Multimeter/Solder Station Recommendation

[crandell25]

Hi,

My crack kit with speedball arrived and I am hoping to start assembly over the holidays.  In preparation, I am starting to look at the required tools.  In terms of a multimeter and a solder station (which I have no clue about!), would the two options below work?  I am open to other suggestions since I am purely going by reviews on amazon since I have zero experience with either tool. 

I am on the fence with going cheap or spending a little more in case the DYI hobby continues!

Thanks for the help!

Multimeter:
https://www.amazon.ca/Auto-Ranging-Multimeter-Electrical-Resistance-Capacitance/dp/B07GLJPR1N/ref=sr_1_12?keywords=multimeter&qid=1575382484&refinements=p_72%3A11192170011&rnid=11192166011&sr=8-12&th=1

Other multimeter options on Amazon Canada:
https://www.amazon.ca/s?k=multimeter&i=tools&crid=23NBHRDFF8V24&sprefix=multi%2Ctools%2C139&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_5

Solder station:
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00PVV6T1C/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB&psc=1

Other solder station options on Amazon Canada:
https://www.amazon.ca/s?k=solder+station&i=tools&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

 

[Paul Birkeland]

Sure, those will work well.  Buying the proper solder is also very important.  You want leaded solder with rosin flux, anything else will likely cause some problems.

 

[EricS]

That looks like a nice meter!  I have two of these meters and find them to be good for my needs:
https://www.amazon.ca/multimeter-MeasuresVoltage-Capacitance-Transistors-Temperature/dp/B075WRQYX5/ref=sr_1_1

I've always been skeptical of "cheap" meters, so a few weeks ago I compared this meter to a calibrated Agilent 34401A bench meter and found that my cheaper one reads an average of 0.26% high on the AC range and 0.06% low on the DC range.  I thought this was pretty impressive performance for a $20 meter...

I've been using various pencil irons (15-40w range) for decades.  About a year ago, I purchased this solder station and really like it:
https://www.circuitspecialists.com/csi-premier-75w-Soldering-Station.html

The Weller station you picked is also a nice one.  Depending on what kind of work you do, you may find a need for more than 40w of heat from time to time.  Sometimes I work on a PCB that has a large solder pad that is attached to a heavy ground plane, so it takes a lot of heat to make a good solder joint.  Other times, I work with heavy gauge inductors that take a while to heat with my pencil iron, but are a breeze with a bit more heat capacity.

+1 for lead-based solder.  This is a military standard because it keeps the solder from developing "whiskers" over time that can cause shorts or other failures. 
 

 

[Paul Birkeland]

I've always been skeptical of "cheap" meters, so a few weeks ago I compared this meter to a calibrated Agilent 34401A bench meter and found that my cheaper one reads an average of 0.26% high on the AC range and 0.06% low on the DC range.  I thought this was pretty impressive performance for a $20 meter...

I have found the same to be true of the meter that Harbor Freight regularly gives away.  It's not amazing, but it works perfectly well for these sorts of applications. 

 

[crandell25]

Thanks for the feedback all! 

Does the solder below fit the bill?

https://www.amazon.ca/MG-Chemicals-Leaded-Solder-Diameter/dp/B005T8N3YI/ref=sr_1_4_sspa?keywords=solder+60%2F40+rosin+core&qid=1575397727&sr=8-4-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFOT0FFQlRBWE5OMEsmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTAxNjMxNjdMWldQUFY3UkUwNkEmZW5jcnlwdGVkQWRJZD1BMDg4NDg5MjY0NUg5S1RMNzdFMiZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

 

[Deke609]

Does the solder below fit the bill?

Yup, that will work. I haven't used MG's solder, but their solder wick is the only kind I will use. Excellent stuff.

cheers, Derek

 

[Paul Birkeland]

That will work.  12 Canadian pesos for 1/26th of a pound of solder seems like a lot of dough when you can buy a pound of Kester for $35-45 CAD. 

 

[raymondp1138]

@Crandell, looks like the Crack is your first kit. After you complete and enjoy the kit, very likely, like most of us here, you'll want to perform mods on it and even move on to building other BH kits. Therefore, as PB said, it's a much better value to buy a pound of solder now. In fact, I pound would get you though all BH kits. 

 

[Deke609]

I pound would get you though all BH kits.

Not if you solder like me! I like to keep a ratio of 5 feet of solder wick for every foot of solder - and still usually run out of wick before solder ;D

 

[Paul Birkeland]

If you need to desolder that much, then a spring loaded pump or a vacuum pump (with an electric pump, not a squeeze bulb) will work much better.

 

[Deke609]

I was half-joking.  I've never gotten the knack of using a spring-loaded solder pump on solder terminals or other non-flat areas. Works well on pcbs for me, though.

 

[crandell25]

Ok, I ordered a solder station, solder, multimeter, and desoldering braid.  I think I am almost prepared, except for paint.  It is my first build so I may need more solder for future mods or to complete the crack if my skills are terrible! 

Thanks for all the help everyone.  It is great to have the support for diy newbies!