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What's in Your Toolbox?
Embedded Geek asks: "I am a software developer with access to (conservatively) $100K worth of emulators, protocol analyzers, and debugging equipment at work. Nevertheless, as in every lab since Frankenstein's, I can never find a meter or screwdriver when I need one - and God help you if you need electrical tape! Over the years I have accumulated a personal toolkit to fill the gaps between what my employer provides and what I need to get my job done. In addition to the basics (a meter, screwdrivers, cable ties, boxcutter, extra power cables, duct tape) I have a number of oddball items that have come in handy (serial cable gender changers & converters, a dental mirror, dental picks). I'm curious what other items slashdotters doing hardware/software development have found useful that their bosses never provide. What about those in the IT/support world?"
It's great for listening to hard drives to determine how screwed up they are. Start hearing little ticking or grinding noises? Back that sucker up and get a new one.
;-)
Other than that, a 9 lbs. hammer comes in handy for those machines that refuse to cooperate
A Swiss army knife/Leatherman tool.
I suppose one of those fancy-pancy ones targeted at IT workers would have some useful job-specific items, but just having an easily accessible assortment of quick-use generic tools (knife, pliers, tweezers, etc.) in a compact package has gotten me out of some spectacular jams in the past. You never know when you'll need something basic like a screwdriver, but you can't (for whatever reason) reach your normal box of goodies.
-A.
What did the walrus say to the penguin? "No soap, radio."
probably not out of the ordinary, but those plastic tie wraps tend to be especially handy for harnessing those particularly spiteful wires.
--- If we knew half the things we shouldn't we'd stop wishing we knew it all
Besides the standard set of screw drivers, and adaptors, and other stuff allready mentioned, I carry: * linksys usb NIC (size of a memory key)
* network crimper, punchtool, striper, and cable tester
* forceps (surgical locking neadle nose plyers)
* laptop to 40pin ide adaptor
* flashlight
* pen +pencil + cd marker
* dental mirror
* Antec ATX Power supply Tester
* Multimeter
* spare mouse
* digital camera (occasionally to remember really fubared stuff)
frs 2 way radios come in handy, as does a cordless drill, bandaids, and your whits.
A soft-bristle toothbrush.
If you deal with anything that accumulates a great amount of corrosion, a toothbrush is perfect to remove it.
probably the same kind of stuff that was in it a couple months ago.
At my worksite, we have an area called Labstock.
Basically it's all the tools and accessories that are used at our site.
Tools(Everything we need), clips, zip-ties, batteries(About 15 different types), IC chips, blank eeproms, blank CD's, labels, surface mount components (Resistors, Caps,etc), and on and on and on....
Works great, we have a person whose job it is to re-order stuff thats used, if you take the last item, you put the tag on his desk, he re-stocks the bin.
The only problem is people pilfering for personal use (The AA batteries fly out of there like nobodies business).
Adding a security camera and posting a notice that it was there drastically reduced the pilfering.
- Regular and Philips screwdrivers, etc.
- Dikes, Needle Nose, and Bent Needle Nose pliers
- A big pair linemans pliers
/w cutter
- A big pair of slip joint pliers
- An old (but effective) stripper/bolt cutter/crimper
- Assorted files, including diamond
- Micrometer and Caliper set (mostly for show)
- Metal ruler, both English and Metric
- Wrench set, combination, Craftsman, english sizes
- Plastic "twiddle stick" for tuning coils
- Craftsman 42 Watt soldering iron, with copper coated iron tips, solder wick, and real lead/tin Kester solder
- Water, and stand for soldering iron
- Flux (for non-copper work), Silver Solder, and Solder-Wick
- Spring loaded solder sucker
- Multimeter with probes
- Jumper cables
- Bits of phone wire (very handy)
- Automatic centerpunch
- Various parts and screws
- Fiberglass scraping tool (for cleaning contact points)
- Xacto knives
- Hobby metal saw
- Pin vise with bits down to #40
- Razor blades and scraper
- F-Connector wrench (great for tightening the cables behind a VCR, etc)
- Power cord with leads on other end (ever need to put 110 somewhere as a test?
- Mechanical pencil & Paper
- Electrical tape
- Super glue
- Safety goggles
And this tool kit does NOT include:All of this is housed in an old NCR Cash register repair suitcase a friend gave me. The mere sight of a 42 Watt non-temperature controlled iron is enough to convince most people I'm crazy, but it's darn good for doing SMC repairs, gets everything up to temperature in no time, saving the parts.
--Mike--
A telco central office simulator. Ring-it http://www.digitalproductsco.com/ringit.htm lets you plug 2 modems or 2 faxes together and simulates the telco system. Excellent for debugging lan fax systems or getting ppp dialup to work.
"Eve of Destruction", it's not just for old hippies anymore...
'98 boot disk (and bootable CD)r e
Spinrite
MemCheck
CheckIt/QAPlus
pcAnywhe
VNC
WinZip
Acrobat
DOS version of PKZip
Collection of common nic/video/printer/etc drivers
Copies of major OS's (Win2K, 98 OSR2 etc.)
Copies of Office
Copies of SP's and patches
Copies of browsers (IE, Netscape, Opera)
L0pht Crack
Your favorite IP scanner and other IP tools (e.g. Putty)
Other tools depending on OS's you work with (e.g. JCMD for Netware, Upromote for NT, the Win2K/NT resource kits, 'Nix boot disk and utils and hundreds of other favorite need-specific utils
Ceci n'est pas un post
This was more of a big deal when I spent a lot of time in the machine room, but it was also useful when I was tired and easily distracted -- a 100 count box of Moldex Pura-Fit 6800 ear plugs. A single box would last me about a year.
When purchased in bulk, foam ear plugs are reasonably affordable. NoiseBuster headphones are helpful, too, for cutting down machine noise -- but the earplugs are best.
I find myself tiring easily when constantly exposed to machine noise from loud PC's, routers, etc.
Get a Leatherman. I love mine --all 4 (a micra (on the keychain, only one I actually purchased myself), the regular (wedding gift), super tool (xmas gift), and the juice (bday gift)).
;)
For IT, I'd recommend the Super Tool. With one little device you get:
-- needlenose pliers
-- regular pliers
-- wire cutters
-- hard-wirte cutters
-- clip-point knife
-- serrated knife
-- wood/bone saw
-- metal/wood file
-- ruler
-- can/boottle opener
-- screwdriver
-- philps screwdriver
-- electric crimper
-- write stripper
-- awl punch
Okay, so I never really found a use for the awl. But having the pliers, both kinds of screwdrivers, the stripper and crimper all together was really handy. And having the bottle opener for when the day is over is not bad either.
-Bill
SlashSig Karma: Excellent (mostly affected by moderatio
So I guess I'm not the only one who uses paper clips to short the power switch pins on the motherboard to see if it's the motherboard or the power button that's broken, or to jury rig battery powered devices to take AAA batteries instead of AA...
Rock on!
Tim
Omnia vestra castrorum habetur nobis.