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What would your ultimate hobbyist electronics work space look like?

Instructorman

For many years (24 to be exact) my home electronics test bench has been set up in our study, sharing space with our home office computer desk and my son's computer desk.  As the photo below illustrates, I have plum run out of space.  There is not enough open space on my desk to set up anything bigger than a small dev kit.  Components and test equipment and projects underway, but not finished, are accumulating under, beside and behind the desk.  The space is so cluttered that I have to carefully untangle test leads and scope probes every time I go to make a measurement.  The clutter is also dangerous.  My hot air soldering station is covered with parts and sits very close to my computer speakers and a stack of test equipment.  Test leads have been singed accidentally as they get draped over idling soldering irons or hot air tools.  It is time for a fresh start in a new space.

image

 

We are renovating our basement this fall and I have secured a good sized space for a new general purpose work room, including a generous allocation for an electronics development area. The space is going to be 11' 6" by 15' (about 3.5 m by 4.6 m).  I have been looking at a variety of professional workbenches, like this bench from IAC available from Newark. There are a lot of experienced hobbyists and professionals in the Element14 community with uncounted years of experience working in electronics.  As I am in the process of thinking about how to set up my new space, I thought it would be great to invite suggestions and advice from the collective wisdom of Element14 members on what might be nice to put into a brand new, purpose built electronics work space.

 

My 36 years of professional and hobbyist experience in electronics provides me with a vision of what I'd like in my new workspace, but that doesn't mean I can't learn from the experience and vision of others.  So, I invite your thoughts, suggestions and wisdom.  What sort of bench arrangement would you recommend?  How would you organize the test equipment?  What about lighting?  Parts storage?  I can't commit to following though on any ideas, but it will be great to read what others think a great workspace could look like.

  • in reply to Robert Peter Oakes

    Hi Peter, First of all I probably I do a very small fraction of the projects that you do and with a lot less sophistication. When I do a project, I do it on a piece of cardboard that I can pickup and set aside on a shelf or move to another table so that I have a clean area and a new board where I can begin my next project. This way I can work on multiple projects without one overlapping the other. Not that any of my projects are very impressive. I am in the learning mode and mostly I set up small test circuits to verify I understand a chip or a circuit. After the test is complete I make my notes and tear the circuit down and put things away.

    John

  • in reply to jw0752

    John,

     

    Before you spend your money (or Santa's) on a Tek scope take a look at what Rigol and Agilent (now Keystone) offer in the same price range. I know a lot of people rate the Rigol scopes well against the low end Tek ones. I've always liked Agilent scopes (at least until I started on the LeCroy ones but they are definitely not in the budget category.

     

    MK

  • in reply to Robert Peter Oakes

    Peter,

    No need to be embarrassed. Most of us live in a state of seemingly unorganized bliss. The beauty of this chaos, is you are able to function and be creative dispite the environment. For that sir, I commend you.

     

    -Steve

  • I'd be happy to get down to one "working" desktop.  Currently I have 4 rooms full of projects (and the garage)......So many pixels......so little time......

    Here's a view from IPCam2:

    image

    Scott

  • in reply to mcb1

    mcb1 wrote:

     

    Brave man Peter ...well done.

     

    I read somewhere that a clean workbench/desk showed an empty mind ...

    Not sure how true or false it was, or who said it, but it suited my messiness so I remembered it.

     

    Mark

    Well, if that's the case, mine is overflowing.

    image

     

    -Steve

  • in reply to dragonstyne

    Hi Steve,

    I concur, but then anyone like me who is willing to challenge the established physics community just might be crazy.

    I just tell people that the difference between genius and insanity is just social consensus.image

     

    DAB

  • Good post!!

    It's definitely interesting, seeing space saving solutions. My favourite is an Ikea one that John A mentioned a while back, and a colleague axel_di has in his home - based on metal shelving for storing stuff (it looks less industrial, so ideal for home). But Ikea don't sell it any more : (

    I use lots of card storage boxes (like box files) all labelled, and antistatic bags, much like you, Mark. And a spreadsheet that doesn't contain everything, but helps. For small components I have one antistatic drawer unit (from Treston), and for passive components a couple of usual plastic drawer units. Any project I'm working on typically lives in it's own box file for a while, so I don't lose any bits.

    My environment is split between a spare room, a garage and the office. All hand-tools I commonly use are in an "organiser" type box from a DIY store, so I can transport them easily. I did have a briefcase-style tool case, but it was a lot of effort to keep everything in it's place. Now I place them all of them in the same box.

  • image

    here my "lab" in its current state it is actually clean as i had to find some important documents recently. normally the only area somewhat clean is around the mouse. I use tackle boxes and the shoe box type of containers for most of the bits floating around. the hard part of having a tiny space if finding places for the finished projects or less frequently used equipment. most of it is stored in a closet in a different are of the house. It has put the space for a lab on the top of the house buying list.

  • in reply to michaelkellett

    Hi Michael, I have made a note to look into the Rigol and Agilent( Keystone) Scopes. I appreciate your insights. I said I was going to ask Santa for the scope but the truth is I have to get the ok from "Mrs. Santa".

    John