NEW PRODUCT – Fine tip straight tweezers – ESD safe. When soldering small surface-mount (SMD/SMT) components, one thing you’ll need is a good pair of tweezers. These tweezers are a great pair of every-day tweezers. They’re anti-static, anti-magnetic and made of hard stainless steel.
The tips are fine and pointy to pick up any size component. This particular model is 135mm long with a 12.5mm / 0.5″ gap at the tips while open, this allows it to pick of fairly large TQFP’s and SSOP’s for placement and steadying during soldering.
NEW PRODUCT – Precision screw removal pliers. If you’ve ever had to remove a stripped bolt or screw, you know how incredibly frustrating it can be. Normal pliers slip when trying to grip onto the screw head. Unless you’re careful, you can easily make the problem worse, requiring you to drill out the screw (a dangerous proposition).
That’s where these precision screw removal pliers come in. The end is concave and extra-grippy so you can grasp the bolt head and tug on it. It’s sort of ingenious! Perfect for frustrating dis-assembly of electronics both old and new. Best for screws of metric size M1-M3, imperial #0 to #4
Interfacing a new microchip can be a hassle. Breadboarding a circuit, writing code, hauling out the programmer, or maybe even prototyping a PCB. We never seem to get it right on the first try.
The ‘Bus Pirate’ is a universal bus interface that talks to most chips from a PC serial terminal, eliminating a ton of early prototyping effort when working with new or unknown chips. Many serial protocols are supported at 0-5.5volts, more can be added.
Adafruit is the official US distributor of Ian Lesnet’s Bus Pirate, each purchase directly supports Dangerous Prototypes! You may also want to pick up a probe set. New in version 3.5 the BP now has a shrouded header and nice mounting holes to make it easier to attach to standoffs or a case.
Protocols: 1-Wire, I2C, SPI, JTAG, asynchronous serial (UART), MIDI, PC keyboard, HD44780 LCDs, and generic 2- and 3-wire libraries for custom protocols.
USB interface, USB powered
0-5.5volt tolerant pins
0-6volt measurement probe
1Hz-40MHz frequency measurement
1kHz – 4MHz pulse-width modulator, frequency generator
On-board multi-voltage pull-up resistors
On-board 3.3volt and 5volt power supplies with software reset
John took a junk pair of multimeter probes, some sharp pogo pins, and turned them into what he calls the best probes he owns:
They are now dedicated to low voltage board work only and will easily probe directly to the pins of small parts like SSOP ICs – the spring in the pin always applies a slight pressure making it amazingly easy to keep the probe in place while working with one hand!
Just goes to show that some of the best tools are sometimes the ones you make yourself.
NEW PRODUCT – Saleae Logic – 8-Channel USB Logic Analyzer. A logic analyzer is a device that lets you watch digital signals in your electronics project. You can watch them real-time or log the data for later perusal. Unlike an oscilloscope, its not good for measuring analog signals – but also unlike an oscilloscope, you can track 8 signals at time! So its a good complementary tool. This logic analyzer plugs into a computer and has easy to use, cross-platform software. This makes it small, portable and inexpensive.
If you ever have to to debug SPI, i2c, serial, CAN, 1-wire, Manchester, biphase or other digital protocols, this tool is essential!
Speedy 24MHz
Logic samples each channel at up to 24M times per second. A large fraction of practical, real world applications run at less than 10MHz, and Logic is ideal for these.
8 Channels
Logic has 8 inputs — it can monitor 8 different digital signals at once. For many modern microcontroller-based designs, this is plenty.
10 billion samples
Logic can save as many as 10B samples, letting you capture even the most elusive events. No more dealing with frustratingly small sample buffers.
Comes complete
Start debugging within 5 minutes of opening your new Logic; everything is included: An ultra-flexible 22AWG 64/40 wire harness, 9 high-quality micro-hook probes, a USB cable (2 meter mini-B to A), and a nice carrying case. Download the software from our site (see software)
Enclosure
We love well made tools. That’s why we make Logic’s case out of custom CNC machined aluminum and make sure its anodized surface is finished to perfection.
