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I need a 3rd Arm and Hand

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tub...@myshop.com

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Feb 11, 2019, 1:33:04 AM2/11/19
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Working on electronics, as well as cars, homes, and a lot of other
things have made me want to get a 3rd arm installed on my body. For
example, I am soldering something, and need one hand to hold the item, a
second hand for the soldering iron, and a third hand to hold the solder.
Hmmmmmm, this is a problem!!!!

I asked my doctor to install a 3rd hand, but he said it was not
practical. I asked him what amount of money would get him to do it, and
he said he would tackle it for one billion dollars, but could not
guarantee it would work. Well, I dont have quite that much money in my
bank account. I am probably short a mere 999.99 million. I also want a
guarantee that it will work. :)

Seriously, I have seen several online videos of people repairing
electronics, and noticed a few of them have some sort of gadget that has
a benchtop stand (base) with one or more alligator clips on movable
metal arms attached to that base. Those look real handy, but what are
they called? I wanted to take a peek on Ebay for such a thing, but
without knowing the word to search for, I am clueless what to search.

Does anyone know what to call these devices?

Yea, I could possible make something similar, but more often than not it
costs more for parts to make something, than to buy one ready made.

Fox's Mercantile

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Feb 11, 2019, 1:53:20 AM2/11/19
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On 2/11/19 12:33 AM, tub...@myshop.com wrote:
> Those look real handy, but what are
> they called? I wanted to take a peek on Ebay for such a thing, but
> without knowing the word to search for, I am clueless what to search.

<https://www.harborfreight.com/helping-hands-60501.html>



--
"I am a river to my people."
Jeff-1.0
WA6FWi
http:foxsmercantile.com

John Robertson

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Feb 11, 2019, 1:56:06 AM2/11/19
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Fox's Mercantile

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Feb 11, 2019, 2:08:46 AM2/11/19
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On 2/11/19 12:55 AM, John Robertson wrote:
> Do you have trouble using google?

He has trouble with a lot of things.

peterw...@gmail.com

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Feb 11, 2019, 7:14:46 AM2/11/19
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https://www.amazon.com/QuadHands-Deluxe-WorkBench-Helping-System/dp/B01MZG2D99/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1549887117&sr=8-6&keywords=THird+hand

I have a slightly earlier version of this beast. Those little goose necks are STRONG. Also come with a variety of ends, if asked. The magnetic base allows specific placement as needed. One will hold a typical small circuit board. Two will hold it against considerable pressure.

Made in USA.

Not from Harbor Freight.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

Phil Hobbs

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Feb 11, 2019, 10:37:41 AM2/11/19
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Get a Panavise. Best hundred bucks you'll ever spend.

https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/panavise/350/350PV-ND

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

--
Dr Philip C D Hobbs
Principal Consultant
ElectroOptical Innovations LLC / Hobbs ElectroOptics
Optics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Analog Electronics
Briarcliff Manor NY 10510

http://electrooptical.net
http://hobbs-eo.com

peterw...@gmail.com

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Feb 11, 2019, 10:56:23 AM2/11/19
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Jeff Liebermann

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Feb 11, 2019, 12:15:11 PM2/11/19
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Too crude. Instead, I suggest a robot arm:
<https://www.google.com/search?q=robot+arm&tbm=isch>
Some look affordable:
<https://www.robotshop.com/en/arduino-braccio-robotic-arm.htm>


--
Jeff Liebermann je...@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

Allodoxaphobia

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Feb 11, 2019, 2:04:29 PM2/11/19
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On Mon, 11 Feb 2019 00:33:00 -0600, tub...@myshop.com wrote:
> Working on electronics, as well as cars, homes, and a lot of other
> things have made me want to get a 3rd arm installed on my body. For
> example, I am soldering something, and need one hand to hold the item, a
> second hand for the soldering iron, and a third hand to hold the solder.
> Hmmmmmm, this is a problem!!!!

heh... Over the many, Many, MANY years I've futzed around in/with
electronics, I've learn to hold solder in my mouth and carefully
feed it into the joint. Only exhale during the process -- no
inhale. No blood test has ever shown a bad outcome. :-)

