Best products from r/AskElectronics

We found 148 comments on r/AskElectronics discussing the most recommended products. We ran sentiment analysis on each of these comments to determine how redditors feel about different products. We found 2,096 products and ranked them based on the amount of positive reactions they received. Here are the top 20.

Top comments mentioning products on r/AskElectronics:

u/rich-creamery-butter · 2 pointsr/AskElectronics

You're getting some great advice here, and I'm glad you're enjoying the process of learning to solder! I thought I'd copy a previous post of mine going over my favorite fluxes. Maybe it'll be useful to you as well!

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Certainly not the same. Over time you'll acquire a number of fluxes that you use for different things. You'll want different types depending on the kind of soldering you're doing, or if you're trying to ensure compatibility (i.e. with a flux-cored solder) between fluxes. I mostly use no-clean but rosin fluxes are great. You're supposed to clean them off but there are plenty of 30 year old boards with rosin flux residue on them that work fine. A note on flux pens, I personally hate them. I'm referring to the ones that are built like those paint markers with the tip you need to push in to get it to flow. Very overpriced for the amount of flux and they never work right. Bonkote brush pens are the best, but unfortunately expensive. They are however refillable and the brush tips are replaceable and relatively cheap. The cheap dispenser bottles work great as well but for very thin fluxes are easier to make a mess with.

Here are my go-to fluxes:

  • MG Chemicals RA Flux - This is a classic. Cheap, very effective. Very sticky and easily clogs flux pens/dispenser bottles, but great stuff.

  • MG Chemicals No-clean Paste Flux - Great stuff, I prefer it to the Chip Quick paste flux although that's also quite good and a little more tacky. This is a thicker flux than the liquid rosin stuff, good for removing bridges and such. I transfer any flux that comes in a syringe to a 3mL syringe. Smaller syringe means you use less force to get more pressure, easier to dispense from small needles. Stick 2 syringes together - nose to nose - with a half inch length of silicone tubing. Let's you get maximum flux volume without entrapped air that will cause oozing.

  • Kester 186 RMA Flux - Slightly less active than the MG Chemicals RA but very good. Thinner and easier to dispense. Side note, this seller (Tekline) also has a great eBay store. Only way to get some of these fluxes without buying a gallon of flux or one of those shitty overpriced flux pens.

  • Edsyn FL22 No-clean Paste Flux - By far the best paste flux I've ever used. Nothing comes close for removing difficult solder bridges. It's not cheap though so I reserve it for tough situations.

  • Kester 959T No-clean - Great general purpose no-clean flux. Very thin, like water. It's a true no-clean flux if a board goes through a reflow cycle - it completely disappears if you don't overdo it. It's also excellent for dip-soldering if you use a solder-pot, which is what it is intended for (wave-soldering).

    I have a water soluble flux that I use as well Kester 2331-ZX but you must clean all traces of it off before you put boards into service, so it only comes out rarely.

    Flux - like solder - is one of those things that seems expensive when you buy the good stuff, but unless you're a CM buying drums of it the cost-per-use is so low that it makes no sense to fuss with the cheap shit IMHO.

    And speaking of flux, if you want clean shiny boards then consider getting some flux remover. The best I've used so far is Techspray E-line Universal Cleaner. Used to use MG Chemicals Heavy Duty Flux Remover but this beats the pants off it - does the job in 5 minutes where the MG would take half an hour. Rosin-fluxes clean easily unless you reflow them or let them get baked on. No-clean fluxes don't usually need to be cleaned - hence the name - but if you use rosin flux to rework a board (i.e. solder through-hole parts onto a board that was reflowed with no-clean) and then use bad flux remover, the no-clean will turn into a white powdery film that's very unattractive and hard to clean. Thus a good flux remover is handy.

    If you're careful with it you can really stretch it out. I recommend against the aerosol cans of flux remover. While they can work well they're expensive and very wasteful, and by the time you clean off a particularly challenging flux you'll have emptied the $20 can.

    EDIT: One little trick that most EEs I've met aren't aware of - pick up a little bit of straight phosphoric acid. It works like magic if you ever need to solder to bare aluminum, steel, or stainless steel. You could probably use an acid flux (usually intended for plumbing) but I can't imagine it being any better than regular old cheap phosphoric acid. You'll never get regular flux and solder to wet steel, but this makes it just as easy as soldering anything else.
u/d_phase · 2 pointsr/AskElectronics

First of all, what type of flux is in the pen?

If the flux is rosin flux, then yes, you should use rosin core solder. If the flux is no-clean, then you should use no-clean solder. You don't HAVE to do this, but generally rosin flux is better than no-clean, and if you are using the two together you are pretty much losing the no-clean ability of the no-clean, so why not just use rosin?

I would highly recommend buying a bottle of this:

125 mL MG Chemicals 835 Rosin Flux

And getting an applicator such as this:

needle tip flux applicator

You can find those applicators all over the place. You could also use refillable brushes or pens if you prefer. (I really like these small needle tip applicators, quite precise)

The flux will last you quite a long time, so it's a good investment. Next I would recommend getting some good quality solder from a known brand. I like to use MG Chemicals because it is easily available where I am. I buy RA or RMA (Rosin Activated or Rosin Mildly Activated) 60/40 or 63/37 solder. Note that it has a slightly higher flux percentage, 2.2% which I recommend as well (more flux is almost always better).