Protection
Logic’s inputs are protected against overvoltage conditions via current-limiting resistors and ultra-low-capacitance diode clamps. A resettable fuse protects the USB ground return line to augment the USB host’s existing protection.
Medium OtterBox plus an LPC1114 802.15.4 Transceiver
While there are definately no dead otters in my freezer (<confessions>a few choice duck parts may be hidden in there somewhere</confession>), there are a few OtterBoxes. While looking for ways to test out some new wireless sensor nodes to make sure that the deep sleep mode works as expected (so that the batteries last years instead of, well, hours) and just to make sure that the lights actually DO go off when I close the door on the fridge, I stuck a sensor node plus a digital luminosity sensor (a TSL2561 from TAOS to be specific, which approximates the human eye and measures both regular and infrared light levels), and used the LM75B I2C temperature sensor on the board to see just how chilly it really is (or isn’t) in there. Inspired, no. Safe and practical, yes. You can read more about it here
NEW PRODUCT – Heat Shrink Pack. Heat shrink is the duct tape of electronics, it keeps your stuff all safe and kept together. Especially when wiring and soldering, use heat shrink to add mechanical strength to cables. We use this stuff all the time and having a zip-lock bag of all the possible sizes is super handy.
Pack contains four 6″ pieces of the following sizes: 3/32″, 1/8″, 3/16″, 1/4″, 3/8″, 1/2″
I love my PanaVise Jr. But about half the time I go to use it I find its just not wide enough to hold what I’m working on. At only a 3″ opening, it only holds the smaller of my projects.
After disassembling the vise to see how I might be able to extend the opening, I discovered it was very doable. This Instructable documents how I was able to extend it to a 7¼” opening for only $7 in parts! The end result is a product that looks as good and works better than the original.
The best mini-vise for working on smaller PCBs (2.875″ or less in one dimension)! The jaws are strong plastic that wont damage the PCB and doesn’t mind if you hit it with the soldering iron by accident. Made in the USA.
The easy-to-use single knob controls head movement through 3-planes: 210 degree Tilt, 360 degree Turn & 360 degree Rotation
Fine/coarse adjusting knob controls jaw pressure for delicate work
Grooved jaws are excellent for holding small objects and are made of reinforced thermal composite plastic. Continuous heat tolerance to 350F (177C), intermittent heat up to 450 F (204C)
Jaws are 2″ (50.8mm) tall, 1″ (25.4mm) wide, and open to 2.875″ (73mm)
Neoprene jaw pads are available for holding extremely delicate items
Base features 4.3125″ (109.5mm) bolt circle countersunk for three 1/4 in. (6.3mm) flat-head screws (not included); compatible with all PanaVise Base Mounts
NEW FOR 2011! NEW PRODUCT – Genuine Hakko FX-888 (936 upgrade) [FX-888]! Known by engineers for making excellent quality tools & soldering irons! This is a genuine Hakko FX-888. We worked hard to get the best and a great price, these are not Chinese/Taiwanese knock-offs. This iron is an upgrade to the venerable Hakko 936 – smaller footprint but more powerful for a faster heat up time.
The Hakkos have quality construction, this iron is the last one you’ll need for decades. Heats up in 30 seconds, with a calibrated temperature control knob gives precision heat to minimize cold solder joints. Once you know you’re on the path of electronics, this is the iron you’ll want beside you on your desk.
We got the medium tip on this iron, the most popular size, great for through-hole and some SMT. You can purchase replacement Hakko tips anywhere (we’ll carry some soon)
65 Watts
200-480 degrees C (392°F – 896°F) with +-1 degree C stability
The Adafruit “midnight hacker” is a Leatherman Squirt ES4 and a very handy, unique key-chain size multi-tool. The E4 sets you up with 20GA, 18GA, 16GA, 14GA and 12GA wire strippers and electrical wire cutters to handle all kinds of precise jobs. The gripping edges on the ES4′s spring-action pliers help you get a firm grasp on fuses, small cables, and many hard-to-reach items.
