Soldering Iron - Oscilloscope - Multimeter ...suggestions ?

[Daags]

Hello,
apologies if this has been covered already...

but I'd like to know what in your experience are the best soldering irons, oscilloscopes, and multimeters

oscilloscopes don't need to be industrial grade of course... but good enough to handle all repairs, mods, and diy jobs an electronic musician is likely to encounter

cheers

[justin3am]

Best? What is your price range. A Metcal solder station is going to be more than $500. A Weller WLC100 or WES51 will be more than adequate for most repair work. I use a WESD51 at home. The type of tip you use is also important.

Fluke makes really nice meters but again, not necessarily affordable. I have an Extech (just a brand for some CM) meter which was like $50 on Amazon. It's not super accurate down to four decimal places but it works well enough for basic troubleshooting.

Scopes... you can get a more than decent old Tektronix scope for <$100 on eBay if you are patient. I got a 2215 for $75.

[skipscada]

You need to look at what wattage you need for your soldering iron. If it's for diy electronics, I think around 15 W is recommmended, and max 40 W. Small tip. Bigger jobs need bigger tools. No need to spend a fortune getting the top of the line. Practice and getting to know your tools is probably more important. Get something like this for cleaning the tip: http://www.apogeekits.com/solder_tip_cleaner.htm

A cheap multimeter can also do a good enough job for diy electronics, so if someone you know has one lying around gathering dust, it's probably good enough for you.

[Daags]

thanks chaps, I'll look in to these suggestions and let you know how I get on : )

[annode]

I`m curious...what sort of soldering and troubleshooting will you be doing?
Considering the nature of fabricated boards these days and custom chips, are standard scopes still used?

[justin3am]

Even when working on digital stuff, an old analog scope is still one of the tools I use most. It's nice to have a digital storage scope but not always necessary.

I use a much finer tip for my iron when working on SMT stuff then the one I use for through-hole parts put the principals are still the same.
If you'll be repairing newer stuff, the lead-free solder behaves a bit different than leaded solder. It cools more quickly and may need to get hotter before it starts to flow. A flux pen is your friend, if you are doing a lot of work with SMT parts. Also lead-free solder can corrode the tip of your iron more quickly, so it's important to tin the tip regularly.

[annode]

Even when working on digital stuff, an old analog scope is still one of the tools I use most. It's nice to have a digital storage scope but not always necessary.

I use a much finer tip for my iron when working on SMT stuff then the one I use for through-hole parts put the principals are still the same.
If you'll be repairing newer stuff, the lead-free solder behaves a bit different than leaded solder. It cools more quickly and may need to get hotter before it starts to flow. A flux pen is your friend, if you are doing a lot of work with SMT parts. Also lead-free solder can corrode the tip of your iron more quickly, so it's important to tin the tip regularly.

A dual or multi-trace scope is cool when needing to see data pulse trains and compare timing. (haven`t done anything like that in ages. ) But very useful for analog. I used to get by with off the shelf components(TTL logic) supporting a single custom processor with just a 'logic probe'. This was control systems, so lots of logic. Won`t be much good building guitar pedal boxes.
Curious still to hear what the OP is looking to work on.
...and if switches are in the picture, an old needle volt/ohm meter is a sure way to go since the digital multimeter will not show you switch continuity like the needle will.

[Daags]

Curious still to hear what the OP is looking to work on.

in terms of (what I think is a reasonable) learning curve and priorities:
1: mfos and ucapps projects to begin with

2: portable speaker and boombox builds

3: maintaining, repairing and modding my vintage synths

4: maintaining, repairing, though primarily modding my modern analog stuff...like volcas... SMD, surface mount stuff.

5: large scale diy projects like the ttsh (discontinued I believe)

with regards audio ... that's what I have in mind, over the long term, starting from 1. I'd rather not buy some stuff that will get me through the learning phase, but then prove useless or problematic for later goals i.e smd mods... so i'd like to buy something of a good quality that is built to last and can get me through all of that without causing any problems.

in an ideal world.

I think maybe the oscilloscope is the one where I might benefit the most from good advice ? you can spend thousands on those things, it seems. at any rate, all advice is welcome and i will look in to every suggestion.

[annode]

Yeah, sounds good. Yes, stand clear of the TTSH project.A few yrs too late.
Always a good thing to create a strong association with a skilled hobbyist to help you when you get stuck.
Wish I had the time and motivation.

[Meffy]

I'll second the Weller WESD51. The digital temperature readout tells when the tip reaches working temperature, and it's easy to change tips and elements (just be sure to use anti-seize compound so things don't get stuck). I bought several different sizes of tips when I got the iron.

Hakko also make excellent irons, though they can get pricey. I use a Hakko tip cleaner, a ball of curly brass-looking shavings in an aluminum holder.

[justin3am]

I think maybe the oscilloscope is the one where I might benefit the most from good advice ? you can spend thousands on those things, it seems. at any rate, all advice is welcome and i will look in to every suggestion.

As I said, I wouldn't even bother buying a new one. A used Tektronix 465, 2215A or on the higher end a 2465 will work very well. Those things are built like tanks and with care will probably last longer than we will.

I work mostly with 0603 SMT parts at my day job (doing prototype assembly and repairs) and I use most of the same tools at work that I do at home. The main difference, is at work we have a nice stereo microscope, which helps a lot when working on fine pitch ICs (particularly Pic and Arm micros). Solder paste and a flux pen are almost essential when working with SMT parts. If you are going to be doing a lot of that, you may want to consider getting a solder re-work station, as well.