How do you guys organize (index) resistors? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: staze
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 09, 2013, 10:01:36 pm
content: I don't mean in what physical hardware, I mean, do you go by ranges (1? to 999?, 1k? to 999k?, etc), or do you go by...?Looking for some efficiency here. Already sorting them into baggies, just need some way to actually make the baggies easy to find, sort of just having them all in a single storage vessel. Maybe I should find a librarian forum to post this on. =DThanks!

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 09, 2013, 10:34:37 pm
content: Hi... well recently and due another move, I now have a restricted workshop area e.g. within the living area; so I wanted it to be tidy and out of sight, when not doing any work.After saying all that, my resistor values are almost bagged into range decade size e.g.High wattage low Ohms 1-470R are range bagged together... however, all other normal M25 1% MF range are bagged as:10 - 68R, 100 - 820R, 1k - 8k2, 10k - 82k, 100k - 470k, 510k - 1M...all other Meg values are bagged individually through the range upto 10Meg, due being all high precision.Then all the bag's are stacked into a long basket, and stowed in my bench draw, for easy access along with other parts that follow the same arrangement.

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 09, 2013, 10:46:09 pm
content: I sort mine first by wattage (less than 1W, 1W or more), then into E12 values. Non-E12 goes into the nearest E12 drawer. Anything "special" that isn't obvious at a glance (high precision, low tempco, whatever) just stays in its labeled bag; I don't have enough of those to sort them. There were extra drawers, so I stuck a few common values (4k7, 10k, 47k, 100k, 1meg) into their own drawers.I find it quite efficient, because once I pull out a drawer, the only thing I have to look for is the final color stripe. It's easy to yank the "33" drawer and look for "brown on blue body" or "red on tan body" to find a 3k3 resistor.

author: staze
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 09, 2013, 11:19:39 pm
content: okay, that makes sense..... I think. Going through this....So you have 12 drawers, with say .1, 1,10,100,1k,10k,100k,1M,10M then a drawer with .12, 1.2, 12, 120, 1k2, 12k, 120k, 1M2, 12M... etc.So yeah, just looking at the multiplier.So, what do you do with 1% resistors? Just throw them in the E12 drawer where they fall in line?

author: MetraCollector
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 09, 2013, 11:24:16 pm
content: When lack of space, I mix clearly different values in colors and numeric values, e.g. 100k + 47K.

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 10, 2013, 01:47:01 am
content: Quote from: staze on April 09, 2013, 11:19:39 pmMe? I have 12 drawers: 10, 12, 15, 18, 22, 27, 33, 39, 47, 56, 68, 82, then 12 more for high power, then the additional 4k7, 10k, 47k, 100k, 1meg.Plain old "1%" resistors go in the usual drawers, I have a lot of them. Anything better than 1% or with especially low tempco is special.

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 10, 2013, 02:23:46 am
content: i went for E24 from 100R to 0.91M using an array of pull-out draws that each take two compartments.100R -910R1K - 9.1k10K - 91k100K - 910k4x24 = 96two per draw = 43 draws.25 draws per cabinet = two cabinets.

author: staze
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 10, 2013, 03:26:53 am
content: Quote from: c4757p on April 10, 2013, 01:47:01 amPerfect. Since I'm tight on space, and my wife doesn't like the look of the akro-mills style drawers, I'm thinking of doing something like this:Alas, doesn't really work for bigger stuff (like electrolytic caps, etc).... There must be SOME good option. But the E12 index system seems like it might be the best for what I'm after. Just feels a bit like looking through a card catalog at the library... not that kids know what the hell those are.

author: codeboy2k
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 10, 2013, 06:12:54 am
content: I've had walls of drawers for years, and after seeing a few of these index systems using binders and baseball card sleeves, I'm going to switch to it now. Much less space, and more and more of my stuff is moving to smd.I still see a need for drawers for the bigger items, so I probably can't eliminate them completely, but I think I can reduce my drawer space by 80% using the binders.Also, moving my components from house to house, although not a common event, should be easier with binders. I've moved 3 times with drawers, each time I just cling wrap my drawers tightly and box them. Binders seem like they can be boxed and moved easy, and I foresee one or two more moves in my future

author: firewalker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 10, 2013, 07:24:47 am
content: You are missing all the fun of trying to find the one resistor you need. Mix every resistor to a single box.Alexander.

