EEVblog #570 - LAB Cleanup And Shelving

[EEVblog]

Dave cleans up the lab and adds some shelves.
Exciting stuff.
Original lab timelapse build:

[Excavatoree]

Your monitor situation looks familiar.  As part of my self intervention, I made myself fix them and give them away.  I had plans to do something with them, but, after they sat for so long, I had to realize that it just wasn't happening.

I got rid of some computers, and I also need to <shudder> get rid of some Fluke meters. (or at least the cases - they take up too much room.  I have the large, C100 cases with 27/25/8025s in them)

Sadly, I realize the only solution is a two pronged one:  Organize by adding shelves, and, sadly, getting rid of stuff.

EDIT:  I also had a video game, and a cash register at one time, but, lacking the space you have, I got rid of them.  (Well, OK, I have the space, I just wanted other stuff.  I still have a problem, but at least I admit it.)  Now, to scrap the old Silicone Graphics Indy computers that are taking up space.  Sigh.

[ARGLaser]

Ah, the thin strip of visible floor to walk from the bench to the door without stepping on anything.

That's a sight I'm familiar with

[NickS]

Need someone to take away a few of the monitors in Sydney?

I only have 5 hooked up to my work computer at the moment. I'm not anywhere near the roof yet.

[daddario]

Well, the floor resembles my lab quite a lot, I just have less of it to fill up.

[electronics man]

Well done dave you have admitted it and finally got round to clearing up your lab. My lab is a mess too I only have a wooden table but now ear to put any thing I may utilise the space under the table too put some component sorter things. My biggest problem are lose resistors and jumper wires.

[rolandpenplotter]

I thought I was bad, with 6 TINY ISP routers, an old PowerMac G4, a VCR, a CRT 17" monitor, and old PC or two and a vintage... Roland Pen Plotter... but you're just the absolute limit my old mukka

What ARE you going to do with 22 LCD monitors?

Check yourself into "Freecycle" mate, and get shot of them:

https://groups.freecycle.org/group/FreecycleSydneyNW/posts/all

[PA4TIM]

Hi, my name is Fred and I have this problem too.
But I'm on the right track. I get a lot of gear offered for free. But I'm at the point I have all the gear I need . I do not look on things like ebay. I'm very proud I did not buy the Tek 556 a few days ago (but this was very hard because I really like the 556).

Things I do not use but want to keep go to the garage and if I have not used it in a year or so I junk it. I do no dumpster diving. I have more then enough parts on stock. The last week I rearranged  my lab too. I selected all the gear I really used and Added a shelf above my desk. I had a Tek 7603 and a 132 on the shelf above my table. That is so deep I had a 60 cm deep shelf. All the other gear was around 30-40 cm deep. So I placed an other shelf and put the 7603 on the bottom shelf of my 7704 Tekmobile. The result is more room because my desk could be closer to the wall, and I have now better acces to the gear I use.

My floor is now free of stuff and I want to keep it that way. It allready starts to become more easy to keep it like this.

[(In)Sanity]

You know your an electronics hoarder when.......

9 volt batteries are not really dead until they get below 5 volts or less, or start to leak all over  (Just tossed 6 that were < 7 volts)

That 1 inch piece of wire made of something that resembles a conductive metal might just be useful so you keep it.

Your wire bin is at least 4 cubic ft of low quality wire.

You've got at least 200 circuit boards to pull parts from (My current status    )

That bulged out cap still has capacitance...so you also keep it.

You can't find your favorite pair of tweezers...so you just buy another.   

You've got tubs of power cords,  an order of magnitude more then devices to go with them  (I qualify).

You think that connector might fit a future project..so you start a new bin full of them.  I can't recall the last time I used one.

So....you know your an electronics hoarder...when.....

[Radio Tech]

Yep, have this problem also

[david77]

Yeah, I know the problem, Dave. I can fill up any size of space with crap usefull things 

I'd turn the whiteboard-on-castors into a test-lead-hanger-thingie-on-castors.

