Toolbox Thursday #12 Screwdrivers

Good afternoon folks and welcome to another Toolbox Thursday this weeks tool is Screwdrivers 

How my toolbox Thursday reviews work the first thing I will talk about is what its like to setup  then I will move on what its like to use and to where you can get one from (there may be an affiliate link if you would like to help me out ) and if its good value for money and the last thing in the review will be my overall rating of the item it will be a 5 star system with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest .

Setup 

Screwdrivers can require a bit of set up if using muti-tipped screwdriver this is normally just choosing the bit you would like to use .

Use 

The Screwdriver is one of the most used tools you will have used for everything in this hobby you can open up items to tinker with  or for building your ideas  

Where can you get one 

you can get screwdrivers for nearly every where and if you like me you will own more than one set with a different tips and bits If your just starting out Id recommend picking up a cheap set from a tool merchant as they will have give you a good base 

Rating 

Screwdrivers area key item in my book and as this is a general post about them I have to give screwdrivers a full 5 stars in the future I will review sets of  screwdrivers which will go into more details on the that set that may change its score.

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Thanks for taking the time to read this if you liked what you've read then please check back tomorrow after 17.00BST for another update thanks again. Dobby 

Postbox #12

Good afternoon folks and welcome to another post box this I have 7 items to show you let's get started.

Item one 

Frist up this week is to Atmel Dip-40 At89c51 chips that I pick up to use in a future projects I'm just not sure what yet but I will let you know when I have use them.

Item two 

The next item this week is a pack of 10 10mhz crystals I picked these up just to stock back up after I used the others I had . 

Item three 

The third item this week is a set of 5 dc motors that I am planning to use in a cooling fan project I am working on .

Item four 

The item is a bulk pack of Ceramic Capacitors that have a wide range of values and will be used across my projects  

Item five 

The next item is a 10 pack of 556 timers which I plan to use in projects including an Atari punk console

Item six 

the next item is a multi pack of 3mm leds which I picked up from ebay for 52p 

Item seven 

the last item this week is a pack of coils whichi am planning to use across a few different projects 

Don't forget to check out the daily dobby on social media Facebook   Twitter 

Thanks for taking the time to read this if you liked what you've read then please check back tomorrow after 17.00bst for another update thanks again. Dobby 

Toolbox Thursday #11 Digital camera

Good afternoon folks and welcome to another Toolbox Thursday this weeks tool is the Digital camera 

How my toolbox Thursday reviews work the first thing I will talk about is what its like to setup  then I will move on what its like to use and to where you can get one from (there may be an affiliate link if you would like to help me out ) and if its good value for money and the last thing in the review will be my overall rating of the item it will be a 5 star system with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest .

Setup 

most digital camera require a small amount the setup this is normally putting in the batteries and memory card  as with this model which takes two aa batteries and an sd card .

Use 

I have had this camera for a few months I find it very useful for taking pictures of items that have complex internals which would be hard to put back together without photos of how it came apart . the other use I have for it is supplying the pictures and video for this blog

Where can you get one 

there are number of places where you can get a camera from.the price  will very depending  on the quality of camera you go for . The model  I have cost around £40 and is doing the job I want it to although if the blog continues to grow I may invest in a better camera .

Rating

Having a digital camera in your toolbox is not a must have thing but it is very helpful so I am going to give it 3 out of 5 stars .

Don't forget to check out the daily dobby on social media Facebook   Twitter 

Thanks for taking the time to read this if you liked what you've read then please check back tomorrow after 17.00BST for another update thanks again. Dobby 

Postbox #11

Good afternoon folks and welcome to another post box this I have 6 items to show you let's get started.

