ULINE - Shipping Boxes, Shipping Supplies, Packaging Materials, Packing Supplies
Moving to new digs, nothing on the bench, two new benches still sitting on the shipping pallet.
One bench for building, one for testing, test gear will roll up to the bench on a cart.
Moving to new digs, nothing on the bench, two new benches still sitting on the shipping pallet.
One bench for building, one for testing, test gear will roll up to the bench on a cart.
Hi Pavel,
Too neat by far! 🙂
I have the same Dale dummy load resistors mounted on a heat sink just like yours. Amazing. My in use set are mounted on a chassis vertically for more efficient heat dissipation. Most important, they are off the bench.
-Chris
Too neat by far! 🙂
I have the same Dale dummy load resistors mounted on a heat sink just like yours. Amazing. My in use set are mounted on a chassis vertically for more efficient heat dissipation. Most important, they are off the bench.
-Chris
Hi DualTriode,
Nice benches. Much like the ones used in calibration labs. These should last you forever!
-Chris
Nice benches. Much like the ones used in calibration labs. These should last you forever!
-Chris
Hi Chris, you are right. This amp has fortunately low power, like <50W, but when I measure big amps with power > 200W, then heat becomes a problem after several minutes 🙂.
Hi Pavel,
In truth, I like a clean bench. I even have a vacuum cleaner now,so this holiday season I hope to clean the mess up and maybe even post images of how things are now.
I've seen more than one technician using their dummy loads as yours are right now as a normal procedure. You should think about putting the dummy loads in a box with connectors (I use Speak-on connectors to various ends). When the "load box" is complete it will have connectors for test gear. That will clean up a lot of wire and give me more stable connections. Less to clean up between jobs / projects.
What is interesting is the computer front and centre, showing that computer controlled instruments are becoming the norm. I'm struggling with monitor placement here. The wireless keyboard and mouse just pick up and go.
-Chris
In truth, I like a clean bench. I even have a vacuum cleaner now,so this holiday season I hope to clean the mess up and maybe even post images of how things are now.
I've seen more than one technician using their dummy loads as yours are right now as a normal procedure. You should think about putting the dummy loads in a box with connectors (I use Speak-on connectors to various ends). When the "load box" is complete it will have connectors for test gear. That will clean up a lot of wire and give me more stable connections. Less to clean up between jobs / projects.
What is interesting is the computer front and centre, showing that computer controlled instruments are becoming the norm. I'm struggling with monitor placement here. The wireless keyboard and mouse just pick up and go.
-Chris
My work bench is a heap of boxes, tools, junk etc.
My component racks are partly in order for resistors and capacitors but not fully.
However, I know exactly where each tool and component is from memory.
My component racks are partly in order for resistors and capacitors but not fully.
However, I know exactly where each tool and component is from memory.
Hi Nigel,
I used to work similarly, but the first thing that got sorted were the parts. Storage is expensive and time consuming for setting up, but it pays for itself many times over.
The bench is the most difficult to keep clean. However, two sets of drawers allows your tools to have a place (a smaller local mess). Again, a huge help in keeping the bench clean. I'm a lot happier with a clean bench and tools where I can find them.
Once you can maintain a clean bench you'll never go back to the mess system. BTW, I used to say the same thing you have. Cleaner is far better (he says from his messy bench!).
-Chris
I used to work similarly, but the first thing that got sorted were the parts. Storage is expensive and time consuming for setting up, but it pays for itself many times over.
The bench is the most difficult to keep clean. However, two sets of drawers allows your tools to have a place (a smaller local mess). Again, a huge help in keeping the bench clean. I'm a lot happier with a clean bench and tools where I can find them.
Once you can maintain a clean bench you'll never go back to the mess system. BTW, I used to say the same thing you have. Cleaner is far better (he says from his messy bench!).
-Chris
My bench is just a small desk so is self limiting, too much stuff just overflows on to the floor so then I have to tidy up a bit.
As I build up pcb's I just snip off excess wire from the components and it builds up on the bench. Last week I decided to remove the wires from the bench.
There must have been about a pound of wire on the bench !
As I build up pcb's I just snip off excess wire from the components and it builds up on the bench. Last week I decided to remove the wires from the bench.
There must have been about a pound of wire on the bench !