[Tinkerer]

I have tons of stuff as well. I have reorganized things a couple times, but when things are packed together so that no amount of organizing helps, you know you have too much stuff stuffed into a space.

9 volt batteries are not really dead until they get below 5 volts or less, or start to leak all over  (Just tossed 6 that were < 7 volts)

So I am not the only one guilty of doing this sort of thing. Also has to do with the fact that I am at a loss as to recycling them. Feel its wrong to just throw them out but havent taken the time to take them to the proper location for recycling.

The only thing the stops me from accumulating more stuff is that I am simply out of space.(this doesnt only apply to electronics by the way even though I got enough of that; not really enough but you get me) Wont be too long until I likely move to a new place and can decompress all my stuff all over the place.

I have watched alot of the videos, but dont think I have seen that model raceway or whatever that is. What is that, I am a fan of models like that. Played table top games and all.

[Macci]

I guess all electronics nerds share the same problem as you Dave. I came to the same conclusion and just recently started to sort out the stuff in my room. But that really isn't a solution, it's just more organised mess, but it's the same mess
The trouble I have though, is that my "lab" is my room at the same time, so having the path of least resistance is not really acceptable when you have someone come over.
Luckily i have an old analog Tesla scope, so visitors have something to sit on

P.S: It's my first post here. I've been watching the blog ever since it was created and no sooner than today I finally decided to create an account. LOL

[GreyWoolfe]

Whoa.  My office/workspace isn't near as large as yours-9.5' by 22' (2.9 meters by 6.7 meters).  I can always see the floor.  After all, I must have room for my 4 legged office manager, rolling chairs, oscilloscope cart and toolbox.  Now, the 8' workbench, the 6' ham radio desk and the 8' by 9.5' 'L' shaped desk, the 2, 2' by 4', 5 shelf wire racks and the top of the military filing cabinet, those are another matter completely.  I guess that means I am not really a hoarder just a wannabe .

[(In)Sanity]

Is having a fire safe to store your home brew LiPo packs considered a hording problem when you've never done anything in RC models ?

[mikeselectricstuff]

I've got good at clearing out anything from the workshop that's wasting space to maintain useability - anything ebayable gets ebayed, but then there's a couple of levels of offline storage areas in rooms in the house.
My biggest problem is the stuff that's too big/heavy or too obscure/specialised/low-value to be worth ebaying, but too nice/potentially useful to throw away. 
For example :
Huge professional DLP projector full of nice optics and a gazillion fans, but with a dead bulb that is too expensive for it to be worth replacing. A couple of argon lasers. A few Helium-neon lasers. A collection of CCTV cameras, mounting brackets and lenses. A CO2 medical laser whose power is now dwarfed by a cheap Chinese tube. A few hundred oddball shaped TFT displays that were a bargain at the time. More oddball PCBs than I'd ever have space to make into a PCB wall
An Amstrad portable PC. An Acorn Risc PC. Approximately 1.75  Roland X/Y plotters
The obligitory Inkjet printer in unknown condition.  A huge box of random linear wall-warts. Big pile of electrical wall enclosures  that were cheap at the time and might come in handy, despite that any job that these would be used would have a budget that could easily afford new ones (if the right size). A jumbotron display module and some LED screen parts. Many  bags of leftover connectors and Richco PCB spacers which I had to buy a minimum of 1000 for a job that needed rather less but was profitable enough to not care. My "cabinet of curiosities" - many  wierd/oddball bits that should be in a glass display case if I had space or a glass display case. Enough silica gel, which if re-baked woudl  be enough to dessicate at least one dead body. Several  reels of white LEDs that were a bargain at the time but now look pathetic compared with what I can buy new from Osram for 3p each. 

..and that's just what I can remember without even going to look....

..and that's not even starting on what's in the off-offline storage in the loft.

