Actions
Forum Thread Details
  • Replies 17 replies
  • Subscribers 561 subscribers
  • Views 711 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Related

Question of the Month: How do you Organise Your Components? (or don't you?)

cstanton

You're working on a project, maybe at work? Maybe at home. You have your workbench and that might be tidy (we asked about that before... and I'm sure we will again).

But I have all of these resistors! What do I do..

Parents

  • I take a hybrid approach to storage. Which means it's organized chaos.

    For projects I'm currently working on, the workbench is the best place to store the bits and bobs. Usually, in their original bags until the first item gets built, then it can be "piled" up in loose groups.

    But for surplus components, it's a literal junk box (one of those plastic tubs without a divider) where the remainder of the components inside labelled bags (sometimes not) are just carelessly tossed in. Inventory management? Never heard of it. I just go "uh, I thought I had one" and will rifle through the box in its entirety to see if I can find it. This definitely goes for my SMD components ...

    But for through-hole components, organisation is the norm. I 3D printed some interlocking drawers to sort my E24 resistors. I use stackable divided plastic trays to store larger components like electrolytic capacitors, connectors or bulk items (thousands of a given value). I don't know why, but my through-hole life is very much more organised and labelled.

    Despite the mixed mess ... I'm still doing okay - I still know that I have just one BSS138 transistor in my junk box and I should probably order some more ...

    As for reels ... thankfully, I don't order that many components for hand-soldering ...

    - Gough

Reply

  • I take a hybrid approach to storage. Which means it's organized chaos.

    For projects I'm currently working on, the workbench is the best place to store the bits and bobs. Usually, in their original bags until the first item gets built, then it can be "piled" up in loose groups.

    But for surplus components, it's a literal junk box (one of those plastic tubs without a divider) where the remainder of the components inside labelled bags (sometimes not) are just carelessly tossed in. Inventory management? Never heard of it. I just go "uh, I thought I had one" and will rifle through the box in its entirety to see if I can find it. This definitely goes for my SMD components ...

    But for through-hole components, organisation is the norm. I 3D printed some interlocking drawers to sort my E24 resistors. I use stackable divided plastic trays to store larger components like electrolytic capacitors, connectors or bulk items (thousands of a given value). I don't know why, but my through-hole life is very much more organised and labelled.

    Despite the mixed mess ... I'm still doing okay - I still know that I have just one BSS138 transistor in my junk box and I should probably order some more ...

    As for reels ... thankfully, I don't order that many components for hand-soldering ...

    - Gough

Children
No Data