Shop OBEX P1 Docs P2 Docs Learn Events
Tech Station help — Parallax Forums

Tech Station help

NWCCTVNWCCTV Posts: 3,629
edited 2012-10-07 01:58 in General Discussion
I am thinking of buying a 3 in 1 tech station that has Solder Station, Power Supply and Volt Meter in one unit. I am currently just browsing and was wondering if anyone either currently owns one or have owned one and which is the best/worst on the market.

Comments

  • frank freedmanfrank freedman Posts: 1,983
    edited 2012-10-06 15:52
    NWCCTV wrote: »
    I am thinking of buying a 3 in 1 tech station that has Solder Station, Power Supply and Volt Meter in one unit. I am currently just browsing and was wondering if anyone either currently owns one or have owned one and which is the best/worst on the market.

    Why. One failure and you may have a brick or have to add whatever failed eating up more bench space rather than just fixing or replacing the failed device.
  • Peter KG6LSEPeter KG6LSE Posts: 1,383
    edited 2012-10-06 15:53
    I have used one the velleman one ... the Iron is OK but a 40 dollar meter is a way better investment ,.. so is a used PSU,,

    I give it 2/5 Stars . what is your budget ?
  • PJAllenPJAllen Banned Posts: 5,065
    edited 2012-10-06 16:11
    I agree with frank
    It's like the TV-cum-DVD boat anchors.

    You gotta keep 'em separated!
  • NWCCTVNWCCTV Posts: 3,629
    edited 2012-10-06 19:32
    Peter KG6LSE wrote: »
    I have used one the velleman one ... the Iron is OK but a 40 dollar meter is a way better investment ,.. so is a used PSU,,

    I give it 2/5 Stars . what is your budget ?

    That is one that I was looking at. Budget is about $150.00. I was also thinking of just building my own with a good solder station, a computer power supply and a good volt meter.
  • Peter KG6LSEPeter KG6LSE Posts: 1,383
    edited 2012-10-06 19:35
    that's the spirit!!

    ( there is a good reason I have tubes full of 7805's 12's and 317's )
  • RDL2004RDL2004 Posts: 2,554
    edited 2012-10-07 01:58
    No. Do not buy one of those. For not much higher cost you can get decent quality separates.

    Look for Hakko 937/936/FX-888, these are very good quality soldering stations, often available used for very reasonable cost. You can find the FX-888 new for under $100.

    There are several good multi-meters in the $50 range.

    You can build your own power supply, but even though I'd recommend it for the learning experience, it will end up costing more (if you do it right) than if you just buy one.

    Do not try to use/convert a ATX type computer power supply.

    If you decide to buy, a linear supply is usually a better choice than switch-mode. Though more expensive than a cheap, new power supply, used high quality power supplies can be a great bargain on eBay. HP/Agilent, Power Designs and others provide excellent performance for under $200
Sign In or Register to comment.