The RA solder combined with the RA flux works like a charm. It makes soldering (and de-soldering) so easy you will always want to use flux, seriously. The only complication is that you may want to clean your boards afterwards, if you want them to last a really long time. IPA or some flux cleaner works well.

I forgot to mention solder thickness. Generally the thicker the solder the less likely you will need extra flux. I find with 0.032" solder with moderate sized pads (5+ mms?) extra flux is good. With smaller pads you probably won't need extra flux. With bigger solder you probably won't need extra flux. That's why it's good to just have the flux in case you find your solder just doesn't cut it.

u/samuri1030 · 3 pointsr/AskElectronics

Everyone here is recommending you buy a soldering station - which is 3 times the cost of the full kit you linked which is absurd. The Hakko 888 is fantastic, but not what should be recommended in this scenario.

​

Honestly what you linked is likely crap and will probably frustrate you away from the hobby. If you get something with easy-to-buy interchangeable tips, it will help you a lot. Something like: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000AS28UC/ may be a bit better of a deal and will be fine for learning. Also grab yourself some well-reviewed solder (rosin-core is fine), a cheap solder wick, cheap solder sucker, and a flux pen (flux will only be necessary if you are re-working - something you may do a lot when you start).

​

If you are looking for a cheap multimeter as well, anything will likely be good enough. Buy whatever has a feature set you think you need. Just note, that I wouldn't recommend measuring anything like mains AC with a cheap meter. Stick to low voltage ( < 50V) DC and you'l be fine. One of my favorite meters is the VC921 pocket DMM. It can be had for ~$10 and is accurate enough for me with a good feature set. Just note that it doesn't do current measurements. If you think you may get into electronics long term I recommend investing a nice meter. Fluke is the go-to brand-name, but there are many who will work just as well. Fluke 101 is ~$40 and will do everything besides current readings. If you want current, I recommend stepping up to the Fluke 107.

​

Also not a fan of all of the tools in that kit you linked. A lot seem un-necessary or extra cheap. These are expensive, but Adafruit and Sparkfun are great and reliable sources for hobbyists and have similar kits:

​

https://www.adafruit.com/product/136

https://www.sparkfun.com/products/14681

u/ddubbAUDIO · 2 pointsr/AskElectronics

I've been messing with small electronics since I was a kid, but just started getting more serious about it in the last few years. I own a recording studio so I like to build my own gear and make repairs.



One of the best investments I ever made was buying some high-quality Hakko tips (and a decent solder station of course). I didn't realize what a MASSIVE difference the tip makes. In both even heat distribution and length of life for the tip. I also got really particular about keeping my tips clean and properly-tinned. I check before and after every use to make sure there aren't any rough spots or leftover solder/burn marks. If your tip isn't properly tinned and cleaned you're going to end up with exactly what you see in your picture.


Something like this: Radioshack Tip Cleaner & Tinner has been absolutely invaluable to me!


I also never use flux, but I do typically use a solder with a rosin core. It all depends on what you're working on, but it seems like you may be running your iron too hot, or completely un-tinned. Which is just going to burn out tips pretty quickly. Look up some rough temperature guidelines and recommended tip sizes/types for what you're working on.


I work on small electronics. So guitar pots and jacks, audio connectors, PCB boards (not the teeny tiny surface mounted ones), making audio cables, swapping dead components on a PCB, etc.

So I use This soldering station that I actually just got recently. It was only $50 and I'm REALLY impressed with its performance and build quality. Couldn't recommend it more for a rig on a tight budget. I typically run it anywhere from 350c to 450c (if I'm working pretty fast).

I use This Hakko tip which I found to be the perfect one-size-fits-all solution for what I usually need.

u/Bzzat · 3 pointsr/AskElectronics

I threw myself in at the deep end. The first thing I built was a basic 4 bit CPU out of TTL logic. Took 4 years to get it working in 1983. No regrets doing it. Looks like you've picked an interesting project though.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0071771336/

This is a good book that covers just about everything you need to know including theory, construction, part selection etc. I'd give that a good read or at least scan the relevant sections before jumping in. Expect to spend a month or so on it (no joke - this is a big subject!) It's pretty cheap for the size of it (8x10" and about 2.5" thick) and the information is really nice. There are some math heavy bits but you can work through these easily enough. Some people will recommend The Art of Electronics but controversially I'm not much of a fan.

Breadboards are dicks as a rule. Some of the time they're ok, some of the time they're not. They have various side effects on some classes of circuits and some higher frequencies. If you're going to buy one I'd buy a good one. 3M make the best ones but they're damn expensive. Wisher make the next best ones. The rest are pretty crap to be honest and are probably a liability. If you're doing high frequency stuff i.e. RF or anything, sometimes it's just better to solder the stuff "dead bug" style mid-air over a PCB blank when prototyping.

Any questions, just ask :)

u/loansindi · 1 pointr/AskElectronics

Don't cheap out on an iron. It's one thing if you absolutely can't afford something from hakko or weller, but if you're going to be doing any amount of soldering a better iron is going to be worth the money, even if you've got to save up a bit.

For someone who anticipates doing a decent amount of electronics, I'd generally recommend the Hakko FX888.

