Well, it's good that you have access to such tools. That will save a lot of time and expense. You won't need them all the time, but there are times when a meter, a 'scope, and a counter are indispensable. Usually, the debugger will help find the problem, but sometimes it really is the hardware.

What you'd probably want is a 3-rail power supply, with both voltage and current limits. As I said, there are pretty straightforward ways of building your own, to the end that, once completed, you'll know how it works and what to do when if and it doesn't. The power supply, after all, is the most essential part of your tool set. As I said, too, a multifunction counter is something that you can also build for yourself, particularly as you gain knowledge of programmable logic, as one of these can be built on a medium-sized CPLD which will then provide direct drive the LED or LCD display.

All in good time ... you don't want to rush things and skip steps along the way.

RE