This is the first posting for thread on tips and tricks of the tools folks are using during build and the ongoing maintenance. So here's the first contribution. Put a bit of shrink wrap tubing over the ends of the aligator clips on your soldering stand arms. Reduces the potential for damage when you are using it to hold electronics boards and other bits and pieces.
From Andy 1. Loctite 38653 222 Purple Low Strength Thread Locker Tube - 6 mlhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002KKTT0/ref=oh_details_o06_s00_i00 2. Torque Seal from Aircraft Spruce http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/cspages/f900.php 3. Donegan DA-3 OptiVisor Headband Magnifier, 1.75x Magnification, 14" Focal Lengthhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0015IS6IY/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i01 4. Quasar LED Lighting system for Optivisor http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0058ECQ46/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00 5. Velcro Cable Tie Roll (hooks one side, loops on the other), 3/4" x 25 yardshttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0069FJR2M/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00 5. Velcro Brand Industrial Strength Tape Self-adhesive http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006RSP1/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00 6. Hyperion EOS Sentry Battery Checker http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003YI94KM/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00 7. Bluecell Silver Medium Size Lipo Battery Guard Sleeve/Bag for Charge & Storage + Bluecell Cable Tiehttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006MNBAQC/ref=oh_details_o03_s01_i00 8. Bondhus 11099 Set of 9 Balldriver Insert Bits, sizes 2-12mm (specifically for 2mm and 2.5mm -- the balldriver means you can undo things at an angle) http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000E7XGUU/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00 9. Wiha 79495 31-Piece XLSelector Bit Set with Slotted Phillips TORX Hex Bitshttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002S0O7W2/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i01 10. Sunex 810mdmg 1/4-Inch Drive 10-Mm Deep Magnetic Impact Socket (for propeller nuts)http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0076HKPQO/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00 11. Hitachi DB3DL2 3.6-Volt 1/4-Inch Hex Drive Screwdriver (means you can remove a prop in about five seconds,m use torque setting 13 for tightening them) http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004Y74AU6/ref=oh_details_o06_s01_i00 12. 3M Scotch Heavy Duty Mounting Tape, 1-Inch by 50-Inch (114/DC) (In hindsight I'd like to use the mounting tape that Tabb ships with the Radian sensors, but I don't know what it is). http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004Z4A8/ref=oh_details_o02_s01_i01 13. Cheap bright red nail polish -- from local supermarkets. Resist the temptation to explain what it's for. 14. Monokote neon red and neon blue: http://www.monokote.com/trim.html ] 15. crimping tool at http://www.quadrocopter.com/Crimping-Tool-01-10-mm178-Capacity-16-28-AWG_p_584.html 16. One thing that really makes the Hitachi driver nice is a set of these balldriver metric hex shank bits -- especially the 2.0 and 2.5 mm bits: http://www.amazon.com/Bondhus-11099...343766692&sr=1-18&keywords=bondhus balldriver It allows you come at the M3 bolts from an angle. 17. I also found these to be useful: http://www.amazon.com/Wiha-79495-31...TF8&qid=1343766780&sr=1-1&keywords=Wiha 79495 I take a couple the less-likely-to-be-used bits out and put in the Bondhus 2.0 and 2.5 mm bits in their place. 18. "Third hand" http://www.amazon.com/SE-MZ101B-Helping-Hands-Magnifying/dp/B000RB38X8/ref=pd_cp_e_2
From Tabb We are using these at the shop now and I usually take one on jobs with me as well. They make setup / teardown ultra fast and have a nice adjustable clutch so you do not damage anything. http://www.amazon.com/Hitachi-DB3DL...&sr=8-2&keywords=hitachi electric screwdriver I get the bits from the align driver: http://www.amazon.com/Align-Hex-Scr...96806&sr=8-2-fkmr1&keywords=align ball driver If you grab a 10mm deep socket driver as well it makes prop installation / removal a breeze also
