EE Equipment Sourcing January 2022

Owned by Daniel Puratich (Unlicensed)
Last updated: 2022-01-12
5 min read

EE Equipment Sourcing Documentation

Daniel Puratich: January 5th, 2022

 

Budget

  • Money: $700 Canadian I believe

    • This order should realistically be around half that though

  • Time: 1 day

    • Only because I procrastinated

      • I had a month and a day a month ago . . .

    • I also need to sleep for work tomorrow so like realistically a few hours

 

Brainstorming anything we could get provided no constraints were present

  • Hot air station

    • aka reflow station

  • Solder

    • Solder Paste

    • Normal Solder

  • Flux

    • We use flux infused solder usually so we don’t need a lot of this

  • Solder wick

    • We’re running low on this and might as well get some while we’re ordering currently

  • Solder Clamps thing

    • For holding wires are you solder them

    • This would be very useful for non-SMD solder

  • Wide heatshrink

    • Just like a variety pack or something

    • We already have a lot of smaller heatshrink which we don’t really need

  • Hot Tweezer Station

    • I believe our current solder station has a hot tweeze tool

  • Hot Plate

    • We may already have one?

      • Would be good to get a nice new one if we do

      • Part of me thinks we don’t tho, hmmm

  • Current Clamp, standalone unit or one that connects to oscilloscope

    • Not right now at least though it would be useful

      • Out of budget

      • Too complex

    • Need a different type of clamp to measure AC vs DC

    • If we go with oscilloscope connected one be sure it's compatible with out fancy Keysight oscilloscope

      • We have a current clamp from Keysight already, but we never got it working.

      • We should spend more time with that one before purchasing something.

  • Solder Station

    • The one we have is great so ignoring this for the time being

  • Solder Iron tips

    • We don’t need any yet

 

Items considered for this purchase (in order of priority)

  1. Reflow Station

    1. Need this to solder our new boards we just ordered

  2. Hot plate

    1. Will be extremely useful for soldering our new boards

  3. Solder wick

    1. Cheap

    2. Easy to source

  4. Wide Heatshrink

    1. For making our competition drone look clean this is a necessity

    2. The alternative to this is ugly electrical tape

  5. Soldering Clamps

    1. Low priority

    2. Will be very useful when it comes time to solder wires for our final competition drone

 

Options Analysis

  1. Rework / Hot Air Station

    1. https://www.tequipment.net/Quick/861DW/Desoldering-Equipment/Rework-Stations/

      1. RECOMMENDED BY JOE

        1. Message link: Discord - Group Chat That’s All Fun & Games

      2. $275

      3. It looks really clean and I’m sure it’s great, but this price point makes it tough to justify when there are other options are a third the price.

        1. We do have some funding currently though so maybe?

    2. Aoyue 866 All in 1 Digital Hot Air Rework Station with Pre-Heater

      1. Solder iron, hot air station, & hot plate AOI

      2. 200$s from website, not on amazon hmm

      3. seems scuffed idk

    3. https://www.amazon.ca/TXINLEI-858D-Station-Tweezers-Desoldering/dp/B07FBGFT3K/ref=sr_1_5?crid=7VC1D4WGU0UA&keywords=hot+air+station&qid=1641445862&sprefix=hot+air+station%2Caps%2C131&sr=8-5

      1. hot air station and some tools for it

      2. decent reviews tho something with power coord being wierd? (not a big deal as we have generic power coords we can use and this worked for reviewers)

      3. 76$s

      4. strong option imo for a bare bones item that will get the job done

    4. https://www.amazon.ca/TXINLEI-Display-Soldering-Rework-Station/dp/B07VVNZTQM/ref=sr_1_40?crid=2EM45MD8NHTZK&keywords=solder+station&qid=1641446052&sprefix=solder+statio%2Caps%2C135&sr=8-40

      1. “hot air gun” jank name but looks good

      2. 70$s

      3. bare bones, less pieces then option b

  2. Hot Plate

    1. I can’t find one for less then 100$s, reeeeee

    2. https://www.amazon.ca/Soiiw-Microcomputer-Soldering-Preheating-200X200mm/dp/B083Z38S9P/ref=sr_1_6?crid=20XBZK6UQ0C35&keywords=soldering+preheating+hot+plate&qid=1641446737&sprefix=soldering+preheating+hot+plate%2Caps%2C126&sr=8-6

      1. 106$s

      2. 200mm x 200mm

      3. 13 mostly positive amazon reviews idk lol

    3. https://www.amazon.ca/200mm-Microcomputer-Electric-Preheater-Preheating/dp/B07L1MVHRF/ref=sr_1_35?crid=20XBZK6UQ0C35&keywords=soldering+preheating+hot+plate&qid=1641446737&sprefix=soldering+preheating+hot+plate%2Caps%2C126&sr=8-35

      1. 150$s

      2. 200mm x 200mm

      3. no reviews

      4. seems identical to the other one imo, just more expensive

  3. Solder wick

    1. https://www.amazon.ca/NTE-Electronics-SW04-10-No-Clean-Anti-Static/dp/B007Z7Y7XM/ref=sr_1_5?crid=154DSSQ0L7SM6&keywords=solder+wick&qid=1641447130&sprefix=solder+wick%2Caps%2C200&sr=8-5

