Last night I decided to FINALLY start working on the rCube clock kit I had purchased a while back. Here’s a shot of the workbench early in the project:

Electronics Workspace

Let’s go left to right:

• On the far left, out of frame, above, is a spool of solder. I’m right handed, so it’s easier for me to have the solder handy toward my upper left.
• Next you have a I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter container. WHAT? Yes, I enjoy taking a spoonful of faux butter between soldering connections. Actually it’s what we call our “spit bucket”. We toss scraps (like trimmed leads) and other small garbage into there. Keeps things neater.
• In front of the “butter” we have the portable multimeter. It’s an Agilent U1242A, which you can pick up for about $220. They make a similar model with a frequency generator in the $400 range. For those on a budget a $220 meter might sound crazy, but it’s not at all. This is a meter that will last for years and years. Heck, my old Radio Shack meter is 20+ years old and still working fine.
• Next is the PCB in a Panavise. If you work with electronics you must own a Panavise. This is actually one of FOUR that we own. That’s how good they are. Save yourself a lot of pain and get yourself a good vise. The Panavise in the photo is a Model 350 Multi-Purpose Work Center and can open a full 9 inches! We also have a Panavise Jr 201, a great starter vise (though limited in PCB size) and a Model 381 Vacuum Base. Not enough? How about the Model 333 Rapid Assembly Circuit Board Holder we own–hold up to a 12″ PCB and quick-rotates for component insertion & soldering. The nice thing is nearly all of the heads and bases are interchangable, so you can mix and match.
• Next, behind the parts, if my Cognos mug. Full of coffee.
• Next is our Edsyn 951SX Soldering Iron. You can pick one of these up for the $120 range. Again, like the meter, it’s all about long term. We’ve had this one for about 10 years now and its soldered thousands of joints. Heck, that’s even the original sponge! A good iron makes the difference between an annoying soldering experience and an enjoyable one.
• Behind the soldering iron is our home made solder-fume vent, made out of a mini-milk crate. I’ve written about it before.

Let’s take a moment to look at the Panavise for a moment, and you’ll see why I love these things:

Panavise Closeup

As you can see, this model (because it opens wide) has a nice large base. Not only that, but it has handy areas for holding parts while you are soldering. Very nice. In the photo is an Xcelite MS54 semi-flush cutter. It’s a good deal at around $15.

Oh, how I love good tools. Here’s a close-up of the multimeter:

Agilent U1242A Multimeter

You never realize how shitty cheap meters are until you start using a good one. True RMS and 10,000 count display. Here you can see I’m measuring resistance (363.1 K ohms). The current temperature was 25.7C, in case you need to calibrate. What I love the most about this Agilent is the SPEED. It’s something you don’t realize when using cheaper meters, but they are so darn slow. This thing locks on in an instant and is rock solid. Good tools are worth the money.

Here I am slaving away at the kit. I am wearing, as always, a blue shirt.

Ron Soldering

This is the shirt I was wearing when the Indian Food Attack occurred. I lived to tell the tale, and the blood came out of the (thankfully) synthetic shirt.