The goal of this project is to provide a first step in a modular plan toward outfitting an electronics lab. All individual purchases are under $100 (US), and I'm trying to keep the total under $500. I will update this figure with the actual total when most of the tools are documented. This is very barebones - mostly dealing with basic analog and low-level digital components (integrated circuits, transistors, etc). Oscilloscopes, function generators, etc. will be listed in the higher tiers.
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a second auto ranging digital mutimeter
so you can measure both voltage and current simultaneously; both of the above are good, or a cheapie is probably okay
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battery holders for 9v, 1.5v, etc
eventually you'll need a variable power supply - but for now you just need some juice for your circuit
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A temperature controlled soldering station
Hakko FX-888D, X-Tronic 3020, 862D+ (with safety mod http://bit.ly/2q5HhXT) - should run $50-100
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helping/third hands, hobby vise, breadboard holder, blue tack
you need something to hold boards stable while soldering - if you get the old style alligator clip style, don't get the one with a magnifier and/or soldering iron holder. And in any case, you'll want to glue it to a wider base so it doesn't fall over