Advantages:

  • Heats up in moments (not 10 minutes). This is good because it means the iron recovers more quickly.
  • Build quality. I've been using an old Hakko 928 that I received second-hand since like, 2006-7 and haven't even needed to replace a tip
u/FPFan · 2 pointsr/AskElectronics

OK, you seem like you are trying to learn, and are asking questions, that is a good thing, and even if someone cringes at your terms, that's OK, you have gotten some good links for the terms and how to use them. Don't be put off.

Now I am going to recommend you see if you can get The Art of Electronics 3rd ed and Learning The Art of Electronics, get the ones with the gold covers. They are expensive, but you will learn huge amounts by working through the Learning book. When I was teaching college labs, I would recommend students get these books (2nd ed at the time). You can find all this information online, and you can learn it that way, but these books are excellent and well worth the cost if you can pull it together.

u/Yelneerg · 2 pointsr/AskElectronics

You are going to want to balance tools and parts.

TOOLS (must haves)

  • Multimeters (At least two, I suggest starting with one cheapo ($5-$10) and one in the $30-$50 range)
  • Variable regulated power supply with current limiting (Skip the cheap/dangerous chinese crap and get a used HP/Agilent/Keysight one off ebay like this or this.)
  • Breadboards (several)
  • Jumper wires
  • Wire strippers and cutters
  • Decent soldering Iron ($50-$100) (DO NOT CHEAP OUT ON THIS)
  • Desoldering pump and/or wick (The ctrl-z of the soldering world)
  • Heat shrink tubing for sealing connections (Especially if you are going to be doing outdoor stuff)
  • Microcontrollers (I suggest starting with an Arudino Uno since it has the largest amount of online support material, you could get an Uno kit, any of them will be fine)
    .
    .
    TOOLS (eventually)
  • Logic Analyzer (Let's you see the logic signals in your circuit which is super helpful for debugging, I have a bitscope micro which is decent, but the software kinda sucks and is more than just a logic analyzer)
  • A function generator (variable voltage and frequency for sine, square and triangle waves) (Again I suggest used off ebay, something like this.)
  • Oscilloscope (a really amazing tool for actally seeing what is going on in your circuit)
    .
    .
    PARTS (vaguely in order of usefullness)
  • Elenco Resistor Kit
  • Elenco Capacitor Kit
  • Elenco Transistor Kit
  • Elenco Diode Kit
  • Elenco LED Kit
    (Of couse you don't have to get the Elenco kits, those are just the ones I use and really like)
  • Voltage regulator ICs (Great for providing regulated power to things that need more than what your arduino can provide)
  • Trimmer Potentiometer Kit (really useful to have around for many projects)
  • Old electronic equipment to scavenge parts out of (Many of my parts have come from old equipment or broken ATX computer power supplies. Tearing stuff apart is both fun and yields great parts.)
    .
    .
    .
    I think that's all for now...
u/CanadianGandalf · 3 pointsr/AskElectronics

I'm pretty new to soldering, but I picked up a Hakko FX-888d and love it. It's got 300+ great Amazon reviews and only costs $100. Any complaints I saw were about it being complicated to set the temp, but this was not my experience at all.

http://www.amazon.com/Hakko-Digital-FX888D-Soldering-Station/dp/B00AWUFVY8

Edit: Yeah, the color makes it look like a toy... But I assure you it is not.

u/_imjosh · 1 pointr/AskElectronics

maybe check out this book and see if you can do a little better with it. it still has math, but you can't really get around all of it: http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Electronics-Inventors-Paul-Scherz/dp/0071771336


you at least have to be able to do some ohms law and some basic calculations. A lot of other things have seemingly impenetrable calculus behind them but I've found a lot of the time you can just read a data sheet and they'll give you some simple formulas that you can just plug into that work well enough. You don't need to know how they came up with the formulas, just plug in your parameters and go.


You should go on youtube and watch some videos of people repairing amps. there's lots of good ones and you can pick up a lot of stuff through osmosis. also check out EEVblog.


lastly, instead of messing with your nice guitar amp, build a cheap one yourself and mess with it. there's tons of schematics online you can use and it's pretty fun to build one. I put this one together and I really like it: http://www.runoffgroove.com/ruby.html You can buy all the parts from digikey.com



u/novel_yet_trivial · 6 pointsr/AskElectronics

I own 3 of these. They are good robust basic multimeters. For learning this is plenty. The thermocouple function is one of those things that you didn't know you needed until you had it. As you progress you will probably find that you wish you had more multimeters before you wish you had better multimeters.

With the money you save, I highly recommend some test clips, some wire cutters / strippers, and perhaps some side cutters (links to the ones I recommend).

u/z2amiller · 1 pointr/AskElectronics

I have the hot air only version of the first one, the 858D. It's okay, gets the job done. I got it on the recommendation of a friend who uses it all the time and is really happy with it.

For a soldering iron though, IMO you'd be better served by something name brand like the Hakko FX888D or the Weller WES51. I have the WESD51 and it has served me well. For J Random Soldering Iron, the temperature control might not be very good, and it might be tough getting different tips.

A decent budget option might be a hakko 936 knockoff, which should have pretty good availability of replacement tips.

u/uint128_t · 3 pointsr/AskElectronics

That set up will do all right.

Helping hands are good, solder looks fine (although if you do a lot of soldering you'll burn through that quickly), and the wick is fine.

One other thing you should get is some flux (probably paste or liquid, maybe someone can recommend a specific flux?). Flux makes soldering a million times easier if the parts are dirty.

