What would your ultimate hobbyist electronics work space look like?

Hi Mark,  This is a great opportunity for us to get some ideas from each other. Over the years I have made many different shop setups depending on the purpose and needs. My present shop is designed for the purpose of learning and experimentation with electronics. The over all dimensions are 11 by 11 feet. It is focused on my swivel work chair where I can easily move from the computer terminal to the test area. All my primary parts, tools, reference books, and test equipment are within reach.

I keep my small prototyping parts in fishing tackle boxes by Plano. I prefer the 3700 4-24. The bins are labeled with letters and all the parts are listed in an Xcel file so I can search for a part number or description and find out which bin holds that part.

As you can see from my pictures most of my equipment is old but it still serves my purpose and I have learned that new equipment doesn't usually make me any more productive or smarter. As you mentioned Test Leads are always a problem and add to the bench clutter. To help with this I have made a double T rack that hangs from my ceiling. I use the cross bars to store the test leads of my meters as well as jumper clips and power wires for the power supplies when not in use. In the back ground you can see the larger Dollar Store plastic containers where I keep larger parts and less commonly used items. I have to get out of my chair to get at these but you can't have everything. In the lower left corner you can see a small line meter that monitors my isolated power system. I took an old PowerVac 600 line conditioner and made it a true isolation system so that I could mess with the higher voltages when needed with out giving myself shock therapy. I like to monitor the line as 6 amps is more or less the max for the isolation system.

My work benches are just folding tables that I have put into an "L" shape. The main work, soldering, and prototyping area is fairly fixed but the other areas are flexible. Currently I have the laptop, on which I write code form the Arduinos, on the bench area but this quickly transforms into a larger work or repair area. I also have a handy old typewriter table on wheels that can be moved into different positions as needed. When not needed it sits under the bench, out of the way.

My commonly used tools are in a cheap cabinet with shelves. This is also within easy reach from my chair as I work on projects. I have replaced some of the upper shelves with glass to allow for better visibility of the tools. I have taken pictures of the arranged cabinet so that I can put things back in their proper places. There is nothing I like less than searching for something that I have misplaced. Some of the tools are not used often and I forget where they were placed. When not in use the tool cabinet closes for a slightly more cosmetic appearance.

As everyone on this forum knows, our shops are an extension of ourselves. Thank you for sharing the picture of your shop. You are going to have a lot of fun putting it into the larger space that you described. My shop is always a work in progress. I am not sure which I enjoy more improving the shop or learning and building electronics projects.

Good luck with your new shop.   John

My arrangements are for work rather than hobby but might still be relevant. I don't work at home but from a 1000 square foot factory unit which I rent. About 25% is devoted to the lab area, the rest being storage, machine shop, office etc.

The pictures show how it is - no tidying for the camera ().

General work area, there is another computer to the left which you can't see. The screen that you can see on the left is usually used with the LeCroy scope sitting beside it.

The benches are Ikea office furniture which I got second hand from the company I left about 12 years ago (about 5 years old then) . It's quite good stuff and survived one move with them and two with me.

The rack units behind the bench are Ikea  wooden things- pretty cheap and flexible. It's a good arrangement to have all the test gear behind and mainly above the bench but occasionally a bit of a stretch and tricky to do fine twiddling with your arm fully extended - (of course you can always stand up !).

Testing area, with temperature cycler and the new Keithly Dual SMU. The fridge behind the cycler has been modified to be computer controlled and can cycle quite large objects between about -5C and +40C.

I keep small tools in the little wooden drawer units.

MK

Nice areas guys.

When I worked at NZ Post Office, one of the best things we had was a raised (approx 7") shelf that fitted between two benches.

It had a top and bottom, and formed a 'box' that was screwed to the upstand on the rear of the bench.

Each side had half open, so the other 'debris' that accumulated wasn't on the work surface.

This got the test gear up off the work surface, and away from the things that were hot, live or otherwise not kind to test equipment.

My parts are in plastic ziplock bags (the banks hand them out to put coins in) and stand in cardboard parts storage boxes.

http://www.pnp.co.nz/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=2_37

Works well and is cheap.

I like that MK has a decent sounds while he's working ...

Mark

Actually the amplifier, tuner and turntable you can see in the first picture can't make any sound at the moment and are waiting for me to fix them. They have some sentimental value, the amp is a Lustraphone LP100 and the tuner a Lustraphone LP101 both made approx 1974. My father was part owner of Lustraphone and I worked on these things when I was about 20. The turntable is a Transcriptors Hydraulic Reference made by Michell Engineering at the same time.

The stuff that makes noises currently is in this picture - the rack arrangement is another not quite finished home project - bought the rack itself from ITV Manchester when it closed for £10.

MK

Nice

The sentimental value alone is worth restoring it to working.

mark

John,

Thanks for the detailed and well illustrated response.  If I can achieve the impressive level of organization you have in your space I will be very happy.  I agree that hunting for a misplaced tool is frustrating and good organization and some housekeeping discipline can eliminate that frustration.

You mentioned that you use older test equipment.  Is that a Heathkit IG-18 sine/square generator I see on one of your shelves?  That was the first piece of test equipment I built back in 1974. Worked great for many years.  I assume your still works?

Mark

Michael Kellett wrote:

 

 

It's a good arrangement to have all the test gear behind and mainly above the bench but occasionally a bit of a stretch and tricky to do fine twiddling with your arm fully extended - (of course you can always stand up !).

 

I agree that test gear is best situated behind and above the work surface, but I'd like to mitigate the problems of having to reach too high (blood drains out of your arm) and having to see tiny fonts on knobs and displays (older eyes are a real nusiance).

The IKEA benches and shelves look like a good choice.  I have IKEA furniture that is over 30 years old and still in great condition.

It is interesting to see the proliferation of flat screen monitors in electronics workspaces.  I anticipate I will have at least two widescreen monitors in my new space displaying test equipment outputs (as in your LeCroy example), or running IDE software.

Mark A

Wow, talk about good timing

I have also outgrown my dismally small space and am planning on taking over half the basement, I will post my current space, it is messier and tighter than anything posted so far and will blog on my LAB build as it goes, I am unfortunate I don't have too much test equipment yet to move around but as you will see it is still very cramped

I am planning a corner bench 36" high, 36" deep and 8 feet long so it can handle equipment and projects, with a top shelf about 24" deep set back for other test equipment, my server rack needs to move too. anyway, ill post pics etc as I go

sounds like a good group project for those in the need

Perhaps our generous hosts at Element14/Newark could arrange a Road Test of some professional grade work benches and parts storage solutions.  Seems there are several members who are in a perfect position to test out this kind of gear in the near future.

Hi Mark,

Yes that is an IG-18 and your dating is also about right. It is working well but has been repaired a couple of times. I do hope to upgrade my test equipment as my abilities and needs grow but for now I have been able to learn what I need to learn with the old stuff. I have been watching the reviews and tutorials that have been on the forum about the new Tektronixs scopes and may ask Santa for one.

      One additional point about bench placement is I have learned that it is always good to provide access to both sides. Even the bench with the test intruments at the back is easier to make hookups and modify setups if the back isn't against a wall. The other workbench makes it easiy to get at all sides of a project without trying to rotate it on the bench.

John