EWS equipment

Soldering

(A) HAKKO FX-888D soldering station

Temperature-controlled soldering station safe for use with electrostatic-sensitive devices. The temperature can be set using the buttons on the front of the unit. The display shows the current temperature of the tip.

SAFETY: When not in use the soldering station should be either physically unplugged, or switched off at both the soldering station and the power outlet to which it is connnected.
安全: 使用しない場合は、はんだ付けステーションのプラグを物理的に抜くか、 電源コンセントと接続されているはんだ付けステーションの両方の電源スイッチをオフにしてください。

 

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(B) Eye protection goggles

These should be worn when working with the soldering iron.

(C) Solder

The standard solder in the workshop contains 60% tin, 37.5% lead, and 2.5% silver (to increase electrical conductivity).

SAFETY: Solder contains flux which burns when heated. Avoid inhaling the fumes.
安全: はんだには、加熱すると燃える溶剤が含まれています。 煙を吸い込まないようにしてください。

SAFETY: Because solder contains lead, you should wash your hands after soldering and avoid using your mouth to pull more solder out of the reel.
安全: はんだには鉛が含まれているため、はんだ付け後は手を洗って、はんだを口に含まないようにしてください。

(D) Fume extractor

Directs flux fumes away from your soldering iron.

(E) Solder sucker

To remove large amounts of unwanted solder: press the plunger until it clicks, heat up the solder to be removed, place the tip of the solder sucker against the solder, press the button to release the plunger. The excess solder will be sucked into the body of the solder sucker.

It is recommended to empty the solder from the body after each use by holding the sucker tip-down and pressing the plunger several times.

(F) Solder wick

To remove small amounts of solder that cannot be sucked: place the tip of the solder wick over the unwanted solder, then heat the wick with the soldering iron directly above the unwanted solder. The wick will absorb the unwanted solder.

After use, trim the end of the wick that has soaked up the solder.

Hand tools

Wire strippers

Hold the tool in your right hand with the open part of the mechanism facing up and towards you. Feed the wire to strip into the mechanism from the left, just below the two top “jaws”. Squeeze the handle. The two “jaws” will move together and down to grip the insulation, then the insulation will be cut, and finally the jaws will move apart. The insulation will be stripped from the tip of the wire to the right of the point where the “jaws” come together.

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Test equipment

Multimeters

Sanwa CD770 digital multimeter

A digital multimeter that measures voltage, current, resistance, capacitance, and frequency.

NOTE: the test leads have protective covers on their connectors that must be removed before plugging them into the multimeter.

For all measurements: connect the black lead to the COM connector on the multimeter.

For all measurements except current: connect the red lead to the connector above the black lead.

The large rotary switch selects which quantity will be measured. From left-to-right:

  1. OFF means exactly what it says. Be sure to return the switch to this position when you are finished, to preserve the battery.
  2. V measures DC (⎓) or AC (∿) voltage. The display will indicate which type of voltage has been detected.
  3. Ohms (Ω) measures resistance.
  4. Hz measures frequency.
  5. measures capacitance.

To measure current: connect the red lead to the connector on the right of the black lead.

The large rotary switch has two more positions, from left-to-right:

  1. μA measures DC or AC current in microamps.
  2. mA measures DC or AC current in milliamps.

WARNING: do not attempt to measure currents higher than 400mA as this will blow the internal fuse and the multimeter will stop working.
警告: 400mAを超える電流を測定しないでください。内部のヒューズが溶断し、マルチメータが機能しなくなります。

NOTE: The test lead connectors have protective covers which should be removed before use. The probes also have insulating covers which can be removed if necessary. Take care not to lose these covers and always replace them properly after use.

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Sanwa YX-361TR analogue multimeter

Analogue multimeters respond much faster to input changes than digital multimeters, but they have two disadvantages:

For all measurements: connect the black lead to the -COM input and the red lead to the + input.

