Useful Tools for hobbyist modders

Tools and Equipment

I have had people ask me what kinds of tools I use when building MGBCs or DMGC and usually I type out a few paragraphs of what i use and why I use it. I have decided to make a quick post on it since it’s a common question. Please note that these tools will not suddenly make you able to do complex soldering work or easily build a PCB from the ground up. Using the tools take experience and time. I have been soldering and working with electronics for almost 10 years at this point and so I have had time to refine my skills and learn from others. My suggestion is always to work on practice kits first before trying to attempt to modify or work on something you value. Please remember that this post was written for educational purposes only.

The links below are to the tools I used for most projects, they are affiliated and I get a tiny bit of a kick back when they are used to purchase things. The fund goes to helping me maintain the site.

Hakko FX-888D - This is the soldering iron that I use for all my projects, there are plenty of other alternatives out there, but I’ve been a big fan of this station and I have never had an issues with it. For this project I used the chisel tip. Some people prefer the Pinecil or TS80P as they run on USB and are less bulky. I have plans on eventually getting one but I have no real reason to at the moment since mine just works.

Ultrasonic Cleaner - Although not necessary, it is useful to have an ultrasonic cleaner to help clean up boards when 99% Isopropyl Alcohol and a toothbrush just doesn’t seem to do the job. I have this 3L Ultrasonic Cleaner that fits most things that I need cleaned. Outside of using it for resin 3D prints and cleaning jewelry, this thing is great for cleaning PCBs that are covered in flux and whatever else. Usually when I clean my PCBs I fill it with distilled/deionized water and a capful of SRA 35 circuit board cleaning solution, afterwards I give it a distilled water bath and scrub any leftover flux with a toothbrush. I finish off the job with an 99% isopropyl alcohol bath to displace water and dry it inside my 3D printing enclosure at 100C for at least 8+ hours or when my PCBs are thoroughly dried.

Engineer SS-02 Solder Sucker - If you have ever been disappointed in the free solder sucker that you got with a cheap soldering iron and thought they just all suck in general(no pun intended); you’re just like me. Prior to buying an Engineer SS-02, I was kind of done with solder suckers and was ready to shell out money for a nice fancy Hakko FR-301 desoldering gun. After buying an SS-02 and using it for the past few months, I can honestly say that none of the cheap solder suckers I have used in the past compare. The SS-02 works well, has amazing suction and easily serviceable if it’s needed. Highly recommended by me and most people who do any sort of soldering work.

Chip Quick Soldering paste - If you’re soldering with a hot air station or hot plate, this stuff is necessary. It flows really smoothly, has a low melting point and when it comes to building anything with SMT components; it’s a must. There are different variations out there, I’ve tried a few different brands and different types and I landed on liking this one the most.

MHP30 Mini Hot Plate - There are other hot plates out there that will work, but for my projects I used a MHP30. It was useful for desoldering a lot of the ICs like the CPU and RAM, it was also great for desoldering on the FFC ribbon connector. It’s not needed but it does make the process of moving the CPU a lot easier. I sometimes use it for soldering boards as well, but prolong use can damage or burn silkscreen, so be careful with how long you leave a PCB on the hotplate.

Chip Quik NC191 Smooth Flow Tack Flux - Flux makes flowing solder easier, especially when it comes to bridges on small pins and such. If you don’t own any flux or have never used it before; get some. I have been a big fan of Chip Quik but I know some people favor Amtech flux, I have been trying it out but no real idea if it’s that much better yet. I will update this page if anything changes.

RF4-H2 - If you’ve never used a hot air rework station before it does take a bit of learning to figure out how long is too long when using it on components and how much air is too much air. For my DMGC and MGBC builds, this has been the tool that I mainly used for placing passive components. My usually routine would involve squeezing a bit of solder paste on a footprint and placing the components then hitting them with hot air. I use to recommend the 858D Hot air rework station, which is still a good option, but a fan driven hot air rework station doesn’t push out as much volume as a piston driven one like the RF4-H2.

TB-11 Titanium Alloy tweezers - With the sheer amount of small 0603 0805 and eve 0402 components that are required for most PCB project, you need a nice pair of tweezers that’ll be able to effectively pick up the components without launching them into outer space. I bought these tweezers to replace my crappy set that were bent and didn’t do a very good job at holding components. I’ve constantly used these on many projects and the tips are still straight and I have not had issues like I did in the past with cheaper tweezers that came free. The key to keeping your tweezers nice and straight is to not use them for anything other than simply picking up components. In the past I’ve used tweezers to try and pry things, or twist things off and quickly had regrets.

Solder Paste/Flux extruder - Extruding flux and solder paste isn’t “difficult” or time consuming, but being able to have control of how much you extrude is important for certain applications. I have been using extruders for a few months now and I have to say that it does help make it easier to not squeeze out too much paste or flux. It is especially useful when using a smaller tip on the syringe. I highly recommend this specific one as it is pretty decent quality and works well.

Andonstar AD246S-M - This is the latest addition to my tool kit and I love it. I use to blindly reflow CPUs and FFC connectors until it fixed itself. With this microscope I no longer need to do that. My success rate of getting a perfectly booting board the first time I test it has gone up significantly and I have cut down on how long I take to put together a board. The microscope has also helped in making sure that I don’t have to heat the board more than I really need to which is huge because constantly applying heat can cause damage to components and the PCB itself. I highly recommend this or something like it if you are serious about any hobby that requires looking at fine details.

KOTTO Fume Extractor - It’s never a good idea to be in an enclosed room huffing flux and whatever other noxious gases are output by soldering. I usually have a window open and my fume extractor going anytime I do soldering work. This little device has been very helpful in removing a lot of the fumes that that are release from soldering but I’m always looking for a better option. At the moment this does the job but I am in the process of looking for something different.

In conclusion, this will be a living document that I will change over time if my thoughts or experiences change. If you have any tools that you’d like me to consider or something you have tried out that you feel is beneficial please share with me. I’m always looking to learn and I am sure there are plenty of tools out there that I have not yet considered. The application of these tools go beyond just modding or building gameboys; they are the same tools I use when building keyboards, repairing small electronics, and a myriad of other things. I’ll end this post the same way that I began it: Having the right tools for the job does not suddenly make the job easier, it takes practice and time to be able to use them well. Practice on kits and things you don’t care about before attempting to repair something that you do care about, and always be safe when working with any tool.