How to Organize a Basic Electronics Lab / Bench / Workspace?

[salil]

I've found a lot of information as to what tools are essential but not so much about ways to organize the essentials of a basic electronics lab.  Maybe I'm just overly neat but I like to keep tools well organized and easily accessible for any task but electronics and soldering isn't something I've taken the time to properly organize a space for in my basement.

Does anyone know where I find some examples and/or advice on how to efficiently organize a basic electronics lab or soldering station?  Also, things like recommended bench height, chair type and other ergonomics without going into the insanely expensive pro territory would be great to hear about.

Basically I do small repairs on electronics, make cables, modify basic boards, soldering connectors, etc and I have loads of random components from things I've taken apart and tools and such which makes it a little daunting as to where to start organizing the essentials nicely.  I'm sure many others have encountered this issue in the past, so I thought I'd see what others had to say before I go about trying to figure out how to be  put together an efficient workspace for working on simple electronics repairs (mostly taking apart stuff with lots of screws and soldering - I haven't really had a need for any scopes as of yet).

[nanofrog]

I'm in the process of finishing up a bench.

For inspiration, I looked at both the "Whats your Work-Bench/lab look like? Post some pictures of your Lab." thread to see what other members have been able to come up with, and very heavily at commercially produced benches (worked on a few; nice but cost a fortune to get what I was after).

Here's a few companies that make them for you to examine.
Pro-Line
Lista
Rousseau Metal
Tennsco

Here's a nice one made of wood (Joe Walnes), which might be more attractive to you than working with steel.

YouTube videos on the topic exist as well. Here's one by Chris Gammell (very active & helpful EEVBlog member).



No idea what you're able to do (tools available and/or materials you're able to work with), but hopefully this is a good starting point at least.

[pickle9000]

There is no right way. Even if you set up a pretty lab you may move your gear to make it more convenient for a particular project. When you look at what I have listed it's that way for comfort. I work on an elevated bench with a stool, that is what I find comfortable. If you prefer a chair use that.

I can't say this will help you organize things but...

- Soldering on right hand side for right handed people.
- Far right computer (right handed people)
- Power supplies low left
- Scopes in the middle right
- Meters under scopes
- Signal gens to the left

These are my preferences and are based on how I connect up a board. I like my power wires on the bottom and so on. I run 2 benches one for burn-in and one for design/assembly.

[linux-works]

think in terms of work zones and types of work you might do.

I am planning on having sections that are for:

- soldering and simple go/no go test
- test equipment for more precision work (not repair and not dirty stuff)
- a dirty area for drilling, filing, gluing, painting
- a computer area (nowhere near where resistor cut-off leads can go flying ,etc)

that's my plan, anyway.

one thing I'm trying to figure out is: when the good test gear is not in use, I'd like some cover to keep dust and dirt out, but also to keep sunshine out since that yellows the beige (etc) plastic and there's no reason to expose my good test gear to anything if its not currently in use.  some kind of drapes or even roll-top (?) to protect things would be super nice but I have not solved that part yet.

[pickle9000]

Lexan or plexiglas makes a good dust cover just use a heat gun and bend into an L shape. Lay it on the top of the equipment so it covers the front of your device. Pull out and flip upside down to get it out of the way. Wouldn't give much protection against light. The best part is that you can still see your gear.

[linux-works]

that's kind of a neat idea.  if you use plexiglass, you could use 'bronze' which is somewhat neutral and still blocks most of the light.

I really hate having nice gear turn dingy yellow, so hiding it from the daylight is a goal of mine.  and I'm sometimes sloppy with cutoff leads and they do go flying from time to time.  I don't want anything finding its way into top metal vent holes, etc.

if I had woodworking skills, I'd love to actually have rolltop covers; maybe they'd push up to the top of a given shelf when I need the gear, then pull them down and have them magnetically latch to the lower shelf, protecting the gear (and looking good, too).  maybe someday...

[pickle9000]

A rolltop workbench sounds really big. I'd go for a pair of "roll sideways doors" easier to move the "doors". You'd have to do a really deep bench. And yes I am not a half bad hobby type woodworker. 