author: bradleytron
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 10, 2013, 07:33:49 am
content: One extra small tip; If you plan to keep them in the little baggies, prototype quantities, as I once did, I would punch a small hole in the lip of each bag and, after sorting them I held them together in bundles with those large sized key rings. Kind of like a Rolodex for resistors!B

author: KJDS
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 10, 2013, 08:04:40 am
content: 0402 in one folder, 0603 in another and so on. I do have a simple kit of leaded stuff in a box but I've never opened it. I only bought it in case it was needed for a repair job but it's always FETs or caps that have died.

author: lapm
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 10, 2013, 10:09:35 am
content: Personally i use small zip bags. one bad has for example 100, 1k, 10k, 100k resistors. Easy to use and store.SMD resistors similar system, except i keep them on that tape inside a bag.. Hate when theyre loose on bottom...

author: Tuomas
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 10, 2013, 11:26:35 am
content: 0603s in a folder.0805s in a folder.through holes sorted in 14 drawers, 12 for E12 values, one that says "POWER!" and one that says "RANDOM!".I'd have them separated into more drawers (a whole new E12 split for larger than 1/4 watt, etc), but don't have the space. I'm planning on moving to a new apartment soon and I'm already dreaming of walls of nothing but component cabinets.

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 10, 2013, 11:33:29 am
content: Quote from: firewalker on April 10, 2013, 07:24:47 amYou joke, but this is seriously what has been done in the lab at my school. Must have been in place for a while, seeing how there are a good number of carbon comps in there.They gave each of us a kit of a few basic components, including resistors in 100, 1k, 10k, 100k, and 1meg. I usually just mix a few of those and save time rooting through the damn box.

author: Harvs
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 10, 2013, 01:31:45 pm
content: My website still needs a lot of work (I'm still finding the time to write up a bunch of stuff.)But here's an idea for you if your talking about through hole resistors.http://www.electronicsinoz.info/ideas-for-the-lab/batch-resistor-testing/

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 10, 2013, 02:13:44 pm
content: QuoteSome joke ? at my age.I admit if you have a real good set of eye-balls and no glasses, your in with a chance.Okay, it was easy to identify the Old Standard resistor colour code, all at an instant and single glance... e.g:http://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/resistor/res_2.htmlBut nowadays, with those dark background colours and multipliers !!! is it Red or Brown ?, also is it Orange or a Red ? and what way around on low Ohm and Kilohm values... boy the Frustration Ensues, with one's inability to get at the value you need.Well, I have to actually label every resistor pack, occaionally had to meter the values just to make sure I got them right, before adding to my stock.

author: madires
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 10, 2013, 03:04:23 pm
content: Quote from: codeboy2k on April 10, 2013, 06:12:54 amGot my resistors in drawers too, sorted by E24. For some values a binder would work (just a few resistors) but for the most common values the drawers are full. So I don't see any advantage for binders, since I would need to split up the storage. Is the 47k in the drawers or binders? Too much hassle :-)

author: Radio Tech
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 10, 2013, 04:13:46 pm
content: I got ahold of some off the shelf cardboard boxes that were used in an electronic store. About 12 inches long 3 inches wide. They are also tapered. 2 inches high in the front to about 5 inches in the back. I ripped one apart and used it to make more. I bought some small vanilla envelopes and labeled each with resistor values. This is how I store all my 1/4th watt resistors and ceramic capacitors.Bigger resistors go in drawers hanging on the wall.

author: Harvs
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 10, 2013, 11:47:11 pm
content: Quote from: madires on April 10, 2013, 03:04:23 pmThere's one big advantage to how I've done it. If I need a ratio pair of resistors around a certain range it takes excel mher seconds to find all the candidates within a tolerance and list them by error. So ok, that's ok to do by hand once, but it really comes into play when you need a set of 4 with a certain ratio between them all.But then again this is pretty defunct now anyway because I use smd mostly and pre packaged instrumentation amps.

author: MacAttak
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 11, 2013, 02:52:18 am
content: BTW, if you decide to go with the 3-ring binder method shown in that video, a good source of the little ziplock bags is your local head shop. Turns out those places tend to have an outstanding range of choices when it comes to that. I looked all over for some today, craft stores, walmart, office depot, etc. Couldn't find them and a friend suggested that I try the nearest head shop (there are plenty of those places here in the Atlanta area) - sure enough they had half a wall of them in numerous sizes and colors.

