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Contents
Top
Multimeter
Basic Measurements
Ranging
Form Factor
Oscilloscope
Key Features
User Controls
Soldering Products
Solder
Solder Equipment
Hand Tools
Safety
Benchtop Power Supplies
Attributes
Operating mode
Tips
Benchtop Tools
When you're building, testing, and tinkering with electronics, you need the right tools to make your connections and ensure that the electrons are flowing as expected. Multimeters are great for measuring consistent signals. Oscilloscopes are great for capturing signals that change over time. Soldering products are great for joining wires and traces. And bench power supplies allow for powering projects at different levels.
Tools, Test and Measurement - July 2025
Multimeter
A Multimeter (also called a multi-tester) is an electrical measuring device, able to measure or record multiple electrical values (such as current, voltage, or resistance) with probes (which can take measurements) and a screen (to display information). Multimeters are useful for troubleshooting and validation of AC and DC signals along with testing features (such as battery charge, diode orientation, and circuit continuity testing).
Basic Measurements
By placing the probes in series with circuit elements, current can be measured. By placing probes in parallel, voltage can be measured across circuit elements. For more details, see How to Measure Current in a Circuit
Ranging
Another feature of multimeters is the ability to select the range of the measurement. These can either be manual (where the user selects the appropriate range of the measurement) such as selecting what the highest value should be (for example 200 mV or 200 V).
The Auto ranging feature automatically selects the appropriate range for the measure under test. For example, when measuring resistance an auto range multimeter, it would auto range on the appropriate magnitude.
Form Factor
Multimeters come in many different form factors from large benchtop devices that require AC power supplies to smaller handheld devices that are designed to be used in the field and even point contact devices for measuring voltage presence.
Klein Tools’ MM720 multimeter is designed to quickly and easily measure voltage, current, and resistance.
FLIR Extech's DM220 mini pocket multimeter has a large, high-contrast LCD display, non-contact voltage detection, and a built-in flashlight.
How To Use a Multimeter - Electronics with Becky Stern
Multimeters are one of the most essential tools for working with electronics. Learn how to use a multimeter to check continuity and to measure continuity, voltage, resistance, and current. Then, learn some troubleshooting tips and best practices.
What is a Multimeter?
When starting out with electronics projects, a precise and reliable multimeter is one of the must-have tools that every maker should keep in their toolbox. This article explores what exactly a multimeter is, what functions they typically support, and what these handy measuring devices can be used for.
What is Auto vs. Manual Ranging: Multimeters - Another Teaching Moment
Learn about the two types of digital multimeters and how are they used.
Oscilloscope
An oscilloscope is an electronic test instrument that can graphically display electrical signals such as voltage levels that change over time. Unlike multimeters that are useful for signals that do not change with time, oscilloscopes are useful for visualizing electronic signals and how they change over time. Great for Troubleshooting and validating signals and how they change over time.
Key Features
When comparing different oscilloscopes there are several key features to look for.
- Number of channels - the number of independent signals that can be measured / shown on the screen at the same time.
- Bandwidth - the maximum frequency an oscilloscope can reproduce or measure. A good rule of thumb is to get an oscilloscope that is rated with a bandwidth of 3x to 5x of the highest frequency you intend to measure. This means to measure a 25 MHz signal a 100 MHz bandwidth oscilloscope would be appropriate.
- Sample rate - How many times per second the oscilloscope can measure and digitize the signal. A sample rate minimum of 2x your signal frequency is required (in theory). However (in practice) recommendation is 5x to 10x the frequency of the highest frequency you intend to measure.
User Controls
The basic use of an oscilloscope is controlled by interface on the front of the device, typically a series of buttons and knobs, which can include touchscreens.
Types of controls
- Vertical controls - are used for ranging and altering the divisions of the signal level (for example 500 mV / division).
- Horizontal controls - are used for timing control and the resolution for the signal on display (like 500 µs / division).
- Trigger controls - many oscilloscopes offer the feature to begin displaying the signal when triggered by the rising or falling edge of a signal.
B&K Precision 2194
100 MHz Bench, Digital Oscilloscopes USB Interface LCD - Color Display 4 Analog Channel 400V Record, Save
Rigol Technologies DS1054Z Oscilloscope
50 MHz Bench, Digital Oscilloscopes Ethernet, RS232, USB Interface LCD - Color Display 4 Analog Channel CAT I 300V, CAT II 100V Record, Playback
Beginners Guide to Oscilloscope Basics
One of the most frustrating aspects of being an electrical engineer is wrestling with invisible problems. Imagine trying to read a button with your microcontroller, and every time you press it, you registers five presses. Why? That’s precisely the kind of invisible problem an oscilloscope helps you identify and fix.
Build your own oscilloscope
Oscilloscopes are fun engineering equipment that allow us to see how the voltage of a signal varies with time, and measure useful values such as frequency, peak-to-peak voltage, DC offset, and more. However, many oscilloscopes are bulky and may be expensive. We will explore building a portable, low-cost oscilloscope.
