Electrical Engineering Stack Exchange
Electrical Engineering Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [equipment]

42 questions
27
votes
4 answers

Considerations in a bench/lab power supply?

I'm looking at adding a low-cost variable power supply to my electronics hobby bench. After years of cobbling together LM317's and LM7805's, it's about time... Considerations: I've found a few options which I am unsure about. Dave at EEVBlog states…
JYelton
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15 answers

Beginner's logic analyzer?

Can anyone recommend a low cost or DIY buildable logic analyzer? Mostly, it would be for debugging serial protocols (SPI, I2C, RS232) at low voltages.
Toby Jaffey
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25
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9 answers

What makes a good soldering station

I am a hobbyist looking to buy a soldering station. The market for soldering equipment ranges from $10 to $1000. This begs the question: * What is the reason behind these huge price differences? * What attributes should I look for in a good…
Lefteris E
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20
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10 answers

Is it worth really buying a Fluke for hobbyist use?

Well, the question is the title: Is it worth really buying a Fluke for hobbyist use? I have a cheap meter at the moment. Is it worth spending a 3 figure sum on a nice, shiny, new Fluke? I honestly don't think so, but I'm curious what other's…
Thomas O
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1 answer

Does anybody have any idea what this piece of equipment is?

A friend of mine picked this up at a garage sale where an elderly electrical engineer was selling a bunch of old test equipment. It's missing a faceplate where it should name what it is, and he's googled the company name and model number, all to no…
TehBam
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16
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9 answers

Which equipment for electronics should I always have on hand?

This is a supplementary question to the question Which electronics components should I always have on hand?
Daniel Grillo
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14
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9 answers

Is it worth getting a function generator?

Is a function generator necessary for every day lab use, or is it special purpose equipment? That is, does it have similar utility to an oscilloscope, or multimeter - would you use it regularly enough to justify it's cost?
Thomas O
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1 answer

Old equipment to identify

I volunteer at the Dauphin Railway Museum in Manitoba, where we recently received a donation of equipment collected by CNCP Telecommunications in the 1970s and earlier. Most has been identified, including testing equipment, telegraph relays, Telex…
Richard Simons
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14
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4 answers

How do I buy and test an oscilloscope?

I am looking to buy an oscilloscope that will last me a few years. Application is everything but RF: digital and analog with as wide a frequency range as possible/affordable. I would like to buy used, but I would prefer Craigslist in the NYC area to…
Joe Stavitsky
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4 answers

What to look for when buying a "helping hand" device?

I'm considering buying a "helping hand" and this one looks interesting to me. Since I'm pretty new to hobby electronics, my question is what are important things to look for when purchasing such device?
AndrejaKo
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4 answers

How to convert a metal work table surface for electronic work?

I have a 23" x 60" metal work table...the kind that restaurants use for prep work. I'm using it as my computer table & electronics workstation. I want to make the surface non-conductive in the cheapest way. I've seen cheap neoprene mats and more…
milesmeow
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6
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1 answer

Safety precautions working with high voltages (Nixie Clock)

I'm building a nixie clock kit with these instructions. I'm up to the part where I have to test (page 17) the high voltage components (the power supply is 12V 250 mA) which is up to 170 volts (page 5) and is potentially lethal. Now I don't know if…
Jack
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5
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8 answers

Investing in a bench-top power supply

For my projects I have always used hacky power supplies: wall plug + 7805, a USB port or an ATX PSU. I am looking at getting into 3.3 V circuits and I am having trouble getting hold of the necessary regulators in Australia. Can anyone recommend a…
jeremy
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3 answers

What is this used for and what is it? (Wooden base, metal strip connecting two terminal blocks with finger nuts and small screws.)

This was handed to us and I have no idea what the device is, or what its usage is.
Pococurante Bird
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1 answer

Would a silicone mat (not anti-static) placed on a truly ESD anti-static mat become anti-static?

It's just like another component placed on the anti-static mat, right? This should work at providing an inexpensive heat-resistant and anti-static workbench area? All the 'anti-static' heat resistant mats I found explain in the comments about how…
adamaero
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