The Tao of tools

Good tools become part of you: Send us your favorites

Tools are a funny thing. If you hold on to them long enough they become more than just tools, they become a part of you. Then, if you’re lucky, they also become a part of those who come after you.

This all popped into my head when I was working on last-minute preparations for a comparative teardown I was giving at the ARM Developers conference in November with my then-colleague Brian Fuller at EETimes. We got to talking about my set of little Stanley philips and flathead screwdrivers that I have managed to somehow hold onto since I bought them for a project in college. Now, that was over 20 years ago plus a continent away. I love those screwdrivers. They’ve saved my bacon hundreds of times.

That said, there’s another tool that I’m particularly fond of. It’s an old screwdriver that my father used to bring home the bacon. He was a carpenter and craftsman who specialized in fine finish work in a time of few electric tools. No such thing as screw guns back then, so he raised 11 kids literally off the sweat of his brow — and his hands. I managed to get in a couple of summers working with him before he died when I was 13. Alas, taking care of his health wasn’t his biggest priority.

Being a craftsman, he used to always tell us, “If something’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right.” At the time, and for a long time after he passed, I took that to mean that everything I did had to be “perfect.” It took many years for me to recognize the difference between “excellence” and “perfection.” So now I temper his philosophy with a modified version that goes something like: “If something’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right, within the confines of the job requirements and the time and resources available to you at any given moment.”

Later, after my mom died, I managed to salvage that screwdriver. It’s got a worn wooden handle so I still like to imagine there’s some part of him in there, laying untouched deep with its many cracks and crevices. Some dried sweat, maybe some blood from a cut, a strand of his DNA. I use it now for small projects about the house, but I get a special sense of continuity when my nine-year-old son uses it when he tries to “help” me. He’ll learn to use that screwdriver before I let him use the screwgun.

But there are other tools in various forms. Another that I’m particularly fond of is the first book I bought in college, called Electronic Principles, by Albert Paul Malvino. I still have it on my shelf. Besides providing a sound introduction to the theory behind electronic devices and circuits, the theory that underlies everything we talk about here at Electronic Products , it also reminds me of my favorite professor — Brian Guiney — who recommended I get it. I still see him stroking his beard as he imparted some deep insights into the wonders of circuit design.

So that book has as more to do with affection for a mentor, a lost art in these days of job insecurity and outsourcing, than it has to do with the simple acquisition of knowledge. I still refer to that tattered book now and again when I want to refresh my memory with learning experiences long forgotten.

Those were basic tools for any handyman or engineer, but the Internet has brought with it a whole new suite tools and capabilities that were at one time unimaginable. One of those stood the test of ‘Internet Time’ is our own ICMaster. First launched in print in 1974, it has evolved into an online resource (ICMaster.com) where engineers can quickly find and procure the parts they need from literally millions of available devices.

We’ve just relaunched ICMaster. Besides removing registration requirements for inventory searches and datasheets, we’ve also added parts comparison capability (you’ll have fun with that), as well as pricing with availability and lead times, cross referencing for second sourcing and status checks (active or obsolete).

While this tool is special to me because, well, we made it, it was actually made for you. We hope you like it and can find a spot for it your own work-a-day toolbox. Take a look, tell us what you think (and win an iPad for your trouble). Unlike tools of old, ICMaster.com can be modified quickly to suit your needs, so keep that feedback coming.

In the meantime, send me a photo and description of your favorite tool. I’ll post it on ElectronicProducts.com for the world to see. Also, I’ll put your name in a hat with all the others and send you out Robobuilder Creator Kit worth $800 (courtesy of Atmel). You (and your kids) will love it!

Patrick Mannion

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