The large rotary switch selects the quantity and range to be measured. Starting next to the -COM input, and moving clockwise:

  1. 1.5v battery tester indicates whether a battery is healthy when delivering 250mA.
  2. DCV measures positive DC voltages. The red lead must be connected to a more positive voltage than the black lead.
  3. DCV (null) measures DC voltage of either polarity. 0v is indicated by a meter reading in the centre of the display.
  4. ACV measures AC voltages.
  5. OFF is exactly what it says. Return the selector to this position when the meter is not in use.
  6. Ω measures resistance. Setting the range to “x1” enables a buzzer that indicates electrical continuity (0Ω resistance).
  7. DCmA measures DC current in milliamps.

SAFETY: Do not attempt to measure voltages larger than 250v as the insulation on the probes will not protect you!
安全: プローブの絶縁耐圧を超えて危険なので250Vを超える電圧を測定しないでください。

WARNING: Do not attempt to measure currents larger than the indicated range or an internal fuse will blow and the meter will stop working.
警告: 表記の範囲を超える電流を測定しないでください。内部のヒューズが飛んでメーターが機能しなくなります。

NOTE: The test leads have protective covers over the connectors which must be removed before use. Do not lose them and always replace them after use.

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Sanwa LCR700 inductance, capacitance, resistance meter

Measures inductance, capacitance, and resistance. Of most interest is the inductance measurement, because the other multimeters cannot measure it.

The meter is turned on or off using the round POWER button on the left of the front panel.

Connect the red lead to the left connector and the black lead to the right connector. Turn on the meter. Connect an inductor, capacitor, or resistor between the two test leads. The display will indicate what kind of device was connected and its value in the appropriate units.

If you are testing a polarised electrolytic (or similar) capacitor:

SAFETY: never touch the leads of a large electrolytic capacitor as the discharge current can burn or even kill you. Never use a piece of metal or wire to discharge a large electrolytic capacitor as the current can cause heating that permanently welds the metal to the capacitor's leads or terminals.
安全: 大きな電解コンデンサのリードには絶対に触れないでください。放電電流によって火傷したり、死亡する可能性があります。 大きな電解コンデンサを放電するときは、金属片やワイヤを使用しないでください。電流が原因で、金属がコンデンサのリード線または端子に永久的に溶接されて加熱される可能性があります。

NOTE: the meter comes with a small, green bridging circuit that can be plugged in above the test lead connectors. You should not need to use it. Ignore it but also be careful not to lose it.

NOTE: turn the meter off when not in use.

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Oscilloscopes

Keysight DSOX4024A 200 MHz digital storage oscilloscope

Digital storage oscilloscopes can store a waveform for you to pan around and zoom into later. Waveforms can also be exported as files for processing in your own software. Their disadvantages include limited vertical resolution (they typically use 8-bit D/A converters), aliasing (a problem with any digital system that samples analogue waveforms), and poor X-Y mode performance (used for analysing phase differences, channel separation, etc.).

Basic operation

Connect the test lead(s) to the corresponding input(s) (A). The connector plug has to be pushed gently onto the socket and then turned clockwise to lock it in place.

NOTE: Each lead is colour-coded so that you can match the probe with the colour used on the oscilloscope panel and display.

Connect the tip of the test probe to the signal being investigated. Connect the black clip to a ground point on your circuit under test.

NOTE: You must connect the black clip to a ground point on your circuit or the signal will not be properly captured by the oscilloscope.

Adjust the vertical position knob (B) until the trace is visible and at the height you desire. Adjust the vertical scale (C) to obtain the desired waveform height.

Adjust the horizonal timebase control (D) until you see the desired number of cycles of your waveform. Adjust the horizontal position (E) until the interesting part of the waveform is centred.

Adjust the trigger level (F) if necessary to obtain a stable waveform display.

If you see an unwanted purple trace displayed over your waveform, disable mathematics mode (G).

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Tektronix MDO3102 1 GHz mixed-domain digital oscilloscope

Mixed-domain oscilloscopes allow analogue and digital signals to be captured and analysed at the same time. A large bandwidth of 1 GHz is useful for analysing parasitic oscillation in typical op-amp circuits.

