Tools and materials you need
Where to get components and tools?
Where to get components and tools?
You can buy tools and components locally or from online shops.
In your local community
You can get basic soldering tools and components at local hardware shops.
The components you need can be bought in electronic component shops (do it yourself – DIY). Shops like these are getting rarer, but if there is one in your town, great! You might meet an electronics enthusiast behind the counter who will give you free advice.
The advantage of local shops is that you can buy the component you need straight away.
If there is no local shop, there are other options. Hackerspaces (sometimes called makerspaces) are popping up all over the world. They are places where people with shared interests meet and work on all kinds of projects. You can usually become a member for very little money and get access to soldering tools and components.
Have a look at hackerspaces.org
If you know a local shop, feel free to let me know on the Discord channel and I will add it to the list at the bottom of this page.
From online shops
Buying components online is an easy way to get the parts you need. There are many online shops that sell tools and components, and many of them can ship an order anywhere in the world in just a few days!
I know a few days can feel like forever when you are in the middle of building a really cool project and then notice that a component is missing. So try to plan ahead when you order, so that you have everything at hand when you are ready to build (soldering, assembling…).
Check:
- Do you have all the tools and components you need?
- Do you have soldering tools?
- Do you have solder and desoldering wick?
- Do you have the wires and cables you need?
- Do you need an enclosure?
- Do you need an external power supply? Batteries?
- Do you have the debugging tools you need to check the circuit after soldering?
Write down all the components.
