Reference
Repair bench kits by project: what you need first
Pick a project to see the tools you need first, the upgrades that can wait, and the safety steps that matter for that job.
- Mechanical keyboard switches
- FPV drone builds and repairs
- Retro console recap
- Phone microsoldering
- Laptop board repair
- USB-C port repair
- HDMI port repair
- Through-hole restoration
- SMD prototyping
- Arduino and starter kits
Choose your project to see the key facts and what fits. Each fact links to its source on the full page.
All project benches
- Mechanical keyboard switches What you need to solder or desolder mechanical keyboard switches: iron, tip, solder, desoldering tools and fume control, with picks for a 120 V bench.
- FPV drone builds and repairs Tools for soldering FPV drones: a station with power for battery leads, a portable USB-C iron for the field, the right tips, and lithium battery safety.
- Retro console recap Tools for recapping retro consoles and handhelds: an iron with a chisel tip, desoldering pump and wick, flux, a multimeter, and lead-safe habits.
- Phone microsoldering What a phone board repair bench needs: a C210 precision iron, hot air, a microscope, a multimeter and bench supply, plus the battery step to take first.
- Laptop board repair A staged bench for laptop motherboard repair: C245 and C210 irons, hot air, a multimeter and bench supply first, then magnification and an oscilloscope.
- USB-C port repair Tools for replacing a USB-C charging port: hot air, a C210 precision iron, flux and wick, magnification, and the battery step to take before you begin.
- HDMI port repair Tools for replacing an HDMI port on a console or laptop board: 120 V hot air, a C245 iron for the ground tabs, flux, wick, magnification and ESD control.
- Through-hole restoration Tools for restoring older through-hole electronics: a strong iron with a chisel tip, a desoldering pump, wick, flux, a multimeter, and when to stop for mains.
- SMD prototyping Tools for hand-assembling surface-mount prototypes: a C210 precision iron, fine tips, flux and thin solder, tweezers, and when hot air and a microscope pay off.
- Arduino and starter kits A first soldering bench for Arduino shields, header pins and electronics kits: a temperature-controlled iron, chisel tip, solder, cutters and lead-safe habits.