Getting started with DIY master tools list

You don't have to invest alot of money to start.
A solid soldering iron with fine tips. I have a weller, but there's very good other or cheaper stuff on the market, like Hakko and others.... Too cheap breaks fast, so it should be one of those that are recommended at the obvious mentioned places.
An el cheapo multimeter, ok, you might invest in a better one, but, well, i guess everybody buys more than one....i have one in every corner...with transistor/diode tester, comes handy...
I bought a very cheap handy LCR-Meter years ago while that kind of stuff was very new and expensive around here still - via ebay from singapore. 15 bucks. Worked. Nice to have.
Solder sucker pump....better take two....(even the little more expensive ones can break faster than expected. Yes, they suck. Really, in different ways... But a more professional vacuum sucking machine that really cuts it is quite expensive and you won't need it in the beginning...or ever...)
A "third hand" kind of thingie, those cheap things with a magnifying glass and two crocodiles. Cheap but indispensible.
Solder 60tin-40lead with rosin core. Solder wick.
I make my own kind of flux with 'rosin' (i.e. collophonium, that i bought in a 1 kg plastic container very cheap at the hardware store) solved in alcohol. Works. I also prepare self-etched PCBs with this liquid in a whole before i start to solder them.
There is special PCB cleaner spray on the market, comes handy to clean up the rosin resists after soldering (this stuff contains acids, that can do harm in the long term, and especially microphone PCBs have to be 'surgically' clean!)
From what i know, it mostly contains orange oil and alcohol. A mixture of both cleans up all rosin resists easily after a short time beeing on the surface, the rest can be washed down with pure alcohol. A toothbrush makes it even easier. (Tastes funny afterwards.          Just a joke....)
Precision tweezers. OK, these are not so cheap. But i never regret this buy. Bought the kind of stuff that they had in motorolas internal support and analysis workstations for mobiles.
Safety goggles. Could safe you an eye if you don't wear glasses already.
Shrink tubing, different gauges. Don't leave this one out. You will wish you have had it.
Heat gun. Cheap and you will buy one anyway. For the shrink tubings and for desoldering of whole PCBs. And for soldering some SMD parts in one or the other occasion.
Hmm, i guess that's it for the moment....
On your mark, get set, SOLDER!!!

Best regards,
Martin

PS: And of course you need small needlenose pliers, a small(!) (side-)cutter, aaaand - an 'automatic' wire stripper (this one is damn cheap but very, very handy.)

I bought a great fluke 87v on evilbay $175.00, and a second cheapy that  measures HFE of transistors, invaluable for matching transistors, and cost $30

In Terms of cleaning the PCB after soldering - Jeff from CAPI recommends 'No-Clean' solder. Anyone see any issues with this.

Also - if i link to the solder I am using, can someone confirm it is 'No-clean' solder and will not harm my PCBs if i dont clean.

australia.rs-online.com/web/p/solders/7568904/?searchTerm=756-8904&relevancy-data=636F3D3126696E3D4931384E525353746F636B4E756D6265724D504E266C753D656E266D6D3D6D61746368616C6C26706D3D5E5C647B337D5B5C732D2F255C2E2C5D5C647B332C347D2426706F3D313426736E3D592673743D52535F53544F434B5F4E554D424552267573743D3735362D383930342677633D4E4F4E4526

I'm assuming it is fine, as there is a section in the spec sheet saying - "The clear residues left after soldering can be safely left on the PCB after soldering."

wow! I didn't know that solder even existed! cool, if jeff says it works, it works. I still would clean with 99% alcohol, and a toothbrush, but that's because I'm a pimoa(pain in my own ass) lol!
I'll get to work on the sticky over the weekend. good stuff fella's

T

Lead bender, Angled clippers, panavise (not at all necessary but well worth it), stripaxe (expensive but so good), magnifying glass

jump in, it is easier than you might think, be methodical and "measure" twice: solder once

I love my Hakko and Fluke Stuff but
Here Some great tools for the beginner
on a budget :

Meter:

www.circuitspecialists.com/csims8264.html

note.. this includes hFE

Iron:

www.circuitspecialists.com/soldering-station-60-watt-3dlf.html


BTW.. The only Solder I use is   Kester 44   63/37  &  I've tried everything.
( manufacture's part #  24-6337-0027  )

Have fun !!

Gary

Hey tonycamphd , Did you ever put together a list?  I'm going to begin my VP28 builds soon and need to get all the necessary tools.  I've got a Hakko FX-888D iron and that's it.  I need everything else.  Amazon links would be killer too if you've got the time!  Thanks man!

-Jesse

That would be killer.  Thanks man!

You need a decent bench fitted with the basic tools. A meter and scope are necessary. A graphical analyzer in either hardware or software is also needed to test and "verify". You can use a soundcard and freeware or spend $15,000 on a new Audio Precision 2600 rig.

Look for cheap, accessable test gear and tools at:
www.mcmelectronics.com

It's not much fun working on your gear if you can't figure out how to fix your mistakes.

I recommend investing in an audio friendly meter. It might cost you a few hundred but it is the most important piece of test gear you will use. I use a Fluke 187 has the ability to do "relative" reference measurements, dbm and dbv and can measure very fast voltage spikes as well as RMS voltages. I beat the crap out of mine and it has worked great for me going on 12 years.

Jon Erickson