For one to develop a working relationship with tools, it is necessary to have some. You will need:
- A multi-meter. You don't need something with a zillion digits and 'true rms' capability. Just a simple basic meter to measure Volts and Ohms.
- An assortment of Phillips and slot-type screwdrivers.
- Small side-cutters for cutting wire.
- Small needle-nose pliers for forming a hook at the end of a tinned wire so that it will stay in the lug you want to solder it to.
- Medium needle-nose pliers. Something a bit heavier than your wire-forming pliers, for bending solder lugs and anything else that needs tweaking.
- Soldering iron with a small tip and a large tip.
- Solder. See if you can find some of the new lead-free stuff.
- Cross-lock tweezers. These serve as a 'third hand' holding things while you work on them. Also serve as a heat-sink when you're soldering.
- A good book to help you figure out what you want to do, and how to do it. You might find some useful info here as well.
You could go crazy, buying a whole lot of sexy tools to play with, but it's best to stick to basics at first.[/font]