Mindboards

Sorry, I wasn't very clear on that. The little stand that comes with the SF tool kits also has a little sponge in a metal holder. You get the sponge very wet and every time you solder a joint you wipe the point of the soldering iron on that sponge. This removes all the little particles of solder and junk from the soldering iron and keeps it from corroding the tip, which would make it pretty much unusable. One problem is that by wiping off the tip you leave lots of little pieces of solder on the sponge. You then have to find a way to dispose of them without dumping them down the drain or otherwise contaminating the environment or other things. I like to keep these little bits and pieces, one day I'm thinking of making a giant piece of solder. Don't know what for though...

-EDIT- You get the sponge wet with water. Boy, I'm making a lot of sense... that's another thing about soldering, don't breath the smoke

Thank you very much!
Thankfully, I already have most of the tools in the kit, so I think I'll just put my own "kit" together. Is a desoldering bulb an ok substitute for a desoldering iron or vacuum? I'm not planning on very large projects yet, and it seems to be a cheap, temporary solution.

Yes, by the sounds of it it'll do the same thing. It is basically a older/manual version of the pump. And even the name gives its main purpose away . It will be harder to point right at the joint your de-soldering as it will wiggle around as you squeeze/release it but with some practice...

By the way, do you have some sort of guide to follow for making your own sensors? It is fairly simple if you already know how electronics work but if your just starting out I really recommend it. I have the first edition, it is quite helpful even if it is slightly outdated when it comes to a few things. There is a second edition out, it is more up-to-date. You can get it used for about $9 US dollars shipped on Amazon.

nxtreme wrote:...It is fairly simple if you already know how electronics work but if your just starting out I really recommend it. I have the first edition, it is quite helpful even if it is slightly outdated when it comes to a few things. There is a second edition out, it is more up-to-date. You can get it used for about $9 US dollars shipped on Amazon.

The name of the book? I know it is "Extreme NXT", but you should specify.

Yes, Extreme NXT is the book that has prompted these questions.

Have you considered something like the HiTechnic Prototyping Board, which can be bought in combination with a bunch of components and a breadboard. There is also the Mindsensors PCF8574 and the Mindsensors PCF8591 boards.

Regards,
Xander

I have, and I am planning on working on breadboard projects after getting some experience with passive and resistive sensors.