Index The index to this thread is found in post number 903 Go to INDEX. [IMG_3826] How about sharing some tips you use? Here is one I use often when I need my third hand to give a constant pull. [2017-01-04_0-01-26.jpg] .

Stand-alone Pinch Clamp A ‘C Clamp’ is an indispensable tool in your lab. In fact, it seems like you never have enough of them. A problem with these clamps is they have a relatively large form factor. The following images show using a ‘Pinch Clamp’ in place of a ‘C clamp’. It has been seen in previous posts the usefulness of the ‘Pinch Clamp’ held in place with a magnet. Here, the magnet is replaced with an ‘Acorn Nut Foot’. This glides easily on your drill press table and makes drilling easier; this component assembly will be called a ‘Standalone Pinch Clamp’. The separation of the two fender washers should be >= to the thickness being clamped; the fulcrum is an M2 screw head and an M2 nut giving a separation of ~0.12 inches. If needed, the tool can be reduced in size by shortening the 6-32 screw. I find there is less of a chance the pinch clamp will damage surfaces. [A.jpg] [B.jpg] [C.jpg] ![D.jpg|730x701](upload://n0oc0Hfe9eFF8dkbsUtK6QU7hQT.jpeg

Drilling Template Stick (DTS) Normally a center punch and drill bit will suffice when holes need to be made in a mother board. There are times, however, when accurately drilled holes need to be made. Make a “Drilling Template Stick (DTS)”. Make DTS boards from .062” FR4 glass epoxy PCB material. Drill 2 mm holes on a 0.5” grid spacing in the board. The boards shown below are ~6” by 1.5” and ~6” by 0.5 inch. Double stick tape 320 grit sandpaper to the surface of your DTS. Use a tapered round diamond file (from the grit side) to clear each DTS hole. Tape your PCB paper pad template to your work piece. Center punch all pads on your PCB paper pad template with a prick punch, remove template; put a Sharpie dot on each prick punch mark. Center a DTS hole over one of the work piece Sharpie marks. Use 3 Pinch Clamps to hold the DTS against the work piece. Position the drill bit over a DTS hole, lower the bit into the hole without the drill power being on, turn on the drill power, drill the hole. A drill press with a foot activated power switch is a good thing to have ;). If needed, enlarge the holes after the DTS has been used to drill all the holes in the work piece. In a nutshell, the DTS board prevents your drill bit from skating around when a hole is being drilled. This is especially true with diamond core bits when you make pads in copper clad material. A DTS board made from .062” PCB material, should be adequate for a 2 mm (~5/64”) drill bit. After adding the double stick tape to the support dowel, reduce stickiness by touching the tape with your palms a few times. This makes it easier to reposition the dowel as you work. [0.jpg] [A.jpg] [B.jpg] [B1.jpg] [D.jpg] [C.jpg]

[E.jpg] [E1.jpg] [F.jpg] [G.jpg] [H.jpg] [I.jpg]

More Pinch Clamps See also: [image] Share tips you have come across General Electronics Upgrade Your Pinch Clamp Rubber Spring Separators Further to post #855 Pinch Clamps After two years of work, the Pinch Clamps are still going strong. Examining the components closer shows some deterioration with the surgical rubber tubing separator, however, it still is doing its job. For a bit more robust separator a Nitrile Rubber O-Ring does an even better job than the DIY surgical rubber tubing. Amazon sells several selections of O-Rings, See image below. February 2021 [0… You can use magnetic pinch clamps to hold a powered-up PCB. To prevent traces shorting, the clamp’s compression washers need to be insulated from the PCB surface. In the past I placed paper over the PCB edge to insulate the washers. Paper was a bit of a headache, so I added 0.78 mm (.031”) FR4 glass epoxy washers to the clamp. A CNC machine was used to make the PCB washers; however, a bench sander will work too. Use epoxy glue between the PCB washer and the fender washer; the center and fulcrum holes are matched to each other. Assemble the pinch clamp. We now have a magnetic pinch clamp with insulated compression washers. You can use 1.75mm (.062”) FR4 material and not use the metal fender washer. The 1.75mm washers can bend, which may be undesirable. Use 4" machine screws to make your magnetic pinch clamps adjustable in height. The heavy wing nut and brass knurled nut can be quickly spun to the desired clamping height. [A.jpg] [B.jpg] [C.jpg] [E.jpg] [F.jpg] See also Share tips you have come across - #1309 by LarryD

MHP30 60W preheater hotplate The MHP30 60W preheater hotplate is a great soldering and reworking tool for your electronics projects. See post #867 also. MHP30-User-Manual-EN-V1.0.pdf 4.75 MB This tool sells for about $75 and $100 USD (without and with power supply); at first glance it seems like a small expensive toy. In fact, the hotplate can be particularly useful on your work bench. By itself, the MHP30 can be used to solder and unsolder SMD parts in under 15 seconds. The hotplate surface is 30 mm X 30 mm which has a ceramic coating over a brass element. You can set the temperature using the OLED panel from 100° - 350°C, has 3 preset temperatures. For high mass components like inductors and TO220 cases, 350°C is more than enough heat. I usually use the M1 temperature setting which is ~220°C @3%. Unit offers power wake-up and automatic sleep. The OLED menu is navigated by two back mounted A/B switches. There will be 4 more posts after this, discussing DIY addons to extend the use of this tool. [A.jpg] [B.jpg] [C.jpg] [E.jpg] [F.jpg] [G.jpg] [D.jpg]

Make a ‘Frying Pan/Spatula’ for the MHT30 hotplate. A ‘Frying Pan’ greatly aids in the safe removal of freshly reflowed PCBs. The pan is made from 1.6 mm thick aluminum and is slightly larger than the hotplate. The ‘Frying Pan’ adds only a few seconds to reflow time. Tweezers at 45° to the pan prevents tipping when you remove the pan. [A.jpg] [B.jpg] [C.jpg] [D.jpg] [E.jpg]

[F.jpg] [G.jpg] [H.jpg] [I.jpg] [J.jpg]

Add a ‘Header Desoldering Heat Sink’ to your MHP30 hot plate. It is almost impossible to remove header pin strips from PCBs. With a few hand tools you can make a highly effective tool to easily remove PCB headers. A rectangular bar of aluminum (Heat Sink) is drilled with 1.2 mm holes at the same spacing as your header. This ‘Heat Sink’ is placed on the MHP30 hot plate and held in place with a ‘High Boy’ magnetic hold down clamp. The PCB header pins are aligned in the ‘Header Heat Sink’ holes. Use an adjustable height 'Pinch Clamp' to keep the work in place. At 220°C, after about 12 seconds, you can remove the header by grasping the plastic portion of the strip with tweezers. This addon really elevates the MHP30 to a new level as a soldering/desoldering aid. Note: If need be, expose header pins using 'Solder Wick' (desoldering braid) so pins can fit into the 'Header Heat Sink' holes. [B.jpg] [C.jpg] [E.jpg] [F.jpg] [A.jpg] [D.jpg]

Share tips you have come across

Other Hardware General Electronics

LarryD March 1, 2021, 8:28pm 856

123 Bolcks

A $29.00 pair of 123 blocks is adequate for a metal, woodworking or electronics shop.

Can also be helpful when soldering PCB structures at 90° to each other.

PCB holder stand

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123 Bolcks

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