Dangerous Prototypes tool list
From DP
Tools we use
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Aoyue 968 3-in-1 rework station
Our trusty Aoyue 968 was the first real electronics tool we bought. It's a three-in-one rework station with a soldering iron, hot air rework tool, and solder fume extractor, all for around $100. Ian looked at it inside and out in a Hack a Day article.
The adjustable temperature iron is a huge step up from the cheap fixed-temperature tools we used in the past. It takes standard Hakko tips, but we just replaced the first one recently after more than 5 years of heavy use. The first part to actually break was the handle of the soldering iron, probably from rough use while desoldering. A replacement iron assembly, with cable, tip, and everything, was only $14. The replacement iron came a chisel bit we didn't like, so we swapped in the original and continued to use it instead.
Fume extraction won't appeal to everyone, but we sure like it. A tube near the tip of the iron sucks up rosin fumes and blows them out the rework tool. It makes soldering a lot more pleasant, though the pump can be a bit loud. Not everyone hates solder fumes, but they make Ian sick and this has been a huge help.
Hot air is a must for surface mount prototyping. The hot air tool worked great for about 5 years, but recently it appears to have developed a short in the temperature sensor wire. When the canle bends the wrong way, the temperature display jumps to maximum and it goes into an auto-shutdown mode. We bought the Aoyue 852 below to replace the hot air part, but we wouldn't hesitate to buy another 968 because it provided years of great service for a ridiculously low price.
We love this tool and highly recommend it to anyone.
The Aoyue 968 is pictured with the OptiVisor magnifier available at Adafruit. Buy it, it will make your life better.
Aoyue 852 hot air station
The Aoyue 852 is a dedicated hot air rework station. Hot air is probably the easiest way to remove soldered parts from a PCB, especially large chips with 100+ pins.
We recycle parts between prototype versions. It's cheaper and produces less waste, but most of all it saves times because the correct parts are ready to go. Hot air is a must in our workshop.
We bought the 852 when the hot air part of our trusty 968 went on the fritz. We got a dedicated hot air station because it was cheaper than a new 968, and the 968 was on backorder.
This is the cheapest Aoyue with digital temperature control. Set the working temperature and it will stay there automatically. An 850C is a few bucks cheaper, but the temperature is set manually by referencing a series of graphs.
Temperature and air flow are adjusted with knobs. A display shows the set and current temperature, up to 550degrees Celsius. Air flow is shown on a not quite helpful ball gauge.
The hot air tool is lighter and easier to use than the old one, and pump is significantly quieter. Our 968 is 5 years old though, new units may have the same upgrades. This has been a great addition to our workshop, but we do miss the extra table space.
Soldering supplies
- Soldering board that spins for easy access
- Bright light
- Sponge for cleaning the iron
- Solder
- Flux
- Solder wick
- Tweezers
- Jewelers loupe
- Sticky tack for holding stuff in place
Proxxon TBM110/220 drill press
- Trusty drill press for breaking traces and modding circuit boards
- Safety glasses, you'll need eyes to solder later
Storage
- Binders for SMD parts
- Box with through hole parts
- Free PCB Sunday drawer
- Prototype drawer
- Chest of drawers with common 0603 and 0805 SMD parts
Scanner
- So much easier to scan a PCB than try to take a picture
Brother QL-550 label maker
Sometimes it's the small things that bring you joy. That's definitely the case of this spiffy little label maker. It does one thing, and it does it well: it prints labels.
We don't sell anything, so we don't printing shipping labels all day, but we do mail lots of PCBs and business stuff.
For a while we used inkjet labels, but we were lucky if half of them turned out. Out of total frustration we started trolling classifieds and auctions for a label maker. Brother was our preferred brand because it has some degree of Linux support. We went with the QL-550 because it was $35 at a business bankruptcy auction.
Labels are quite expensive, probably 10 cents each, but the convenience is worth for a business. You can save money buying loose rolls on eBay, but we haven't run out yet. So far the included roll has lasted through a year of Free PCB Sundays and light business administration.
The included software is poor and requires the serial number to download, but it works. You can also use it as a normal printer from any app, which is interesting when you forget to swap printers in Eagle (anyone get that label on a Free PCB Sunday envelope?).
We consider this one of our best investments ever, but that probably says more about how much we hated inkjet label sheets.
Photo studio
- Small light tent
- Cannon EOS 500D