Having the right tools makes any job easier. (Click to enlarge)

For a lot of people, knowing which of the many electronic components, tools, and supplies to buy can be a daunting task. Even knowing where to buy them can be a difficult and time consuming undertaking. Therefore, it's no wonder that many roboticists have some background in the field of electronics.

To this end, I've created this page to help the novice decide which tools he or she should buy, and also to give them a list of supplies and components that are used in the projects described within this website and in my textbook (also visit the link entitled "Samples and Reviews" on the menu bar at the top of this page).

Okay, I'll be honest -- another motivation for making these lists is to help my scattered brain keep track of where I found the best deals and what part numbers were used. That way, when I run low of supplies I don't have to spend lots of time researching the best component for the job. (Of course, if you must have it immediately, your neighborhood Radio Shack store is an excellent source for tools and electronic components -- just expect to pay more than you would with the on-line vendors below.)

Table of Contents for this Page

1. Must-Have Tools and Supplies
2. Nice-to-Have Tools and Supplies
3. General Electronic Components
4. Robot-specific Components

Must-Have Tools and Supplies

If you have a limited budget, then make sure that you buy these tools first. (They are not listed in any particular order.) multimeter, small needle-nose pliers, end snips, wire strippers, solder iron, jewler screwdriver set, solid wire, stranded wire, solder, electrical tape, breadboard, jumper wires, end connectors, end connector housing, wire crimper, Item [Click to see image of item.] Description/Notes Vendor Vendor P/N Approx. Cost [$US] Multimeter For measuring voltage, current, and resistance. xxx xxx xxx Stranded wire Three conductor. 26 AWG. 25 feet. (You can buy smaller lengths, but it goes fast!) BP Hoppies (Balsa Products) No Part Number. (Search for "Three Strand Servo Wire".) $5.25 Female crimp pins Mates with .025" square post on pattern of .100" centers (male headers). These pins are crimped around a wire and used to connect components to the microcontroller. See my tutorial on making your own end connectors. You need three of these to fit into a connector housing (see below). Jameco 100765 $0.14 Connector Housing Plastic housing that holds three female crimp pins (see above). Mates with .025" square post on pattern of .100" centers (male headers). These connect directly to the microcontroller. See my tutorial on making your own end connectors. Jameco 157382 $0.27 Crimping Tool This Heavy-duty metal crimping tool with cutter is used to crimp pins and sockets to 26-28 AWG wire. See my tutorial on making your own end connectors. Jameco 99442 $9.49 Solder Rosin core. Standard 60/40 formula for electronics work. 0.032" diameter. 8.0oz spool. A spool will last a long time. Radio Shack 64-009 $8.99 Solder station General purpose solder station. Adjustable from 5 to 50 Watt (800 deg. F max heat output.) Station provides on-off switch, knob to control wattage, built-in stand, tip cleaning sponge & 1/32" point tip. 115 VAC line. You could spend less money for one without the temperature control, but I like the versitility of the control. MPJA 15860 TL $14.95 xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx

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Nice-to-Have Tools and Supplies

shrink tubing, second hand, solder sucker, solder iron cleaner, solder iron ultra pure, heat gun, Component case, pre-made cables with Futaba ends, oscilloscope Item [Click to see image of item.] Description/Notes Vendor Vendor P/N Approx. Cost [$US] 3-conductor cable with Futaba end This sure beats making your own cables! Three conductors. 26 AWG. 12 inches long. The female Futaba ends prevent plugging wires in backwards when using the RAMB II motherboard. BP Hoppies (Balsa Products) W26FM/FP/30 $1.60 Head mounted magnifier Magnifier with adjustable headband & two levels of magnification. 1st. level is 2.2X with focal length of 10in. 2nd. set of lenses fold down to increase magnification to 3.3X with a focal length of 5in. Do not interfere with eyeglasses, & flip up out of the way without removing from head. MPJA 5819 TL $9.95 Second Hand I think this is an invaluable tool, but is not a necessity. I use it all the time. It has a heavy cast iron base with 2 alligator clips which move every which way, leaving your hands free. MPJA 1006 TL $4.00 Heat gun Heat Gun with two heat ranges: 300deg or 500deg C, Max heat: 1500W. Includes scrapper, spreader, deflector and concentrator nozzle attachments. Ideal for heatshrink tubing, paint stripping, plastic fabrication. MPJA 15552 TL $27.95 Solder iron tip tinner Dip your hot soldering iron tip into this ultra-pure tinner at the end of each session to prevent oxide build-ups and tin depletion. Doing so will increase tip life and cause better heat transfer to your solder joint. Jameco 132986 $4.95 xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx

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Electronic Components

resistors (bundle), resistors specific, LED (white, green, red, yellow, IR), IR phototransducer, photoresistor, 5V relay, solenoid, Item [Click to see image of item.] Description/Notes Vendor Vendor P/N Approx. Cost [$US] Wire Wrap Socket Can use made into a conductivity sensor. Solder together the leads from both sides of the socket to two wires. Connect these to a voltage divider board (VDB), listed in the table below. To see how I used it, see Environment Sensing Station. You don't have to buy gold leads. If you want to save a few cents, you can buy tin leads or buy shorter leads. Jameco 196859 $1.55 Thermistor Common NTC 10K thermistor with radial leads. Measures from about -30C to +130C. Thermal time constant is 20s. See data sheet for this device. (I would really prefer to use a BC Components thermistor (BC P/N 2322 640 66103, DigiKey P/N BC1482-ND) because it is referenced on pages 318-324 of my book, but alas, this thermisor became an obsolete item the same month my book was printed.) Jameco 207036 $0.59 Photoresistor Common CdS photoresistor. They come in a variety of sizes and nominal resistances depending on your experimental needs. Radio Shack sells an assortment, but you can buy specific ones from places like Jameco. Radio Shack Jameco Jameco 276-1657 202366 136055 $2.79 (5) $1.69 (1) $0.89 (1) Super-Bright White LED These super-bright white LEDs (5500mcd @ 20mA) have many uses and are getting cheaper all the time. Vf = 3.8 @20mA. LED size is T 1 3/4. Jameco 320531 $1.25 xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx

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Robot-specific Components

LCD, Miltiplexer, robots, soccer ball, soccer mat, CO2 cartridges, CO2 dispenser, BX-24, motherboard, VDB, etc Item [Click to see image of item.] Description/Notes Vendor Vendor P/N Approx. Cost [$US] Robot Soccer Ball IR light emitter with clear plastic shell. Official ball for RoboCupJunior soccer matches. Acroname R194-ROBO-BALL $79.00 Robot Soccer Mat 48" x 72". Grayscale. Used for RoboCupJunior soccer matches. Acroname R204-ROBOCUPJR-MAT $64.00 Ultrasonic Range Finder "Sees" objects from 3cm to 300cm. Self-contained unit. Acroname R93-SRF04 $25.00 Voltage Divider Board (fixed resistor) This voltage divider comes with a fixed resistor. Use this if you need consistent readings from your resistance-dependent sensors. The VDB comes with a 3-pin connector housing which mates perfectly to any of the A-to-D pins on the RAMB or RAMB II. It's literally plug-and-play! Robodyssey VDB $7.95 Voltage Divider Board (variable resistor) This voltage divider comes with a variable resistor which allows you to tweak your resistance-dependent sensor in the field. The VDB-V comes with a 3-pin connector housing which mates perfectly to any of the A-to-D pins on the RAMB or RAMB II. It's literally plug-and-play! Robodyssey VDB-V $7.95 xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx

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