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Hot glue gun

This is a universal thing for minor repairs and the creation of plastic objects, and reliable gluing of most materials including glass, wood, and ceramics. When glue solidifies, it forms a waterproof seam. Glues very firmly.

The tool is simply necessary for those who make souvenirs and DIY crafts.

The glue gun helped me repeatedly with the repair of plastic boxes that cracked from falling and for the insulation of the holes.

Guns vary in thickness and diameter of the glue stick (7 and 11 mm).

I recommend taking a quality 150W model with temperature control and a set of nozzles that regulate the thickness and shape of the glue.

Glue sticks are usually transparent (the cheapest), but for some creative situations, there are colored and even shiny ones.

I recommend that you have a look on the video and pick up some unexpected ideas on how to use a glue gun.

Utility knife and scalpel

Utility knife

The utility knife is a convenient thing for many reasons:

  • you can cut wallpaper, paper, open boxes

  • remove wire insulation

  • make thin cuts

The big advantage is a quick change of the cutting surface. The spare blades are widely available and cheap.

Such a knife is more practical in front of a steel technical knife in everyday life because It does not require sharpening and is compact.

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The scalpel

It is a more specialized tool, its blade is thicker than that of a stationary knife, which means that you can put more effort at different angles without worrying that the blade will bend.

The scalpel is incredibly sharp and has a small hilt, which allows you to use it for neat and accurate carving of wood or plastic.

The scalpel blades are diverse in shape, so you can choose the most suitable for your needs.

Quality utility knife

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Multitools, pliers, side cutters
 
1. Multitool

I use Leatherman Charge TTI uncompromising quality, made of titanium alloys. Not a single scratch on it in many years of use.

 
2. Pliers

In addition to the small pliers from China, I also use:

 
3. Side cutters

Pliers are a versatile tool in DIY.

In addition to cheap Chinese wire cutters that do not last long in everyday use, I also use:

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4. Wire stripping

Over time I realized that I needed wire stripping tools because I was tired of doing it with wire cutters, so I purchased the following tools:

 
5. Crimping Pliers

For the convenience of working with stranded wires (multiple connections to terminals), I bought 2 types of crimping pliers HSC8 6-4(Amazon), (AliExpress) and SN-58B (Amazon), (AliExpress), and a set of attachments for wires of different diameters.

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Screwdrivers

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1. I use a large iFixit Manta Precision Bit Set with two screwdrivers for 4mm and 1/4-inch bits (magnetic) and 110 bits. The lid of the kit is attached by magnets above and below to the second half of the kit. Ribs inside the lid also serve as a convenient temporary storage of the unscrewed bolts for the duration of the repair. 

I also bought an iFixit Magnet project mat with a marker because I had planned a difficult disassembly of the MSI laptop and it was necessary to write right on the magnetic board step by step from where and which bolts I unscrewed and in what order. It helped me during assembling to repeat everything exactly, but in the reverse order. The magnetic board also perfectly held and fixed small bolts from accidental table shocks. The thing is very convenient.

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2. It is not always convenient to take somewhere such as a screwdriver set, I also bought a Würth 06136104, the bits for which are hidden in the handle.

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3. For access to deeply recessed screws when disassembling household appliances, I bought the following kit: Wiha Screwdriver and bit set slimVario (41231), 19-pcs

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4. With the coming of the 3D printer, I started using hex bolts more often, and for convenience, I bought 4 hexagonal (Allen) screwdrivers set 1.5mm, 2mm, 2.5mm, 3mm(AliExpress) (Amazon) and set of 7 hex nut screwdrivers 2mm, 2.5mm, 3mm, 3.5mm, 4mm, 4.5mm, 5mm (AliExpress) (Amazon) to use instead of wrench.

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Digital caliper

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If you are engaged in locksmith work, drilling, screwing bolts, then most likely you have a need to measure the diameter of drills, bolts, nuts (inner and outer diameters), plastic and metal pipes, the height of screws and bolts, well, or just you like to measure everything you can reach, you certainly need a measuring device - caliper.

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Attention! Please do not buy a cheap plastic device, it bends when measuring and gives an error of up to 0.3mm!, which is absolutely unacceptable.

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Vice clamps

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1. Vice clamps

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2. Wrench

I purchased the Knipex 86 03 180 SB Pliers wrench Length: 180 mm as a universal wrench of variable size with flat jaws. The wrench has a nut size lock button.

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Testing and measurement equipment

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1. Multimeters

I use several multimeters:

  • UNI-T UT61C - my workhorse, auto range selection, thermocouple for temperature measurement.

  • UNI-T UT210E Digital AC DC Current Clamp - bought as a second compact multimeter to current measurement either wirelessly or using convenient mode by plugging the instrument into the power supply circuit.

  • ANENG A3008 Digital 6000 Counts - I use it in tight spaces or at height while working alone without any support, extremely convenient device.

  • Benning MM 7-2 True RMS(Amazon) - precision accuracy. Measuring a component with such a device is like making the object of measurement happy. 

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2. Electronic components tester

  • LCR-T7 - a handy device for testing transistors, Zenner diodes and other components with detailed information.

  • FNIRSI DSO-TC4 (Amazon) (AliExpress) - This device was purchased to replace the LCR-T7 tester and DS0138 oscilloscope. This is a 3-in-1 device that has the function of an alternating current signal generator in addition to a tester and oscilloscope.

