Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
•
Needle-nose pliers and hemostats (curved and straight)
—These are great for grip-
ping small items and jumpers, straightening bent pins, and so on.
•
Electric screwdriver
—Combined with hex, Phillips, standard, and Torx bit sets, this
tool really speeds up repetitive disassembly/assembly.
•
Flashlight
—You should preferably use a high-tech LED unit, which enables you to
see inside dark systems and is easy on batteries.
•
Wire cutter or stripper
—Thismakesorrepairscablesorwiring.Forexample,you'd
need this (along with a crimping tool) to make Ethernet cables (refer to
Chapter 17
,
“
Local Area Networking
”
).
•
Vise or clamp
—This installs connectors on cables, crimp cables to the shape you
want, and hold parts during delicate operations. In addition to the vise, RadioShack
sellsanifty“extrahands”devicethathastwomovablearmswithalligator clipsonthe
end. This type of device is very useful for making cables or for other delicate opera-
tions during which an extra set of hands to hold something might be useful.
•
Metal file
—This smoothes rough metal edges on cases and chassis and trims the fa-
ceplates on disk drives for a perfect fit.
•
Markers, pens, and notepads
—Use these for taking notes, marking cables, and so
on.
