Electronics Bench

Our Electronics Bench is the heart of the shop—and it shows in our logo! From soldering irons to our bench power supply and every capacitor in between, you can be sure to find what you need to work on your next electronics project at HackPGH.

HackPGH Electronics Bench with soldering and rework tools, test equipment, magnifying lamps, and organized component storage

Our Electronics Bench features

Tools to bring your projects to light

Start with assembly and soldering, supply power and test signals, then measure the result. The equipment below is grouped by that workflow so you can quickly find the right part of the bench for your project.

Build & repair

Soldering & Rework

Precision soldering, desoldering, hot-air rework, spot welding, and fume extraction support projects from circuit assembly through component repair.

Precision soldering & SMD rework

Weller WXS2021 Pico/Micro Rework Kit

An all-in-one, high-precision, ESD-safe hand-soldering platform for sensitive work. The kit combines a two-channel control station, a precision soldering iron, and desoldering tweezers.

  • WXsmart 300 W dual-channel touchscreen control station
  • WXMPS 40 W precision soldering iron
  • WXMTS 80 W desoldering tweezers
  • Pico, Micro, chisel, and tweezer tips
Full specifications
Temperature range
100–450°C / 200–850°F; scalable to 550°C
Heat-up time
Under 3 seconds from 50°C to 350°C
Connectivity
Wi-Fi, LAN/Ethernet, USB, and RS-232
Protection
Station and attached tools are ESD-safe

Two stations

Hakko FX-888D Soldering Stations

The FX-888Ds have digital displays, adjustable temperature control, and preset temperature storage. They offer a wide temperature range and are designed to be ergonomic and ESD-safe.

  • Digital temperature display
  • Adjustable control with preset storage
  • Ergonomic, ESD-safe design

Two-in-one station

Yihua 948 Desoldering Station

A versatile station that combines desoldering and soldering functions in one unit.

  • Adjustable temperature control
  • PID temperature control and sleep mode
  • Strong suction for desoldering
  • ESD-safe design

Hot-air rework

Hakko 852 Rework Station

A self-contained hot-air rework station with a built-in diaphragm pump for vacuum pickup of components.

  • Digital temperature and airflow control
  • Built-in vacuum pickup and airflow meter
  • Automatic cool-down mode for safety
  • ESD-safe design

Battery-pack spot welding

Heltec HT-SW01H Portable Spot Welder

A portable capacitor energy-storage spot welder designed primarily for lithium battery-pack assembly and precision metal welding.

  • 19.8–21 kW peak pulse power and 3,500 A peak welding current
  • Welds 0.05–0.5 mm material, depending on material type
  • 99 energy-adjustment settings
  • Automatic, manual pen, and foot-pedal trigger options
Full specifications
Size
67 × 176 × 126 mm
Weight
About 2 kg
Energy storage
Supercapacitor-based high-burst local discharge
Weld design
Concentrated pulse intended to reduce blackening and burn-through

Mobile air purification

VEVOR Solder Fume Extractor

A heavy-duty mobile air-purification system that can stay at the Electronics Bench or move elsewhere in the shop for classes.

  • 330 W DC motor with 270 CFM airflow
  • Six-stage filtration with five adjustable speeds
  • 99.97% purification rate for 0.3-micron particles
  • Wireless remote and operating noise below 60 dB
Full specifications
Connection
4 in. exhaust and ducting

Small soldering equipment

Portable & Specialty Soldering Tools

Additional equipment rounds out the dedicated soldering and rework stations.

  • Ten individual soldering guns
  • Soldering pots and vats, including handheld units
  • Desktop fume extractors

Power & stimulate

Power & Signal Generation

Supply controlled power, vary AC voltage, or generate standard and custom waveforms for a circuit under test.

Bench power

Siglent SPD3303X-E Bench Power Supply

A programmable DC supply with three isolated output channels for testing, development, teaching electrical concepts, and circuit design.

  • Two adjustable 0–32 V / 0–3.2 A channels
  • One fixed 2.5 V, 3.3 V, or 5 V / 0–3.2 A channel
  • Remote programming over USB and LAN
  • 4.3 in. display for voltage, current, and power waveforms
Full specifications
Output modes
Channels can be combined in series or parallel
Timing output
Output sequences can be programmed from the front panel
Internal storage
Saves and recalls five groups of setting parameters
External storage
Storage expansion is supported

Variable AC

Staco Variac Variable Autotransformer

Also known simply as a Variac, this variable AC power supply provides adjustable voltage for controlling electrical loads and carefully powering voltage-sensitive equipment.

  • Model 3PN1010 with manual control
  • 120 V AC input
  • Toroidal core with carbon-brush variable voltage taps
Full specifications
Power rating
The updated inventory lists 1.4 kVA; the original manual lists 3 kVA
Example uses
Controlling heat, speed, light, and electromechanical force; gradually powering vintage audio equipment

Waveform generation

Siglent SDG2082X Arbitrary Waveform Generator

A dual-channel function and arbitrary waveform generator that can produce standard signals such as sine, square, and ramp waves, as well as custom arbitrary waveforms.

  • Dual-channel output with up to 120 MHz bandwidth
  • Up to 20 Vpp output amplitude
  • 4.3 in. touchscreen display
Full specifications
Sampling system
1.2 GSa/s with 16-bit vertical resolution
Arbitrary waveforms
8 points to 8 Mpts; 1 μSa/s to 75 MSa/s
Modulation
AM, DSB-AM, FM, PM, FSK, ASK, and PWM
Other functions
Sweep, burst, and high-precision frequency counter
Interfaces
USB device, USB host, LAN, and VXI-11

Neon power supply

France Transformer

A heavy-duty magnetic power supply designed for indoor and outdoor neon gas-tube lighting and channel-letter signs.

  • 120 V AC, 60 Hz input
  • 15,000 V secondary output at 30 mA true RMS
  • Approximately 435–450 VA input power
  • Magnetic / ferromagnetic core design
Full specifications
Protection
Secondary-circuit ground protection shuts down after an arc or leak
Diagnostics
Status LEDs report the reason for shutdown
Controls
Manual override / service switch
Applications
Standard illumination, flashing, and dimming configurations

Measure & diagnose

Test & Measurement

Observe electrical signals, decode serial buses, and take other common bench measurements.

Signal analysis

Siglent SDS824X HD Digital Oscilloscope

This digital storage oscilloscope is used to measure, display, and analyze electrical signals. It captures and stores waveforms, decodes serial buses, and can perform power analysis.

  • 4 analog and 16 digital channels
  • 200 MHz bandwidth with 12-bit resolution
  • 7 in. touchscreen with mouse and keyboard support
Full specifications
Real-time sample rate
Up to 2 GSa/s
Memory depth
Up to 100 Mpts
Waveform capture rate
Up to 500,000 wfm/s in Sequence mode

Supporting instruments

Meters for Everyday Diagnostics

The bench also has multimeters with various capabilities and additional meters for temperature and capacitance measurements.

  • Multimeters with various capabilities
  • Temperature meters
  • Capacitance meters

Connect & assemble

Bench Tools & Components

Small hand tools and organized parts storage keep common assembly tasks close to the work surface.

Wiring tools

Crimping & Wire-Wrapping

A hand crimper kit and wire-wrapping tools are available for making and repairing electrical connections.

  • Hand crimper kit
  • Wire-wrapping tools

Parts storage

Components Within Reach

Labeled drawers and bins keep small electronic parts and bench supplies organized near the workspace.

  • Wire and capacitors
  • Supplies for Arduino projects
  • Supplies for Raspberry Pi projects