Plano Molding 974 StowAway Organizer Rack - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: minime72706
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 28, 2012, 05:09:32 pm
content: I've tried a number of storage systems for electronic components including products from Akro Mils (technically The Container Store, but the products are identical other than the branding) and "Really Useful Boxes Inc.", and though I like the plastic storage cabinets I have from The Container Store for most of my components, it was not practical for component KITS such as kits of various types of resistors and capacitors which should be kept together. The cabinets from TCS also used drawers which were uncovered and could get jammed as well as easily spill their contents. I then came across these products from Plano Molding, which I've seen examples of at The Home Depot. I wanted something that was compact (dense storage) and most importantly, CHEAP. I needed something for my various carbon film resistors, poly film caps, electrolytic caps, ceramic caps, inductors, etc. that would keep the different component types together in one place while making it easy to retrieve the value I needed for my prototype/design quickly. This means, unlike in some of my previous "solutions", I would hope to have only one compartment/bin PER VALUE of component so I didn't have to fish out the right resistor which was only organized by decade (and later in bins of 3-5 values). This requires a lot of compartments...Enter the "Plano Molding 974 StowAway Organizer Rack", which can be seen here via Amazon.com:http://www.amazon.com/Plano-Molding-974-StowAway-Organizer/dp/B000CRHD6KIt's $30 and consists of four of their 3700 series plastic small parts organizers which can have between 4 and 24 compartments with the included dividers, or nearly double that if you procure more. I bought two of them, making for 192 total compartments by default. It turns out I need more, but that's not important right now. I attached the two I got to make one cabinet using a nylon bolt and some tape (I plan to improve the tape handiwork later) andyou can see photos below:...Photos are too high-res, look at them here instead:http://imgur.com/a/txUD6I have started filling them with components, and eventually I intend to label everything, but I have no photos of them in use yet (I'm at work).I intend to buy more dividers, which you can't find online. I e-mailed Plano and was told that you can buy sets of 15 for $1.24 each if you call 800-226-9868. I have not done this yet.I also had an idea to attach magnets to the inside of the cabinet and to the inside of the back corners of the storage cases (two each) to hold them in. I bought some suitable magnets from eBay and I'll let you know how that works out when I receive them.I also may end up buying a couple more someday, and if you think you have a use for four of these, you should look into buying direct from the manufacturer because there's a slight deal:http://www.planostoragesolutions.com/products/125-3700-size-stowaway-rack-organizer.aspxIf you like this product and are interested in my modifications, check this section of a forum once in awhile because I'll eventually post updates regarding procuring extra dividers, using the magnets to hold the trays in, and maybe a better way to attach two together. The magnets should be a good idea because otherwise the cases can slide out if you try to move the entire unit (or tip it) and though they stack just fine, I wanted to attach mine together into one unit. EDIT: Obviously, Velcro is another option which is much cheaper and maybe more robust (also not as cool, though)PS - Note that the 964 version that uses the smaller 3600 series cases comes with cheap-ass versions of the 3600 which uses fixed dividers (according to reviews on Amazon.com). I would avoid it. You can see a 3600 series case for comparison in some of the photos.I hope that some of you find this useful; for the price I think this is an amazing product!

author: minime72706
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 30, 2012, 04:06:47 pm
content: I called the number and they directed me to fill out this form:http://www.planomolding.com/contact-us/and they ended up sending me 11 sets (of 15) for free!

author: minime72706
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2012, 04:49:02 pm
content: The magnet idea seems to work well. I'm only halfway done with it because I was careless and glued 3 magnets on backwards and it took some time to fix. Apparently the best solution was to run hot water on top of the area (the magnet is thankfully metal) and then shear it off with a metal object. The nice thing about using a metal object is that the magnet immediately sticks to it rather than fly across the roomI'll demo it when I'm done, but the hold is fairly strong and when you slide it in, it clicks in a mildly satisfying way.My chosen magnets were not cheap, but that's because I wanted to screw-mount the magnets I used on the shelf rather than glue them. Ebay is a good source. The magnets I used definitely offset the cost-benefit of this product, but YMMV. :3EDIT: I finished... after breaking a bunch of magnets... and the bonds withstand a bit of jiggling when the shelf is tilted at a 45 degree angle pretty well. I'm pleased.

author: minime72706
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 10, 2012, 11:59:25 pm
content: http://imgur.com/a/1YzjkHere are some pictures of the result in action. Ignore the other pictures, this album was thrown together to help a friend decide what to get for his own component storage needs.I was a bit sloppy, but it works.I hope some of this is useful to someone!

author: george graves
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 14, 2012, 09:22:56 am
content: Nice organization skills!I don' t like any container with removable separators. It's way to easy for small parts to sneak their way under the dividers. And forget SMD stuff and things like 0.1" caps, they'll sneak right under a divider if it lifts up a fraction of an inch.I also find that containers with curved inside bottoms better (much like the shape of the cash drawer where the change is stored)If you really want to see some amazing bins, check this out. (thought it might be better at mechanical stuff - not sure how those bins would work for componets)

author: T4P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 14, 2012, 12:05:06 pm
content: Forget about stuffing SMD components into drawershttp://www.sureelectronics.net/goods.php?id=600

author: minime72706
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 15, 2012, 05:57:24 pm
content: Quote from: george graves on September 14, 2012, 09:22:56 amI agree with your sentiment about containers with removable dividers, but:1. This wasn't intended for surface mount components.2. You can glue them in place!3. LOW COST!This particular setup was meant for multi-value component kits. Any other option is just impractical for something like that. Capacitors and resistors!The 148-value metal film resistor kit I grabbed on eBay may expand my resistor collection to half of that unit! (4/8)On the big white bins, the components are larger, in general, and the dividers being removable doesn't cause a problem.Heh, be reminded that my magnet idea kind of nullified the cost savings, but at least Plano gave me the extra dividers for free!@T4P, yeah those little things are definitely useful for SMT devices. I have not stocked up on them in bulk, yet, though.