[rolandpenplotter]

I've got good at clearing out anything from the workshop that's wasting space to maintain useability - anything ebayable gets ebayed, but then there's a couple of levels of offline storage areas in rooms in the house.
My biggest problem is the stuff that's too big/heavy or too obscure/specialised/low-value to be worth ebaying, but too nice/potentially useful to throw away. 
For example :
Huge professional DLP projector full of nice optics and a gazillion fans, but with a dead bulb that is too expensive for it to be worth replacing. A couple of argon lasers. A few Helium-neon lasers. A collection of CCTV cameras, mounting brackets and lenses. A CO2 medical laser whose power is now dwarfed by a cheap Chinese tube. A few hundred oddball shaped TFT displays that were a bargain at the time. More oddball PCBs than I'd ever have space to make into a PCB wall
An Amstrad portable PC. An Acorn Risc PC. Approximately 1.75  Roland X/Y plotters
The obligitory Inkjet printer in unknown condition.  A huge box of random linear wall-warts. Big pile of electrical wall enclosures  that were cheap at the time and might come in handy, despite that any job that these would be used would have a budget that could easily afford new ones (if the right size). A jumbotron display module and some LED screen parts. Many  bags of leftover connectors and Richco PCB spacers which I had to buy a minimum of 1000 for a job that needed rather less but was profitable enough to not care. My "cabinet of curiosities" - many  wierd/oddball bits that should be in a glass display case if I had space or a glass display case. Enough silica gel, which if re-baked woudl  be enough to dessicate at least one dead body. Several  reels of white LEDs that were a bargain at the time but now look pathetic compared with what I can buy new from Osram for 3p each. 

..and that's just what I can remember without even going to look....

..and that's not even starting on what's in the off-offline storage in the loft.

Did you mean 175 Roland X/Y plotters... or actually "1.75"?

[(In)Sanity]

I think admitting you have a problem is one step.  Buying shelves is not really a solution at all.  It's just like saying...yes my problem has overflowed on to the floor so I'm just going to go vertical with the same problem.   The solution to your problem is selling stuff off and disposing (recycling) of everything else.   I've been in that very same process for at least a few months and have managed to not bring anything new in to the mix.    My "lab" still looks like a mess..but at least it's not getting worse.   It gets sooo frustrating working in a messing environment.   If your video helps even a single person it was worth it,  so long as they are not working on something evil and the clean space lets them finish

Jeff

[rolandpenplotter]

I've got good at clearing out anything from the workshop that's wasting space to maintain useability - anything ebayable gets ebayed, but then there's a couple of levels of offline storage areas in rooms in the house.
My biggest problem is the stuff that's too big/heavy or too obscure/specialised/low-value to be worth ebaying, but too nice/potentially useful to throw away. 
For example :
Huge professional DLP projector full of nice optics and a gazillion fans, but with a dead bulb that is too expensive for it to be worth replacing. A couple of argon lasers. A few Helium-neon lasers. A collection of CCTV cameras, mounting brackets and lenses. A CO2 medical laser whose power is now dwarfed by a cheap Chinese tube. A few hundred oddball shaped TFT displays that were a bargain at the time. More oddball PCBs than I'd ever have space to make into a PCB wall
An Amstrad portable PC. An Acorn Risc PC. Approximately 1.75  Roland X/Y plotters
The obligitory Inkjet printer in unknown condition.  A huge box of random linear wall-warts. Big pile of electrical wall enclosures  that were cheap at the time and might come in handy, despite that any job that these would be used would have a budget that could easily afford new ones (if the right size). A jumbotron display module and some LED screen parts. Many  bags of leftover connectors and Richco PCB spacers which I had to buy a minimum of 1000 for a job that needed rather less but was profitable enough to not care. My "cabinet of curiosities" - many  wierd/oddball bits that should be in a glass display case if I had space or a glass display case. Enough silica gel, which if re-baked woudl  be enough to dessicate at least one dead body. Several  reels of white LEDs that were a bargain at the time but now look pathetic compared with what I can buy new from Osram for 3p each. 

