Let's make a DIMELAB

A casual series in which I build up a low-cost electronics/hardware hacking lab at home (AKA I buy cheap gear and tell you if it’s awful).

Why tho?

Thanks to QUT, I have access to a fully-outfitted electronics lab (for now — but my peers and I very much look forward to the repercussions of the savage defunding recently promised by the government).

That said, I live an hour from campus, so it’s not super quick or convenient for me to duck into the lab. Further, the hellplot that is 2020 has highlighted how suddenly we can be locked out of public places.

So I’ve decided to build up my home lab a bit, to ensure I can always do stupid things on the spur of the moment. However, given my existing access to top shelf equipment, I’m loath to drop a bunch of cash on high-end stuff at home, if I can avoid it.

This leads us to my plans for a low-end home lab. I am going full Pareto here and assuming that with 20% of the dollars I can get 80% of the functionality, and for everything else (specifically, the RF stuff I will be working on), there’s a quick blat up the highway on my motorbike.

Stuff I want

This is an evolving list.

Stuff I have

I’m not starting from scratch. Over the years I have collected bits and pieces for uni assignments and other nonsense.

The plan

Whenever I acquire a new bit of el cheapo kit, I will let you know how it performs! Simples.

Feel free to recommend anything cool you see, new or used.