NEW LOWER PRICES: € 10 EUR off valid now!

New product released: PCB Workstation with Nano-Probes

The PCB Workstation with Articulated Arms, updated in June 2018 with Crane Arms with Needle Probes (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2318886), is a fundamental tool for your electronic laboratory. Equipped with a rich set of adapters and accessories, it allows making precise and stable connections to the electronic components of any printed circuit boards under test or development.

HAVE A LOOK AT THE ARTICLE PUBLISHED ON MAKE MAGAZINE:
http://makezine.com/projects/3d-print-the-ultimate-helping-hands-for-a-pcb-workstation/

"PCB Workstation" in the TOP 8 CLEVER JIGS on MAKE MAGAZINE:
http://makezine.com/2015/12/13/8-clever-jigs-for-your-workshop/

If you don't own a 3D printer or quickly want to get a fully functional PCB Workstation with a full set of 8 Articulated Arms, now including also a full set of 8 Crane Arms with Needle Probes, it is now available a ready-to-use kit!

PCB WORKSTATION KIT LAB EDITION: now only € 69.90 EUR + shipping

The kit includes the following parts:

1 Base 18x18cm with 16 sockets
4 PCB Holders (Hex Bolts and Wing Nuts included)
8 Crane Arms with "Needle Probes" (Wired Needles, Hex Bolts and Wing Nuts included)
8 Articulated Arms with "Mini Test Clip Hook Grabbers" and custom Adapters
. (http://www.amazon.com/12pcs-Multimeter-Grabbers-Probe-Jumper/dp/B00Y9UKLTM)
1 Set of 8 Adapters for "SparkFun Alligator Clips"
. . (http://www.sparkfun.com/products/12033)
1 Set of 8 Adapters for "Hirschmann Grabber Clips"
. . (http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/grabber-clips/0775704)
1 Set of 8 Adapters for "Hirschmann Spring Loaded Test Probes"
. . (http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/needle-point-probes/0775726)
1 Set of 8 Adapters for "Pomona Micro SMD Grabbers"
. . (http://www.digikey.com/catalog/en/partgroup/micro-smd-grabber-72902-series/16004)
1 Set of 8 Adapters for "E-Z-Micro-Hooks"
. . (http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/e-z-hook/XKM-S/461-1012-ND/528233)
1 Set of 8 Adapters for "Saleae and Zeroplus Logic Analyzers Probes"
. . (http://www.amazon.com/Probe-Saleae-Logic16-Zeroplus-analyzers/dp/B005NR440W)
1 Set of 8 Adapters for "Tektronix Logic Analyzers Probes"
8 Wires with Male-Female Pin Connectors for the above-listed optional Test Probes

Please note that the sets of adapters do not include the referred accessories that you have to buy separately. Only the "Mini Test Clip Hook Grabbers" are included with the kit.

Shipping costs for one package with one kit:

• to Italy: € 9.90 EUR (Express Courier)
• to Europe: € 11.90 EUR (International Priority Mail)
• to America or Asia: € 17.90 EUR (International Priority Mail)
• to Australia and rest of the world: € 23.90 EUR (International Priority Mail)

In order to buy a kit, please pay by PayPal the total cost (PCB Workstation Kit + shipping):

https://paypal.me/giuseppefinizia

Then send me (giuseppe.finizia@gmail.com) the following data for the shipment:

• Name of the purchased product (PCB Workstation Kit Lab Edition)
• First Name Last Name / Company's Name
• Address
• ZIP code
• City
• Country

Feel free to contact me if you need any information or customization of the kit.

Zortrax

Zortrax M200

Yes

Yes

0,19

High

Support: 10° when needed (disabled for most pieces).
Infill: Medium for the bases, High for other parts.

I suggest to apply 5 silicone bumpers beneath the base piece, so it will be more stable on the desk. You can use bumpers with a diameter up to 20mm.

The central part of each base consists of 4 sliding pieces arranged in a cross along which can be moved the anchoring blocks to firmly keep the printed circuit board in place. The assembly of the PCB holders to the base piece requires some wing nuts (5mm) and Hex bolts (5×12 mm). The PCB holders have two faces, one for straight sides, the other for the corners of a printed circuit board. You can choose the right face simply turning the holder.

The base joints are required to mount the articulated arms to the base piece. Each type of base is equipped with multiple holes in which can be inserted a variable number of articulated arms for different purposes. These pieces have a slot to allow the passage of the electric cable without passing through the hole of the base, so it is very easy to insert, remove, or change an articulated arm on the fly.

The articulated arms are then made by assembling multiple ball and socket joints. Depending on the required length, an articulated arm may be formed from a variable number of ball and socket joints, however 20 elements should be sufficient for most uses. Each articulated arm provides an internal duct in which an electric cable can run.

If you wish to make more rigid articulated arms, you can use the provided special ball and socket joints that have a slightly smaller ball to allow the application of a rubberized coating that improves the friction and the stability of the articulated arms. I suggest the use of a small piece of heat shrink wrap 8mm (0.28") long, 0.27mm (270 micron) thick and 9mm (0.4") diameter.

I have also provided a new piece "B&S Joint (thick coated).stl" to allow the use of a thicker heat shrink tube.

The terminal elements of the articulated arms are designed to accommodate different types of accessories:

Alligator Clips (https://www.sparkfun.com/products/12033)
IC Hook Clip Grabbers (http://www.amazon.com/12pcs-6colors-Small-Grabbers-Multimeter/dp/B00C4PLQ7A)
Micro SMD Grabber Test Clips (http://www.digikey.com/catalog/en/partgroup/micro-smd-grabber-72902-series/16004)
Micro Sprung Probes (http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/needle-point-probes/0775726)
Micro Clip Probes (http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/grabber-clips/0775704)
Zeroplus type Probes (http://www.amazon.com/Probe-Saleae-Logic16-Zeroplus-analyzers/dp/B005NR440W)
Tektronix type Probes (P/N 020-2733-00 in kit 020-2662-0x) (http://www.bmisurplus.com/products/40893-tektronix-p6516-logic-probe-accessory-kit-020-2662-00)

The piece "BaseExtension.stl" can be used to expand the base, allowing for the mounting of bigger PCBs that do not fit onto a single base. This piece can be coupled with each available base (except "Baseround16cm12holes.stl") using the appropriate "extension linkage" piece supplied in the archive "ExtensionLinkages.zip".

You can also add to your PCB workstation a terminal element that can accommodate an LED to illuminate a particular area of the PCB. I used a super bright white LED connected to a 9V battery using a 180 Ohm resistor.

Now that you have almost finished your customized "PCB Workstation" perhaps you will no longer use the old "third hand tool", but you could miss the magnifying glass. So, I have added a special piece "HolderMagnifyingGlass.stl" to still use the accessories of the old third hand tool, including the magnifying glass.