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The beginner's setup for micro controllers, what would you put? — Parallax Forums

The beginner's setup for micro controllers, what would you put?

CapdiamontCapdiamont Posts: 218
edited 2008-10-20 11:04 in General Discussion
While somethings will vary with the micro controller, what would you put?

Things like common resistor sizes, and their ratings.

Things like good lighting.
Magnifying glass.
Solder iron
Solder
Wire cutter
needle nose pliers
wire for jumpers. I like to use cat5 cable, cut up.

I'm thinking for resistors for 5v micro controller like the basic stamp and the sx
all 1/4 watt.
220 ohm to protect the I/O pin
470 ohm for LEDs
1k ohm for LEDs
4.7k ohm pullup/pulldown
10k ohm pullup/pulldown

Comments

  • hippyhippy Posts: 1,981
    edited 2008-10-19 17:06
    Multimeter, at least able to do a continuity test and measure R's.
  • sylvie369sylvie369 Posts: 1,622
    edited 2008-10-19 17:41
    I've found one of these LED-lit magnifying glasses invaluable for inspecting my soldering:

    http://www.goldfeverprospecting.com/ledloupe.html

    I got a couple at American Science and Surplus for about $3 apiece - I imagine you can get various versions from many different places.

    Soldering wick and a cheap kitchen sponge (for cleaning the soldering iron's tip) are as important as the iron and solder themselves.
  • grasshoppergrasshopper Posts: 438
    edited 2008-10-19 20:23
    - A book on how to program it.
  • SRLMSRLM Posts: 5,045
    edited 2008-10-19 23:36
    Screw drivers and tweezers.
  • parts-man73parts-man73 Posts: 830
    edited 2008-10-20 00:55
    Jameco or Futurlec carry assorted packs of resistors, it contains most the popular sizes.

    0.1 uf caps are good for decoupling, should be 1 (sometimes more) per IC

    How about a good Solderless breadboard with a breadboard mounted regulator board, Circuits don't work right unless they are fed the correct constant voltage. Don't count on a wall wart power supply to provide this, you need a good regulator.

    For jumper wires, I prefer these http://forums.parallaxinc.com/www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&langId=-1&catalogId=10001&productId=126342
    they cost more than wires stripped out of cat5 cable, but after using these, I'll never go back.

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    Brian

    uController.com - home of SpinStudio - the modular Development system for the Propeller

    PropNIC - Add ethernet ability to your Propeller! PropJoy - Plug in a joystick and play some games!

    SD card Adapter - mass storage for the masses Audio/Video adapter add composite video and sound to your Proto Board
  • kelvin jameskelvin james Posts: 531
    edited 2008-10-20 01:50
    A good size secondary breadboard is a must for more complicated circuits, gives room for the fingers and better visual placement of the components. The magnifier / lamps come in handy too, to verify small components and for soldering.
  • Brian218Brian218 Posts: 92
    edited 2008-10-20 11:04
    A power supply is a must have.

    A logic probe is nice to have.

    I use a small Hemostat constantly; they're similar to tweezers, but their jaws can be locked.
    http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a-store/item/HM-2/5-CURVED-TIP-HEMOSTAT/-/1.html

    Heat-shrink tubing is hard to live without.

    Don't forget to safely ground both you and your workstation to protect against ESD damage.

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    This post is a work of art. Variations in spelling and grammar are intentional, artistic endeavors that add value to all of mankind.
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