      1. $9

      2. 2.5mm wide, 10ft long

    2. https://www.amazon.ca/Lesnow-Desoldering-Disassemble-Electrical-Components/dp/B09KS67DC7/ref=sr_1_15?crid=154DSSQ0L7SM6&keywords=solder%2Bwick&qid=1641447226&sprefix=solder%2Bwick%2Caps%2C200&sr=8-15&th=1

      1. 3 spools of 0.1inch wide, 10 ft long

      2. $17

      3. Buy in bulk it’s a lil cheaper

    3. https://www.amazon.ca/Lesnow-Desoldering-Disassemble-Electrical-Components/dp/B09KRDYM1B/ref=sr_1_15?crid=154DSSQ0L7SM6&keywords=solder%2Bwick&qid=1641447226&sprefix=solder%2Bwick%2Caps%2C200&sr=8-15&th=1

      1. 5 spools of 0.1inch wide, 10 ft long

      2. $19

      3. Buy in bulk it’s a lot cheaper wtf

      4. good reviews as well

  4. Soldering Clamps

    1. All of these are overpriced in my opinion, but we need one and they’re not getting any cheaper

    2. https://www.amazon.ca/KOTTO-Soldering-Workshop-Non-Slip-Weighted/dp/B07VZFW2J8/ref=sr_1_15?crid=2MFZ0483IOA83&keywords=solder+clamps&qid=1641447660&sprefix=solder+clamps%2Caps%2C177&sr=8-15

      1. 30$s

      2. 4 arms

      3. free standing

      4. less arms, but a more structurally sound base in my opinion

    3. https://www.amazon.ca/Soldering-Flexible-Aluminum-Assembly-Modeling/dp/B07Y73DZK3/ref=sr_1_8?crid=2MFZ0483IOA83&keywords=solder+clamps&qid=1641447660&sprefix=solder+clamps%2Caps%2C177&sr=8-8

      1. 36$s

      2. 6 arms

      3. free standing

    4. https://www.amazon.ca/Desktop-Soldering-Helping-Tabletop-Jewelry/dp/B07QCJQRDF/ref=sr_1_18?crid=QH5UIYQM4EPN&keywords=solder+holder&qid=1641447724&sprefix=solder+holde%2Caps%2C123&sr=8-18

      1. 24$s

      2. 3 arms desk clamp

      3. slightly lower amazon reviews makes this a tough pick

      4. the desk clamp mounting also makes it harder to use

  5. Wide Heatshrink

    1. https://www.amazon.ca/Dual-Wall-Heat-Shrink-Tubing/dp/B08SQPJZXR/ref=sr_1_9?crid=1KMIXJPHFDN9W&keywords=heat%2Bshrink&qid=1641444510&sprefix=heatsin%2Caps%2C147&sr=8-9&th=1

      1. 3:1

      2. 16$s

      3. 270 pcs total

        1. 70 pcs 1.6 mm*45 mm Black/Red

        2. 80 pcs 2.4 mm*45 mm Black/Red

        3. 80 pcs 3.2 mm*45 mm Black/Red

        4. 20 pcs 4.8 mm*90 mm Black/Red

        5. 12 pcs 6.4 mm*90 mm Black/Red

        6. 8 pcs 9.5 mm*90 mm Black/Red

        7. 1 Plastic Box for Storage

      4. Disappointed by lack of colors, all else seems good

    2. https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07RYRDLMX?pd_rd_i=B07RYRDLMX&pd_rd_w=b4reZ&pf_rd_p=e5221106-e893-4358-a8a7-ed4fdcae0619&pd_rd_wg=N1P1S&pf_rd_r=2X37XB0ER68AYM3YH2P9&pd_rd_r=ab88f554-3537-4f5e-b347-6f7f02232966&th=1

      1. 2:1

      2. 18$s

      3. 800 pcs total

        1. 180X1.0*45mm Black --------150X1.5*45mm Red

        2. 100X2.0*45mm Yellow --------70X 2.5*45mm Green

        3. 60X 3.0*45mm Black --------50X 3.5*45mm Blue

        4. 40X 4.0*45mm Red --------30X 5.0*45mm Blue

        5. 30X 6.0*45mm Blue -------- 30X 7.0*45mm Red

        6. 30X10.0*45mm Black--------30X 13.0*45mm Black

        7. Plastic storage box

      4. 2:1 shrink ratio might be a deal breaker here

    3. https://www.amazon.ca/Bestgle-150pcs-Polyolefin-Transparent-Sleeving/dp/B074SHC1HY/ref=sr_1_4?crid=3V6S0RD2CST7E&keywords=clear+heat+shrink&qid=1641445165&s=automotive&sprefix=clear+heat+shrink%2Cautomotive%2C120&sr=1-4

      1. 2:1

      2. 18$s

      3. 150Pcs

        1. 50 x φ1.5mm x 100mm Clear

        2. 30 x φ2.5mm x 100mm Clear

        3. 30 x φ3.0mm x 100mm Clear

        4. 20 x φ5.0mm x 100mm Clear

        5. 10 x φ6.0mm x 100mm Clear

        6. 10 x φ10.0mm x 100mm Clear

      4. Clear heatshrink is really cool, it not look as clean, but I used some clear stuff in my marine days and it was great cuz you could see right away if a solder had gotten corroded or not. Probably won’t be useful for our application and just be ugly.