Jonesy
--
Marvin L Jones | Marvin | W3DHJ.net | linux
38.238N 104.547W | @ jonz.net | Jonesy | FreeBSD
* Killfiling google & XXXXbanter.com: jonz.net/ng.htm

John Robertson

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Feb 11, 2019, 2:19:56 PM2/11/19
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On 2019/02/11 9:15 a.m., Jeff Liebermann wrote:
> On Mon, 11 Feb 2019 07:56:20 -0800 (PST), "pf...@aol.com"
> <peterw...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> On Monday, February 11, 2019 at 10:37:41 AM UTC-5, Phil Hobbs wrote:
>>> Get a Panavise. Best hundred bucks you'll ever spend.
>>> https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/panavise/350/350PV-ND
>>> Cheers
>>> Phil Hobbs
>
>> And, Quad-Hands!
>> https://www.quadhands.com/products/quadhands-flex
>> Peter Wieck
>> Melrose Park, PA
>
> Too crude. Instead, I suggest a robot arm:
> <https://www.google.com/search?q=robot+arm&tbm=isch>
> Some look affordable:
> <https://www.robotshop.com/en/arduino-braccio-robotic-arm.htm>
>
>

Hmm, voice control would be a fun option... "Siri, pass me the soldering
iron please?"

Your link didn't work for me so I tried this:

https://www.robotshop.com/en/catalogsearch/result/?q=arduino+braccio+robotic+arm&order=relevance&dir=desc

John :-#)#

--
(Please post followups or tech inquiries to the USENET newsgroup)
John's Jukes Ltd.
MOVED to #7 - 3979 Marine Way, Burnaby, BC, Canada V5J 5E3
(604)872-5757 (Pinballs, Jukes, Video Games)
www.flippers.com
"Old pinballers never die, they just flip out."

jf...@my-deja.com

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Feb 11, 2019, 2:41:20 PM2/11/19
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If you want a premium-priced version

https://www.elektor.com/hobby-creek-third-hand-v2

Fox's Mercantile

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Feb 11, 2019, 2:53:49 PM2/11/19
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On 2/11/19 1:40 PM, jf...@my-deja.com wrote:
> If you want a premium-priced version
>
> https://www.elektor.com/hobby-creek-third-hand-v2
>

$70 for some alligator clips. Sheesh.

I just flip the PC board face down, hold it with my left
middle finger, and use my thumb and index finger to feed
the solder.

The only time I really HAVE to hold something is soldering
wires to connectors, and THAT is where having a PanaVise
comes in handy.

I have one of those alligator clip things. They are next
to useless for holding anything properly and stable.
Its like chasing a blob of mercury around.

Mike Coon

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Feb 11, 2019, 2:55:24 PM2/11/19
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In article <rqSdnUF4HLBJV_zB...@giganews.com>,
sp...@flippers.com says...
>
> Hmm, voice control would be a fun option... "Siri, pass me the
> soldering iron please?"
>

"No, the other end..."

Mike.

John Robertson

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Feb 11, 2019, 4:26:27 PM2/11/19
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It would depend if you are being polite or not...if you don't say
'please' you get the warm pointy end.

John :-#)#

Jeff Liebermann

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Feb 11, 2019, 8:58:03 PM2/11/19
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On Mon, 11 Feb 2019 11:19:47 -0800, John Robertson <sp...@flippers.com>
wrote:

>Hmm, voice control would be a fun option... "Siri, pass me the soldering
>iron please?"

An acquaintance has Parkinson's. His hands shake rather badly.
Someone built him a pair of robot arms for manipulating things. The
input devices are two large joysticks and some big buttons. The
computer is programmed to ignore high frequency shaking and sudden
moves, and only respond to low frequency, slow movements, which
removes most of the shaking. I found it rather tricky to use, but
suspect that I could learn with a little practice.

I think you'll find that the joystick or virtual reality glove are
better ways to do this. As I recall, it's called a "Waldo".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remote_manipulator>
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldo_(short_story)>
The modern Waldo is the Da Vinci robotic surgery machine:
<https://www.google.com/search?q=da+Vinci+Surgical+System&tbm=isch>
Oops and thanks. The link worked on my home machine but now that I'm
in my palatial office, it doesn't. Magic, I guess.
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