Tools/Equipment You Can't Be Without

[BrianAllen]

Good evening all,

I have now caught the bug after purchasing a "not working for spares" Philips N4308 tape deck; restoration going very well.

Obviously I have tools, a cheap soldering iron and I recently purchased an auto ranging multi meter.

So my question is, what tools/equipment/sundries do you have that have made life so much easier for you and what priority should they be on my list.

Thank you.

Brian

[knobtwiddler]

Have you got yourself a scope and oscillator yet? I reckon they could probably be next on your list. You can find a Hameg 203 on ebay for under 100 quid. There are also some Kenwood scopes - I have a very basic 20MHz one and it has a sharper trace than any other I own (about 7 scopes). If you're into audio, some kind of FFT analyser is very useful. Dedicated ones are pricey, but there is an EMU soundcard (as well as others - try a search at diyaudio.com) which will run with freeware / shareware. Current limiting PSU is a good thing to have - for many reasons. You will be able to troubleshoot stuff without 240v present, and you will be able to limit current, lowering the chances of releasing the magic smoke. TTI ones are on the bay for less than 100 quid (they are durable and rugged).

Welcome to the audio affliction!

[Bazz4CQJ]

I would buy things as you need them. I can think of one or two things of significant cost which I bought and never used.

B

[Terry_VK5TM]

Paintbrush, sharp knife (ie stanley or one of those retractable break off blade types), tweezers, magnifying glass, small torch - just to name a few.

[kevinaston1]

A hook for tape belts. For the last ten years of work, I used a carpet hook with the barb removed; makes belt replacement a doddle.


Kevin

[TonyDuell]

In some cases it depends on what you are working on. In my case, a logic analyser is essential when I am tracing a fault in an HP9800 (bit serial processor, no chance of sorting it out without being able to grab signals) and useless when I am fixing a radio or tape recorder.

I suspect I have gone rather too far with tools. You probably don't _need_ a lathe, micrometers, and other metalwork tools although they are very useful if you need to make a spacer, pulley, or whatever. Nor do you _need_ some of the exotic test gear people here have (a wow-and-flutter meter and a telephone line analyser are not essential, even if I do have them in my workshop)

But some things that I will recommend....

Firstly buy the best tools you can afford. Good tools will last a lifetime and more!. This actually is my one extravagance (I don't drink or smoke, but I tend to buy tools a lot better than I strictly need).

A good set of screwdrivers from small (<1mm across the tip) to large (at least 6mm). Phillips and Pozidriv (which are not the same).

Nutdrivers. Anyone who tightens nuts with pliers is a butcher! Most European and Japanese stuff uses metric sizes, American uses the inch sizes (and some odd ones like 11/32"). Old British radios will be BA.

Allen Hex keys Again, you might need inch or metric ones.

On modern stuff, torx drivers. I'll refrain from suggesting Bristol Spline tools unless you work on IBM or Friden stuff...

Tweezers -- get a good non-magnetic pair. There are few things more annoying than magnetized tweezers which will pull other parts out of position when you are trying to fit a washer or whatever.

Spring hooks (also useful for fitting belts). RS sell a reasonable set.

A cheap-ish digital camera with a good macro (close-up) facility. To record where things went, which way round the wires go, etc. Also useful for enlarging markings on tiny components.

I'll second the suggestion for a bench power supply. Very useful when testing units or parts (e.g. DC motors, solenoids, etc).

If you are working on tape recorders a lot, then a tape head demagnetiser and a set of test/alignment tapes is very useful.

[Diabolical Artificer]

Don't think there's one tool I could do without as you can make do at a push, EG lump of wood instead of a hammer, flat bladed screwdriver to unscrew Philips head screws, less than ideal, but most times you can improvise.

That said apart the stuff noted above a magnifying glass and good source of light helps as does a decent pair of pliers, cutters and strippers.

There's a free scope/sig gen called "Soundcard Scope" that is a pretty decent bit of software and will do the job till you get proper ones. See EEV blog for cheap modern current limited PSU's, Dave recently did a video on a cheap Chinese one.

Andy.

[BrianAllen]

Good morning all,

Once again, I am so grateful for all of your input; so impressed with you people that take the time to share their knowledge/experience.

Have a good weekend.

Brian

[rontech]

If you find you need to do any "chassis bashing" eg replacing a Bulgin mains connector with an I.E.C. one; then a Dremal high speed cutting tool is invaluable.

[knobtwiddler]

Regarding Allen keys: I have found that hardened steel ones start to wear quite quickly - and in cases of stubborn screws, are sometimes simply not up to the job. If you can find a stainless set at a fair price, this can save frustration with tight screws. I have found that spending a couple of quid extra for bits, be they Allen / Pozi etc. is often far better value for money, as they last longer and get superior purchase, thus removing stubborn screws with minimum four letter language being needed.

Edit - just to say that some of our best bits are not stainless- but are hardened with a coating. The moral of the story is that spending a little more on a bit is often better value.

[Pamphonica]

A small suggestion. Buy yourself a “diamond picker” for only a few quid. You can lower washers etc into inaccessible places and remove them ditto. Easier than a blob of blu-tack on a screwdriver, which usually vanishes into the void after doing its job.
Like this:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DIAMOND-P...0AAOSwY3BZIoc0

[Red to black]

Ah the good 'ol pearl catcher

When repairing electronic equipment I always found a 'scope was indispensable, and was often the first piece of test gear I used, I have known engineers where this was the last piece of gear they used.

[jimmc101]

Thanks for the tip Jeremy, I've just ordered one.

Jim

[The Philpott]

Whatever sort of jobs you have on, i would personally back up an auto-ranging multimeter with a manual ranging one. Opinion differs on whether an 'auto-power-off' APO facility is an advantage..I don't like it.
Dave

[Radio Wrangler]

Yes, for me an oscilloscope is what I turn to first. Multimeters are usually used on just the ohms ranges or for the rare occasions when I need more accuracy than my scope. T he scope gives a lot more information all at once than does a meter, and leads to quicker understanding.

What couldn't I be without?

The answer is simple!

Everything I've currently got, because the moment I lost anything, as sure as eggs is eggs, a job would come up that absolutely needed it. Murphy is omniscient. This has been tested many times - every time I've lost anything.

David

[JayBee66]

My number one tool is access to the Internet to read forums such as this one. I find out how to do things I never knew how to do and with so few tools. Still, I have a boat anchor collection that I rarely use but was enjoyable to repair and renovate.

[TrevorG3VLF]

A knife, fork and spoon.

[TonyDuell]

I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned a lamp limiter yet. I find it very useful when plugging in unknown equipment. Although it is often said you should not run a switch mode PSU on a lamp limiter, I find this really only applies if said SMPSU is heavily loaded. If you're running it on a light load, a lamp limiter will save a lot of components (and the PCB tracks) if the chopper transistor decides to short.

[stitch1]

Croc leads, great for temporary replacing components or rerouting circuits for fault finding, connecting test equipment etc etc

John

[Station X]

I asked myself the same question in a slightly different form. "What would I get rid of first?"

Leaving aside all my machine tools etc. and concentrating on vintage radio repair stuff, the first things to go would be the valve tester and analogue HF signal generators. The last would be my Fluke DMM.