Introducing SteadyHandTool, a stabilizing pick-and-place arm for holding down tiny parts, like SMD components. It can help level the playing field, upgrading your ability to prototype and assemble PCBs.

Available as a DIY kit, SteadyHandTool is, at its core, the simplest tool for manual SMD assembly. It requires no power, is smooth and silent to operate, and offers you a platform to build a tool that fits your unique physical abilities. For anyone who could use a helping hand, SteadyHandTool is a must-have addition to your workbench.

Reclaim Your Workbench

We designed SteadyHandTool to be a perfect companion for makers and professionals who prototype their own PCBs, but who might suffer from physical limitations, due to their age or health, like hand tremors caused by Parkinson’s disease.

My own experience with Parkinson’s disease inspired me to create SteadyHandTool. As my tremors steadily progressed over a decade, I found myself unable to solder like I once could. Existing tools for placing SMD components didn’t quite fit my needs, as they were expensive and complicated. As you can see in the demo video above, SteadyHandTool lets me assemble PCBs with small components—I hope that it can empower others to engineer and prototype without limits.

As a part of this campaign, 10% of the net profit from selling SteadyHandTool will go directly to support Team Fox, the grassroots fundraising program of The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.

Features & Specifications

• Vertical and horizontal reach up to 250 mm (9.8 in)
• Modular design with magnetic tool coupler
• 4 degrees of freedom to help keep your hand on track to place components
• 14 high quality metal bearings make the movement effortless
• Includes one pair of reverse tweezers for 805-size SMD components
• Sturdy 680 g (1.5 lb) base anchors the arm and holds four of your most used attachments
• Compact footprint takes up little space on your workbench

Open Source

We’ve opened up some of the SteadyHandTool 3D models already, including the interchangeable magnetic tool sub-system. The entire device will be made open source when the project is fully funded, and we’ll make everything available for you to do with as you will, on our Github page. We hope that people will customize and make their own attachments to better suit their personal needs.

Interested in This Project?

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