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Tools of the Trade

There are many tools that a hobbyist should be familiar with using and are essential for the electronics workbench. Although most will not be mandatory for following this course, they are recommended to pick up to help when creating your projects in the future.

Solderless breadboard​

A solderless breadboard, sometimes known as a protoboard, is an essential part of your toolkit and would have been included with your Arduino kit.

Solderless breadboards allow us to prototype temporary circuits with ease, and are essentially reusable platforms with sockets through which components can be plugged in and out. We will learn more about these breadboards later.

Digital multimeter​

A digital multimeter (DMM) is a tool that can measure many properties, which may include:

  • AC/DC voltage
  • AC/DC current
  • Resistance
  • Capacitance
tip

A DMM is useful when debugging circuits.

Soldering iron and solder​

A soldering iron coupled with solder allow us to attach electronic components and modules to a breadboard or printed circuit board (PCB).

3D printer​

A 3D printer is another useful tool to invest in for creating prototypes and protective, customized enclosures that pair with your projects nicely.

Next Steps​

This section includes links to help you dive deeper into the topics from this lesson. It's optional, so don't worry if you choose to skip it.