Arduino: A Technical Reference

Appendix A. Tools and Accessories

For many Arduino projects you don’t need any tools, just some jumper wires, shield and sensor PCBs, and of course an Arduino. But after graduating to more advanced projects you will find that a selection of basic tools and accessories becomes essential. A set of hand tools, a soldering iron, and a few other items are usually sufficient for all but the most complex projects. If I may be so bold, I would recommend my book Practical Electronics: Components and Techniques (O’Reilly) as a reference for things like screw and bolt sizes, electronic components, and PCB fabrication.

In this chapter I will describe the basic tools you might want to consider having on hand for your own projects. Everything presented here can easily fit into a medium-sized toolbox when it’s not needed.

Hand Tools

A good selection of hand tools is essential. With patience and some effort you can accomplish just about any task with good hand tools. Before the introduction of electricity, hand tools were really the only way for most people to build anything, and they built a lot of amazing things. So can you, as long as you are willing to take the time to do it correctly. We won’t look at techniques here, as there are other books that cover that, but I will describe some tools you might want to consider, and where to find them.

Screwdrivers

For most projects involving an Arduino all you need in the way of screwdrivers is a good set of the miniature types or a combination kit, ...