Obviously, you need solder to build most circuits. However, before and after soldering a circuit, there is a bunch of other stuff. In this Workbench Wednesdays episode, James looks at the solder, flux, wick, and cleaning supplies needed when working with electronics. Make sure your lab is stocked with these must-have consumables.
Whether you are just getting started in electronics or you have boxes of parts, it is good to know what are the most critical parts to have in your kit. James asked the element 14 community for what they considered to be essential passive components like resistors, capacitors, switches, wires, and even diodes. In this video, he consolidated their puts and explains what to think about when buying these parts for your kit.
Logic probes are great for debugging 7400 series logic chips and digital circuits. In this video, James makes a counter circuit and debugs each stage as he builds, with a Logic Probe. If you are wondering, “do I need a logic probe” this video shows how one can be used and even answers when you should consider buying one.
One of the loudest pieces of equipment on Bald Engineer’s electronics workbench is the Electronic DC Load. James has finally had it with its noise and decided to swap the fan out. To see (and not just hear) an improvement, he uses a Tenma 72-942 handheld sound meter to compare before and after.
Turning on a MOSFET takes more than knowing the threshold voltage. A special event occurs when a FET turns on, which is called the Miller Plateau. The gate voltage sticks to the threshold voltage while the drain opens up. In this video, James shows how to measure the Miller Capacitance, using an oscilloscope and custom MOSFET test board.
This video came from some measurements I did on a live stream. I had intended to demonstrate something else, but the board I created was such a great demo board for the Miller Effect.