My Stuff 1. Soldering station - Hako FX-951 with three tips. A blunt (T15-D2), Medium (t15_d12) and a fine point (T15-DLL). Does everything from EC-5's to small SMD work. 2. Bench power supply - Mastech HY1803D. Variable supply and can do just about anything except drive all of the motors at liftoff. 3. A good voltage/ohm meter. I have an old Heathkit IM-2260 that keeps on ticking 4. Battery charger - Hyperion EOS720i Duo powered by the PRC500 12 volt converter 5. 5 and 5.5mm nut driver from Dynamite. 6. The hex drivers from QC but I also have set of metric drivers from Wiha 7. PanaVise - this is one of the table top, suction bottom, swiveling vices. Found mine at Harbor Freight 8. Servo wire, 1x3 servo connectors, JST connectors - never seen to have enough of these. www.hansenhobbies.com 9. Small 4 AA cell battery pack from Radio Shack. Has a 9 volt connector on top. Get a 9 volt plug lead and hook it up to a bit of servo wire and connector. Good for powering a receiver during bench testing and for firmware upgrades, same with the Radians. 10. Articulating arm combination magnifier/desk lamp. 11. Pilot Silver Marker Extra Fine Point - for marking booms alignment points, labeling props &connectors
...and I was just a day or so away from sucking up and asking if there was a "common list" of tools people recommended. I had planned on watching Andy's DVD all the way through and making my list from there. I probably will still do that, but this is a great thread to help me inflate my budget!! Thanks!
Saw a posting over on Facebook for a custom tool holder. Pretty easy to make something similar. Mag holders from Amazon, 5 feet of 1/2 PVC and misc parts and now I can find stuff.
Don't know if anybody here is as old as Andy and I are, but I'm sure he'll concur that us folks are still nervous about having big magnets around because they'll scramble our floppy disks.
Steve that's why I have it on the back deck...only kidding And were you talking about tape reels, punch tape and disk packs?
Hey, we're still using LTO tape cartridges.....and I still have a card desk and an 8" floppy disk in my office, just to remind me. Andy.
Hard to believe those 8" floppies only held 80kb of data. I used to think they were the coolest thing ever compared to the cassette tapes I used with my first C64. Gary, in addition to your nice idea of using shrink tube on the alligator clips, something I've done for a while now is use reversed clothes pins on the clips. The wood holds metal pieces without being a heat sink and thus allows for better soldering on large pieces. It also wont deform cable quite as much with the larger surface area. And they are cheap and easy to replace. nick
Nick that's a great idea. Would work really well when soldering Power wires to EC5 connectors. Wire gets so hot that I wear a leather glove to hold the wire. Clothespins would work well. Now if only I had a clothesline or new someone who had clothespins so I don't have to buy a bag of 100.
Next up How to Crimp Servo Connectors in 60 seconds. This is a great video from Chris Hansen over at www.hansenhobbies.com. One tip if you use the crimper from Chris (and may also apply to the one from QC) is to set the proper amount of 'crush' setting. The default on the one I got from Chris was to high. There is an adjustment setting and here is a photo of how I have mine (like Chris's) set. Too high of a setting flattens the pin out and it won't insert smoothly, usually needs some external help. Proper setting an it slide right in.
Cool idea a colleague came up with here for all the tiny screws that continually get lost. Attach a magenet to the front of your work station. Anything metal that tries to go over the edge is caught. An you can store any number of things while you are working on something.
My favorite new tool, Swanstrom flush cut side cutters. Everytime I use these it puts a smile on my face
Gary, I've been buying stuff from Chris Hansen for a while to make my own servo leads and such. I have those crimpers and I've always had a bit of a problem with the finished crimps deforming the pins or housings. I bet my crush setting is too high but never noticed or knew about that little star wheel adjuster. Thanks for the great tip! I have seen the cutters Tabb has and they are truly awesome. A precision tool that works perfectly! nick
Nick, change the setting and they clamp perfectly and easily drop out of the tool when complete. The default deforms the pins.