      5. 2:1 shrinking ratio again is rough

 

Decisions

  1. Reflow Station

    1. It pains me to pass up something we were recommended by Joe, but the price is hard to justify on his selection though I’m sure the quality is there.

      1. Maybe we discuss this as a team? The hot air station is a critical piece of EE equipment we will need for a long time, it may be worth splurging on it.

    2. https://www.amazon.ca/TXINLEI-858D-Station-Tweezers-Desoldering/dp/B07FBGFT3K/ref=sr_1_5?crid=7VC1D4WGU0UA&keywords=hot+air+station&qid=1641445862&sprefix=hot+air+station%2Caps%2C131&sr=8-5

      1. 76$s

      2. Budget pricing but has plenty of tools with it that we’ll need

  2. Hot plate

    1. If we were to drop any item from our purchase this time around I vote this one

      1. it is very expensive for what it is

      2. it seems pretty scuffed and has very few amazon reviews

      3. Kevin has final decision, I don’t care either way

    2. https://www.amazon.ca/Soiiw-Microcomputer-Soldering-Preheating-200X200mm/dp/B083Z38S9P/ref=sr_1_6?crid=20XBZK6UQ0C35&keywords=soldering+preheating+hot+plate&qid=1641446737&sprefix=soldering+preheating+hot+plate%2Caps%2C126&sr=8-6

      1. 106$s

      2. 200mm x 200mm heated surface area

  3. Solder wick

    1. https://www.amazon.ca/Lesnow-Desoldering-Disassemble-Electrical-Components/dp/B09KRDYM1B/ref=sr_1_15?crid=154DSSQ0L7SM6&keywords=solder%2Bwick&qid=1641447226&sprefix=solder%2Bwick%2Caps%2C200&sr=8-15&th=1

      1. 5 spools of 0.1inch wide, 10 ft long

      2. $19

      3. Buying in bulk is very cheap

        1. it’s not like this stuff goes bad

        2. we might as well go for it

  4. Soldering Clamps

    1. https://www.amazon.ca/KOTTO-Soldering-Workshop-Non-Slip-Weighted/dp/B07VZFW2J8/ref=sr_1_15?crid=2MFZ0483IOA83&keywords=solder+clamps&qid=1641447660&sprefix=solder+clamps%2Caps%2C177&sr=8-15

      1. 30$s

      2. expensive for what it is, but will come in handy

  5. Wide Heatshrink

    1. https://www.amazon.ca/Dual-Wall-Heat-Shrink-Tubing/dp/B08SQPJZXR/ref=sr_1_9?crid=1KMIXJPHFDN9W&keywords=heat%2Bshrink&qid=1641444510&sprefix=heatsin%2Caps%2C147&sr=8-9&th=1

      1. 16$s

      2. 3:1 shrink ratio makes this the best option by far, nothing worse then heat shrink that doesn’t shrink enough

Updated Info 1/11/2022:

The money will disappear if we don’t spend it, we might as well go for it on expensive stuff:

  1. Reflow Station: https://www.tequipment.net/Quick/861DW/Desoldering-Equipment/Rework-Stations/ → Discord - Group Chat That’s All Fun & Games

  2. Hot plate: https://www.amazon.ca/Soiiw-Microcomputer-Soldering-Preheating-200X200mm/dp/B083Z38S9P/ref=sr_1_6?crid=20XBZK6UQ0C35&keywords=soldering+preheating+hot+plate&qid=1641446737&sprefix=soldering+preheating+hot+plate%2Caps%2C126&sr=8-6

  3. Solder wick: https://www.amazon.ca/Lesnow-Desoldering-Disassemble-Electrical-Components/dp/B09KRDYM1B/ref=sr_1_15?crid=154DSSQ0L7SM6&keywords=solder%2Bwick&qid=1641447226&sprefix=solder%2Bwick%2Caps%2C200&sr=8-15&th=1

  4. Soldering Clamps: https://www.amazon.ca/KOTTO-Soldering-Workshop-Non-Slip-Weighted/dp/B07VZFW2J8/ref=sr_1_15?crid=2MFZ0483IOA83&keywords=solder+clamps&qid=1641447660&sprefix=solder+clamps%2Caps%2C177&sr=8-15

  5. Wide Heatshrink: https://www.amazon.ca/Dual-Wall-Heat-Shrink-Tubing/dp/B08SQPJZXR/ref=sr_1_9?crid=1KMIXJPHFDN9W&keywords=heat%2Bshrink&qid=1641444510&sprefix=heatsin%2Caps%2C147&sr=8-9&th=1

 

Kevin has the final ordering decision, but once ordered we should note what we got at the end here for future documentation.

Items We Ordered 1/??/2022:

  1.