Electronics Tools

Several of my tools I made myself, often it is just as much because I like making things as for any money saving reasons. I like electronics because I like to know how things work and I like to know how tools work just as much as anything else. I've always taken things apart to see how they work (or why they aren't working anymore) and quite often the things I make are from scavenged parts from things I took apart.

Description		Images
Continuity Tester This is a continuity tester I built, I found the circuit at Tony Van Roon's website.    The URL for the tester is here and I definately recommend buying his kit if you don't feel up to building the tester from the schematic on his site.   Tony was very helpful when I had some questions.
Digital Logic Probe This is a digital logic probe I made. I found the circuit on the web at SwansonTec and I think it is a really nice circuit. It is quite simple but it has more functionality than many other logic probe plans I have seen. It works by using an opamp pair as a comparator. It detects high, low, pulsing and floating, and I can attest that it performs well.   Yes, I built it into a Bic Wite-Out Exact Liner style White Out dispenser.   It was handy and usually things which are handy around me turn into other things.
Solder Fume Extractor This is my homemade solder fume extractor.   When looking for a unit I found that the least expensive of them were still out of my spending range and it occurred to me that the principles are pretty simple.   From front to back you have: Fume Director Fan Filter So I picked up a 12V DC fan for about 5 dollars from a local parts store and cut up some boxes to make the fume director.   My plan is to eventually pass the fumes through multiple filter units and then completely vent them out of the workshop.
Dual DC Power Supply This is my dual DC power supply, I built it from a kit when I was first getting into electronics but I have modified the kit somewhat since then.   The right side powers my fume extractor and I have it set to about 12V, the left side is unused unless I need an additional DC supply besides my trusty old Mallory unit.		COMING SOON
5V Regulator I made this stand-alone 5V regulator when I got sick of having to always put one in every logic circuit I made.   It isn't really a circuit, just a 7805 in an old Listerine Breath Strips thing wired up for easy attachment to a power supply and circuit board.
LED Tester This is an LED tester I made because I scavenge parts from old electronic equipment.   Often you can get broken equipment for free or pay a quarter or two for outdated stuff at garage sales.
??? I don't know what this thing is.   I made it a long time ago and recently found it while I was rummaging through an old parts box.   I opened it up and it has a pager motor in it and the circuit looks to me like it could be an electronic bug detector, but I didn't spend much time on it so I'm not sure.