author: Mike Warren
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 11, 2013, 03:39:24 am
content: 1/4W Resistors:Other drawers:SM components for prototyping:SM Reels kept in a couple of large drawers:

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 11, 2013, 03:45:53 am
content: I love the film canisters. Wish I had that many handy...

author: Mike Warren
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 11, 2013, 03:53:14 am
content: I used to collect them from the photo processing shop over the road, but that's no longer possible. At least I still have about 50 unused ones for expansion and replacing broken ones.

author: amspire
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 11, 2013, 04:19:36 am
content: For SMD parts, I use a few of the Aidetech cases:http://www.aidetech.com/smt-resistor-storage-box-enclosure-1206-0805-72-compartments-tweezers-198-labelsNot the cheapest perhaps, but I find them very convenient. The compartments look small, but I have never got near filling one with parts like SMD resistors or capacitors. For larger parts like smd opamps, power diodes and mosfets I have sometimes had to use two or three compartments.They do have an ESD safe box for ICs.The cases are very good quality and they never spill devices.With the cheaper case, you end up with 72 discrete resistor values in a box a little smaller then an A4 sheet of paper. You could easily store 30,000 or more individual SMD resistors in one box.

author: madires
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 11, 2013, 12:33:26 pm
content: Quote from: Harvs on April 10, 2013, 11:47:11 pmWould be overkill for me. Though, I got mySQL running on a server. Add a little PHP and you'll have a nice web GUI. That's a good reason to buy an Android tablet :-)QuoteMost of my parts are still through-hole, just a few SMDs. Bought some "surplus suprise packages" in the past which gave me tons of common parts for a few bucks. Great for repairing old stuff! Some ICs aren't in production anymore and their price skyrocked; could make a fortune :-) Might be a new investment strategy ;-)

author: Gall
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 11, 2013, 12:33:47 pm
content: Mine is organized like that:...1M0...1M5...2M2...3M3...4M7>4M7...100k...150k...220k...330k...470k...680k...10k...15k...22k...33k...47k...68k...1k0...1k5...2k2...3k3...4k7...6k8...100...150...220...330...470...6800...10...15...22...33...47...68All E6 go to the corresponding boxes. Everything else is rounded up. I plan to rebuild this based on E12 series and adding two extra rows for small and large resistances.

author: Rick Law
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2013, 06:00:41 pm
content: I like the idea of putting into "loose-leaf" business card pouches so one can file it like business cards. Thinking it over, I don't like the idea of when the binder is dropped, things may be all over the place, so I decided to continue on with my current approach:See attached photoI have beenusing a small one for years. Great for having a few minimum useful things in the brief case (jumpers, case screws, fuses). I dropped it plenty of times and the lids stay closed. Another advantage is I canopen up just one lid, pour it on the table and find the specific one within that range.I waited till I get the larger one to post this with photos. Thelarge one is under a buckat StuffMart; if you are in the USA, get it soon. These are "medical devices" and Obamacare has additional tax for medical devices.

author: OzMike
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 26, 2013, 04:41:19 am
content: I only use through-hole components, but simply using A4 envelopes in a shoebox works well. It's easy to find a certain part or to reorder items, cheap to add more 'capacity', and as I live / work in a small apartment it makes the wife happy that it's easy to pack away and keep neat. The envelopes hold a few to couple of hundred of each part in about the same physical space.The only downside so far is not being able to see if a particular value is 'in stock', but that's just a matter of reordering when numbers are running low.

author: peter.mitchell
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 26, 2013, 09:56:09 am
content: I have a wall of pigeon holes just big enough to fit thesehttp://www.bunnings.com.au/products_product_storage-tray-handy-storage-100x100x394-med-grey-hssptm_P2580901.aspx?viewtype=list&page=25and in those I have maybe 10-20 small brown envelopes with values written on them, and the components in those.I usually sort by first digit, so MISC + 1.0-1.5, 1.5-2.0, 2.0-2.5, 2.5-3.0, so one drawer will have 20ohm, 200ohm, 2k ohm, 20k ohm, 200k ohm, 2meg ohm (ect).I find this better than in order of absolute resistance for some unknown reason, and it works out that all the values "close" to what you want are in the same drawer anyway.The pigeon holes are nifty for not just resistors/caps/inductors/diodes, but also bigger things too, you can fit a bunch of heatsinks in one, a bunch of blank pcbs, and heaps of other things - also, brown paper bags are great because you can just write on them.