Senior Editor
Eli Frost
Retired electrical engineer with 40 years in industrial electronics. Tests every soldering iron, oscilloscope, and Pi accessory on his cluttered home bench before signing off.
Eli — TinkerBench
We test gear and read specs so you can shortlist with confidence.
Coverage angle: retired electrical engineer, 40 years in industrial electronics, now full-time hobbyist with a bench full of projects he would not finish in two lifetimes.
Investigations
- Arduino vs Raspberry Pi: Choosing the Right Platform for Your Project
When to use Arduino, when to use Raspberry Pi, and when to use neither — a practical decision framework for maker projects.
- Getting Started with Soldering: Complete Beginner Workbench Setup
Everything you need for a first soldering workbench: iron, tip, flux, solder type, and fume extraction — prioritized by what matters most.
- Bench Power Supply Guide: From $30 to $300, What You Actually Need
Variable bench power supplies for hobbyists: voltage range, current limiting, display accuracy, and which features are actually useful.