Hi Nigel,
Self limiting! That's pretty funny actually! Yes, your situation is self limiting for sure. You could use a larger bench to work on. I have built all mine 'cause I can't afford to buy one. The cost is close, but it is made my way exactly. You might be able to grab a disccarded bench as long as you are mentally prepared when you see one. Good luck if you can use a largere one.
-Chris
Self limiting! That's pretty funny actually! Yes, your situation is self limiting for sure. You could use a larger bench to work on. I have built all mine 'cause I can't afford to buy one. The cost is close, but it is made my way exactly. You might be able to grab a disccarded bench as long as you are mentally prepared when you see one. Good luck if you can use a largere one.
-Chris
Hello,
When I was 8 or 9 years old my father brought home a surplus wooden table / workbench from Aerojet. He cut the legs off to match my height.
You cannot imagine the things that we took apart or destroyed and put back together on that table. I had a wooden box (still have it), also Aerojet surplus full of saws of drills reamers dies & taps hammers, punches and you name it. The tools I got for birthdays and Christmas (not surplus). That table was the first place that I built a vacuum tube radio, rockets and things that would blowup. Also my first and only still while I was in high school.
No way is this self-limiting. I did stop making magnesium propellants in a blender.
Just reminiscing, today I drove down the road past the Aerojet rocket engine test stands.
Thanks DT
When I was 8 or 9 years old my father brought home a surplus wooden table / workbench from Aerojet. He cut the legs off to match my height.
You cannot imagine the things that we took apart or destroyed and put back together on that table. I had a wooden box (still have it), also Aerojet surplus full of saws of drills reamers dies & taps hammers, punches and you name it. The tools I got for birthdays and Christmas (not surplus). That table was the first place that I built a vacuum tube radio, rockets and things that would blowup. Also my first and only still while I was in high school.
No way is this self-limiting. I did stop making magnesium propellants in a blender.
Just reminiscing, today I drove down the road past the Aerojet rocket engine test stands.
Thanks DT
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The turning point for me was component drawers. I occasionally buy another Raaco 150 series cabinet (https://www.raaco.com/Product_list-1121.aspx?GroupID=Skuffereol varer), then fill it pretty-much instantly with through hole parts. I also have a stack of Licefa SMD drawers (Licefa webshop) which have little 25mm diameter lidded pots in drawers, each of which can hold ~500 MELF resistors or similar.
It’s the only way to go. Prior to the drawers I had little bags of stuff everywhere, and had no idea what I actually had, leading to much duplication. In the labs I’ve set up at work I’ve gone nuts with drawers, using gorgeous drawer laden benches everywhere (BAC A Series Modules Drawer Storage), but these are brutally expensive.
My next project is finding a way to organise my test leads. At work we simply stick hangers on walls for them, but living in rental accommodation where I can’t drill holes in the wall means they all go in a huge tangled mess in a big drawer.
IME organized component storage is very cheap at basically unlimited amount of "slots". Using bags instead of boxes/drawers, any new value/size can be put in between the existing ones. One small wall can easily fit 20+ meters of the wire rope.
https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/equipment-and-tools/87716-whats-workbench-32.html#post5597791
https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/equipment-and-tools/87716-whats-workbench-32.html#post5597791
I am not even trying to get into the "maintain a clean bench" approach. My mess system is just very simple and straight forward: all the stuff that I touched during the past few months is somewhere on the bench. Works perfectly well for me 😀
I tend to clean up once a year or so, usually when a larger project is completed. I sometimes also just added another bench to deal with the "self limiting issue". I am at three benches now, and unfortunately there is no space left for more benches.
The way to put stuff on your walls without drilling holes is to use the double stick foam tape. The kind that when you pull it from the side in shear mode comes off easily and cleanly. Really neat to pull a long thin piece out and have nothing left.
Hi Suzy,
Your bench always looks perfect in pictures. That leaves me in awe because I know for a fact you are busy building things. My hat goes off to you!
I use wall mounted drawer units. Odd values go in a box full of bags. I guess a hybrid system then.
As for test leads ... I would love a good solution for them. Some scope leads are worth hundreds of dollars and I fear the day when one is damaged.
-Chris
Your bench always looks perfect in pictures. That leaves me in awe because I know for a fact you are busy building things. My hat goes off to you!
I use wall mounted drawer units. Odd values go in a box full of bags. I guess a hybrid system then.
As for test leads ... I would love a good solution for them. Some scope leads are worth hundreds of dollars and I fear the day when one is damaged.
-Chris