Soldering Products
Soldering is the act of joining electrical component together with a metal binder (called solder) to form an electrical connection. By heating the electrical terminals to be joined with a soldering iron and melting the soldering material between them and allowing it cool back to a solid it forms a strong mechanical and electrical connection. While electrical terminals can be soldered directly to each other, a printed circuit board (PCB) with conductive pads are significantly more common.
Solder
Solder is typically a metal alloy with a low melting temperature used to join two different pieces of metal together. Solder's low melting temperature is due to its chemical make-up which often includes metals with low melting temperatures such as lead, tin, or bismuth.
- Lead Solder - contains lead, often most with most of the material being lead. With 80/20 solder being 80% Lead and 20% Tin. The relatively low melting point of +280°C makes it attractive for low energy handheld tools and repairs.
- Lead Free Solder - Does not contain lead but instead contains other metals with lower temperature melting points such as copper, silver, bismuth, indium, or zinc. With the different alloy structure and RoHS compliance it has become popular for industry and home use. However, due to its slightly higher melting points and wetting, lead free solder is not used in critical applications.
- Flux materials - To form a strong electrical connection, surface contaminants, and insulators such as metal oxides must be cleaned away. Flux is any reducer material that removes material with acidic material and is found in "No Clean" solder. Flux core solder is commonly found in electronic repair soldering as it allows for simple repair.
What is RoHS and why is it important for soldering? View Answer
In 2003, the European Union passed a directive to reduce the use of lead in electronics along with several other hazardous substances such as mercury, and cadmium.
This act has meant for the last two decades any electronics products sold in the EU must meet strict requirements regarding chemical composition and device end of life handling.
While this has spurred the use of lead-free solder, some applications still require the use of lead solder and its ease of use and reliability have kept it in use.
Solder Equipment
A soldering station can have a wide range of equipment and tools to use in the process of soldering. Here is a basic list of such tools you could find on a benchtop:
Solder iron station - The handset and control base that sets the temperature for the iron.
Solder - the metal binder that melts.
Desolder braid, wick, pump – for removing extra solder. This can draw solder away, either with direct suction (from a pump) or by surface tension and wetting (by the capillary action of the braid).
Hand Tools
Wire strippers – remove wire insulation to expose the conductor.
Wire cutter - cut wires and leads on component parts.
Pliers - bend and shape leads and terminals.
Safety
Safety glasses - eye protection from splatter and sparks.
Fume extraction - draw in solder fumes and filter them out.
Solder and Flux
Choosing solder can be an oddly difficult task. It’s slightly shocking to see how many choices are available the first time you need to purchase it. The point of this blog is to bring better understanding about leaded and lead-free solder, the different types of flux, and solder diameter selections.
What is Solder Flux and Why You Should Use It
When assembling PCBs, the tools and solder used are only one part of the equation needed to successfully build reliable and durable electronics. Flux is a crucial ingredient of success as it plays a vital role in preparing the components and PCB, making solder flow, and binding the metal to pads and component legs.
Benchtop Power Supplies
A benchtop power supply is a device that is designed to provide stable electrical power output for circuit prototyping and testing. A stable source of Direct Current (DC) electrical with an adjustable output. Some of these units can connect to a computer for purposes of programming power output and data logging. Most benchtop power supplies have output ranges from 0 to 30 Volts DC and current output of 0 to 5 Amps.
Attributes
- Output voltage and current- Voltage and current range the supply can be adjusted within.
- Power rating – The total power in which the supply is rated for.
- Number of channels - The number of independent output channels the supply can power.
- Programmability - The advanced models of power supplies can be programmed to provide differing power levels or record output conditions with the datalogging feature.
- Safety features – These may include voltage, current, and temperature protections to protect you and the supply against failures.
- Calibration - When and how long the power supply is guaranteed to be accurate. Maintaining calibration may require service by the manufacturer or a qualified technician.
Operating mode
- Constant Voltage (CV) mode - the power supply outputs the specified voltage as a constant stable value while varying the current to maintain the voltage.
- Constant Current (CC) mode - the power supply outputs the specified current as a constant while adjusting the voltage.
Tips
- Set current limits first
- Double check polarity
- Start low, go slow
B&K Precision 1550 Power Supply
1 ~ 36VDC Output Bench (AC to DC) Power Supply LCD 0 ~ 3A Output 108W Features USB Charge Port(s)
SRA Soldering Products KWR103 Power Supply
0 ~ 60VDC Output Bench (AC to DC) Power Supply LED 0 ~ 15A Output 300W Features Adjustable or Fixed Selection Switch, Regulated, USB
Benchtop Power Supply Basics You Need to Know
A benchtop power supply provides adjustable and reliable DC power to your electronics projects. Unlike standard AC adapters and battery packs, a benchtop power supply lets you set the voltage and current to precisely what your circuit needs.
How to Select a Power Supply - The Byte Sized Engineer
Whether it’s a battery, an AC power adapter, or voltage regulator, there are a lot of options to choose from when picking a power supply for your project. This video will help clarify what each of those options are and help you pick the right one for your project.
Picking a Power Supply: What to do with a PSU?
First off, a "Power Supply" is anything you have that can supply power to your projects. Whether it be a 5W USB power brick you got with your first MP3 player or a fancy adjustable lab-grade supply, they all essentially fit one purpose: to supply clean and consistent power.
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