Soldering iron wise, that's an alright iron. The tip it comes with is fine for large/medium components. However, consider how much soldering you plan to do. Is it a lot, possibly on small things?

Both the Weller WES51 and the Hakko FX888D are both popular, quality soldering irons. Basically, the handles are smaller (easier to control and maneuver), and the temperature is regulated (more consistent/stable). Additionally, the range of available tips with the WLC100 is not as large.

In conclusion, that's a perfectly fine setup (with the flux), but think about how much you anticipate soldering in the future and considering a higher quality soldering iron. Hope that helps.

u/unusualHoon · 13 pointsr/AskElectronics

Personally, I think the best place for a lay-person to start getting a technical grasp of electronics is from the "Navy Electricity and
Electronics Training Series" (NEETS) modules. The modules don't always describe the electrical behavior in a rigorous physics/engineering based way, but instead, they provide more practical explanations and applications. The best part is that they are freely available here.

As a next step, the standard go-to book is The Art of Electronics, which while it is a little pricey, covers a greater breadth of topics at a greater depth.

edit: typo.

u/jwhat · 2 pointsr/AskElectronics

As others have said, SMD hand soldering is very doable. I just want to add BUY SOME GOOD NO CLEAN FLUX. Paste flux is the most fun you can have with a syringe outside of heroin. Really it makes everything easier. Just make sure to give a good alcohol cleaning afterwards to get off residue.

u/PhirePhly · 3 pointsr/AskElectronics

I'd recommend that you put in the extra money and get a nice second tier DMM. You can get away with a cheapy $25 one, but when it's your eyes and ears, I've found spending a little extra is worth it.

I love this multimeter, and Dave from the EEV Blog liked it as well. He did a whole teardown on a bunch of $50-$100 meters.

u/marklein · 6 pointsr/AskElectronics

Keep in mind that some of the people in this sub are professionals and they are only going to suggest pro gear. And while I agree with them that a really great iron is a great idea, you can get away with something cheaper than $100 and still get great results.

The iron you posted is probably crap considering how cheap it is. That same iron direct from China is like $5, so that will tell you something. If I can suggest something in between a Hakko and the toy, I've used this iron regularly for years: https://smile.amazon.com/Weller-WLC100-40-Watt-Soldering-Station/dp/B000AS28UC

u/Orion_Pirate · 1 pointr/AskElectronics

this soldering iron is amazing. I bought one, and on my recommendation, 3 friends have bought one too. They have all thanked me for the recommendation.

It has good temperature control, good tip cleaning ability, and the highly flexible cord connecting the iron to the controller makes soldering so easy. My previous cheap soldering iron had a stiff, heavy cable that "pulled" on the top of the iron, making delicate, accurate soldering work really frustrating and difficult.

u/iheartmetal13 · 1 pointr/AskElectronics

Think of it like a mountain lake and a river. Volts are like the lake. It is a bunch of stored water that potentially could do work. Once the dam is released the water can flow, like a river. Current, or amps, is like the river.


A battery has a certain voltage that you can measure. Once you put it into a circuit, or attach a load, that will pull a certain amount of current which you can measure.

Resistance is all the rocks and stuff that limit the flow of current, or the speed of the water flowing in the river.


Watch youtube videos, and read The art of electronics


Another good thing to remember is volts are pushed and amps are pulled.

u/hansmoman · 2 pointsr/AskElectronics

I say yes go ahead and clean with alcohol first if the board is old and crusty, it cant hurt. And you should really own a tube of flux regardless. The flux inside flux core solder burns away really quick from the heat of the iron, so you have to be quick with your operations. If you mess up and get something like this:

http://bobbyowsinskiblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Solder-joints.jpg

Reflowing is what you want, but just touching the tip of the iron back on these probably wont fix anything without adding a dab of new flux. Flux is what makes the solder wick properly so you get beautiful fillets.

PS. I prefer the flux that comes in a tube rather than the pen. This one is good: link

u/permalmberg · 3 pointsr/AskElectronics

These aren't websites, but The Art of Electronics and its companion Learning the Art of Electronics are often referred to as learning resources, for good reason.

​

There are of course web sites that teach you electronics, but not on the level these two books, imho. If you don't want to buy books, then I'd recommend you to go watch bigclivedotcom and EEVblog, they have some great content. There are lots of other YT channels with similar content.

u/VashTStamp · 1 pointr/AskElectronics

I have the Weller WES51 and I really love it. I can definitely recommenced it.

Also, I recommend getting some solder tip wire cleaner, such as this one. If you plan on doing a fair amount of soldering.

u/nixfu · 1 pointr/AskElectronics

Best two:

  • Practical Electronics for Inventors - a new version is supposed to be coming out in 2015 to correct the bugs in this book, there quite a few errors in the book, but its still a great read

  • The Art of Electronics - an old college text book, out of print and hard to find, but a classic. I always considered this book to be a sort of the electronics version of "Joy of Cooking". You can find used copies sometimes at a decent price on Ebay. The new 3rd edition is coming out in April 2015, but its going to be a >$100 hardback textbook and its kinda pricey.
u/weirdaljr · 2 pointsr/AskElectronics