Tools:
420HC Clip Point Knife
Spring-action Needlenose Pliers
Medium Screwdriver
Flat/Phillips Screwdriver
Wood/Metal File
Wire Cutters
Wire Strippers: 20GA, 18GA, 16GA, 14GA, and 12GA
Scissors
Bottle Opener
Features:
Etched with our laser, says “midnight hacker”
Stainless Steel with Anodized Aluminum Handle Scales
Stainless Steel Body
Outside-accessible Tools
Key Ring Attachment
Available color: Black, dark, cold – like our heart
25-year Warranty
Measurements:
2.25 in | 5.72 cm (closed)
1.9 oz | 56.4 g
1.6 in | 4.06 cm (blade length)
UPDATED INFORMATION:
Leatherman is no longer offering their tools with torx, they went back to rivets. Here’s a note directly from them to us.
We made a running change to the PS4 and the ES4 within the first couple of months of manufacturing them. We originally designed them to have torx screws, but discovered that the torx screws did not work as we had intended with the handles. It was decided to switch to rivets at that point.
You should not be receiving mixed shipments as we made this change several months ago. I let our warehouse know to check inventory. All inventory at this time are put together with rivets.
We have not yet updated the picture on the website, but will as quickly as possible. All current PS4 and ES4 tools come with rivets.
NEW PRODUCT – Multi-size wire stripper & cutter – 5023. We’ve upgraded our basic ‘adjustable’ wire strippers to these multi-sized wire strippers. They include: 22-30 AWG strippers, wire cutters, ‘plier’ tips, and a wire loop. Ground blades for precision cutting. Spring return, comfy molded handles and a closing-lock. Great for general usage, we use them for standard 22 AWG solid-core breadboarding wire and 26 AWG stranded ribbon cable, sometimes for other thin wires like thicker wire wrap.
If you’re looking for one of the best multimeters, we’re proud to now offer our personal favorite! The Extech EX330 “12 Function Mini MultiMeter + Non-Contact Voltage Detector. Autoranging DMM with NCV detector and Temperature function”. This product is the winner of EEVBlog Multimeter Shootout (Extech press release) & Dave’s site here – and on top of that, its been our daily-use multimeter for over 3 years. It’s compact, has auto-off, tons of features and a temperature probe for checking thermal properties, soldering iron calibration and perhaps even a DIY reflow control
Compact auto-ranging multimeter features extra large 4000 count display and built-in non-contact AC voltage detector. Advanced function include Frequency (nice for checking UART baud rates, crystal oscillators), Duty Cycle, Capacitance and Temperature (is your power supply overheating?), Diode test and continuity beeper. Rubber holster protects meter. UL listed Cat III – 600V. Includes test leads, Type K temperature probe, two AA batteries and tilt stand. UL listed. Large display and a host of features.
Features:
Autoranging DMM with 12 functions and 0.5% basic accuracy
AC/DC Voltage measurement – 0.1mV to 600V
AC/DC Current – 0.1uF to 10A
Resistance – 0.1Ω to 40MΩ
Capacitance – 0.001nF to 200μF
Frequency & Duty Cycle – 0.001Hz to 40MHz / 0.1% to 99.9% duty
Type K thermocouple temperature – -20 to 750°C
Diode/Continuity
Built-in non-contact AC voltage detector (NCV) with red LED indicator and audible beeper
Large-digit 4,000 count LCD display
Max Hold, Data Hold, Relative and Auto power off
Complete with test leads, tilt stand, protective holster, Type K bead wire probe and 2 AAA batteries
Printable catalog (PDF)
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