Item one 

The First this week is a diy phone signal detector kit  that I picked up from ebay for 25p I have already built a similar kit for the first project day post you can check that out here 

Item two 

The next item this week is a 12walt led light fitting this is going to become my main light in the shed that I will be fitting in an upcoming Project day post so stay tuned for that 

Item three 

The third item this week is a 24v power supply that again came from ebay this time for £2.12 I'm not Quite sure of what this will end up being used in yet but it will come in handy at some point 

Item four 

The fourth item this week is a pack of 20 of terminal connecters which I plan to use in some of my upcoming projects 

Item five 

The next item is a solder sucker that I picked to replace one that broke on me and to be in an upcoming desoldering post that I am working on keep an eye out for it

Item six 

The last item this week is a pack of 10  630v 0.1uF capacitors that got to use in a transformerless circuit idea  that I am working on once I have the circuit ready I will share it in a circuit Monday post   

Don't forget to check out the daily dobby on social media Facebook   Twitter 

Thanks for taking the time to read this if you liked what you've read then please check back tomorrow after 17.00bst for another update thanks again. Dobby 

Toolbox Thursday #10 Draper soldering Iron 61478

Good afternoon folks and welcome to another Toolbox Thursday this weeks tool is Draper soldering Iron 61478

How my toolbox Thursday reviews work the first thing I will talk about is what its like to setup  then I will move on what its like to use and to where you can get one from (there may be an affiliate link if you would like to help me out ) and if its good value for money and the last thing in the review will be my overall rating of the item it will be a 5 star system with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest .

Setup 

The soldering iron is easy to set up out of the box after a quick tinning of the tip its ready to go .

Use 

this is a very versatile iron thanks to its adjustable temp control I have used this on tiny smd components to heavy gauge wire and components I can happily say this my main iron I have used it nearly everyday since I got it. I have found it feels very nice to hold and use for long periods of time . 

Where can you get one 

there are number of places where you can pick one of these up such as ebay and amazon . 

Rating 

this is a fantastic iron to use and I couldn't give it any less than a full 5 stars 

Don't forget to check out the daily dobby on social media Facebook   Twitter 

Thanks for taking the time to read this if you liked what you've read then please check back tomorrow after 17.00BST for another update thanks again. Dobby 

Toolbox Thursday #9 Wire snips

Good afternoon folks and welcome to another Toolbox Thursday this weeks tool is Wire cutters 

How my toolbox Thursday reviews work the first thing I will talk about is what its like to setup  then I will move on what its like to use and to where you can get one from (there may be an affiliate link if you would like to help me out ) and if its good value for money and the last thing in the review will be my overall rating of the item it will be a 5 star system with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest .

Setup 

there is no set up for these 

Use 

there is a wide ranges of uses for this I use them for cutting wires of all thicknesses as well snipping component leads from boards as well many other uses 

Where can you get one 

Banggood

Ebay

Rating 

these are one of the best buys I have made they work great they are always within arms length of me when I'm working in the shed I have had these for months and have had no issues with them  

These are great snips I use them all the time I can not give them any less than 5 stars 

Don't forget to check out the daily dobby on social media Facebook   Twitter 

Thanks for taking the time to read this if you liked what you've read then please check back tomorrow after 17.00BST for another update thanks again. Dobby 

Toolbox Thursday #8 Files

Good afternoon folks and welcome to another Toolbox Thursday this weeks tool is files

How my toolbox Thursday reviews work the first thing I will talk about is what its like to setup  then I will move on what its like to use and to where you can get one from (there may be an affiliate link if you would like to help me out ) and if its good value for money and the last thing in the review will be my overall rating of the item it will be a 5 star system with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest .

Setup 

there is no setup with these its just a case of picking the file you want and using it .

Use 

I have found a number of uses for the files the main use I have for them is the clean up holes from drilling such I did in project day #7 but I have also used them to make channels for wires in cases .

