My shopping list :D

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PandaMan96

New Member
Here is my shopping list. Can you think of any other essential things?

PICaxe USB download cable
IC sockets
Stereo PICaxe download sockets
Etch resist pen
Solder
Ferric Chloride solution 5L
Polycarbonate goggles
Heavy duty industrial gloves
PPE etching tray

(for a project)
PICaxe 20M2
Budget Serial OLED Module

All together it will cost £71.27 and I'm buying either from techsupplies.co.uk or rapidonline.com. Anything else I could add? I was thinking possibly press'n'peel PCB transfer sheets?
 
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Dippy

Moderator
Maybe you should also consider your first few likely projects.
A handful of commonly used resistors and capacitors perhaps. And some discretes like transistors and LEDs too.
I'm sure someone will produce a list.
All these sorts of things are cheap so get a good load of them, they'll always come in handy.

I'd be tempted to get some of those large-ish plastic tweezers that people used to use for photographic development.
Multimeter?
Battery clips.
Hook-up wire maybe.
Soldering-iron.
Magnifier - useful for checking for poor etch and/or solder bridges.

One tip: no doubt you'll be doing this in the bathroom or kitchen.
Once you have stained the floor, towels , t-shirts, socks , bath-enamel etc. with FeCl your folks will throw you out.
So, whilst not 100% stain-free, consider Sodium persulphate etchant or similar.
Not so good at etching but a lot cleaner.
 
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nick12ab

Senior Member
When selecting a multimeter, take Dippy's advice here!
Dippy said:
And I think that DMMs that offer 10A but sold unfused should be burnt at the stake.
Especially when retailer's customer base include a high percentage of novices and schoolkids.
Click to expand...
PandaMan96 said:
How did that happen? And how do I delete it?
Click to expand...
I have no idea how it happened because it has never happened to me but I'll assume that you posted it, pressed Back, pressed Back again and the 'are you sure' message appears, then click 'Post' again. Only moderators can delete threads, users can only delete their own posts but a moderator will remove it soon.
 
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Dippy

Moderator
bE careful. There are Dremels and Dremels.
I borowed someone's (real) Dremel at work. It is awful, almost as bad as Clarke; the chuck is so wobbly it makes me dizzy and breaks drills and the holes aren't round.
For budget, I suggest Proxxon with OE Speed Controller. Chuck quality excellent for a budget drill.
 
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PandaMan96

New Member
Dippy said:
Maybe you should also consider your first few likely projects.
A handful of commonly used resistors and capacitors perhaps. And some discretes like transistors and LEDs too.
I'm sure someone will produce a list.
All these sorts of things are cheap so get a good load of them, they'll always come in handy.

I'd be tempted to get some of those large-ish plastic tweezers that people used to use for photographic development.
Multimeter?
Battery clips.
Hook-up wire maybe.
Soldering-iron.
Magnifier - useful for checking for poor etch and/or solder bridges.

One tip: no doubt you'll be doing this in the bathroom or kitchen.
Once you have stained the floor, towels , t-shirts, socks , bath-enamel etc. with FeCl your folks will throw you out.
So, whilst not 100% stain-free, consider Sodium persulphate etchant or similar.
Not so good at etching but a lot cleaner.
Click to expand...
Got a soldering iron, multimeter and a magnifying glass. The rest I will probably also like to get. I can't believe I forgot about the tweezers. I can't just go shoving my hands into warm FeCl now, can I! :D Thanks for your input :)
 
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PandaMan96

New Member
Dippy said:
bE careful. There are Dremels and Dremels.
I borowed someone's (real) Dremel at work. It is awful, almost as bad as Clarke; the chuck is so wobbly it makes me dizzy and breaks drills and the holes aren't round.
For budget, I suggest Proxxon with OE Speed Controller. Chuck quality excellent for a budget drill.
Click to expand...
My dremel is fine, thanks. I know some of them can be dodgy, but mine is okay.
While I want to get equipment, I don't want to spend too much because it will involve working on Saturdays and saving up. Anyway, I'm off to bed so I'll check this again in the morning.

PandaMan
 
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eclectic

Moderator
Following Dippy's post #6.

Before you pack for every contingency,
where will you be going?

Or, what do you want to make?

