Hey folks,
Just thought I'd start a thread about tools we use when fixing game boards. This thread is about tools... not test equipment... not soldering stations.
Just tools... tools that most everyone will find useful at one time or another.
Duck Bill Pliers... a.k.a. flat nosed pliers. VERY useful for straightening out chip pins. If they aren't flat enough to get inbetween the pins on chips just put 'em on a grinder and grind down the outside of them a bit. You MUST find a pair that the jaws mate each other when closed. The cheap Chinese pliers don't always mate properly. Can be seen in the upper left of this picture.
Welding tip cleaner... a.k.a. desoldering iron tip cleaner. Can be found at your local Lowe's for cheap. UPC 879686000150 is the one I picked up there... Task Force model SGY-C3.
Titan brand folding tamper proof Torx set. Has T6 through T10, T15/20/25/27/30 in one small folding tool. Perfect for control panels, CPS2 carts, and other things you find that have those tamper proof Torx screws. Don't recall where I got this one... probably Northern Tool. Edit:AutoZone has these...
Kobalt insulated screwdriver set Picked this one up at Lowe's. Nice set... not as nice as some of the professional European insulated screwdrivers but quite a bit cheaper. Not for use in discharging monitors though! (There's no place to clip a gator wire! Duh!)
Kelly clamps and hemostats come in very handy for pulling out solder from the desoldering iron's tube or for retrieving pesky screws that fall down inside things.
Hard drive magnets! If you have a dead hard drive then tear it apart and pull the magnets out. Not only are they great for hanging papers but they are awesome for magnetizing screwdrivers. Just BE CAREFUL! If you hold them wrong and they clamp together on your skin you WILL get blood blisters. Those things are scary strong. KEEP AWAY FROM MONITORS. (Duh!)
Not really a tool, but a cleaner: Goof-off in the little metal can with the fold-over squirt top. Reminds me of an old Ronsonol lighter fluid can. Works WONDERS in getting label residue off of EPROMs, etc.
4" Bench Vise. Everyone should have one. Great for holding metal parts to be modified. Also great for assembling ribbon cables with those IDC connectors. I use mine to build replacement CPU ribbon cables for Ms Pac Man and ribbon cables for Galaga, etc.
What other tools do you have that have been very helpful?
Just thought I'd start a thread about tools we use when fixing game boards. This thread is about tools... not test equipment... not soldering stations.
Just tools... tools that most everyone will find useful at one time or another.
Duck Bill Pliers... a.k.a. flat nosed pliers. VERY useful for straightening out chip pins. If they aren't flat enough to get inbetween the pins on chips just put 'em on a grinder and grind down the outside of them a bit. You MUST find a pair that the jaws mate each other when closed. The cheap Chinese pliers don't always mate properly. Can be seen in the upper left of this picture.
Welding tip cleaner... a.k.a. desoldering iron tip cleaner. Can be found at your local Lowe's for cheap. UPC 879686000150 is the one I picked up there... Task Force model SGY-C3.
Titan brand folding tamper proof Torx set. Has T6 through T10, T15/20/25/27/30 in one small folding tool. Perfect for control panels, CPS2 carts, and other things you find that have those tamper proof Torx screws. Don't recall where I got this one... probably Northern Tool. Edit:AutoZone has these...
Kobalt insulated screwdriver set Picked this one up at Lowe's. Nice set... not as nice as some of the professional European insulated screwdrivers but quite a bit cheaper. Not for use in discharging monitors though! (There's no place to clip a gator wire! Duh!)
Kelly clamps and hemostats come in very handy for pulling out solder from the desoldering iron's tube or for retrieving pesky screws that fall down inside things.
Hard drive magnets! If you have a dead hard drive then tear it apart and pull the magnets out. Not only are they great for hanging papers but they are awesome for magnetizing screwdrivers. Just BE CAREFUL! If you hold them wrong and they clamp together on your skin you WILL get blood blisters. Those things are scary strong. KEEP AWAY FROM MONITORS. (Duh!)
Not really a tool, but a cleaner: Goof-off in the little metal can with the fold-over squirt top. Reminds me of an old Ronsonol lighter fluid can. Works WONDERS in getting label residue off of EPROMs, etc.
4" Bench Vise. Everyone should have one. Great for holding metal parts to be modified. Also great for assembling ribbon cables with those IDC connectors. I use mine to build replacement CPU ribbon cables for Ms Pac Man and ribbon cables for Galaga, etc.
What other tools do you have that have been very helpful?
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