..and that's just what I can remember without even going to look....

..and that's not even starting on what's in the off-offline storage in the loft.

You know what you need to do Mike? Make an invisibility ray. I'm sure lasers and big optics and cooling would feature in the design somewhere. Then make the rest of the stuff leftover disappear too.

And then trip over it and injure yourself? Sheer genius. That's not solving the problem, because it's still there! If you want to be in denial... CLOSE YOUR EYES (and it's simpler).

[(In)Sanity]

I've got good at clearing out anything from the workshop that's wasting space to maintain useability - anything ebayable gets ebayed, but then there's a couple of levels of offline storage areas in rooms in the house.
My biggest problem is the stuff that's too big/heavy or too obscure/specialised/low-value to be worth ebaying, but too nice/potentially useful to throw away. 
For example :
Huge professional DLP projector full of nice optics and a gazillion fans, but with a dead bulb that is too expensive for it to be worth replacing. A couple of argon lasers. A few Helium-neon lasers. A collection of CCTV cameras, mounting brackets and lenses. A CO2 medical laser whose power is now dwarfed by a cheap Chinese tube. A few hundred oddball shaped TFT displays that were a bargain at the time. More oddball PCBs than I'd ever have space to make into a PCB wall
An Amstrad portable PC. An Acorn Risc PC. Approximately 1.75  Roland X/Y plotters
The obligitory Inkjet printer in unknown condition.  A huge box of random linear wall-warts. Big pile of electrical wall enclosures  that were cheap at the time and might come in handy, despite that any job that these would be used would have a budget that could easily afford new ones (if the right size). A jumbotron display module and some LED screen parts. Many  bags of leftover connectors and Richco PCB spacers which I had to buy a minimum of 1000 for a job that needed rather less but was profitable enough to not care. My "cabinet of curiosities" - many  wierd/oddball bits that should be in a glass display case if I had space or a glass display case. Enough silica gel, which if re-baked woudl  be enough to dessicate at least one dead body. Several  reels of white LEDs that were a bargain at the time but now look pathetic compared with what I can buy new from Osram for 3p each. 

..and that's just what I can remember without even going to look....

..and that's not even starting on what's in the off-offline storage in the loft.

You know what you need to do Mike? Make an invisibility ray. I'm sure lasers and big optics and cooling would feature in the design somewhere. Then make the rest of the stuff leftover disappear too.

And then trip over it and injure yourself? Sheer genius. That's not solving the problem, because it's still there! If you want to be in denial... CLOSE YOUR EYES (and it's simpler).

I would go more for a shrink ray and then put the item on a shelf in a box.   Once the box gets too full shrink it down and put it in a box...on a shelf....

Jeff

[rolandpenplotter]

I've got good at clearing out anything from the workshop that's wasting space to maintain useability - anything ebayable gets ebayed, but then there's a couple of levels of offline storage areas in rooms in the house.
My biggest problem is the stuff that's too big/heavy or too obscure/specialised/low-value to be worth ebaying, but too nice/potentially useful to throw away. 
For example :
Huge professional DLP projector full of nice optics and a gazillion fans, but with a dead bulb that is too expensive for it to be worth replacing. A couple of argon lasers. A few Helium-neon lasers. A collection of CCTV cameras, mounting brackets and lenses. A CO2 medical laser whose power is now dwarfed by a cheap Chinese tube. A few hundred oddball shaped TFT displays that were a bargain at the time. More oddball PCBs than I'd ever have space to make into a PCB wall
An Amstrad portable PC. An Acorn Risc PC. Approximately 1.75  Roland X/Y plotters
The obligitory Inkjet printer in unknown condition.  A huge box of random linear wall-warts. Big pile of electrical wall enclosures  that were cheap at the time and might come in handy, despite that any job that these would be used would have a budget that could easily afford new ones (if the right size). A jumbotron display module and some LED screen parts. Many  bags of leftover connectors and Richco PCB spacers which I had to buy a minimum of 1000 for a job that needed rather less but was profitable enough to not care. My "cabinet of curiosities" - many  wierd/oddball bits that should be in a glass display case if I had space or a glass display case. Enough silica gel, which if re-baked woudl  be enough to dessicate at least one dead body. Several  reels of white LEDs that were a bargain at the time but now look pathetic compared with what I can buy new from Osram for 3p each. 