I would take a look at Make: Electronics 2nd Ed by Charles Platt (/r/MakeElectronics/) has been one of the best books for beginners in electronics in recent years and they make a electronics component pack that has all of the parts ready to go for the experiments. It starts out with the very basics, and It seems like the first chapter would be mostly review for you, but it is a hands on learning style that teaches practical electronics for beginners and progresses on to coding microcontrollers using a Arduino Uno.


f e Amazon #1 best selling beginner electronics book, which I can vouch for if your looking to start out at the very beginning with the basics and work your way up to microcontrollers and automation using Arduinos

u/pepperell · 3 pointsr/AskElectronics

At home, I've been using my Weller WLC100 for 10 years now. I can solder down to 0.65mm pitch pretty reliably. You just gotta find that sweet spot with the temperature knob. For me its like 3.25. If you want to solder that fine of a pitch, you'll need a magnifier of some sort though. It'll make it way easier

$40, tips extra

https://www.amazon.com/Weller-WLC100-40-Watt-Soldering-Station/dp/B000AS28UC

I mainly use this tip

https://www.amazon.com/Weller-ST7-0-03-X0-79-Conical/dp/B000B607OC

u/Aars_Man_Tiny · 11 pointsr/AskElectronics

Douglas Self's book on power amplifiers covers solid state amplifier design in great detail.

EDIT: The Elliott Sound Products website is a great resource for general audio amplifier stuff. It also covers tube designs and other interesting tidbits.

u/Beegram2 · 2 pointsr/AskElectronics

It's difficult to tell without seeing it, but "Learning the Art of Electronics" looks like a book to accompany "The Art of Electronics". If you're a beginner, The Art of Electronics might be a bit overwhelming. My recommendation as an absolute starting point is Getting Started in Electronics by Forest M. Mimms. It's old and used to be sold at Tandy, but it gives a really quick and simply overview of the basics, and you can get the 3rd edition here for free:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B5jcnBPSPWQyaTU1OW5NbVJQNW8/edit

If you're still interested after reading Getting Started, it's probably appropriate to move on to either The Art of Electronics http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Art-Electronics-Paul-Horowitz/dp/0521809266/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0H11CKC3J5KJMF8BHHA8

or the much cheaper Practical Electronics for Inventors (as mentioned elsewhere - 4th edition is out in April)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Practical-Electronics-Inventors-Third-Scherz/dp/0071771336/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1452851192&sr=1-1&keywords=practical+electronics+for+inventors

u/Ghost_Pack · 2 pointsr/AskElectronics

Depends on the projects. If you're doing anything that requires precision soldering or you need it to last more than a month or two I probably wouldn't get anything super cheap like what you posted, especially if you don't need the extra stuff like the multi-meter and screwdriver. That iron probably costs under a dollar or two to make which is kind of scary considering you're relying on it to control its heat output.

​

I'd recommend getting a soldering station from a well known brand like this one for any substantial amount of soldering. If you're looking at getting into hobbyist electronics in general or want to invest in a good iron go for something like this.

u/cdawzrd · 1 pointr/AskElectronics

I have heard good things about the Extech EX330 and its thermocouple-less cousin the EX320. They are $60 and $40 on Amazon, respecively.

If you plan on measuring AC signals that aren't perfect sine waves, you probably want a True RMS multimeter (see why in this pdf). I use a BK 2707 ($95) that has stood up excellently compared to $200+ Fluke meters I've tried.

u/LocalAmazonBot · 1 pointr/AskElectronics

Here are some links for the product in the above comment for different countries:

Amazon Smile Link: like this one


|Country|Link|Charity Links|
|:-----------|:------------|:------------|
|USA|smile.amazon.com|EFF|
|UK|www.amazon.co.uk|Macmillan|
|Canada|www.amazon.ca||




To help donate money to charity, please have a look at this thread.

This bot is currently in testing so let me know what you think by voting (or commenting). The thread for feature requests can be found here.

u/Enlightenment777 · 1 pointr/AskElectronics
  1. YouTube - Online. Take advantage of it. When I first started learning about electronics as a kid, there was no such thing as home computers or the internet.

  2. Google - Online. If you don't understand something, then ask google. Download datasheets. Two more things I wish I had way back in the day.

  3. Wikipedia - Online. Great for some electronics topics, but it varies from topic to topic.

  4. Books - Online.

  1. Books - Printed. Buy at least one or two starter books.

  1. Historical Electronics Magazines - online. When I was young, I had subscriptions to multiple electronics magazines. It was one of the best ways to learn a hobby before the internet existed.

  1. Electronics Magazines - Printed (or PDF):

u/robot_mower_guy · 3 pointsr/AskElectronics

This is what I have. It is awesome. It was my favorite one to use at work due to the size of the grip. I liked it so much I bought one for home.

As far as the sponge goes, get one with the hole in it like this one. You will be glad you did if you ever had to use the other type.

As far as tips go, throw away the one that comes with the station. It is a conical shape and they SUCK for soldering. Go with a chisel tip instead. I think this is the tip I use. Might want to look up a different buyer, however, as I think I usually pay about $4 for my tips. You will want a small one like that for most of your work (I have no problem soldering a small SMT IC with that chip) and a massive one for the really big, rare things.

u/MDAI88 · 1 pointr/AskElectronics

I think i'm going to go with this one here. Its more then the one I originally thought of getting but sounds like this one is MUCH better then the Chinese crap. But I might go with this one here its a lot more but its worth it from what it sounds like.

u/tttanner · 1 pointr/AskElectronics

I mean, define compatible. I'm confused about what you're looking for exactly. If it is rated for the power specifications you need and terminates in a way that you know how to work with there's not too much more you need to worry about. If you post your circuit we can maybe give you some better guidance, but I think as long as you get reasonably-rated through hole versions of your parts you are going to be fine.

