The Beginner’s Guide to Electronics: Tools—What to Buy First, Part 1

As I’ve mentioned in previous columns, for more years than I care to remember, I’ve been writing a Max’s Cool Beans column for the UK’s Practical Electronics hobbyist magazine. As part of this, I often receive emails from people starting out in electronics asking what tools they should buy.

To be honest, this is a bit like asking, “How long is a piece of string?” (The answer, of course, is “twice as long as from the middle to the end.”) There’s a little voice inside most engineers that says, “You can’t have too many tools.” It’s also true that life is easier, and you are more efficient, when you have the right tool for the job.

On the other hand, even if you don’t have the best tool, you can usually get by with whatever you do have to hand, just so long as you have a basic complement. Bearing this in mind, the following is not intended to be an exhaustive list—it’s just a few tools to get you up and running—but I hope it proves to be useful. 

Masking tape and permanent markers (suggested)

This one may seem trivial, but I always like to have a roll of painter’s masking tape to hand. It’s sticky, but not too sticky, and it’s great for holding things in place while you are working on them.

Another thing that may seem obvious, but that often comes in useful, is a medium-point permanent marker. I always have a few of these lying around “just in case.”

Related:Do You Feel the Urge to Build Something? Part 1

Safety glasses (suggested)

When you are starting out, even relatively simple tasks like cutting things or soldering can be tricky. If you are at all unsure, opt for caution and wear a set of safety glasses.

Antistatic stuff (mandatory)

It can be very frustrating to build something that doesn’t work, only to find that one or more of your components are dead in the water.

Electronic components like transistors, integrated circuits (ICs), and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) can be damaged by static electricity in a process called electrostatic discharge (ESD). If you are planning on working with components like this, you need to take antistatic precautions.

The first step is to get an antistatic mat. Your best bet is to get the largest one you can afford while ensuring it’s no bigger than the desk space you have available. I have various sizes, including a small “traveling mat” as shown below. One of the reasons I like this version is that it has connectors on all four corners (most have a connector on only one corner, which invariably ends up being the most inconvenient corner for what you are trying to do).

Antistatic mat, wristband, and ground plug adaptors. CLIVE “MAX” MAXFIELD

Static-sensitive electronic components are stored and transported in antistatic tubes or bags. Although your precious components will be safe when they are on your mat, you still need to get them there (i.e., out of the bag and onto the mat). This is why you should also wear an antistatic wristband.

Related:DIY Logic Probes for Breadboard-Based Prototypes & Projects

The cables for the mat and the wristband usually come with crocodile clips (a.k.a, ‘alligator clips’ in the US) on the end. You can pull these off to reveal banana plugs as shown above. The way I prefer to work is to plug these banana plugs into antistatic ground plug adaptors, which are themselves plugged into a power socket on the wall or a power strip that’s plugged into a power socket on the wall (just to be clear, the connection they make is only to ground, not to power).

A multimeter (mandatory)

Multimeters are awesome devices that allow you to measure voltage, current, resistance, and other key electrical parameters. They are invaluable for understanding what is working in a circuit and essential for debugging what’s not working in a circuit.

You can get analog or digital multimeters. If you are a beginner, I would recommend a digital device. Now you have another choice: a hand-ranging or an auto-ranging product. 

Digital multimeters: Hand-ranging (left) and auto-ranging (right). CLIVE “MAX” MAXFIELD

Hand-ranging digital multimeters take a little longer to set up, but they are faster when it comes to making the actual measurements. By comparison, auto-ranging digital multimeters are easier to use, but they take longer to make the measurement. 

Related:How to Design PCBs Faster (Much, Much Faster)

I have both types, and I may use either depending on my “mood of the moment.” You should be able to pick up a low-cost unit suitable for a beginner from Amazon for $10 to $15. I strongly recommend that you check the numbers and values of the star ratings and read the reviews to see what other buyers think.

One very important point when you opt for a cost-conscious (non-professional) multimeter is to use it only for low voltages (say below 40 V) and low currents (say a couple of amps). Don’t use it for higher voltage or current applications. I’m not saying a cheap-and-cheerful multimeter won’t work with higher values but (a) if you’re a beginner, then you shouldn’t be working with higher values and (b) why take any chances?

When it comes to learning how to use your new multimeter, the folks at SparkFun Electronics have a great video on YouTube (see also How to Use a Multimeter on their website).

An electric soldering iron (mandatory)

While it’s certainly true that you can do a lot of work with solderless breadboards, it really won’t be long before you find yourself needing to solder something, so you may as well be prepared.

A soldering iron that’s rated anywhere from 25 W (watts) to 60 W and up will do you fine. Just make sure that (a) you can control the temperature, (b) it comes with a fine tip (some are presented with a tip that looks like a chisel for working stone), and (c) that that the tip is replaceable (they wear out over time).

I just found this one on Amazon for only $10. With over 2,200 ratings and an average of 4.4 out of 5.0 stars, this looks like a good buy to get you going.

It comes with a stand, solder, etc. On the one hand, it’s better for your health and the environment to use lead-free solder, but I find this a pain to work with. Like many engineers of my generation, I prefer to use 60/40 tin-lead solder (I don’t breathe in while I’m using it, and I wash my hands afterwards). I also prefer to use 1 mm diameter with a rosin core (other diameters are available).

Another useful accessory is a brass sponge tip cleaner, although, having said this, I often use a folded piece of kitchen towel soaked in water (not dripping, just heavily dampened) and placed in a saucer.

Something else that comes in handy is braided solder wick, which is used to remove unwanted solder.

If you haven’t soldered anything before, a useful resource is The Basic Soldering Guide Handbook, which was written by my friend Alan Winstanley. Also, the folks at SparkFun Electronics have a great video on YouTube (see also How to Solder: Through-Hole Soldering on their website).

Next time

There’s so much more I want to talk about, including screwdrivers, wire cutters, wire strippers, helping hands, and power supplies, but we’ll talk about these (and other) items in my next column, Part 2.

As always, I look forward to casting my orbs over your captivating comments, insightful questions, and sagacious suggestions (you can email me at [email protected]).