Where can you get one 

EBAY
Banggood

Rating 

I am very please with these files although not for everyone they are really good in and a really good addition to my toolbox I give these 4stars 

Thanks for taking the time to read this if you liked what you've read then please check back tomorrow after 17.00BST for another update thanks again. Dobby 

Saturday Special Fritzing software

hello and welcome to this Saturday special  all about Fritzing 

What is Fritzing

Fritzing is an is a circuit production software that helps you design and produce pcb in a very quick and effective way and to make circuits that are easy to share   if you would like to download it you can do so by visiting the Fritzing website by clicking here

What its like 

I have been using Fritzing for a few months now and have found it very simple to use . I use three of its modes regularly the first being its breadboard view which is digital breadboard thanks to the software's massive library  of parts I can easily take my real life breadboard layouts into a digital version. The mode its self is very easy to simply pick the component you wish to use and drag it on to the breadboard placing it where you would like it to be all the parts can then be connected by wires which are make by dragging between holes on the board .

The next mode being a schematic view that take your breadboard layout and turns it into a schematic in the mode you can choose to make the connections yourself or use the auto route feature which most of the time works great although It can get a bit confused with more complex circuits but I find this mode very useful when I am trying to reverse engineer a circuit or drawing schematics for my circuit Monday post as my drawing skills are very poor .

The final mode is a pcb layout very this is fantastic for designing  pcbs I have used this to make a few different pcbs that I have etched myself  the auto route feature really comes into its own in this mode . also there is a option to have your pcb layout printed by Fritzing I haven't used this  yet it seems very fairly priced I will be trying this very soon and will show the results in a future post.

Now that I have covered the modes I would like to take about the export options that come with the software you can export all of the modes in a number of picture formats including png and jpeg as well as exporting the pcb layouts in a number of production formats that are used by a wide number of the pcb manufacturer's out there.

Thanks for taking the time to read this if you liked what you've read then please check back today after 17.00gmt for another update thanks again Dobby

 

 

Toolbox Thursday # 7 Dremel 3000

Good afternoon folks and welcome to another Toolbox Thursday this weeks tool is Dremel 3000

How my toolbox Thursday reviews work the first thing I will talk about is what its like to setup  then I will move on what its like to use and to where you can get one from (there may be an affiliate link if you would like to help me out ) and if its good value for money and the last thing in the review will be my overall rating of the item it will be a 5 star system with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest .

Setup 

this is a very easy tool to setup simply plug it into the mains and choose the bit you would like to use and fit it into the chuck 

Use 

this model has a very handy quick change feature for the bits which I use all of the time . due to it versatile nature I find myself using in a number of ways which include cutting, sanding and drilling it has a great feel in the hand which aids in its use. the adjustable speed is the main feature I like about this tool which helps make controlled cuts in fragile materials there is also a wide range of bits available to buy and use with this machine . my one came with a number of bits as well a really nice case that is very high quality. 

Where can you get one 

there are a number of places you can pick one of these up from and I would recommend shopping around but what ever price you pay it is great value for money 

Rating 

This is a fantastic tool that I can not recommend enough it works perfectly ever time my rating for it is a full 5 stars. 

Thanks for taking the time to read this if you liked what you've read then please check back tomorrow after 17.00BST for another update thanks again. Dobby 

Toolbox Thursday # 6 898D Soldering Rework Station

Good afternoon folks and welcome to another Toolbox Thursday this weeks tool is 898D Soldering Rework Station

How my toolbox Thursday reviews work the first thing I will talk about is what its like to setup  then I will move on what its like to use and to where you can get one from (there may be an affiliate link if you would like to help me out ) and if its good value for money and the last thing in the review will be my overall rating of the item it will be a 5 star system with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest .

