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Starting Out: Electronic Instrumentation

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4/18/1999 11:10 PM

Starting Out: Electronic Instrumentation

Aside from the hand tools, a soldering iron and possibly some thermal strippers, what are the most basic and essential electronic instruments needed on the workbench for someone building and analyzing amps. Is it true that the Holy Trinity: the Variac, Oscilliscope and Digital Multi-Meter will take you (most) anywhere you need to go, or is that naive? As for the digital meter, I've seen them price from $75 to over $2000, just for a hand held model. (I met a famed tech once who had what I believe was a high-end fluke - it was yellow like that, anyway, and almost shit when he told me what he paid for it) Anyways, how good of a meter does one need, and what do you sacrifice when following a slim budget. Where can one find good deals on used equip., but more importantly, how can a newbie know if an electronic measurement tool can do all it's supposed to?

4/19/1999 12:33 AM
Doug	This looks like a decent meter for a bech, and best of all it's only $21.95. Looks pretty versatile. Although its not a fluke, it should do all you will need. http://www.elenco.com/cs_sales/page3.html Doug

4/19/1999 6:21 AM

I have a Dynatek 112, don´t know if it´s available in the US. Payed about $70 for it. It´s a nice, sturdy and reliable unit, pretty accurate too.
Aside from the most basic voltage, current and resistance/diode measurements, it also does frequency, capacitance, and trannie-testing. Nice.<
The only thing I missed on this one is actually a rarity on meters; following the signal it finds with its own beeper. I borrowed one that could do that once - great for troubleshooting audio-electronics.

A scope would be very, very nice, but it is not essential! I´ve been doing this without one for quite some time (would like to have one, though). Same goes for a variac.

4/19/1999 6:49 AM

I use a good meter I paid $139 for. I also have a Chinese digital meter I bought at Walmart for $8. It does the job. I paid $70 for a waveform generator. I use an old tube oscilliscope (early 60's) for $10. It works well. I built my dummy load. I bought a variac at a flea market for $5. (He didn't know what it was.) I get a lot of laughs when people see my bench but the only thing better equipment would get me is a thinner wallet.

4/19/1999 6:52 AM

Just starting out, get a good soldering iron, and Beckman makes a good digital meter and not very expensive.Check out MCM Electronics. you can find scopes, signal generators , signal tracers, cap checkers, etc on e-bay. Also some tube testers.But the starting tools would be the meter,soldering iron,strippers and cutters, needlenose pliers, and some nutdrivers.A jeweler set of screwdrivers for retintioning sockets and small things.You can get some stuff at some ham fest, and go to some old TV shops. They may have some old things they don't use anymore.I'm sure some on here have some old stuff lying around.You can add as you go and learn.Variacs are not too hard to find, and not too expensive. And you can make alot of things yourself. And start stocking up on caps and resistors,Pots,wire,sockets, tubes,switches,power cords, and any other parts you can think of. You'll use alot of these.Another good sorce for tube stuff is buying old gear, to experiment with. They have a bunch of tube recievers on e-bay too. I just picked up an old stereo sears, with reverb. Has 2 output transformers for 6BQ5 tubes, and power transformer. A bunch of sockets, parts etc. And only paid 31.00 for it.You just have to dig around. [Richie]

4/20/1999 7:50 PM

Re: Starting Out - Favorite Tools

Richie was the only one (I saw) thinking about vital stuff like a good pair of needlenose pliers.. which got me thinking about the couple of tools I literally couldn't (and don't!) work without..
Good small pair of wire cutters
(don't need stripper BC I use cloth wire)
SMALL needlenose, use to form leads, etc.
Solder-Vac/solda-pult/etc. To clean
eyelets/turrets..
Dental Pick (from hamfest): hook end is great
for fishing wires under/around eyelet
boards.. Pointy end is perfect for
reaming out eyelets to make room for
leads.
Tub of "tinning stuff". (tip cleaner). Key
for nice shiny connections is a clean tip.
1/4" set of deep sockets (for speakers, pots
& jacks). ~$15 at Sears..
Electric screwdriver for pulling the back
panels off of Bandmaster cabinets!!

there's a start.. lets see what the rest of you use that you'd put in your "desert island tool kit" :-)

:-)

4/24/1999 1:53 PM
Trace	Hey; To add one silly thing to Richie's needle nose pliers...I happen to use the curved needle nose pliers alot...does anyone else find these helpful? There's some GREAT info on getting started here already. I can't really improve on perfection! Trace

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