Lab Equipment Guide
A practical reference for the hardware and tools shared in the lab β what each thing is, when to reach for it, and how to use it safely and correctly.
The guide is split into two families:
| Family | What's inside |
|---|---|
| Devices | Things that run your code β microcontrollers (MCU) and single-board computers (SBC / SoC). |
| Tools | Things you use on devices β power & hand tools, measurement instruments, and programmers/debuggers. |
Quick "which do I need?"β
- Read a sensor, blink an LED, drive a motor, hard real-time timing β a microcontroller.
- Run Linux, a camera + vision model, a web service, or ROS 2 β a single-board computer.
- Flash / debug firmware β a programmer / debugger (ST-Link, J-Link, USB-UART).
- "Is this pin actually 3.3 V?" / "why is this signal wrong?" β a measurement instrument (multimeter, oscilloscope, logic analyzer).
Usage policyβ
Shared-resource etiquette
- Book shared/expensive equipment before use, and log issues and consumable usage.
- Return tools to their place; leave the bench cleaner than you found it.
- Don't remove hardware from the lab without approval.
Safety first
Before touching power, soldering, or any moving hardware, read Lab Rules & Safety. Power down before wiring, check polarity and voltage before applying power, and treat LiPo/Li-ion batteries with care.
Adding a device? Follow the page pattern: What it is β When to use it β Specs β Setup β Common mistakes, and keep facts accurate over impressive.