Star Tech Journal

Issue: 1996-April - Vol 18 Issue 2

STAR*TECH
Journal
April 1996
CD
Enzo's
Tech
Tips
"Hey Enzo, I can't find the self-test button on this Captain Fantastic!"
Douglas 'Enzo' Mccallum • Shiawassee Technical Services • Lansing, Ml
THE TOOLBOX
(PART
2)
When I'm off to Seattle or Boston to rep a product, the last thing I want is to find out I don't
have all the tools I need for the Job at hand. Tools are Just as important on a local service
call. I think an organized toolbox and the proper selection of tools is the key to good service.
Dikes/Crimpers - Use your big
dikes for the hard stuff. Flush
cutters with nicks and divots in
the cutting edges are not much
use. Crimpers are like pliers and
they often have useful extra fea-
tures like screw cutters (threaded
to protect the threads on the cut
screw) and wire strippers in-
cluded. I carry a crimper for fork
lugs and push on connectors (for
connections to joysticks and but-
tons). I also carry a different
crimper for ...
Molex pins and similar. This I use
in wiring monitor connections,
ticket dispensers, game harness
connectors and anywhere Molex
and AMP connectors are found.
Nothing can take the place of
coax and telephone RJ crimpers,
but they have limited usefulness
in our field repairs.
Drill motor and bits - I got along
without it for a long time, but I
sure don't know how. A small kit
of drill bits up to 1/4" covers most
needs, but I also carry a 5/16 and
a 3/8. A battery operated drill
motor will fit in larger kits. The 6
or 7 volt models are sufficient for
most field service. The big 9 or
12 volt models are great for con-
struction and building projects,
what I use it for is a screwdriver.
I keep a =#=2 Phillips bit chucked
in my drill for assembly and dis-
assembly work. Xcelite makes a
99 blade socket on a short shaft
for chucking into a drill motor.
This lets you use any of the 99
series blades as a power driver.
Files - A number of files come in
"In a pinch, a
temporary tip for
the Weller and
similar guns can be
made from a
piece of 12 gauge
house wiring bent
to shape."
handy. Carry a small and a large
rat tail file for dressing out or
enlarging holes. A 6 to 10" mill
file is useful for small work like
dressing solenoid plungers that
develop a lip. I like to carry a
great big heavy file, half round,
for working on panels and other
woodwork where I need a rasp.
It is also great for dressing a ball
shooter plunger that mush-
roomed when the shooter tip tore
away.
but they are overkill for our work,
not to mention heavy and they
take up a lot of space. Mostly
Wire stripper- There are any num-
ber of stripper designs out there.
Any one is good if YOU can
make it strip the insulation off of
STAR*TEcH
CD
April 1996
a wire without nicking the conductor or cutting
through some of the stranding. A lot of us old tim-
ers grew up using the dikes as a stripper and we
got pretty good at it, but a real stripper is so much
more reliable. I really like my Paladin stripper, but
many of you may not care to shell out over $60
for a stripper. They work very well, but if you can't
justify the expense, use the ones that give you the
best results while keeping your budget intact.
Pin punches - How do you get those roll pins out of
flipper plunger and link assemblies? With a pin
punch. Punches come in sets or by the each. I keep
small punches, 1/16 to 1/8", on my pallet and one
or two bigger ones down in the bottom. Pin
punches are made to drive out roll pins, but they
are also useful as alignment tools. When you are
assembling something and you need to line up
some holes, just stick a punch through the holes to
line them up. Careful not to bend your smaller
punches. A center punch is useful to mark the start-
ing point for a hole to be drilled in metal. I like the
automatic kind. It is spring loaded so all you have
to do is position it and push down with your hand,
no hammer required.
Taps and dies - I like to carry both SAE and metric
in the small sizes (up to 1/4-20). I also carry a tap
to match the pinball leg bolt, but I don't need it
often. Sears sells small tap and die sets for reason-
able prices. Individual taps and dies can be had at
most any hardware store. I use these far more than
I thought I would. Something gets cross threaded
or threads get damaged somewhere, you can fix it.
Journal
HAPP CONTROLS
MANUFACTURER OF ELECTRONIC CONTROLS
momentary contact
pushbutton switches
• Standard and custom printing
• Numerous colors
• Protective front cover boots
• Durable Joysticks
designed to fit
any application
• Digital & Analog Output
SPECIALTY CONTR
• Trackballs,
Coin Doors,
Beacon Lights,
Steering Wheels, Power
Supplies, Pedals, Meters, Shifters
... continued on page 12
Last Issue:
We started this series with the selection of
a toolbox - types and construction materi-
als. Then continued with tool selection.
Tool types & descriptions: Screwdrivers,
nut drivers, socket wrenches, alien
wrenches, torx keys, flat wrenches, cres-
cent wrenches, pliers and flush cutters.
HAPP CONTROLS, inc.
(708) 593-6130
(800) 593-HAPP (4277)
(708) 593-6137
Phone:
Toll-Free Fax within USA:
Fax:
106 Garlisch Drive • Elk Grove, IL 60007
contact us via our e-mail address: info@happmis.com
QUALITY • SERVICE • VALUE • INNOVATION

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