Basic operation

Connect the test lead(s) to the input connectors (A). Hold the black connector block so that the button is on top. Press the button gently and push the connector block onto the input socket. Release the button. The connector block should be locked to the socket.

NOTE: Each lead is colour-coded so that you can match the probe with the colour used on the oscilloscope panel and display.

Connect the test probe to the signal to be investigated. Connect the black clip to a ground point on the same circuit.

NOTE: You must connect the black clip to a ground point on your circuit or the signal will not be properly captured by the oscilloscope.

Adjust the vertical position (B) of the trace until it is at the desired height. Adjust the vertical scale (C) of the trace until the waveform is of the desired height.

Adjust the horizontal timebase (D) until the desired number of waveform cycles are displayed. Adjust the horizontal position (E) until the interesting part of the cycle is in the centre of the display.

Adjust the trigger level (F) if necessary to obtain a stable waveform display.

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National VP-5520B 200 MHz analogue oscilloscope

Like analogue multimeters, analogue oscilloscopes react faster to input changes than digital ones. They also have much better vertical resolution and can show finer details in the signal. Their disadvantages are that they cannot store or export a signal for later inspection or analysis, and they cannot perform the same range of mathematical analyses as a digital oscilloscope.

Basic operation

Connect the input leads (A). Push the connector plug gently onto the socket and then twist clockwise to lock it in place.

Connect the tip of the test probe to the signal being investigated. Connect the clip of the probe to a ground point on your circuit under test.

NOTE: You must connect the clip to a ground point on your circuit or the signal will not be properly captured by the oscilloscope.

Adjust the vertical position (B) of the trace until it is at the desired place on the display. Adjust the vertical scale (C) until the waveform is of the desired height. The selector switch indicates how many volts of signal change correspond to one vertical division on the display.

Adjust the horizontal main sweep time (D) until the desired number of waveform cycles are displayed. The selector indicates how many microseconds, milliseconds, or seconds of time correspond to each horizontal division on the display.

Adjust the horizontal position (E) until the interesting part of the waveform is in the centre of the display.

Adjust the trigger level (F) if necessary to obtain a stable display.

Adjust the brightness of the scale, the intensity of the traces, or the focus of the traces (G) to obtain a clear, crisp display.

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Power supplies

TAKASAGO LX-2-018-2A

Press the orange OUTPUT button (A) to enable the output.

Press the small black VOLT/CURR button (B) to change the display from voltage being delivered to current being drawn. The green LED (C) in the middle of the display indicates V or A, respectively.

With the voltage being displayed, use the VOLTAGE control (D) to adjust the output voltage between 0v and 20v.

Use the CURRENT knob (E) to set the maximum amount of current (up to 2A) that can be drawn. If the circuit attempts to draw more than the amount of current you set, the red CC indicator (F) will light up.

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Trash box

While waiting for our official trash receptacles to arrive we have provided this unique, high-tech, HAKKO brand “trash box” instead. Use it freely to dispose of any dry waste that you generate during 3D printing.

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Official Trash box

The Offical EWS trash box has finally arrived. Use it freely to dispose of any dry waste that you generate during circuit prototyping and construction. On top of the trash can, there's a label that tells you which trash goes to where. NOTE: YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO THROW CHEMICAL TRASH OR FOOD INTO THE TRASH BOX

3D Printers

The EWS has two 3D printers, a Prusa Mk 3 and a Creality Ender 5 Plus. Click here for instructions on how to print on the Ender 5 Plus.

If you have been endorsed to use these printers then you can print using your own filament whenever you want, provided your print will only take a couple of hours or less. For longer prints that will take more than a couple of hours, please start the print after 18:00 and collect it in the morning before 08:50. If you want to use EWS filament, please ask a supervisor first.

(Three other printers are in the room, two filament-based and one resin-based. These printers belong to the “configurable computing” lab. Please always ask before using these printers, even if you will provide your own filament or resin.)