Setup 

Setup for this is simple the only thing that you need to do is attach the heat gun holder which is done by removing two screws that are on the right side of the station then use the screws to attach the holder ( I found laying the station on its side makes it easier to do this) .it also comes with three tips for the heat gun which fit on with a simple push and twist action (I found the medium size tip worked best for me )

Use 

it is a very simple tool to use it has a very easy to read display .setting the temperature is controlled by two buttons on the front marked up and down so you cant get simpler than that it has range from 100c to 450c the machine heats up fairly quick as for the air flow is controlled by a knob marked 1 to 8 I found that for smd soldering(the main thing I will use this for ) I that 3and half with a temperature  of 150c was perfect . The gun is very easy to hold and use it fits into the holder nicely when the it is the holder it starts to cool down which I found to be very useful . I have also tried the station on heat shrink which worked great then I tried it with lead free solder and a through hole components which it did do but its defiantly not something I'd recommend doing  although if you your trying to heat up cold joints it does work well.

Where can you get one 

Ebay

Amazon

Banggood

Rating 

I would recommend getting one of these if you are planning on doing a lot of smd soldering .Overall this is a great little station that's well worth picking up I going to give this 4 and half  stars

Thanks for taking the time to read this if you liked what you've read then please check back tomorrow after 17.00gmt for another update thanks again. Dobby

post box # 5

Good afternoon and welcome to another post box this I have 7 items to show you let's get started 

Item one 

the first item this week is a set of ten flashing circuit  this is a basic solder training circuit they are good to practice on I got them to teach people how to solder.

Item two 

the second item is 50 BC37 pnp  transistors I picked these up to play around with and to replace a few in some repair work I have to do .

Item three 

the next item on this week is six banana connecter plugs I picked these up to use with the bench power supply which I should hopefully have ready to share in a future project day .

Item four 

this item is a bit of a strange one it is an attiny dev board and to be I haven't had much of a chance to look at how it works did come with an attiny 85 as well I will keep you updated with it and how I get on .

Item five 

next up is a bulk load of resistors that were only 99p so I grabbed them I'm always using resistors so it was a good buy.

Item six 

the sixth item today is two rolls of solder wick I picked these up to replace the one that had ran out and also because I am planning a post about desoldering very soon.

Item seven 

the last item in this weeks post box is a box of jumper wires I got these to you use with the prototyping board I made in Project day #3 and these are better than the ones I was using .

hope you enjoyed this week post box check back tomorrow for Toolbox Thursday 

Dobby 

Toolbox Thursday #4 USB Soldering Iron

this week I though I would change this instead of reviewing a set of tools like I have been for I though it would be better to review that the tools that I'm using and getting in the post if you like this change please let me know.

on the reviews the first thing I will talk about is what its like to setup  then I will move on what its like to use and to where you can get one from (there may be an affiliate link if you would like to help me out ) and if its good value for money and the last thing in the review will be my overall rating of the item it will be a 5 star system with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest I hope that will help you understand how I will be review items from now on.

get

Setup 

Setup is really simple for this all you have to do is plug in the USB cable into it and plug the other end into a power bank or a USB plug I tried both out and its performance was the same.

Testing 

To start the iron you have to hold the sensor switch which for me was very easy and comfortable as it is the same spot I would  normally hold my irons for some people It may be a bit of a problem but not that much of one.

Heating the iron up(I am not sure how hot the tip gets as I don't have a tip tester yet ) happens very quickly and tinning the tip ( you need to tin the tip on new soldering irons and before every use )was very smooth and it flowed well to be honest I was surprised by how well it handled solder I tested from 0.3 to 2.0mm solder with it and it performed well on all of it. 

now for its soldering performance I soldered two 2mm wires together and it handled that fine it did struggle with 5mm wire I the moved on to soldering a simple circuit board and it did that perfectly although it does struggle with big components but I was impressed with it .

Where can you one 

there are a few places you can this from there which I will list below . As for value for money the one I brought cost me £6.00 and I think it was well worth the purchase.

Banggood this is the Affiliate link which means I would get a few pence for it.

Ebay

Amazon

Overall Rating

I was very impressed with this iron I can see myself using this for little jobs that I wouldn't want to heat up my main iron it performed better than I thought it would on all my tests so I'm going to give it 4* out of a possible 5* I recommend picking one up .

that's all for today I hope you comeback tomorrow for Flashback Friday 

Do