Essential Gadgets for Makers
And the basics needed to set up the perfect electronics workbench
Over the last decade, electronics and DIY tinkering became a prevalent hobby. It wasn’t long after the Arduino came out that everyone grew an urge to invent. Projects that once required years of study became accessible to everyone.
The truth is — there is a little maker in all of us — and one great way to unleash it is by tinkering with the right tools! After all, Doctor Who had his sonic screwdriver, Spock had his spectral analyzer, and Anakin could fix just about anything! So join us on a little tour of all the equipment one needs to equip their secret lab for the most amazing inventions!
Soldering Iron
There is no getting around a soldering iron; from plumbers to electricians, soldering has been a staple of modern creations. Just like welding, we solder metals together to create physical contacts — this is useful for electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, or simply structural reasons.
If your house has any copper plumbing, the threads are most likely sealed with solder. Solder also creates better bonds for anything that must dissipate heat. And since you’re reading this, odds are it’s on a device that relies almost entirely on solder (albeit a special kind.) If you’re an amateur or adept, soldering stations are very affordable. You can also opt for a more expensive kind with more features.
There are really 2 parameters to look out for: tip sizes (are you soldering ICs on a PCB, or maybe audio wires for a sound system) and power output (the larger the surface you’re heating, the more power you’ll need to overcome the heat dissipation.)
Luckily, most soldering irons on the market offer a variety of power options and tips — so you don’t need to worry! If you’re new to soldering, then be reassured that there is no wrong choice.
In a couple of cases, there are a few other alternatives that you could consider, especially if you are often on the move or work in places where electricity isn’t easily available (for example soldering wires in your car or fixing a drone out in a field). In these cases, a smart portable soldering iron is what you might want to get yourself, such as the TS100. It works with most batteries, has wide operating voltage ranges, and a built-in OLED screen with a plethora of options (such as auto sleep, dynamic temperature sensing, and adjustable heat up to 400C).
In rare instances, you might also want something to solder delicate equipment, like batteries. In these cases, you can’t use a regular soldering iron since the heat would likely damage the equipment. That’s why Spot Welders (or Current Discharge welders) exist; they release hundreds of amps over several milliseconds in pulses that melt the material and weld it instantly! This isn’t really a soldering iron, but it has similar applications and can save you a lot of trouble if you ever plan on soldering batteries or the like. Spot welders are also very affordable, so we’re comfortable including them in this list.
Every good Soldersmith needs a soldering iron, but you can save yourself a lot of hassle by getting a soldering station. The following list is a set of tools that pairs up with your soldering iron to simplify, accelerate and make your day-to-day soldering safer:
Soldering Station
Fume Extractor
Believe it or not, solder isn’t very healthy. Not only does it often contain lead and other dangerous chemicals, but melting it with an iron releases dangerous fumes that aren’t very good for your wellbeing. If Dr. Frankenstein didn’t have good equipment and got hit by thunder instead of his monster, the book would have been a lot shorter and not as entertaining. Why risk it when all you need is a fume extractor? These range from a simple fan with a filter, to HIPA grade industrial filtration systems. And if you’re feeling adventurous, making one is very easy and practically free with an old PC fan!
Magnifying Glass
Once you get the hang of soldering wires, you might want to try your hand at Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs). However, a lot of these can have lots of small components that might be tricky to handle.
You also might need to identify small labels on chips that are nearly impossible to see with the naked eye. That’s why a magnifying glass is never a bad investment, especially when paired up with a set of pincers too!
Additionally, some LED lights on the magnifying glass can be very helpful as it provides illumination on hard-to-see spots.
PCB Holder / Gator Clips
As previously mentioned, working on PCBs is a lot trickier than simple wires. Whilst most magnifying glasses will also come with “helping hands” (i.e. gator clips with adjustable arms), not all have this feature. You might then want to consider something to hold that board in place so you can use both of your hands for delicate maneuvers. And don’t be fooled into thinking you can hold it with your hands; soldering heats up all the metals it touches, and unfortunately, burns are very common in our noble craft! Avoid the burned fingers, get yourself some helping hands, and end up saving on the band-aids.
Solder Holder / Dispenser
Now surely all those solder spools could use some organization — and not only for cozying up the workbench. A thread of solder can get tangled, catch onto objects, unspool into a big messy bowl of spaghetti, etc. A spool holder and solder dispenser are always a welcome sight on the workbench of a maker!
