kevinhub88 over at the Black Mesa Labs writes: Black Mesa Labs has been using a $20 hot plate for a year now for soldering QFN ICs to PCBs. Only issue so far has been the size ( 10″x10″x3″ ) and thermal mass of the thing as it consumes precious microscope work area and unfortunately stays quite hot […]
Tag Archives: tools
PCB inspection stand for Chinese magnifier
Tom Keddie writes, “On the last hacker camp I picked up a magnifier with HDMI output on Taobao (or more expensive but no airfare needed 14MP HDMI HD Microscope USB Industrial Camera 180X C mount Lens Stereo Stand) I find myself needing to peer into and under packages a lot, I got sick of holding […]
TwinTeeth: The PCB mini-factory
Diyouware TwinTeeth, an open-source PCB mini-factory : It includes the following functions: UV Laser photoengraving on sensitive film or presensitized boards using an ultraviolet laser. Drilling vias and holes using any mini-rotary tool like Dremel® or Proxxon® Dispensing solder paste with precision on SMD PCB pads Plotting circuits with a permanent pen-maker (if you prefer […]
Test video with Hakko T12, JBC C210 and JBC Microtweezer
sparkybg writes, “HAKKO T12, JBC C210, JBC Microtweezer on my latest universal soldering controller” Via the project log forum.
Aperture scripting: Panelize and manipulate Gerber files
Doub has announced the release of the Aperture scripting, a set of Lua libraries to manipulate PCB data files. He writes: At the core of my Gerber Viewer (that you’ve made quite popular, thank you all), there’s always been a set of Lua libraries to load the Gerber and Excellon files, and I’ve privately […]
ThrAxis DIY CNC mill
Eric has posted details on his build of a CNC mill from scratch. The ThrAxis (Three-Axis) is a vertical milling machine made mostly from materials from hardware stores. The spindle is a Harbor Freight rotary tool and the motors and controllers are surplus and eBay finds. We made it during lots of late evenings using […]
Open source PCB ruler v1.0
An open source PCB ruler by Hemal Chevli, that is available at Github: PCB ruler with different foot prints ,SMD proto-typing area, tables, various AWG size holes and inches and cm scale.
Black and Decker Gyro screwdriver teardown
Alan Parekh of Hacked Gadgets writes: Thanks to Black and Decker for sending in this Gyro Screwdriver for review, you can see the review here. In this article we are going to tear into it and see what we have on the inside. Opening the unit was very simple since there are just 5 phillips […]
Simple soldering iron driver (SSID) with Arduino PID control
Carlazar posted pictures of his simple soldering iron driver (SSID) with Arduino PID control in the project log forum: Main features are: – Any thermocouple type irons. – Additional control mode: On-Off controller (besides PID PWM). – External power supply: Some standard Notebook power supply DC 19V, 4.74A. – Small dimensions: It fits into 90mm […]
Experience with the TM240A pick and place
Chuck of LinearLogiX writes: We bought the TM240A and found it works pretty good for our needs. A couple items I found was that using the SMD type tant caps on a reel, I had to actually Grind the side to open width so the plastic holder would fit. As you can see in the pictures it would […]
Color Meter project
Isonno posted his Color Meter in the project forum: It’s a digital meter for measuring color; either the reflected color of solid object, or emitted light. It works, but the original goal was to measure/calibrate the output of RGB LEDs driven by PWM, but that didn’t work out so well. Via the forum.
WORKSHOP VIDEO #55: Infrared reflow oven Qinsi QS-5100
After you’ve dispensed solder paste it’s time to reflow all that solder. This is where the reflow oven comes in. It seems like reflow hot plates are a more popular choice in most small shops because they’re smaller, cheaper, and it’s easier to monitor the reflow process. A reflow oven is a lot more convenient […]
WORKSHOP VIDEO #54: 983A/986A Solder paste dispenser
Without a doubt the solder paste dispenser is a cool tool. Compressed air hisses and solenoids crackle while precise amounts of solder paste extrude into beautiful droplets on a PCB. A few minutes with a paste dispenser saves $15-$25 (or more) on stencils, a life saver if you want to pick and place a one-off […]
Workshop Update for January 31st, 2013
We received tools and tested the reflow oven and hot plate. Added a tools section to the forum, you can get the PDF versoin of the reflow oven manual there. The workshop video of the tool unboxing was made. We purchased an air-compressor for the solder paste dispenser, and got to clear almost all back […]
Tips and tricks on how to tidy up your bench
If you’re like us then your desk is always a total mess of microcontroller programmers, prototype PCBs, wires, tools, etc… This article covers a few tips and tricks on how to tidy up your workspace. While the article is written for heavier tools and equipment than what we use, there are some cool universal tips […]
WORKSHOP VIDEO #53: Unboxing reflow oven, hot plate, and test rig
Unboxing a shipment of tools we sent back from hua qiang bei electronics market in Shenzhen, China. We got a test rig which will help us standardize manufacture testing for our boards. We got two tools for solderpaste reflowing, one is a digitally controlled hot plate, and the other is a reflow oven with programmable […]
What’s the latest gear you’ve acquired?
The “I just bought this, and you what did you buy ?” thread is picking up steam. Hak8or’s latest grab is a AmScope SE400 series stereo microscope. It seems to be a popular choice for a good ~$200 microscope, as JuKu, and Matseng have these as well. Got some gear you’re proud off? Share it […]
Bearmos’s workshop and DIY tools
Forum regular Bearmos gave us a tour of his workshop and shows off several DIY tools. Check out the pictures below the fold. A thrown together workbench (in use for ~ 6 years now. originally built using an upturned recycling bin as a saw horse). I need to cut a hole in the back of […]
What was your latest electronics acquisition?
Voidptr started a thread about the latest electronics gizmo you acquired. Post your latest components, tools, or anything else electronics-related you bought or salvaged recently.
Mark your tools
Steve Hoefer from Grathio Labs has a nice how to on marking your tools. This covers both marking for preventing mixed up tools as well as marking to recover stolen tools. Both of these things seem to be good ideas as more and more of us work together at community workshops and hackerspaces. I also work at […]