MOTM

At 03:16 PM 07/05/2000 -0700,  "Brousseau, Paul E (Paul)"
<noise@...> wrote:
>I've gotten away without a clamp for my assemblies so far.  I just lie the
>pcb board flat on the plastic slip it came in on my table.  What advantages
>does the clamp afford?

Allowing a klutz such as myself to successfully build MOTM kits!  *I*
consider that to be an advantage, although some people who have heard me
make sounds with successfully-assembled MOTM modules may disagree. ;^)  So
if you're more coordinated than me, it may offer you little advantage.  But
for me - Essential!

I have no problem soldering resistors to the board lying flat on a
tabletop, but once all the components of different heights start getting
added (electrolytic caps, xistors, pots etc.), it gets a lot more difficult
for me.  And once you get to attaching the wires, I *really* like being
able to access both sides of the board with a minimum of movement.

>Pliers?  I use a small set of nutdrivers... I'd be far too afraid of
>slipping and stripping the hell out of the nuts with pliers.  :)

I should have included the (hollow-shaft, so you can use them to put nuts
on pots & switches) nutdrivers in my (incomplete, I'm sure) parenthetical
list of "essential" tools.  The pliers (needle-nose jewlers variety) are
for things like putting the little "hooks" in panel-mounted pot leads and
the wires that attach to them (that get the heatshrink tubing slid over
them after being soldered).  Or holding things like the power connectors
(that don't have "splay-able" leads) in place while they're being soldered.
 Definitely NOT for front panel assembly!!

>I just got a lead bending guide this weekend.  Certainly not required, but I
>think it will move things along quicker.  

That they certainly do!

>And they're cheap, so if you run across one, spring for it.

A lot cheaper than a heat gun!

	-Doug
	 ceres@...

>> -----Original Message-----
>> From:	Doug Pearson [SMTP:ceres@...]
>> Sent:	Wednesday, July 05, 2000 2:56 PM
>> To:	motm@egroups.com
>> Subject:	Re: [motm] Assembly question
>> 
>> Not enough for me.  In a private exchange with Andy, I mentioned that I
>> consider certain of the recommended tools for MOTM assembly to be
>> absolutely essential (good soldering iron, good cutters & pliers,
>> workstation with vise clamp) and some to be helpful to use, but optional
>> (lead bender, for instance), at least for me.  I'd definitely put a heat
>> gun in the latter category - certainly useful, but not necessarily
>> essential.  Of course, YMMV and all that ...