Performing Hands-Free Probing and Soldering

Sept. 8, 2023
Sensepeek’s PCBite, replete with standoffs and flexible arms, makes many lab-bench chores easier.

Check out our Sensors Converge 2023 coverage.

What you’ll learn:

  • What is PCBite?
  • Why it’s so useful on the lab bench.

Ever need a third or fourth hand when working with electronics on your lab bench? I have. I’ve also used various clamps to help out. However, Sensepeek’s PCBite is significantly easier to use and more flexible. Sensepeek’s Head of Electronics, Magnus Birch, gives a hands-on demonstration of how easy it is to use (see the video above).

PCBite includes a metal plate, a set of standoffs and flexible arms. The standoffs and arms have magnets that hold them rigidly on the metal plate. Thus, they can hold probes, boards and wires in place, allowing your hands and eyes to do other things like work controls on an oscilloscope or to use a soldering iron (see figure).

The standoffs are designed to hold printed circuit boards (PCBs) and other flat components. The spring-loaded top is insulated. The arms can accommodate various tips to clamp or hold probes for test equipment such as oscilloscope probes.

The approach is simple, but implementation is effective. It’s also handy because half-a-dozen points can be clamped or positioned. It works with smaller boards that are often utilized these days, and the arms are long enough to probe into many devices.

Check more videos and articles from our Sensors Converge 2023 coverage.

 Links

About the Author

William G. Wong | Senior Content Director - Electronic Design and Microwaves & RF

I am Editor of Electronic Design focusing on embedded, software, and systems. As Senior Content Director, I also manage Microwaves & RF and I work with a great team of editors to provide engineers, programmers, developers and technical managers with interesting and useful articles and videos on a regular basis. Check out our free newsletters to see the latest content.

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I earned a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Masters in Computer Science from Rutgers University. I still do a bit of programming using everything from C and C++ to Rust and Ada/SPARK. I do a bit of PHP programming for Drupal websites. I have posted a few Drupal modules.  

I still get a hand on software and electronic hardware. Some of this can be found on our Kit Close-Up video series. You can also see me on many of our TechXchange Talk videos. I am interested in a range of projects from robotics to artificial intelligence. 

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