Solder Sucker / Solder Wick
To err is human, and even the best of us make mistakes. Luckily for makers, soldering mistakes are as easy to fix as they are commonplace. Did you put on too much solder or soldered the wrong part? Or maybe the wrong ends of a component? Those pesky electrolytic capacitors and their polarized leads! Well, that doesn’t mean your project is ruined. You can use a solder wick and remove that solder like a sponge. Or you can vacuum it up with a solder sucker by pressing the plunger and watch your messy solder disappear.
Flux
While solder works great on almost everything, some surfaces aren’t very interested in that soldering business of yours. Luckily, flux is there and is far from snake oil. Whether in a paste, liquid, or even marker, flux helps promote solder adhesion by gently “eating” through the very thin top layer that contains impurities or oxidation and exposes the bare metal needed for a good contact. Most solder actually contains some flux into the thread itself. Just keep in mind that — once again — the fumes released from vaporized flux are toxic, so go get yourself a fume extractor. Flux also makes your project a bit messier, so read on because the solution is right after. While this isn’t a mandatory addition to your lab, using it once will convince you, and you will never again solder without flux! (You’ll be on your way to 1.21 Gigawatts in no time.)
Mat
Finally, a simple silicone mat is an absolute must if you want to keep your workbench clean. Not only is it a great electrical and thermal insulator, but it is also very easy to clean with a simple rag, or just by running it under a sink. Most are also shaped with several little compartments to store your electronic components without them rolling around all over the place. Look further, and some are even magnetic to hold the aforementioned components in place without the compartments!
Cleaning Supplies
As you might’ve guessed, soldering can sometimes be a messy deal. Whether it’s the melted flux goo or the solid solder droplets, you will want to clean it up before starting a new project. But don’t go running to the sink, as water is not ideal for those delicate electronics. Not only can it short circuits, but it can also cause oxidation (rust) and that’s a nightmare for any maker.
When cleaning electronics, equip yourself with Isopropyl Alcohol 91% (the higher the percentage, the better. The remaining percentage is water.) Isopropyl Alcohol evaporates very fast and does miracles when cleaning PCBs. You can even find 99% concentration in pharmacies if water damage is a big concern, but 91% is more than enough for most cleaning. Paired with a Q-tip or small bottle sprayer, messy circuits will become a thing of the past.
Additionally, Acetone (or Nail Polish Remover) can be used to clean any rust on metallic surfaces; but be careful as it can damage plastics and dissolve paint! For electrical connectors (e.g. in cars), we recommend good ‘ole QD Electric Cleaner.
Power Supply
Working with electronics means that, inevitably, you will need some electricity to power them. And while the USB cord hooked up to your phone charger can suffice for most Arduino or Raspberry Pi projects, you will quickly find the limits of 5 Volts. Luckily for you, there are nearly endless solutions to solve this issue:
Lab Bench Power Supply
The simplest solution is a lab bench power supply. These are standard in all electronics labs, and at the very least offer constant voltage or constant current modes. The majority of these allow up to 30VDC output and are fused to prevent shorts.
If you are willing to invest a bit more, some variants offer neat extra features, like USB ports, CC+CV modes, AC as well as DC outputs, signal generators, multiple channels, etc.
PC PSU with Breakout
You may not know it, but you most likely already have a power supply within 3 feet of you (if you are reading this from a desktop computer.) Also, we couldn’t forgive ourselves if we didn’t offer a DIY solution to this problem. All personal computers at home and in the workplace have a Power Supply Unit (PSU) that regulates power to the different parts of your computer. Since your CPU runs on about 1.3v, motherboard off of 3.3v, peripherals off of 5v, and larger peripherals like hard disks or CD/DVD drives off of 12v — your PC’s PSU is equipped to handle all of this voltage in a safe and efficient manner. What’s more, they can range from a hundred watts to over a thousand and still remain very affordable (this will come as no surprise if you own a gaming computer or work with video or 3D rendering software.) If you have a spare or old one, don’t throw it away just yet; instead, equip yourself with an ATX Breakout board and benefit from a cheap DIY lab power supply. Since most electronics deal with either one of the voltages previously mentioned, you can rest easy knowing you will never again have to check the voltage levels needed.
If you want to go the extra mile, many projects online will teach you to make a cool (or cute) enclosure to accompany your rugged DIY style without appearing jerry-rigged.
Battery Charger
Finally, a multipurpose Battery Charger like an EV Peak can provide adjustable voltage output in addition to charging your batteries. Most will also include the ability to set a power limit. With a bigger investment, you will quickly find models that offer temperature probes, voltage, and current measuring, and even USB or Bluetooth to connect to a computer or smartphone.
