The Beginner’s Guide to Electronics: Tools—What to Buy First, Part 2The Beginner’s Guide to Electronics: Tools—What to Buy First, Part 2

As I mentioned in my previous column, I often receive emails from people starting out in electronics asking what tools they should buy. In Part 1, I introduced some of the basics, dividing things into two categories: Suggested and Mandatory. Those tools were as follows:

We will continue this theme in this column, while also adding a “Recommended” category.

Utility knife (recommended)

I always have a utility knife (a.k.a., a craft knife or a precision knife) like an X-Acto knife in my treasure chest of tools.

All I can say is that I cannot imagine starting a new project without having one of these little scamps close to hand.

Small screwdrivers (mandatory)

Like most engineers, I’m a firm believer that you can’t own too many screwdrivers. In the case of electronics, a simple set of six (three flatheads and three Philips heads of different sizes) usually suffices for most tasks.

Small screwdrivers. CLIVE “MAX” MAXFIELD

The picture above shows a set I carry around with me. I just found something similar on Amazon for only $3.99. 

Of course, these six heads are not sufficient for every occasion. I also have an iFixit kit containing 64 bits. In addition to flathead and Phillips head bits, this kit also contains Torx, Pentalobe, JIS, Hex, and Tri-point heads. Some of these heads have come in very handy on occasion.

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

A word to the wise is that you need to be careful here. It’s easy to get carried away and splash a lot of cash on kits containing hundreds of heads, the majority of which you will never use.

Small pliers (mandatory)

If I were forced to choose only one pair of pliers, it would be my trusty needle-nose (a.k.a., long-nose and snipe-nose) tool as shown below, because this is the one to which I usually turn.

Needle-nose pliers. CLIVE “MAX” MAXFIELD

Having said this, different pliers shine for different tasks. Other useful items include regular pliers, bent-nose pliers, diagonal pliers, and end-cut pliers. If you have the cash, you might opt for a kit such as this one.

Open wrenches (spanners) and/or nut drivers (recommended)

If you have a set of small pliers as discussed in the previous section, then you can usually employ these in the place of open wrenches (spanners) and/or nut drivers.

Having said this, if you happen to have a mini wrench set and/or a mini nut driver set, then you’ll always manage to find a use for these little rascals (I’ve shown a metric set here, but it’s great if you can get both metric and Imperial heads).

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

Cutters (strongly recommended)

There are many different types of cutters. The two I use most are wire cutters and side cutters. If I had to choose between them, I would opt for a pair of side cutters. In this case, the cutting edges, which are on the side of the jaws, are designed to provide a closer cut when working against a flat surface.

Side cutters. CLIVE “MAX” MAXFIELD

The image above shows my favorite pair of side cutters. I just found a cheap and cheerful pair for only $5.47 on Amazon. These have 4.7 out of 5 stars with 21,000+ ratings. So long as you use them only for their intended purpose, these should be fine.

Wire strippers (recommended)

Wire strippers fall somewhere between suggested and mandatory. If you are short of cash, and if you need to strip only a few wires on occasion, then you can get by with scissors, side cutters, or even a picket knife if push comes to shove.

On the other hand, wire strippers do tend to make your life easier, especially if you need to strip the insulation off the ends of a lot of wires.

If you are using basic strippers, and if you only ever work with a small range of wire diameters, then you’ll probably be able to get by with one pair of strippers. For myself, I have two pairs as shown below. I switch between these depending on what I’m working on at the time.

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

Wire strippers. CLIVE “MAX” MAXFIELD

One point to remember with respect to American Wire Gauge (AWG) values is that lower AWG numbers represent thicker wires while higher AWG numbers represent thinner wires. I typically work with 20, 22, and 24 AWG depending on what I’m doing.

Another point is that solid core wires and stranded (multi-core) wires with the same AWG number have different diameters. The AWG number represents the total cross-sectional area of the conductive material (copper, for example). For stranded wires, this is the sum of the cross-sectional areas of all the individual strands. As a result, stranded wire is thicker overall because of the small gaps between the strands. If you look at the wire strippers in the image above, you’ll see that the same holes are associated with different AWG numbers depending on whether you are stripping solid or stranded wires. This becomes easier to remember the more wires you cut rather than strip by mistake.

As opposed to the basic wire strippers shown above, some people prefer to use automatic wire strippers. In this case, the tool automatically adjusts to the size and gauge of the wire being stripped. The tool grips the wire firmly with one set of jaws while another set cuts through the insulation and then pulls it off the end of the wire.

I just found a cheap-and-cheerful set on Amazon. These were shown as being only $7.99, but that was a special “Black Friday” price. Also, they have only 28 ratings.

I don’t tend to use automatic wire cutters myself. If I did, however, I might be tempted to opt for another offering on Amazon. It has 17,000+ ratings, which “ain’t half bad.”

Bench power supply (recommended)

Last, but certainly not least (at least, for this column), we’re going to spread our wings a little. One very useful piece of equipment is a bench power supply. In addition to being too large for many hobbyist users working at home, these can be rather pricy, ranging from hundreds of dollars (for advanced hobbyists and technicians) to thousands of dollars (for labs and professional engineers). 

On the other hand, you often have projects with different requirements. One project might need 5 volts at 3 amps; another might require 9 volts at 1 amp; and yet another might demand 12 volts at 5 amps, for example.

Recently, I had just this problem with respect to a new project I was working on at home. This project required 9 volts at 1.5 amps. In addition to not wanting to lug it around, the bench power supply in my office would consume too much space on the desk in my study at home.

Rather than purchase yet another fixed power supply for $25, I ended up investing $49.99 on a very tasty hobbyist bench power supply unit from Amazon. 

Bench power supply. CLIVE “MAX” MAXFIELD

This little beauty can supply 0 to 30 volts at 0 to 10 amps. It comes with a bunch of “bells and whistles.” It’s only around 6 inches tall by 3.5 inches wide by 7.75 inches deep, and it works like a charm.

I’m really, really happy with this unit, and I was really, really happy with the price until I visited Amazon whilst writing this column, at which point I discovered it had been marked down to only $39.99 as a special “Black Friday” price (“Arrrggghhh! A thousand curses,” I cried). But now it is back up in price!

Next time

In my next column, Part 3, in addition to some more standard items, we will also introduce a “Wish List” category for when a rich relative foolishly inquires what you’d like for your birthday.

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]).