work bench and equipment.

[AcerDave]

Hi,

I’m looking for some advice on setting up a work bench and equipment so far
i have an old 10mhz scope and a fluke multi-meter.

any advice would be appreciated
AD

[igranic]

Obviously, a lot will depend on your intentions and personal circumstances. The scope and Fluke multimeter are a good start. Here is my attempt at a list, in approximately diminishing order of importance:

1/ A solid, non-conductive workbench with plenty of power outlets (I have twelve and that is sometimes not enough!)

2/ Ensure that all mains power to the bench, for both equipment and items under repair, is fed via a single RCD. This could save your life!

3/ If you intend working on AC/DC radios or TVs, consider investing in an isolation transformer, again for safety reason, and for convenience with test gear grounding etc.

4/ Good lighting. Ikea have a range of good bench desk lamps with a choice of clamp mounts or weighted bases, all at very reasonable prices. I don't use their mounts, instead I have glued some appropriately-sized tufnol/srbf bushes directly into the surface of my work bench, thus minimizing clutter .

6/ Depending on resources, either a lamp limiter or variac is useful when bringing old radios back to life after extended periods of dormancy.

6/ A low voltage, temperature-controlled soldering iron. e.g. Weller or clone. These are available as either fixed temperature (temperature determined by type of tip), or variable temperature (determined by control on supply); some have a temperature display. The variable temperature types can be useful when de-soldering obstinate components, or getting sufficient heat to solder a large chassis ground tag.

7/ An analogue multimeter - the behavior of the pointer can often tell you a lot more than a digital display.

8/ An RF signal generator with AM modulation and an AM output - useful if you need to realign the tuning or IF stages of a radio, and for fault-finding the AM stages.

I hope you find this helpful. I am sure others will wish to add their thoughts and experience.

Edward

[love kt3]

Hi, most usefull device I know of is a 1 or 2 amp AC current analogue meter in line with a power socket. With experience it will show almost any fault. If it's unavaliable then a DC 1 mA movment and a small 6V xfmr connected as a current xfmr will work, with a brige rectifier and suitable resistor in line with xfmr primary and movement.

[ProDave]

Well it depends what you will be doing on your workbench, but I couldn't be without my dual output variable voltage bench power supply.

I concur, an isolating tranny and Variac are pretty much essential for repairs of old tv's and radios.

I also find a rubber bench mat, the sort divided into squares, is perfect for protecting equipment under repair, and somewhere to put all the screws as you dismantle a set.

[mikelect]

Originally Posted by ProDave

I also find a rubber bench mat, the sort divided into squares, is perfect for protecting equipment under repair, and somewhere to put all the screws as you dismantle a set.

Suitable rubber mats are sold in pound shops and wilkinsons as car mats they do the job

Mike

[Don Collie jnr]

Hi AD!
You`ll need equipment that produces test signals, and equipment that measures
them. A good siggen is a must, and a function generator handy at times. An audio source is handy too. I don`t know how I ever did without a variable voltage bench PSU.
[Got 4 LV ones, and I`d like to have a regulated HV supply] The rest of my gear is all about measuring : Multimeters, 2 `scopes : one for general work, one for the more difficult to see HF stuff - [both dual trace]. A SpecAn is *really* handy at times, and not too expensive to buy if you hunt hard enough [I don`t know how I ever...] A frequency counter is essential, sometimes. I use a Weller temp controlled soldering station, because it`s easier to do a good job with one. [too much skill required with the
uncontrolled type !] Other things that are handy are : A general coverage receiver, a Variac and/or Automatic mains voltage regulator[with adjustment], an audio niose and distortion meter, Component bridge/capacitor leakage tester, Capacitor equivalent series resistance [ESR] meter, Signal tracer, Desoldering station [but a reel of good solderwick usually is enough], SWR meter, RF Power meter, Modulation meter, *Big* soldering Iron [doesn`t have to be temp controlled], for when a lot of heat is required, Wide, and narrowband sweep generators [Wobbulators !], Grid dip meter, *Lots* of component boxes, A place to put pending jobs, and *one* workspace approx 900 X 900mm.[anything more gets filled with junk] You`ll also need a bookcase for databooks, and texts, and a Computer with all the trimmings is just about essential these days [a *lot* of data is easiest found on the net]. A PayPal account saves a *whole* lot of mucking arround. A loving wife is good for meals, tea, and biscuits, etc., and an old dog to rest your feet on while sitting at your bench, performing surgery on whatever you`re restoring. I think that`s about all, good luck!,...........Don.

[PSValves]

Some great suggestions here so far. One that hasn't been mentioned, which I frequently rely on when stripping down a complex piece of equipment, is a digital camera. I use this to photograph each major stage of disassembly and the pictures provide an invaluable record of what went where.

I suspect many forum regulars will have a digital camera of some description already, but I find mine such a useful 'tool', I thought it worth mentioning.

[Nickthedentist]

Yes, I find a digital camera so useful that I bought another identical one from an internet auction exclusively for workshop use. £200 new in 2003, £6 secondhand in 2008

[paulsherwin]

Forum members use widely differing workbench setups - in fact many of us don't have a dedicated workbench at all. A lot depends on people's professional experience and training. Some people use fancy digital scopes all the time, while others rarely use a scope even if one is available.

After a DMM, my first choice would be a lamp limiter. These are cheap and easy to make, and once you've got used to using them they can pinpoint all sorts of faults in addition to providing considerable protection.

A professional temperature controlled soldering iron is a nice thing to have, but you don't really need one. You will need a decent low power soldering iron for most general work, say an 18W Antex, and a cheap high powered iron for occasional circumstances when you need a lot of heat. I use a 100W iron which cost £2 from a market stall, fitted with a switchable 1N4007 to reduce the power when required.

Paul