Or for those who have read him,
see Jerome K. Jerome. :)

e.
 
premelec

premelec

Senior Member
From an old guy with one working eye - please obtain and use safety glasses - it's true I've done pretty well for 60 years with one working eye but two would have been much [2X ? ] better... :) - My Dremel tool with a 3 jaw chuck works fine - when I can find it [presently mis-placed]... I got the 3 jaw chuck on Ebay. They use a non-standard thread :-(
 
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nbw

Senior Member
Dippy said:
One tip: no doubt you'll be doing this in the bathroom or kitchen.
Once you have stained the floor, towels , t-shirts, socks , bath-enamel etc. with FeCl your folks will throw you out.
So, whilst not 100% stain-free, consider Sodium persulphate etchant or similar.
Not so good at etching but a lot cleaner.
Click to expand...
I second Dippy's point. Ferric is nasty stuff and stains awfully. I use ammonium persulphate and once done with the solution, you have some great weedkiller (kidding).
 
premelec

premelec

Senior Member
Anyone tried the H2O2 + HCL + H2O mix for etch? I've seen mixed reports but never have tried it yet....
 
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PandaMan96

New Member
eclectic said:
Following Dippy's post #6.

Before you pack for every contingency,
where will you be going?

Or, what do you want to make?

Or for those who have read him,
see Jerome K. Jerome. :)

e.
Click to expand...
I don't know what I'm going to want to make yet :p. My list is for 1. Things that will allow me to fabricate PCBs and 2. Generic components that are likely to be needed a lot.

premelec said:
From an old guy with one working eye - please obtain and use safety glasses - it's true I've done pretty well for 60 years with one working eye but two would have been much [2X ? ] better... :) - My Dremel tool with a 3 jaw chuck works fine - when I can find it [presently mis-placed]... I got the 3 jaw chuck on Ebay. They use a non-standard thread :-(
Click to expand...
They are on my list already :)

nbw said:
I second Dippy's point. Ferric is nasty stuff and stains awfully. I use ammonium persulphate and once done with the solution, you have some great weedkiller (kidding).
Click to expand...
From what I've seen ammonium persulphate is more expensive than ferric chloride. I don't have loads of money to spend so I think I'm going to stick with ferric chloride. Better value for money.
 
D

Dippy

Moderator
Sodium persulphate may be a touch more expensive. It is available from Maplin Stores and Mega Electronics to name but a few.


Ferric Chloride can stain permanently. This includes: socks, floor-tiles, bath enamel, sink basins, clothes.

Do you really think saving a quid or two outweighs the potential damage or cleaning-up bill?
Ask your folks for their opinion.
Yes, you can get stain remover (or Oxalic acid) - that costs money and doesn't work 100% (my orange socks and pathes on floor-tiles are proof).
Up to you - you have been warned.

The only advantage with FeCl is that if you dlute exhausted stuff by 50:1 it makes great moss killer.
 
J

John West

Senior Member
3M Scotch-Brite pads to clean bds with. Steel-wool works, but generates a mess of tiny conductive wire threads.

I use FeCl. I think it's better to know where you've spilled your chemicals than not know you did. And no one I know of is concerned if my fingers are occasionally a sickly orange-green.

Of course, I also think they should come up with a way to make our poisonous automobile exhaust fumes visible so we can't continue to pretend we aren't poisoning ourselves.
 
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premelec

premelec

Senior Member
I use commercial copper pot cleaner chemical stuff "Twinkle" or "Copper Brite" - a paste that cuts through even severe oxide / sulfide without scratching. It only takes a little so I'm still using some I bought decades ago... I re-wet it every so often.. I don't know what's in it...
 
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john2051

New Member
Hi,

Have etch resist pens improved over the last ten years? My last experience (disaster) with one of these were awful with holes in tracks,
and un-even results. I used to use these rub down transfers, especially working with d.i.l sockets.

Regards john
 
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srnet

Senior Member
Myself, I would not waste my money on a Dremel.

I have a PROXXON FBS240E. Adjustable chuck as standard, variable speed.
 
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russbow

Senior Member
Have etch resist pens improved over the last ten years?
Click to expand...
Depends on the pen. I have found the "Lumocolour" to be very good for marking CDs ... and that's all.
I use the Dalo pens, and with care, get good results.
 
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