Multimeters
By now, you should be fully armed to create and power your own circuits. But a lot of the time, you will rely on existing circuits. This is why a multimeter is the most important tool of a maker. As a 10mm wrench to a car mechanic, a pen to a writer and a roll of duct-tape to a NASA Engineer, a maker is always naked without a multimeter. Simply put, multimeters remove unknowns from equations, reduce risk, and increase your odds of making your project come to fruition.
Simple Digital Multimeter
In today’s day and age, anyone can get their hands on a simple multimeter for a few dollars. All you need is something that can accurately measure voltage and resistance, with small currents being a bonus. Thanks to Ohms law, you will only ever need two of those for a complete picture of your power budget. However, if measuring things is a passion of yours — and if every component must be probed, sampled, and measured — then you could get yourself a nice multimeter with resettable fuses, full true RMS (for AC lines), auto-range, integrated flashlight, temperature sensing, magnetic and electric field sensing, frequency measurements, and more! You will never lack surprise in what these can offer, some even offer Bluetooth for wireless measurements or a USB port to log measurements on your computer.
Multimeter with Current Clamps
The Achilles heel of most multimeters is their current measurement. While milliamps are fine, anywhere above 5 Amps and you’re into the danger zone. Add to that the potential for Eddy-currents or In-Rush currents, and you could easily blow the on-board fuse (or worse, destroy the multimeter.) To measure currents accurately, you would need a shunt resistor and a notebook to do some math before knowing how much current you are recording. But don’t worry, the danger zone isn’t forcing you to write checks your multimeter can’t cash! You will find Multimeters with Current Clamps readily available with most suppliers. The clamp added to the meter measures electromagnetic fields that are proportional to the current traversing them. Best part is you don’t even have to hook up to or even touch the wires, so thanks to the hall sensors in the clamp, you can measure high currents from several centimeters away. With that said, if large current sensing is a must, get yourself a multimeter with current clamps.
- Best Value (AC ONLY!)
- All-Arounder
- Best Performance
Note: Not all Clamp Meters can measure both AC and DC current, most are AC exclusively for current measurement. Always double-check this feature to ensure it meets your requirements.
Calipers
As the saying goes: “Measure twice, cut once.” And even if you’re not cutting anything, measuring the environment is key to any maker. Precise to the thousandth of an inch, they are very affordable and will serve you for years to come.
Oscilloscope
If at any point in your maker adventures you are confronted with an unknown circuit, a dilemma might present itself. Do you ignore this mystery circuit? Or do you let your curiosity overtake you and delve into the world of reverse-engineering? We opt for the latter, and if you do too, then an oscilloscope is a must-have. An oscilloscope is just like a voltmeter, except it is much faster and more precise. It allows you to represent electric flows graphically over time and take a lot of the guesswork out of the equation. For instance, a simple oscilloscope could make the difference between a signal and a power line. If you’re skilled enough, with time you could even learn to differentiate signal busses and protocols over wires, like distinguishing I2C from SPI, or UART from CAN. More expensive models allow you to analyze several channels at once, comparing real-time data from different points of a circuit. Why stop there, you could use one to measure radio frequencies or digital packets from a computer. At that point, a logic analyzer would be useful, but we digress. We could write a whole article on the ins-and-outs of using an oscilloscope, but the prepared Maker always has one nearby.
Programmers / Serial Adapters (Arduino & Others)
If you’re anything like us, you are nuts for Arduinos. They’re easy to learn, easy to use, and very cheap to own. Most adept makers have drawers full of them. With a huge range of models and brands, a wide variety comes with a USB port to allow easy programming from any computer.
However, once you get comfortable using them, you might try using more specialized models — like an Arduino Pro Mini, an ESP8266, or an NRF24 — and come upon the realization that they do not have USB ports. Instead, you will have to rely on the UART or SPI pins, and those don’t plug into your computer.
Luckily for us, programmer boards and serial adapters exist. These are basically the USB part of the board but off-loaded to save precious PCB real estate (and cost). There are many different flavors, but it’s likely you will never run into 3 different variations.
CH340 based boards:
CH340G is the low-cost variant that you will find on most off-brand microcontrollers. This chip is known for being notoriously unreliable, but still very popular and widespread for its low cost. This is a serial (UART) to USB adapter.
CP2102 based boards:
CP2102 is like the above CH340, but at a higher price in exchange for better reliability and stability. Like the above, it is also a serial to USB adapter. This is the chip you will find on almost all Arduino products.