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3. Oscilloscope

  • DS0138 Digital Oscilloscope - a simple and inexpensive oscilloscope, purchased to familiarize yourself with the principle of operation of this class of devices. The device later was replaced by more advanced FNIRSI DSO-TC4 (Amazon) (AliExpress).

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4. Electronic load

It is not convenient to use resistors to create artificial loads, for example, to measure battery capacity at discharge or to create maximum load. For such purposes, the device of electronic load is purchased.

  • KZ35 5A 35W - I have used this device for a while, but then I needed a more powerful load and i bought the next one: ​

  • ATORCH DL24EW 150W WiFi Smart Power Electronic Load Tester - a really good device. I use it for discharging batteries in order to test their capacity and for AC-DC power adapter maximum load to confirm their capabilities. If necessary, you can combine 4 of these units to increase the maximum load to 600W

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5. Finding a broken wire

The corresponding UNI-T UT683kit Wire Tracker Tester was purchased.


6. Testing USB chargers, USB cables, control over USB charging speed

I use a range of measuring devices. You can see a detailed description on this page.

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7. Watt-meter. Meter of consumed electrical energy

ZHURUI PR10-C(AliExpress) is an excellent device to use when you need to measure how much a household appliance consumes during inactivity or during a working cycle (washing, heating a certain amount of water, etc.). You can enter the cost per kilowatt and see the cost of the cycle in money. It also shows the value of the Pf-factor.

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8. Measuring light intensity and quality

In order to measure CRI, flicker frequency, color temperature, and brightness I am using OPPLE Light Master 4 Lux Meter(Amazon), (AliExpress).​​​​

9. Infrared camera

The following device is used for the purposes of testing the heating of components on the board, plugs, and connections, determining the quality of soldering, the condition of LED chips, and determining heat leaks in the house: Xinfrared P2 Pro(Amazon) (AliExpress) with a macro lens, 256x192 resolution InfiRay sensor, temperature range: -20°C to 600°C.​​​​

10. Sound-meter. A device for measuring sound (noise) volume.

For the purposes of objective control over the sound volume emitted by various devices and control of “noise pollution”, I use the UNI-T UT353BT device, which allows to measure sound volume in the range of 30-130dB(A) +/-1.5dB. It is worth noting the convenient function of transferring measured values from the device via bluetooth to a smartphone, which allows you to perform measurements more correctly when you are at a distance or behind a wall.​

11. Battery internal resistance measurement tool

The tool YR1035+ (Amazon) (AliExpress) allows to measure very small resistance, which values are usually beyond the sensitivity of household multimeters.

Measuring the resistance of rechargeable batteries (especially Li-Ion) can help to determine the degree of their wear and tear and to take them out of service in time.

YR1035+ battery resistance tester

YR1035+ battery resistance tester
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Other devices
1. Air duster

The device is very convenient for cleaning dust from a variety of household devices:

  • cleaning laptop fans, computer power supply units

  • blowing crumbs off keyboards and dust off the computer's motherboard

  • blowing dust from the ribs of the radiator of the air conditioner (only turn on the vacuum cleaner nearby so that this dust does not fly around the apartment)

  • cleaning of air ducts in the car

  • contactless dusting of photo optics lenses (I have a SLR, I know what it is)

  • cleaning of blinds (cleaning method as with air conditioner).

The use of such a tool is more economical than disposable cylinders with compressed air.

2. The eSynic helmet with magnifying glass and LED flashlight

Lightweight helmet 5 glasses of different approximations 1.5x, 1.5x, 2.0x, 2.5x, 3.5x, it is possible to attach two glasses at the same time, which multiplies the magnification. There is an additional magnifying glass for one eye 8x. Built-in LED lighting for a better view. The diameter of the headband is adjustable. Very comfortable device.

3. Safety glasses

  • voltX OVERSPECS industrial Safety Glasses(Amazon) - very high quality safety glasses that I put on top of my glasses, protect from drops of solder (there was such a case), sparks and pieces of plastic that fly off during work with a Dremel.

  • FEITER UV protection glasses 190-520nm - Ultraviolet (UV) protective goggles. These were purchased for work with UV LEDs used for disinfection. Such LEDs emit in a wavelength range harmful to the eyes and protection is necessary.

4. Files

I regularly use thin Chinese files, but sometimes I need a file for woodworking or rough work. I bought for this purpose Pferd Workshop File Sets

5. Set of taps and dies for thread cutting 

Set of 110 items PODOFO which 35 different types of dies and 35 different types of taps from M2x0.4 to M18x1.5, was purchased primarily for 3D printing to check the quality of the thread as regularly had to deal with different non-standard thread sizes for which it is difficult to find bolts in the store to check the thread.

6. Headlamp

Very bright flashlight with a wide viewing angle 9 Led Strong Light Headlamp USB Rechargeable

7. Copying RFID chips for keyless doors (entryway/garage doors)

I use 125KHz 13.56MHz NFC RFID Smart Card Reader Writer

8. Lab DC power supply.

Accurate and compact lab power supply WANPTEK NPS3010 0-30V/1A 300W

9. Drill

I use an excellent brushless drill Bosch GSR 12V-35 FC

10. Dremel

Dremel deserves a separate page

11. Soldering equipment

Here you can find overview of the soldering tools

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If you found the information on this page helpful, please consider supporting my work by following the link to the Amazon or AliExpress when making a purchase. These are affiliated links, but click on them won’t cost you anything extra, prices will be the same for you, but this action helps keep this project going.

Thanks for being awesome!

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