organising fuse storage

[veedub565]

I'm tidying up and organising my parts storage. It's long overdue, I have bags of parts stuffed in tubs all over the place. Anyway, what methods do you use for organising and labelling fuses ? For example...

T5A 250V 5x20
T5A 250v 6.3x32
F5A 250v 5x20

So a mix of sizes and element speeds. Would you put all those in the same tub, because they're the same value, and label it 5A or would you put them in separate tubs ?

Same question for voltage rating, if you had 15A 32v and 15A 250v would they go in the same tub or separate ones ?

At the moment I'm putting everything into individual tubs, and labelling them up e.g. 10A 6.3x25.4, I've not added voltage to the labels.

[veedub565]

I'm organising my resistors too, I can't explain the method, but for example...

I have 2 assorter boxes marked up E96 Resistors (1%), 48 tubs in each box. I'm then labelling the tubs and filling them example as follows

Tub labelled 1.00 - contains 1ohm, 10ohm, 100ohm, 1k and further multiples of 10 etc etc

that kinda works, but then there's no 2.20 for 220k. E24 has a 2.2 value which multiplies up to 220k, but E24 is 5% not 1%
 

[ledtester]

fwiw, here's my method:

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/resistor-kit/msg3578649/#msg3578649

[jpyeron]

• Exterior labels (grouping) should allow you to quickly identify if you could have what you need on hand. E.g. 5A or 100mA - 250mA
• Depending on QTY bag / tray segment on your useful distinguishing features. E.g. form factor

I have the same issue with my capacitors.

• Capacitance
• rating voltage
• (for large quantities) package / lead spacing

For some less needed values I have SMD and leaded caps in one bag and in another drawer I have loose 20, 22, 24, and 25uf caps.

[bob91343]

I have a box of ac capacitors.  I have a box of resistors of more than 2W.  I have trouble with transistors and diodes.  Especially dual and bridge rectifiers.  A big box of variable capacitors.  Meters.

Then there are the common mode chokes and the ferrite beads.  For now, SMT has a single place since there aren't that many.

Then there are screws - self tapping, metric, various head styles and lengths, black and plated, coarse and fine, nuts and various washers, wood screws.  Solder lugs.  Cable ties and clamps.  Insulators.

I used to put all my transformers in one box until I tried to lift the box.  The lamps are jumbled in a big box that includes sockets but the LEDs are in drawers, sort of sorted by color.  Some displays in there.

We haven't discussed connectors or wire or switches or pots yet.  I have different boxes of IEC hardware, etc.

It never ends, and there is no solution for us all.  Well, there is one - throw it all away and order what you need when you need it, but that takes too long.

[SmallCog]

What sorts of quantities?

I’d hardly waste a tub on something you only have a few of. Just put all the 5A fuses in the same box/drawer

It’s easy enough to flick through and find something that’ll fit in the hole, reading the writing if you have different amps together is harder.

If you do everything at 5v then the voltage rating hardly matters, whack them all together. If volts matter I guess you better sort them.

[Ian.M]

It depends on what fuses you use regularly.  I'd want the ones I commonly use in organizer boxes, one for each combo of form factor, LV DC vs HV AC, and time characteristic, sorted by value.  Put the rest in an 'odds and sods' organizer box, again sorted by value.  Put overstock in an ice cream tub, in original packets/boxes, bagged by form factor, LV DC vs HV AC, and time characteristic.

[sleemanj]

Since I resell fuses I have quite a few on hand, I 3D printed little boxes to go in cheap plastic food storage containers or whatever you call them...



I only carry 5x20 in some common ratings, the lids of the containers sort of clip in and serve to prevent accidental mixing if the main lid ever came loose or something, you can hook out a container by using your fingernail and tip out however many you need, each container just barely holds 100 fuses.

[veedub565]

Thanks for all the suggestions and examples

I filled a 36 compartment organiser with all the different fuses I have, and spilled over into a few tubs of a 2nd organiser. I have various voltages, sizes, element types. Some tubs have just one fuse in, others are pretty full.

In the end I labelled them up according to element type and rating. Since it's pretty easy to see the physical size of them I left this off the label. It makes it easy for me to see quickly at a glance what values I have and whether its a fast or slow blow, or some other type (I have a couple of dual elements ones)