Well, in the process of learning electronics, I have made a lot of mistakes. This post is intended for those who are beginners. I am still a beginner myself. I'm not offering any advice on electronics design or circuits, as I am not there yet. But reading these do's and don'ts may save you grief, if you're starting out:
1. Breadboard your design. Make sure your circuit will work, by trying it on a breadboard first. Wiring on breadboards can get crazy and complex. To make it manageable, cut down the legs of your components to a manageable size. Make sure that they are not cut so much, that you can't re-use them on a strip board or PCB board after. Rather than use jumper wires (which can get hairy), try to use the flat running wires. It will make things easier to find and look at. )
Optionally, get a piece of grid paper and draw out your breadboard circuit as well. it will help you trace things if it gets complex. Label your components.
2. Get a good solder iron, good solder and use solder paste sparingly. I only recently started using solder paste, and it makes a big difference. The key is, to use it sparingly. see point below. I have not used cleaners, but I may at some point. I can't comment on them at present.
3. If you cake too much solder paste on, it could cause issues. I recently installed an op amp and Pin 8 was showing a high voltage when I measured it with a multi meter. The op amp was not supposed to use pin 8 at all, so having a voltage reading was odd. No other wires were connected to Pin 8, which made it even more odd. I took a plastic tool, and scraped the paste around the solder hole, and it turns out that excess paste was somehow carrying voltage from a neighbouring pin. Maybe there were bits of solder in that paste too. Who knows, The point being, be neat with the paste.
4. Learn to use the multi meter. I'm not a pro at it, but I now know how to check expected voltages and continuity. When you're a newbie like me, it's rare that things work on the first try. If you know how to use the meter, problem solving actually becomes "fun" and satisfying when you detect and fix the problem and the circuit magically begins working ;-)
5. Use this site. It' a great resource and everyone is helpful. Provide pictures, schematics and whatever background may be helpful , for others to best help you.
6. Try to circle back and attempt to understand the building blocks that make up a circuit and why it works. I do not have a formal education in electronics, so I try to reverse engineer and come up with answers. It's a tough haul though and it's better to take a course or read. But, I rarely get the chance, so I hack through and read as well.
7. Determine whether you should use a strip board, PCB board or beards that emulate the layout of a breqdboard They all have their pros and cons. Stripboards may save you from having to solder as much as you might on a PCB.
8. Don't assume you are working with a faulty part. Assume first, that you've made an error. Parts can be faulty, but it's not all that common.
9. Work with low voltages. DC 12volts or less. You don't want to fry yourself.
10. Consider getting a variable power supply.
11. Use wires that are the right gauge for use with circuits. You don't want wire that is too thick or difficult to manage.
12. Don't strip too much insulation from the end of a connector wire. The more you strip and leave bare, the greater the chances of a short. If you solder properly, you don't need a lot of bare wire.
13. When you're comfortable with basic circuits (lighting up a LED and what not), take something on that will challenge you. You'll learn a lot through not getting it right the first three thousand times ;-) See my post "A Stretch" to feel my pain..lol
I'm sure i'll add to this list as I think of more, or make more mistakes ;-)
1. Breadboard your design. Make sure your circuit will work, by trying it on a breadboard first. Wiring on breadboards can get crazy and complex. To make it manageable, cut down the legs of your components to a manageable size. Make sure that they are not cut so much, that you can't re-use them on a strip board or PCB board after. Rather than use jumper wires (which can get hairy), try to use the flat running wires. It will make things easier to find and look at. )
Optionally, get a piece of grid paper and draw out your breadboard circuit as well. it will help you trace things if it gets complex. Label your components.
2. Get a good solder iron, good solder and use solder paste sparingly. I only recently started using solder paste, and it makes a big difference. The key is, to use it sparingly. see point below. I have not used cleaners, but I may at some point. I can't comment on them at present.
3. If you cake too much solder paste on, it could cause issues. I recently installed an op amp and Pin 8 was showing a high voltage when I measured it with a multi meter. The op amp was not supposed to use pin 8 at all, so having a voltage reading was odd. No other wires were connected to Pin 8, which made it even more odd. I took a plastic tool, and scraped the paste around the solder hole, and it turns out that excess paste was somehow carrying voltage from a neighbouring pin. Maybe there were bits of solder in that paste too. Who knows, The point being, be neat with the paste.
4. Learn to use the multi meter. I'm not a pro at it, but I now know how to check expected voltages and continuity. When you're a newbie like me, it's rare that things work on the first try. If you know how to use the meter, problem solving actually becomes "fun" and satisfying when you detect and fix the problem and the circuit magically begins working ;-)
5. Use this site. It' a great resource and everyone is helpful. Provide pictures, schematics and whatever background may be helpful , for others to best help you.
6. Try to circle back and attempt to understand the building blocks that make up a circuit and why it works. I do not have a formal education in electronics, so I try to reverse engineer and come up with answers. It's a tough haul though and it's better to take a course or read. But, I rarely get the chance, so I hack through and read as well.
7. Determine whether you should use a strip board, PCB board or beards that emulate the layout of a breqdboard They all have their pros and cons. Stripboards may save you from having to solder as much as you might on a PCB.
8. Don't assume you are working with a faulty part. Assume first, that you've made an error. Parts can be faulty, but it's not all that common.
9. Work with low voltages. DC 12volts or less. You don't want to fry yourself.
10. Consider getting a variable power supply.
11. Use wires that are the right gauge for use with circuits. You don't want wire that is too thick or difficult to manage.
12. Don't strip too much insulation from the end of a connector wire. The more you strip and leave bare, the greater the chances of a short. If you solder properly, you don't need a lot of bare wire.
13. When you're comfortable with basic circuits (lighting up a LED and what not), take something on that will challenge you. You'll learn a lot through not getting it right the first three thousand times ;-) See my post "A Stretch" to feel my pain..lol
I'm sure i'll add to this list as I think of more, or make more mistakes ;-)
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