Shopping List
What is this about?
Just your standard shopping list!
Do I need all of this to start out?
Hell nah, but if you have extra cash laying around, why not?
Soldering Setup
Taking things apart and putting them back together means having the tools to do it.
Soldering mat
You’re going to burn your table with solder beads if you don’t get one, you can also get some to sort your stuff if you’re into that.
Soldering station
Pretty straightforward, get one with temperature control and extra tips. I’d go with a T12 or something but whatever.
Solder
Leaded, unleaded, random mix ration, thickness? Try them out and stick to what fits better, tin whiskers are a thing though.
Flux
Depending on your solder you’re gonna need a lot, or not, and either it’s through a pen, brush, paste or whatever else, try the different formats out and stick to it.
99.9% anhydrous Isopropyl Alcohol (the Tech Grade stuff)
Caked flux on a board? Put your greasy finger on a chip? Want to clean everything up nice? You’re not going to want to use water here.
ESD Setup
ESD happen, better not turn the things you’re working on into scrap metal
Table mat
Ground mat
Heel strap
Wrist strap
Grounding stuff
Tester
Swag
Tools and helpers
There are kits available that have everything that you need and even more, but that’s not the point of this.
Pliers
Tweezers
Screwdrivers
Spudgers
Pry bar
Suction cup
Electronics
You can get basic kits for all of these, or you can sell a kidney and by pro stuff, your choice!
Stuff
This is pretty straightforward: breadboards, wires, jumper wires, shrink tube, resistors, capacitors, diodes, potentiometers, LEDs, 5v/3.3v power supply, relays, … you’re basically going to buy stuff either because you need them or have them laying around from previous projects, starter kits or stuff you desoldered and kept.
Power supply
If you can change the voltage/amps by pressing or turning a button, it’s pretty much good enough to work with. Just remember that some things run on 5V and others on 48V, some things need AC and others DC, some power supplies can’t be precisely set or have jitter and some don’t, …
Storage organizers
No one want to work in a messy environment, get some small parts organizer/storage with sliding drawers and maybe a rack of bins to store your stuff and you’ll thanks me later.