Tools At Home DIY Electronics

I love tools. I like to feel that I always have the right one for the job and I treasure the set that I've built up over the years. But starting out in electronics does not have to be expensive. You can start with just a few inexpensive tools and build up from there. The essential tools that I believe that you must have are a pair of wire cutters and a small screwdriver. A pair of long nose pliers will come in very handy also. These tools can be bought very cheaply. More...

Since I got a Dremel not too long ago I've found so many uses for it that I wonder how I ever managed without it. Most of my work is software but recently I've been asked to build quite a few prototypes for people. They may be based on an Arduino or a Raspberry Pi but every project needs a box or enclosure to keep the electronics tidy and safe. The Dremel is ideal for cutting circuit boards or making irregular holes in enclosures. Let me show you some of the things I've been using it for. More...

You are going to need test equipment. A multimeter is essential and cheap but it will only take you so far. What you really want is a digital oscilloscope, the ultimate tool of any electronics engineer or hobbyist.

Make this the next project that you build and you will be able to use it to fault find and explore all of your future circuits. But oscilloscopes are expensive, aren't they? Yes they can be but this is a solution that everyone can afford.

I've used a magnifying desk lamp at home for more than 30 years and I've found it to be an invaluable tool for all kinds of things including building electronics projects. I want to upgrade my lamp to one with a better magnifier and a brighter, cooler LED lamp. More...

I was so impressed by the potential of the Sound Card PC Oscilloscope probe described in an earlier article that I decided to look for alternative software packages that could be used with it. I found one that appears to deliver better results which I am posting here. More...

A good oscilloscope can cost you a lot of money but you can build this PC based oscilloscope for less than a decent cup of coffee. Yes it has limitations but if you have no way of observing the signals in your electronics projects and you can't afford to buy a full featured oscilloscope then this little project could be the answer to your prayers. Not only does it give you a dual channel oscilloscope but it will also do a Fast Fourier Transform analysis of your signals too. More...

Soldering is easy as this excellent comic strip from mightyohm.com illustrates. If you have any doubts at all about your ability to master the useful skill of soldering then you should read this. It's fun, it's entertaining and it's easy. More...