Whats your Work-Bench/lab look like? Post some pictures of your Lab.

[richnormand]

@voltage
Like your powerbar. Can you share more info?
Cheers.

[RAPo]

Small (depth 70cm length 170 cm) but usable. (note to self if you get more scopes you need another bench;-))

[PlainName]

Why do you need more than one (or two) scope(s) on the bench? I can appreciate having many, but surely you use or need available just one (or two). The ones high up aren't really usable and take up space other kit could be using.

[RAPo]

Indeed I need two scopes (Tek 2225 and Rigol MSO5104) and they are within direct reach.
However, I like old analogue scopes and need a place to store them.

[Edison]

Well, if you need to save them, I'll send you the address

[deadlylover]

I did some prototype art bench lighting. The funny cardboard "luminaire" is so I cannot see the emitters directly and have no bright spots on my vision. There's some reflective film inside I think I originally planned this to mount above a monitor for desk lighting like those fancy BenQ screenbars.

LED strip used is from Cutter (SSK-1560ZGE-50299NIC), LEDs are the Nichia 757 optisolis series. CCT ~4600K Duv =-0.0016, CRI Ra = 99, R9 = 94. TM-30-15 Rf= 98, Rg = 100. It might as well be museum class lighting ahahah.

Powered with a 25W Meanwell LED driver that is adjusted with a Bourns 3500S 10 turn wirewound pot (it was on special lol). I have another strip powered from it that does general room/PC desk lighting so it only sees say 12W on full chooch.

I need to heatsink it with some square aluminium tubing, there is a 40C rise over ambient @ 12W drive which is in spec (100C ambient, 120C junction) but makes me uncomfortable. That's about 650 lux on the desk though and at a more reasonable 150lux or there's a 13C rise if that.

A museum would only display sensitive work at say 50 lux, while the ASTM D1729 standard for a light booth used for visual appraisal of colours calls for 810-1880lux. Maybe that's a bit too nuts for casual late night doodling sessions ahahahah.

[Ground_Loop]

Small (depth 70cm length 170 cm) but usable. (note to self if you get more scopes you need another bench;-))

Never seen a bench with all the BNCs capped.

[RAPo]

Never seen a bench with all the BNCs capped.

The photo was taken after an extensive reshuffle because the Enertec 5224 joined the club.
Before such a reshuffle I always cap all connectors.

[DL8RI]

I guess, I do fall into that category?! And sanity was never an option....

My special interest is (very) high frequency stuff, so things that go into the two or three digit GHz range. So black magic in general.
That again needs a lot of general support electronics and a lot of TE that has to be repaired. And the latter opens Pondora's box on what stuff you will need (spiler: everything!).

Edit:
Sorry for the rotated images. Neither my phone, nor my pc, nor Instagram has an issue with that, only this forum here.

Is that a B&K 2425 AC voltmeter I see on the shelf there? I have a one of those been in my repair queue since 1999. It's finally in bits on the bench: the negative power supply is u/s, but I need to trace the circuit out to progress further. B&K notoriously never provide circuit diagrams

Nope it is a 2609. The others are 2636 of which I happened to own one already and then find 3 or 4 units in the trash. Well, now I have plenty (until I finally manage to give them away).
Sorry for the "timely" response, I am somewhat occupied renovating my new house (with a new Lab... more than 20 m² ) and did not log in here ever since posting...

[PixieDust]

After going through the whole thread from start to finish, what I have learned is that you want shelving. All the really nice setups go vertical.

[_Wim_]

After going through the whole thread from start to finish, what I have learned is that you want shelving. All the really nice setups go vertical.

That and a deep bench, so you still have plenty of space in front of the shelves to have a decent working area (but not too deep so you cannot easily reach the equipment on the shelves...). Shelves also need to be deep if you are into vintage HP gear.

As an example what works for me, I use a 1m deep bench, with 55cm deep shelves. The equipment that is directly on the bench does not occupy the full 55cm, but maybe max 45cm, so this leaves a working area > 0.5m.