..and that's just what I can remember without even going to look....

..and that's not even starting on what's in the off-offline storage in the loft.

You know what you need to do Mike? Make an invisibility ray. I'm sure lasers and big optics and cooling would feature in the design somewhere. Then make the rest of the stuff leftover disappear too.

And then trip over it and injure yourself? Sheer genius. That's not solving the problem, because it's still there! If you want to be in denial... CLOSE YOUR EYES (and it's simpler).

I would go more for a shrink ray and then put the item on a shelf in a box.   Once the box gets too full shrink it down and put it in a box...on a shelf....

Jeff

Or... just get rid of it all?

[mikeselectricstuff]

I've got good at clearing out anything from the workshop that's wasting space to maintain useability - anything ebayable gets ebayed, but then there's a couple of levels of offline storage areas in rooms in the house.
My biggest problem is the stuff that's too big/heavy or too obscure/specialised/low-value to be worth ebaying, but too nice/potentially useful to throw away. 
For example :
Huge professional DLP projector full of nice optics and a gazillion fans, but with a dead bulb that is too expensive for it to be worth replacing. A couple of argon lasers. A few Helium-neon lasers. A collection of CCTV cameras, mounting brackets and lenses. A CO2 medical laser whose power is now dwarfed by a cheap Chinese tube. A few hundred oddball shaped TFT displays that were a bargain at the time. More oddball PCBs than I'd ever have space to make into a PCB wall
An Amstrad portable PC. An Acorn Risc PC. Approximately 1.75  Roland X/Y plotters
The obligitory Inkjet printer in unknown condition.  A huge box of random linear wall-warts. Big pile of electrical wall enclosures  that were cheap at the time and might come in handy, despite that any job that these would be used would have a budget that could easily afford new ones (if the right size). A jumbotron display module and some LED screen parts. Many  bags of leftover connectors and Richco PCB spacers which I had to buy a minimum of 1000 for a job that needed rather less but was profitable enough to not care. My "cabinet of curiosities" - many  wierd/oddball bits that should be in a glass display case if I had space or a glass display case. Enough silica gel, which if re-baked woudl  be enough to dessicate at least one dead body. Several  reels of white LEDs that were a bargain at the time but now look pathetic compared with what I can buy new from Osram for 3p each. 

..and that's just what I can remember without even going to look....

..and that's not even starting on what's in the off-offline storage in the loft.

Did you mean 175 Roland X/Y plotters... or actually "1.75"?

No, 1.75 - I started modding one to be a pick/place before I realised that feeders, not X/Y positioning was the actual problem that needed solving.

[mikeselectricstuff]