Do you have a base stock of parts like caps and resistors? If not, this Electronic Suprise Box is a cheap shotgun method of getting a base stock going, plus you usually get a decent selection of LEDs, switches, or whatever else they sweep off the table in to your box. If you don't want to dedicate a ton of time to sorting them, you can order kits like this and this.

If you're wanting to better understand how this stuff all works, then check out Getting Started In Electronics by Forrest Mims. You won't regret it.

Most importantly--and I can't stress this enough--RadioShack should be your last resort. You'll pay 10x as much for terrible components. Things that cost pennies on Mouser or DigiKey will be dollars there.

u/slick8086 · 1 pointr/AskElectronics

That wax like block may have been flux.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2049774

you can clean your tip with a brass sponge or a wet regular sponge (that's what I use) I've had my iron for years. I clean the tip frequently while using it. It will last for years to come. If you get soldering station like a Weller (this is the one I have) or a Hakko You will be able to change the tips. This is good for replacing damaged ones or getting different shaped/sized tips. To me having a "nice" soldering iron makes it more enjoyable to solder. Also get or make a fume extractor.

u/Dartmuthia · 2 pointsr/AskElectronics

I have this one, and I'm pretty happy with it. Seems to fit your criteria:

Weller WLC100 40-Watt Soldering Station https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000AS28UC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_7BkRAbE8QG8FF

u/birdbrainlabs · 5 pointsr/AskElectronics
  1. https://www.amazon.com/Art-Electronics-Paul-Horowitz/dp/0521370957
  2. https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/pcb-basics/all
  3. There are companies that will do all of this for you. If your idea is fundable, you can probably just hire a firm or in-source to an ECE to do this for you, and may be better than the 10k-ish hours you'll need to get decent at this.
  4. One strategy when pitching to investors is separate "looks like" and "works like" prototypes. You can demonstrate your (physical) vision for the product while still demonstrating that it's actually technically feasible.
u/engimaneer · 3 pointsr/AskElectronics

I'm excited to see what others recommend. I'm a mech e and only solder about once a week max, usually as a hobbyist on a budget, so at home I have the Weller WLC100 40-Watt Soldering Station https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000AS28UC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_cuz3BbDZDT93R which i consider a great value for a reliable entry level unit, and freed up money to spend on other related equipment that is more important to me, like high quality helping hands, decent solder sucker, solder tips, that wire sponge tip cleaner doodad, a rubber mat, nice fan, and even good wire and proto boards. I don't use the heat gun on a regular basis, but the unit at work is a 852D 2 in 1 combo unit and I don't like how much desk space it takes up, so I prefer a separate mid tier or even chepo heat gun, since I rarely use it. Grain of salt, I only use it for melting adhesive or shrinking wrap or random stuff, so I defer to others for good heat gun advice more in line with your use case.
edit: updated the part number for the 2 in 1

u/LIQUIPOOPS · 2 pointsr/AskElectronics

The Art of Electronics is an oldie but is very well written and quite entertaining. It goes through just about everything to the 68000 microprocessor (think the first Macintosh and a number of other platforms). For example, transistor man.

u/baldengineer · 7 pointsr/AskElectronics

Understanding a circuit does require understanding the fundmantal building blocks. For that, there is no better guide than the Art of Electronics. While you might find a guide that says, "this circuit works with a common emitter amplifier," you aren't going to find guides that alway explain those fundamental circuits.

That's where AoE comes in. All of the building blocks are explain in plain simple language. It is worth every penny and I recommend everyone who is interested in circuit design to have a copy. If you can get a good deal on the 2nd edition (e.g. half the price of the 3rd), then go that route. The vast majority of the information is still fine on the older book.

u/flazyman · 1 pointr/AskElectronics

I've had this Weller for years, it works great. It's on sale right now for $30, definitely worth the money

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000AS28UC

u/Ag0r · 1 pointr/AskElectronics

Is [this] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/0521809266/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_1FnRybW1CCK94) the book you're taking about? It sounds like that is exactly what I was looking for! Thanks a lot ☺️

u/roffvald · 2 pointsr/AskElectronics

I found that the Make: books are quite easy to follow and things are well explained. You could start with this one: https://www.amazon.com/Make-Electronics-Learning-Through-Discovery/dp/1680450263/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=make%3A+electronics&qid=1551011236&s=books&sr=1-1

There is also Make: More electronics and Make: Encyclopedia of electronic components volume 1, 2 and 3.

They come with lists of components needed for each book, and there are also ready made kits of components available on Amazon.

u/TaxExempt · 1 pointr/AskElectronics

I did. I searched this subreddit as I trust a group of redditors more than random google results.

I found this multimeter from a post from 2 years ago.