ST-Link based boards:
ST-Link (v1, v2 & v3) are ST’s line of programmers and debuggers, used exclusively for all STM8 and STM32 chips. They also rely on the JTAG standard, making them a useful adapter to have in a programmer’s toolkit.
Arduino ISP:
Finally, you can also use a regular Arduino with a USB port as an ISP.
Raspberry Pi ISP:
Alternatively, you can use the GPIO of a Raspberry Pi.
3D Printer
Along with Arduinos, 3D printers are what allowed most people to become Makers, tinkerers, and inventors. What required a machine worth tens of thousands of dollars can now be accomplished with a couple hundred dollars.
We won’t get into the ins and outs of 3D printing as it would require its own article, so we will just assume you know just how useful 3D printers are and why you should get one. But if you know nothing about them, the Editor’s Choice will give you a jump start learning by being easy to assemble, affordable, and ridiculously easy to use.
The more advanced users will probably want a CNC router or a laser cutter, but 3D printers are a steppingstone into the world of Computer Numerical Control (CNC) and in bringing your thoughts to life. Paired with a Raspberry Pi with Octoprint installed, your 3D printing setup will rival the very best.
Electronic Essentials
This is a list of small components we think you should always have in a drawer of your workbench. There is nothing worse than realizing you don’t have the right resistor or the right capacitor mid-PCB assembly, so we personally always stock up on these. They are cheap enough that you will want to get them in bulk (as a kit). These speak for themselves, so we will keep it concise:
Miscellaneous
Ruler (w/ PCB Info)
Sometimes you need quick approximate measurements for which a caliper would be overkill. As a bonus, you can get a ruler with PCB cheat-sheets on them! You will never again wonder what width American Wire Gauges (AWG) traces are, or what size surface mounted diode (SMD) components are. And if you didn’t get any of that: it’s also really cool to show off when someone visits your personal maker-space. Adafruit even has one with a built-in synth!
Nail Polish
While keeping your nails colorful, polished, and healthy may be one of your priorities, you might not realize how nail polish can be useful for electronics. Nail polish can be used to coat circuit boards or electrical contacts to insulate them.
Yes, you could also get liquid rubber (liquid electrical-tape), electronic epoxy (potting compound), or latex/silicone — but aside from those being more expensive, they’re also much messier and take ages to cure.
Nail polish is a well-known life-hack for Makers and you can even waterproof circuit boards like Arduinos. The polish cures very fast and comes in many different color assortments. And if you’re used to applying it to your nails, the applicator can make a much cleaner and precise job than the commercial or professional alternatives.
Best of all, unlike the rubbery sticky gooey mess of liquid rubber, or the permanence of epoxy; nail polish can be removed with acetone easily. If you want your circuit to remain visible, for example, LEDs or displays, there is a clear coat nail polish that remains clear after curing.
No links here, this tip is on us — so head on to the first Walmart and get yourself the cheapest nail polish (for science)!
Extra: A Side Note on Organization
While organization is a powerful ally in making projects glide smoothly from conception to finish, we want to reassure you that organization is not a super-power: the best organizational tools in the world won’t help if you’re not mentally invested. Although it can prove very beneficial, we would be remiss not to point out that some of the brightest minds had the messiest desks: Mark Twain, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, and Steve Jobs. And if you’ve never heard of the late Jim Williams, he is one of the greatest inventors and contributors to analog circuitry and modern electronics. He is best known for his messy workbenches, proving that nothing can stand in the way of a powerful resolve and a deep passion. So don’t worry if you don’t work as others do. Love what you do and fuel your creations with your passion.
Conclusion
Being a maker is all about tinkering, so now that you know which tools can help you improve your skills, there is nothing stopping you from achieving greater things. And remember… Having the right skills and a good attitude is the foundation, but having the right tools will certainly help you finesse your abilities and craft.
Note: your mental investment and passion are the most powerful tools out there, so be sure to keep those in top-notch shape. You can spend all the money in the world on different tools and gadgets, but if you are not motivated to always continue trying new things, learning, and tinkering, the rest is irrelevant.
Huge thanks to Evangeline Minet for the collaboration on this article.
About the Author
Hi, I’m Jay, the founder of Jaycon Systems. I’ve been developing hardware ever since I can remember and love learning about disruptive technologies. In my blog, I share with you tips on building great hardware products; my take on new disruptive technologies; and other random & relevant thoughts about tech and entrepreneurship. If you like my posts, don’t be shy — give it a nice round of applause and add me on LinkedIn, I’d love to connect with you.