I've got good at clearing out anything from the workshop that's wasting space to maintain useability - anything ebayable gets ebayed, but then there's a couple of levels of offline storage areas in rooms in the house.
My biggest problem is the stuff that's too big/heavy or too obscure/specialised/low-value to be worth ebaying, but too nice/potentially useful to throw away. 
For example :
Huge professional DLP projector full of nice optics and a gazillion fans, but with a dead bulb that is too expensive for it to be worth replacing. A couple of argon lasers. A few Helium-neon lasers. A collection of CCTV cameras, mounting brackets and lenses. A CO2 medical laser whose power is now dwarfed by a cheap Chinese tube. A few hundred oddball shaped TFT displays that were a bargain at the time. More oddball PCBs than I'd ever have space to make into a PCB wall
An Amstrad portable PC. An Acorn Risc PC. Approximately 1.75  Roland X/Y plotters
The obligitory Inkjet printer in unknown condition.  A huge box of random linear wall-warts. Big pile of electrical wall enclosures  that were cheap at the time and might come in handy, despite that any job that these would be used would have a budget that could easily afford new ones (if the right size). A jumbotron display module and some LED screen parts. Many  bags of leftover connectors and Richco PCB spacers which I had to buy a minimum of 1000 for a job that needed rather less but was profitable enough to not care. My "cabinet of curiosities" - many  wierd/oddball bits that should be in a glass display case if I had space or a glass display case. Enough silica gel, which if re-baked woudl  be enough to dessicate at least one dead body. Several  reels of white LEDs that were a bargain at the time but now look pathetic compared with what I can buy new from Osram for 3p each. 

..and that's just what I can remember without even going to look....

..and that's not even starting on what's in the off-offline storage in the loft.

You know what you need to do Mike? Make an invisibility ray. I'm sure lasers and big optics and cooling would feature in the design somewhere. Then make the rest of the stuff leftover disappear too.

And then trip over it and injure yourself? Sheer genius. That's not solving the problem, because it's still there! If you want to be in denial... CLOSE YOUR EYES (and it's simpler).

I would go more for a shrink ray and then put the item on a shelf in a box.   Once the box gets too full shrink it down and put it in a box...on a shelf....

Jeff

Or... just get rid of it all?

That's the problem - I'm not bothered about getting money for most of it, but it's too nice to just dump.

[rolandpenplotter]

I've got good at clearing out anything from the workshop that's wasting space to maintain useability - anything ebayable gets ebayed, but then there's a couple of levels of offline storage areas in rooms in the house.
My biggest problem is the stuff that's too big/heavy or too obscure/specialised/low-value to be worth ebaying, but too nice/potentially useful to throw away. 
For example :
Huge professional DLP projector full of nice optics and a gazillion fans, but with a dead bulb that is too expensive for it to be worth replacing. A couple of argon lasers. A few Helium-neon lasers. A collection of CCTV cameras, mounting brackets and lenses. A CO2 medical laser whose power is now dwarfed by a cheap Chinese tube. A few hundred oddball shaped TFT displays that were a bargain at the time. More oddball PCBs than I'd ever have space to make into a PCB wall
An Amstrad portable PC. An Acorn Risc PC. Approximately 1.75  Roland X/Y plotters
The obligitory Inkjet printer in unknown condition.  A huge box of random linear wall-warts. Big pile of electrical wall enclosures  that were cheap at the time and might come in handy, despite that any job that these would be used would have a budget that could easily afford new ones (if the right size). A jumbotron display module and some LED screen parts. Many  bags of leftover connectors and Richco PCB spacers which I had to buy a minimum of 1000 for a job that needed rather less but was profitable enough to not care. My "cabinet of curiosities" - many  wierd/oddball bits that should be in a glass display case if I had space or a glass display case. Enough silica gel, which if re-baked woudl  be enough to dessicate at least one dead body. Several  reels of white LEDs that were a bargain at the time but now look pathetic compared with what I can buy new from Osram for 3p each. 

..and that's just what I can remember without even going to look....

..and that's not even starting on what's in the off-offline storage in the loft.

Did you mean 175 Roland X/Y plotters... or actually "1.75"?

No, 1.75 - I started modding one to be a pick/place before I realised that feeders, not X/Y positioning was the actual problem that needed solving.

Ahh!

You may have guessed that I have one; a DXY-1100 - I may sell it. Any good to you?

[EEVblog]

3. Have a place to put the new thing that is NOT the floor, or stacked on top of something else.

That was a tad hard without the shelves!

You've mentioned a few things recently you want to do to improve your efficiency and I have not been shy about trying to suggest new stuff is not the answer

Sorry to say, but it often is.
You often can't do *insert job here* very well without having the right tool for the job.