Wiki

Here is a fairly comprehensive list of the tools and consumables you might need to run a repair event, whether brought by your repairers or as part of a tool set you can gradually build up.

Essential: no more than £75 (excluding computer)

• A laptop, netbook or tablet plus 3G dongle (for when no Wifi is available)
• Spudgers or guitar plectrums or old credit/debit/hotel cards
• Screwdriver set for electronics
• Conventional sized cross-head and flat screwdrivers
• Compressed air
• Isopropyl Alcohol
• Rags or paper towels for cleaning
• Electrical insulation tape
• Super glue
• Masking tape for taping extension leads to the floor
• Extension leads and multiplugs
• A residual-current device (RCD)
• Multimeter
• Soldering kit (ask a Restarter to bring this)
• Bootable and installable OSs on USB and CD (ask a Restarter to bring this)*
• Egg cartons or pill boxes for storing screws
• Tweezers
• Pliers
• Knife, razor or cutting tool
• Magnifying glass
• First aid kit

Troubleshooting and opening

• A laptop, netbook or tablet plus 3G dongle (for when no Wifi is available)
• Headlamps, handheld torches or strobes
• Magnifying glasses
• Spudgers
• Guitar plectrums or old credit/debit/hotel cards (cut up in strips and plectrum shapes)
• Wire cutters and Wire Strippers
• Heatgun

Screwdrivers

• Set for electronics – the iFixit set is best, but others will work
• Robust cross-head and flat screwdrivers
• A "security" set with all shapes like torx etc.
• Screwdriver Extenders

Stuff in cans

• Compressed air
• Isopropyl Alcohol
• WD-40

Soldering

• Soldering Iron
• Solder
• Solder sucker
• Solder wick braid
• Flux

Adhesives and hacking materials

• Insulation tape
• Sugru and/or bluetac
• Super glue
• Gluegun
• For a complete list, see Sticky Stuff

Safety

• Tape for taping extension leads to the floor
• A residual-current device (RCD) for mains devices
• Gloves
• PAT tester and stickers for PAT tested devices
• Anti-static wrist band
• Mask with vents for vacuum cleaner repair
• First aid kit

Software

• Bootable and Installable OSs on DVD or USB (e.g. Linux Mint,Puppy Linux, OS X, Windows 7)
• Bootable utilities on CD or USB (e.g. *PartedMagic*, SystemRescueCD, Clonezilla etc.)
• Bootable antivirus, recently updated (Kasperky Rescue, Sophos Bootable Antivirus)
• Install files for Windows maintenance and diagnostic utilities (Ccleaner, Speedfan)

(For a more complete list to aid in the assembly of a customised tool set, see CD/USB bootable tools.)

Power-related

• Spare Fuses
• Variable Power supply (or Universal laptop power supply with ends)
• Multimeter (ideally with audible continuity tester)
• Extension leads and multiplugs (ideally with power indication light)

Data preservation

• Hard drive dock(s) to get data off failing machines
• Thumb drive for carrying data

Miscellaneous

• Egg cartons, pill boxes or magnetic mats for storing screws
• Pokey things for poking (e.g. Thin wire, such as an unfolded paper clip, to eject SIMs)
• Tweezers
• Pliers
• Knife, razor or other cutting tool
• Cleaning CD
• Rags or paper towels for cleaning