Compact electronics bench ergonomics suggestions?(also photogrammetry tool link) - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: cdev
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 23, 2017, 06:11:19 pm
content: I've been trying to figure out the best way to lay out a corner of my finished attic as an electronics area.The photos of other people's benches have been useful for getting ideas.Does anybody have any other space saving tips?Everything that goes there is something I'll use a lot and I want it to be close to reach. I also want to put a small computer (very small) with a similarly small screen in there. Mostly for pulling up data too big for my tablet screen.The roof on one side is slanted and there is a return vent for ventilation so I want my soldering iron and 838D rework station in the triangle to the right , near the air vent.The scope and power supply are both comparable in depth, both are kind of deep.The compact nature of newer scopes is a big advantage.

author: Ian.M
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 23, 2017, 06:25:51 pm
content: A photo of the corner, with a yardstick for scale, and masking tape (or edit the photo) to show the limits of the area you can afford for the bench would help.You need at least 2' depth from the front bench edge to the front of any test equipment directly on the bench or shelved within 2' above it. Mount the PC under the bench, with a powered USB hub at the back of the benchtop, a wireless mouse or a trackball and the keyboard in a pullout keyboard draw so you don't have to clear bench space to use it. Where you mount the monitor is a matter of personal preference - either wall mount at eye level at the back of the bench or on a swingout monitor arm. Get a multi-input monitor that can handle the PC, HDMI and composite video, so you can use it for anything that needs a screen as well as the PC.

author: cdev
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 23, 2017, 07:20:58 pm
content: I will upload some photos .. working on that now.Has anybody here ever done anything with photogrammetry? There are a bunch of commercial tools, as well as some free ones, (one example of a photogrammetry workflow management tool that simplifies the workflow of tying a bunch of other software that does the heavy lifting together isVSFM by Changchang Wu) basically the tools collectively let you take a bunch of overlapping photos and import them, and the software them builds up a point cloud by finding the features where multiple photos overlap and then building a "point cloud" out of the data, it figures out the geometry.It would be cool to be able to design a nice super compact bench (or anything else for the home, garden, etc.) using 3D modeling with a means of very rapidly getting the models involved quickly without a lot of fuss.

author: Nystemy
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 24, 2017, 10:19:31 pm
content: Sounds like a similar problem to what I have. Though, I have a 2.3x2.28x2.18 meter room to work in. (roughly 7 feet x 7 feet x 7 feet)Though, I have the luxury of straight walls and lots of shelves. So I happen to have room for all my test gear, soldering irons, drawers, desktop computer and other stuff. Not to mention a laser cutter and I'm also currently thinking of stuffing in a small lathe in the corner, as I happen to need one and still manage to have the room for it.