Share and show your declutter/clean up stories or ideas

[b_force]

As counterpart of showing your new recent bought products and labs full of hoarded equipment & gear, I would like to start a topic about the opposite.

Projects, ideas and plans to actually get rid of to much stuff.
To find out how much you can do with the minimum amount of gear and not caring about brands or anything else.
So basically going back to the essentials and a lab that basically can fit in your suitcase (more or less).

For me this all started many years ago, when I decided to go for a big trip around the world.
I got rid of most of my stuff at the time, including most of my lab equipment and electronics.
Even since I don't really miss them, except for a few basic parts which I kept.

In fact, having to much stuff around (just gathering dust) makes me really feel restless nowadays and mostly I just want to get rid of it.
Why does someone needs 20 different scopes/multimeters/power supplies? 
I don't even keep spare parts anymore (mostly just order when I make a prototype).
During my travels I actually did quite some remote work and I really discovered the power of "thought experiments" and proper calculating/simulating.
You can basically do 80-90% of the whole project just on paper and in your head.

Unfortunately I don't have much to show at the moment, but sharing some ideas or "minimalist" labs would be great for inspiration.
How can we do this as efficient as possible?
Maybe some awesome tweaks to make simple equipment work like professional gear.

For the record, this topic is ONLY about sharing thoughts, ideas and talking about minimalism, NOT about explaining, discussing or defending why people have or need gear and equipment.
Please leave that out of this discussion and make a separate topic!!!!

[The Soulman]

I'm interested to see what people can come up with here as I've quit costumer repairs at home and just want to keep it as a hobby
but therefore cannot justify using a entire spare bedroom for hobby alone.
So I'm confined to a 1 meter wide cabinet.
A laptop/mini computer with the appropriate peripherals is the obvious replacement for a bench oscilloscope, function generator, logic analyzer, spectrum analyzer etc.
But stuff like a (de-)soldering station, benchmultimeter, powersupplie(s) and dummy load, don't scale down well.

Maybe rename this thread to TEM Test Equipment Minimus. 

This week I'll put my workbench up for sale. 

Tip: don't hoard faulty equipment for spare parts, you are never going to use them. 

[nctnico]

IMHO a good start will be to have only 1 piece per type of equipment. If you upgrade then sell the one you already have. That is how I keep the amount of test equipment to a minimum.

[xaxaxa]

Since I move a lot (~every year), I've always managed with little to no test equipment; a multimeter and that's it. Not even a lab power supply (everything I do is either usb powered or 12V/26V) or scope (a simple RF detector probe covers the "is there clock on this trace" type questions).

I do hoard parts though; I have prototype quantities (~10-100) of almost 100 different parts in stock. Each of my projects might have 50 BOM lines which would have to be sourced from 10 different taobao sellers, so ordering specifically for a project is uneconomical; instead I have a library of "preferred parts" that I keep in stock and use for all projects (for example I have standardized on one clock buffer and two tcxo frequencies). Any use of parts outside of the preferred parts list are heavily scrutinized and must be justified.

[BillB]

This is easy- just become an obsessive-compulsive neat freak.     As such, I can't stand clutter.  I usually go through cycles of cleaning crap out (if it gets too far out of hand) but my general rule of thumb is that if I haven't touched something in a year, it's on my radar.  The next time I run across it, if I still haven't touched it, it gets sold/donated/or tossed.  Those specialty items that I do use very infrequently or have sentimental value, I keep to a minimum and neatly store away.

So, imagine having the TEA urge to acquire with an equally strong desire to get rid of stuff.  It's rough I tell ya.   

There are different levels of minimalism, as a mobile set-up has different requirements than a stationary bench.  For test equipment in general, as I keep a minimalist bench at home, I appreciate the newer, integrated products like MSO scopes that have an AWG, LAs and such built-in.  DMMs now provide a wide array of capabilities that replace several discrete units from the past.  Multi-rail integrated power supplies to cover my power needs.  I have a compact multi-tool soldering station, some small storage containers for a limited set of parts/scraps, and a carefully curated set of hand-tools.  My tired eyes need my microscope, which is the largest item on my bench (A man's got to know his limitations).

Even now, I have one large riser shelf that I have just made the last space available for a couple of new arrivals (SA and a beefier single rail supply as a splurge) .  At this point, I won't be able to acquire anything further unless I get rid of something.

[German_EE]

I went through the deep cleaning exercise about a year ago.

First I rented a couple of tables at a local hamfest, some of the stuff went to a new home and the best selling items were the grab bags for one Euro each, that helped get rid of some of the small stuff.

Then I asked around at the local ham radio clubs, and at work, and at the English club here to see if anyone wanted to take the more 'domestic' stuff off my hands. DVD recorder, UK satellite TV receiver, most of it got sold.

The tools, motors, stepper motors and mechanical stuff went to the local Makerspace

The remainder went to the local recycling center, and here's where I got ruthless. If I hadn't used a particular item in the last three years then it went in the electronics skip. PCBs, laptop spares, stuff that I had been keeping 'just in case', it was all thrown away. I needed three trips because the car was so full.

I now have a lot less STUFF and the money that I received from sales was enough to purchase some decent sized plastic boxes to hold it all in.

