LEDs
- The long leg is positive (anode)
- The flat side is negative (cathode)
- I still don’t know how to remember anode and cathode, suggestions please
- Modern wire strippers
- Many, many tweezers all the time for moving components around
- Cheap desoldering pump - I imagine a hakko works better but this is seriously a game changer
- Cheap hot air station - even not doing surface mount much this is really useful for melting areas of solder, component extraction, etc..
- Plastic trimmer screwdrivers - yes they really are useful
- Breadboard power supplies - just makes getting 3.3 and 5v into something I don’t have to worry about as much
- IC former - bends pins in on ICs, I got a3d printed one for $3 at VCF MW and it’s just the better way
- Any and every magnification device and light
- Lots of DuPont and breadboard wires - I know you know this but you’re not thinking about getting enough, however much you’re thinking of getting
- Honorable mention to a flipper zero, I know it’s kind of bougie and you can do a lot with a pi Pico or Arduino in terms of monitoring and diagnostics instead but it’s just nice to just have that tool ready to go