer) or some other replaceable work top. Another thing that might be useful…

I see "self-healing" cutting mats all the time in tech videos, with the measurement grid and angles printed on top. I'd like to get one at some point.

As someone who runs an University electronics lab I'd recommend to instead get on or more silicone mats (they come with slots for small parts and such). They withstand heat better (curtting mats can deform permanently when heated wrongly), prooved to be more durable and are very easy to clean.

If you need a cutting mat for actual precision cutting of paper, get one and treat it carefully.

Re: Electronics Lab Bench Setup Guide

#76

Post by kevin_thibedeau »

KaiserPro wrote: post #64

This is a very nice guide. Lots of good choices. One thing I would add is that having a solid bench with a replaceable surface to do dirty/cutting things on is really useful. I have a really solid desk I made out of scaffolding planks and recycled roof timbers. The surface is then made using either Ikea bamboo chopping boards (they were on offer) or some other replaceable work top. Another thing that might be useful…

Bench meters generally have higher precision that handheld units. For voltage and current that doesn't always add much value but this is particularly useful on the Ohmmeter where you can track down shorts by small changes in resistance that can't be detected with a low precision device.

Re: Electronics Lab Bench Setup Guide

#77

Post by oliverx0 »

This is truly an amazing write-up, thank you!! I would love it if someone with experience in the bio lab scene (PCR machines, electrophoresis, western blot, pipettes, cell incubator, and so on) could write something similar.

Re: Electronics Lab Bench Setup Guide

#78

Post by SAI_Peregrinus »

Good guide for getting started. I'd definitely recommend having more than one power supply channel.

I use a logic analyzer (and PCBite probes) quite a bit, but that'll vary depending on what you do.

Other tools tend to be more specialized. Function generators are useful if doing analog circuits, board pre-heaters are important for some rework operations, and of course RF circuits have their own set of tools needed.

Re: Electronics Lab Bench Setup Guide

#79

Post by qbasic_forever »

dekhn wrote: post #51
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.

Yep I've had that Korad for years and it's great. I'm sure there are far better power supplies out there but this one is great for hacking on digital stuff and maker projects that aren't demanding or sensitive to the PSU quality (which is like 90% of projects).
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