[b_force]

A laptop/mini computer with the appropriate peripherals is the obvious replacement for a bench oscilloscope, function generator, logic analyzer, spectrum analyzer etc.
But stuff like a (de-)soldering station, benchmultimeter, powersupplie(s) and dummy load, don't scale down well.

Nowadays there are quite some good performing USB scopes.
Unfortunately they do have a price tag that is a little less nice.
For a PSU I just use a Meanwell, which are easy to step down.
With some additional (external) filtering you can get a pretty clean output.

I usually go through cycles of cleaning crap out (if it gets too far out of hand) but my general rule of thumb is that if I haven't touched something in a year, it's on my radar.  The next time I run across it, if I still haven't touched it, it gets sold/donated/or tossed.  Those specialty items that I do use very infrequently or have sentimental value, I keep to a minimum and neatly store away.

I pretty much work the same.
Never understood those people keeping stuff for over 10 years, never touched, half broken and covered in a layer of dust.

[TerraHertz]

A thread of blasphemers!

[b_force]

I guess there aren't many minimalists around, or people that are travelling a lot?

[bitseeker]

Part of the equation for achieving minimalism is the same as for shopping for new gear: define your requirements. It's probably even more important for TEM than for TEA.

For example, an Analog Discovery 2 is a great example of a Swiss Army knife for electronics at a reasonable cost. However, it may not fit everyone's requirements for bandwidth, channels, voltage, etc.

As for soldering/desoldering, again depending on your budget and requirements, there are combo units that have an iron, hot air, desoldering, and more. Some are quite pricey. Others, like the ubiquitous ones from China at least put the iron and hot air in one unit. Of course, if you only need an iron occasionally, perhaps the TS-80 is plenty for you and takes up hardly any room.

DMMs can be really tiny, especially if you don't work with high-energy circuits.

[AndyC_772]

Why does someone needs 20 different scopes/multimeters/power supplies? 

It does sadden me when I see pictures of peoples' labs, and they're piled high with old equipment. Space has value, and if you have £500 worth of equipment taking up £5000 worth of room, you'd be much better off with a single £5000 instrument taking up £500 worth of room.

If that's not an option, a single £100 instrument taking up £1000 in space is still a better choice if it does 80% of what you need. Find something else to do instead of the other 20%. Go read a book, take up a sport, walk the dog, whatever.

I freely admit I have too much equipment, though in my defence I make a living doing this stuff, so having some spares is no bad thing. "Sorry, I can't complete your project because my scope is out for repair" is not an acceptable thing to say to a customer.

Where I do save on room is by being ruthless about storing things. Once a project is complete, everything goes to the customer or the shredder. Notes are scanned, boards and any spare parts are sent back.

That 8 year old laptop in the cupboard really isn't earning its keep. Nor are the UHF or SCART cables, or your old 802.11b access point, the file server you replaced 5 years ago for being too slow even then, that crackly old phone, the extra long VGA extension cord or the speaker leads from the stereo you had as a student.

Put the vintage computer on Ebay. Keep one old PATA hard drive, not five.

If its batteries won't hold a charge, you probably don't use it often enough to care.

Scrap that old thing, but keep the box. It's nicer than the one the cat sleeps in, and he'll appreciate the upgrade.

*Nothing* still uses that connector.

Those data books belong in a museum, where nobody will read them. Not on your shelf, where nobody reads them, taking up your space.

Your TV has that built in now. They all do. You don't need a separate one any more.

Or its remote.

Or its power supply.

Yes, I *have* just been through a box of junk while I've been writing this, and marked half of it to go down the tip. It's been quite therapeutic. 

[BillB]

Why does someone needs 20 different scopes/multimeters/power supplies? 

It does sadden me when I see pictures of peoples' labs, and they're piled high with old equipment. Space has value, and if you have £500 worth of equipment taking up £5000 worth of room, you'd be much better off with a single £5000 instrument taking up £500 worth of room.

Like everything else I suppose, the value of space is relative, and I would suspect it's almost always less valuable per unit volume than test equipment.

I'm sure that those afflicted with both OCD-minimalism and TEA are in the minority here.  Occasionally, I watch the TV show "Hoarders" to get a glimpse into the other side of the spectrum.  It's horrifying to me.      

[metrologist]

The best I've been able to accomplish is Operation Floorplan, where I am able to fully pick up and clean the floor. It feels great being able to walk around without tripping on cords, misc PCBs and equipments. Takes about a month for all the stuff to make it back where it was...

[b_force]

The best I've been able to accomplish is Operation Floorplan, where I am able to fully pick up and clean the floor. It feels great being able to walk around without tripping on cords, misc PCBs and equipments. Takes about a month for all the stuff to make it back where it was...

Lol, that reminds me of a co-worker I once had.
His desk was always covered in little resistor boxes.
Pretty much guaranteed that he would drop one or two on the floor every day.
So he had to get on his knees to pick around 100 resistors/capacitors from the floor 

I trained myself to clean up my task roughly every hour or so.
Not like OCD clean, but just that there is space and the tools are roughly sorted/at one spot. 

De-cluttering is basically all about getting back to the basics and essentials.
Asking yourself if you really need the stuff or tools.
A super precise voltmeter maybe looks cool, for most digital stuff 5% precision is more than good enough.
Most engineers also don't even get much further than CAT II, sometimes CAT III at most.
Basically every meter is adequate enough for these tasks.

Most of the time you can have a very good estimate from pre-calculations, simulations and information from datasheets.