Is it still a good bargain?

u/jayknow05 · 2 pointsr/AskElectronics

This is a good book on the subject. I would personally work with a 4-layer board with a GND and VCC layer. It sounds like you already have a bunch of layers as it is so yes I would recommend a VCC layer.

u/HIGregS · 1 pointr/AskElectronics

The Art of Electronics is the best all-in-one resource for practical discrete electronics. Add individual device data sheets and plenty of Digikey/Mouser searches with filters and you'll start to get a good feel for general availability of components.

u/somekindofdevil · 1 pointr/AskElectronics

Almost every PCB/EDA software doing length matching automatically so you don't need to worry about that. If you wanna know how softwares are doing it, It's more like a mathematical problem. I think they are using parametric curves like Bezier. You can calculate length of a bezier curve easily so you can match them.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A9zier_curve

If you wanna know more about high speed pcb design, I recommend this book.
https://www.amazon.com/High-Speed-Digital-Design-Handbook/dp/0133957241

u/ItsDijital · 0 pointsr/AskElectronics

I have an Extech EX330, the auto ranging is a little slow, but otherwise it's a great accurate budget minded meter.

u/mordicaii · 1 pointr/AskElectronics

Elenco makes parts kits that you can buy on amazon. I'm aware of the diode, capacitor, and transistor kits.

https://www.amazon.com/Elenco-100-Capacitor-Component-Kit/dp/B004YHZDW0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1465659726&sr=8-1&keywords=elenco+capacitor+kit

That said, you can always make your own and it will be a better value for money.

Get on Digikey and look for standard capacitor values in various orders of magnitude and buy 10-20 of them. To start out, get 100, 330, 470 pF as ceramic and 1, 10, 100, 330, 470 nF in film caps. They're cheap, even in low quantities.

For transistors, get 50 2n3904 transistors and 50 2n3906. Works out to about $8 each. 50 of each should be way more than enough for a long time. For diodes, you can get 50 1n4148s for less than $3. For rectifier diodes, 1N4007s are less than $5 for 50.

Especially for passives, when you buy in bulk, the price per unit falls sharply.

u/GunGeek369 · 1 pointr/AskElectronics

Hakko soldering irons are the best imo. Here is the one I have. They heat and cool very quickly.

Hakko FX888D-23BY Digital Soldering Station FX-888D FX-888 (blue & yellow) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ANZRT4M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_ucNyDbAPFD7CH

u/anbolkonsky · 2 pointsr/AskElectronics

+1 for recommending Practical Electronics for Inventors. I highly, highly, highly recommend this book. I am currently an electrical engineering grad student and I still reference this book from time to time when working through simple circuits, either for debugging or optimization.

http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Electronics-Inventors-Third-Edition/dp/0071771336

u/fatangaboo · 7 pointsr/AskElectronics

I think it was unwise to make such a drastic change to R17 from your circuit of two days ago. It used to be 50 ohms; now you've changed it to Infinity ohms???

If you're using Bob Cordell's textbook please refer to pages 64-67. If you're using Douglas Self's textbook please see pp. 143-4 and especially Fig 6.4(b).

I also think if your output power is 150W RMS per channel, you had better split Q14 into 3 parallel transistors (each with its own emitter resistor). Same with Q15. This will reduce the power dissipation per transistor by 3X, and since Ic per transistor is 3X lower, beta droop at high currents (and fT droop at high currents) are less.

u/aesthe · 2 pointsr/AskElectronics

I very much recommend this book as a basic intro to electronics. There's no need to complicate this with analogy.

I bought this 'recommended additional reading' as a student and have since loaned it to several non-EE friends who have gotten a lot out of it as well.

u/zach444 · 2 pointsr/AskElectronics

A very good introduction to electronics and circuits is The Art of Electronics by Horowitz and Hill. There is an accompanying lab manual that takes you through building some cool circuits.

This is often referred to as "The Bible" and is a common text for undergrads in physics. I still use it as a PhD student.

u/RangerPretzel · 2 pointsr/AskElectronics

The latest update to the Student Companion to AoE was also just released as well: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0521177235/

It's written by my professor and it's very good.

u/agroom · 1 pointr/AskElectronics

I'm not sure if this is exactly what you're looking for, but this is what I use. These are for PCB mounting though, and not in-line.

Connectors & Housing

Crimp Terminal

Crimper

You don't necessarily need the crimper, I started off just bending them with a needle nose plyers, but save yourself the headache and buy the crimper.

u/VanillaSnake21 · 1 pointr/AskElectronics

I do have a home made setup in place at the moment, it's a home made preheater consisting of a hotplate and some clamps, a 1200 watt hot air gun and an infrared thermometer ( looking to upgrade to probing though). I think those hot air stations are not really meant for bga work, more like smd from what I have read. I have an arm in place that holds my heat gun over the board and a concentrator I made from sheet metal that concentrates the hot air on the chip, so in that regard I think I'm more or less set.

I just want to know what you think of these hakko clones, are they reliable? As far as I can see its a Chinese site and I'm not sure what to think of its reliability, what is your experience with it and how is their shipping speed?

I actually have a 19v laptop power right by me, but I looked up this ts100, it's a portable one right? It's around $60, but a hakko 888 (https://www.amazon.com/Hakko-FX888D-23BY-Digital-Soldering-Station/dp/B00ANZRT4M) is about $40 more and has lots of good reviews, what do you think?

u/ceciltech · 5 pointsr/AskElectronics

I really like the Make:Electronics book. It starts with having you blow out some leds and then shows you how not to blow up an led, very practical hands on (and tongue on even) and explains theory behind it as well.

u/dragontamer5788 · 1 pointr/AskElectronics

> EDIT: So it seems there is alot more involved when trying to choose a transistor or FET to use for a given application and they all appear to work differently. If anyone has any recomended resources for learning this wizardry I'd be very grateful!