[PixieDust]

That and a deep bench, so you still have plenty of space in front of the shelves to have a decent working area (but not too deep so you cannot easily reach the equipment on the shelves...). Shelves also need to be deep if you are into vintage HP gear.

As an example what works for me, I use a 1m deep bench, with 55cm deep shelves. The equipment that is directly on the bench does not occupy the full 55cm, but maybe max 45cm, so this leaves a working area > 0.5m.

Agreed. I spent my whole life behind a single small desk. I never had enough space. A few years ago I purchased a 900mm deep desk and it has absolutely changed my life. In fact, it's only a tiny bit too crampt. I wish I had another 10cm, then everything would fit perfectly when I'm doing stuff.

[PixieDust]

Here's mine.

All the leads for the oscilloscope and DMM, the ESD mat, the soldering iron and projects are tucked away in the drawers.

[_Wim_]

Here is mine in its current messy state...

[Psi]

Here is mine in its current messy state...

Yours in a messy state looks like what mine looks like when in a tidy state

[_Wim_]

Yours in a messy state looks like what mine looks like when in a tidy state

I have to admit, it can be worse also 

[richnormand]

"Here is mine in its current messy state..."
Care to elaborate about the optics on the left bench?
Cheers

[_Wim_]

"Here is mine in its current messy state..."
Care to elaborate about the optics on the left bench?
Cheers

On the left:
These are parts of an older ellipsometer I found on Ebay. I want to use these as an automatic polarization analyzer. I have a bunch of unlabelled mica quarter waveplates, and would like to closely characterize them to build a few optical isolators and of course also use them as quarter and half waveplates.

Currently I have realigned the optics in both polarizer and analyzer (I get a 1/30.000 attenuation when analyzer and polarizer are at 90°), and have reverse engineered the old encoder and motor windings of the analyzer part.  Currently I am working on writing some firmware for a STM32 board to control the motor and read in an optical power meter via and ADC1256. Analysis will be done on the pc (still need to delf into Jones calculus to make this all work, so will not be finished soon)

On the right:
This is a laser marker system in progress. It will consist of a jenoptik smaragd laser firing into a beam expander that enters a scanlab galvo. Galvo and laser will be controlled by an LMCV4 controller. Also work in progress, currently the LMCV4 is damaged due to a grounding error by me, but I should be able to fix it (parts on order)

[richnormand]

Very nice. you might consider posting something in "projects" eventually!
My background is in nonlinear optics so I was intrigued.

Thanks.

[_Wim_]

Very nice. you might consider posting something in "projects" eventually!
My background is in nonlinear optics so I was intrigued.

Thanks.

Good idea & good to know some optic experts are also "hiding" in this forum  . That could be useful for an optics hobbyist like me. My problem is mostly working on too many projects simultaneously and shifting focus quite often between them. For example I am currently also working on reverse engineering an FTNIR (Buhler/Buschi NIRFlex N-400) in the hope to use my own software/electronics with it. Motor movement is ok (was easy, were 2 stepper motors) and I have traced back where I can record the laser reference signal and the interferrogram (see recording with my picoscope). So digitizing those should be sufficient I think to recreate the NIR spectra...

Goal is here to use similar electronics hardware as for the polarization analyzer (stm32 board with ADC1256 and motor controllers), and do the rest on pc (C# application). But also here, progress is not too fast, hence sometimes a "fear" of posting because I will not be able to provide regular updates...

[Anthocyanina]

I finally organized my desk/bench!
yes, my pc is a wooden plank!

[SiliconWizard]

Only 3 screens?

[tautech]

Only 3 screens?

Gotta fill all the holes on the back of the Mobo. 

[Anthocyanina]

Only 3 screens?

Gotta fill all the holes on the back of the Mobo. 

what else can one do! 

[Ed.Kloonk]

I finally organized my desk/bench!
yes, my pc is a wooden plank!

As someone who runs PCs in cases that have never had the side cover on, I find that presentation so salacious, I'm wondering if it should be illegal.