I had on customer in a heavy equipment shop that welded up a complete bench for his custom test jig. To get in took 2 guys and you had to open the entire front of the bench. It was located in an open shop and he was worried about it getting stolen / thrashed. Of course it did more than keep it safe and he used the bench for more than one jig in the end so well worth the effort.

[linux-works]

side rolling is ok, but then you have to open the whole shelf or lots of gear at once.

if there was an individual top-roll style cover that was maybe 2x the width of usual test gear, then you could open up 2 at a time and keep the rest covered.  I would think there's enough depth in shelves (for typical test gear) to hang top-mount 'rolls' (not sure what to even call these things).

I'd like it to be able to break-down so that if I move, the whole thing can be taken apart and packed somehow, for the movers.  I'm leary of full desks and shelves simply because I want to keep the ability to do a house move when I need to (I rent and so I sometimes have to move sooner than I'd like).

maybe even cloth that works this way.  maybe put it on a track and even motorize it (only half kidding).

[ajb]

You can get UV-blocking film to apply to your windows--they can also help significantly reduce cooling loads in summer.  Yellowing plastic is partly due to oxidation, though, so to an extent you may be SOL on that unless you like working in an anaerobic environment 

As far as a bench setup, I'd say as a general rule you'll want a fairly deep bench surface, say 32"/900mm or even a bit more.  That way you have room to place tools/instruments at the back of the bench and still have room to work.  Above that, some adjustable shelving is a good bet.  Any decent hardware store should carry shelving systems that consist of standards that get mounted vertically to the wall and can accept brackets along their lengths.  The brackets are available in different sizes, so your shelves can be anywhere from 6"-12"/150-300mm deep.  These are nice because you can always add/remove/rearrange the shelves as your tasks and equipment change.  Be sure to get a heavy-duty variety if you decide to collect old test gear.  Some shallow shelves about 8" above the bench surface give you a spot to keep frequently used tools, or shallow equipment like DSOs off the bench without encroaching too much on your bench space.  Additional shelves higher along the wall can be deeper to provide space for storage bins or less frequently used tools.  The underside of a deep upper shelf is also a good place to mount some task lighting--small fluorescent tubes or LED strips are good. 

Other than that, it's kind of a matter of what fits in the space you have, and just getting everything set up so you can see if it works.  Don't invest too much in a setup until you've had a chance to try it out and see if it works for you.  So stick with inexpensive and/or flexible/adjustable furniture and fixtures and tweak it till it basically works, and then design your super awesome custom built bench based on that.

[pickle9000]

It's easy enough to make a bench that can fold up for moving. As for shelving you could make them so they double as packing crates, you'd still have to use packing materials though.

I can certainly understand where you are coming from. I used to move a great deal when I was starting out and moving your gear can be really stressful. Especially when that is what you earn a living with.

[linux-works]

my last move was a huge hassle.  I really wanted to make things easier to break-down and transport.  not that it will, often, but I want the time it has to - to be as smooth and safe as possible.  (I still have not found some gear that I have in boxes from the last move, lol).

[GreyWoolfe]

+1 on ajb.  My bench is 34" deep and 8' long with 3, 12" adjustable shelves full length.  I own so I am not worried about moving it and my office is my domain only so it won't ever move from it's spot.  Besides, it's made of 2X4s and 3/4 MDF and is too damn heavy to move!  It is all one unit with the uprights for the vertical rails attached to the back of the bench.  I like the 34" depth.  My workbench is for my job also so the depth is great for working on all the equipment as well as fun stuff and the occasional computer repair for others.  Nanofrog has the right idea also, look through the thread he mentioned and you will find design elements from more than 1 bench that you like to combine to customize your own space.  When I decided to upgrade my workspace I probably spent a good week or so thinking what I wanted to accomplish.  Take your time, look at what other people have done, plan well and you will end up with something perfect for you.  Realize also that your design will probably be more dynamic than static.  You will constantly rearrange to make it work better.  I built mine last Thanksgiving and I still rearrange, even going so far as to build myself an oscilloscope cart to hold my 2 analog scopes because they weren't working any more on the bench