The Art of Electronics

u/PlatinumX · 2 pointsr/AskElectronics

> Where did you take the formula for wire impedance from? Where could I read more about it?

This is a classic parallel conductor transmission line, there are calculators online. As I mentioned before, the twists do not affect impedance.

You can read more about transmission lines, characteristic impedance, twisted pair, and signal integrity all over the web (and of course check Wikipedia). These are very large topics with a lot of details to learn.

If you want a book, I recommend High Speed Digital Design: A Handbook of Black Magic.

u/lkesteloot · 9 pointsr/AskElectronics

No, neither this book nor The Art of Electronics is good for beginners. I recommend Practical Electronics for Inventors. (Ignore the "Inventors" part, the book has nothing to do with that.)

u/gamma57309 · 1 pointr/AskElectronics

Something like these?

Edit: Actually just found a pair of diagonal cutters and it's exactly what I need!

u/dbuckley · 5 pointsr/AskElectronics

Fair point.

I should also have posted a reference to the Black Magic book, which covers this in great detail.

Amazon link: High Speed Digital Design: A Handbook of Black Magic


u/Beggar876 · 1 pointr/AskElectronics

Find/download/buy this book: High speed Digital Design: A handbook of Black Magic - Howard Johnson https://www.amazon.ca/High-Speed-Digital-Design-Handbook/dp/0133957241

​

Scan it cover to cover. It will pay for itself the first time you save a pcb re-spin because of something you saw in it. It has for me.

u/VectorPotential · 1 pointr/AskElectronics

What are you trying to measure? Your pulse rise time will do some funny things to your results if you're not careful.

If you can obtain a copy of High Speed Digital Design, the author describes several test jigs for such tests.

u/ratwing · 1 pointr/AskElectronics

Thanks. I have a Hakko 888D and a big ass magnifying glass. I just ordered a USB microscope (non-cheap, it has a bed for raising and lowering height). Thanks for the videos.

AND - check THIS out! I just used a thinner stencil, and followed your other instructions. Ignore the blobs to the left, I wasnt concentrating on those. This is really exciting.

u/KosherBeefCake · 11 pointsr/AskElectronics

I’d recommend you get a soldering station instead; something similar to this: Soldering station

u/aerlenbach · 1 pointr/AskElectronics

A apologize for my confusing question. I hope this helps:

Out of battery, in to dc-ac inverter (linked above).

Out of AC-side of inverter. Into the back of a wall plug like this one. This will be installed into a wall and used to power stuff.

u/RedMushtoom · 3 pointsr/AskElectronics

Meh. For the asking price it's not a terrible deal, but the kit is low quality. I wouldn't bother with it. Get one of these instead. That offers a greater range of temperatures, and uses a digital controller.

u/ThunderFalcon_3000 · 9 pointsr/AskElectronics

This Weller has served me well. Although it takes some getting used to. Just check out some vids on proper operation.

Weller WLC100 40-Watt Soldering Station https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000AS28UC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_5kYdBbXBK3117

u/Mastrofski · 9 pointsr/AskElectronics

The Hakko FX-888D. It's pushing your budget a little bit(you're going to want to get new tips at some point), but I've used them in personal, educational, and professional environments. Really a solid iron for what you pay.

u/TheJBW · 1 pointr/AskElectronics

If you want the one book to rule them all, I still stand by: https://www.amazon.com/Art-Electronics-Paul-Horowitz/dp/0521809266

Pricey, but it's a classic.

u/grem75 · 2 pointsr/AskElectronics

I prefer temperature controlled stations, that one just has control of the wattage and no monitoring of the temperature.

Get some good side cutters for trimming component leads.
Like these.

Also, "helping hands" in general are mostly useless, I prefer a vice for PCB work.

As far as solder pump vs wick, get both.

u/ServaboFidem · 2 pointsr/AskElectronics

Ahh... then, that being the case, if you're a novice with electronic theory, then I highly suggest this book: The Art of Electronics.

u/AccidentalBirth · 3 pointsr/AskElectronics

For SMD and I was looking at the following: http://www.amazon.ca/Weller-WES51-Analog-Soldering-Station/dp/B000BRC2XU

Just looking to see if /r/AskElectronics had other suggestions for an iron, and other materials.

u/3DBeerGoggles · 1 pointr/AskElectronics

Safety aside (given it's low voltage), I wouldn't want to go too crappy for the sake of reliability/accuracy.

For the ~$20 mark, I'd try an inexpensive Extech:
https://www.amazon.com/Extech-645618-Digital-Mini-MultiMeter/dp/B0012VWR20/

For the ~$50 mark, the EX-330 was well received on the EEVblog $50 multimeter shootout:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000EX0AE4/

u/frozenbobo · 16 pointsr/AskElectronics

If you want me to make it easy for you, just buy this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AWUFVY8/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_dHlFub055QPJ9

If that's too much, there are maybe some other options, but that is an iron he will likely never need to replace. You can look for other products from Hakko or Weller. Adjustable temperature and availability of multiple tips are both importent features.

The irons available at RadioShack are mostly crappy, so I wouldn't recommend them.