Recommendations for Test Equipment Wanted

[PRNDL]

Actually, I'm still using the first tip even though it's bent a bit from doing what you're not supposed to do. The tip was easy to remove, although it sounds like the same as you described.

I switched mainly because Weller replacement tips are very expensive.

[jrfrond]

Get yourself a Fluke DMM. For about $150.00, you can get the Fluke 115, which covers a lot of ground, including capcitance and current. Also get good test leads. I purchase Pomona lead sets for about $25.00 each for our shop. They have slip-on, long sharp points to keep your distance from circuitry, as well as penetrate insulation and PCB conformal coating.

After this, everything else is really secondary, i.e. you don't need to purchase expensive, name-brand gear, especially for audio troubleshooting. You can buy all used brand-name gear on eBay, but for new gear, the Tenma brand by MCM is cost-effective and pretty darn good. We have a bunch of Tenma gear here, spread out across six benches, and have never had any problems.

Besides a multimeter, a complete setup comprises a scope, signal generator, dummy loads and a variac. I also like to use an audio signal tracer and AC millivoltmeter, as necessary. Most of the time though, I don't go past the DMM.

[Enzo]

Amen.

[Mars Amp Repair]

Prndl,
That's what I thought. Hopefully your experience will be different. It was going to end up costing me as much as the Weller tips in the long run.

I took the cable off the Tenma soldering handle end to replace a bad one on my old trusty Weller. As I mentioned the Tenma has been shelved never to be used again. It just flat out pxxsed me off that they constructed the tip in a manner that guarranteed you'd have trouble.

thanx, glen