Storage of components, finaly got plenty of room for them. - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: ErikTheNorwegian
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 20, 2014, 09:28:24 pm
content: Sto

author: karlmag
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 21, 2014, 12:06:20 am
content: How the heck did you manage to pick my brain!??For a couple of months or so I have been thinking about a storage setup on wheels.Your concept is identical to what I have been thinking about, and your implementation is very close to what I have envisioned. Even the color! :-DDifference is that you have actually gotten around to do it, while I haven't :-/Guess I better put it higher up on my todo lists now.By the way; Very Nice! :-D--KarlMag

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 21, 2014, 12:08:25 am
content: Nice!I have to finish my component tower...

author: peter.mitchell
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 21, 2014, 12:50:40 am
content: I'd love to build one but i'd be afraid of it falling over.Looks real nice though, is it stable?

author: aargee
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 21, 2014, 06:41:04 am
content: Very nice, double sided?But as one of my fellow aussies would say...That'snota component tower...thisis a component tower!Floor to ceiling, four towers on one rotating base ... and on wheels. There are two of these, one is still dismantled.Some here might even recognise where it came from.

author: aargee
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 21, 2014, 06:52:12 am
content: Yes, double sided, can't read.

author: sleemanj
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 21, 2014, 06:55:29 am
content: Quote from: aargee on March 21, 2014, 06:41:04 amLooks like an old bit of DSE equipment to me.

author: mrflibble
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 21, 2014, 07:03:55 am
content: Looks real nice!I might just use that as inspiration for what the hell to do with all those parts drawers. I had already bought some castors for something else, but I think I suddenly might need another set. The one thing that would worry me is this thing toppling over.Or drawers sliding open while wheeling it about...

author: Kjelt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 21, 2014, 09:59:03 am
content: Very very nice.As a suggestion for future builders you can make the base plate much heavier by using for instance 4 or 5 plates of glued together 18mm mdf boards, where you cut the center out of the 2 or 3 middle mdf boards and leave aprox. 2cm room on all sides.So you end up with a large hollow space that you fill with silversand (cheapest and heaviest) or if you have the money lead. Then you have a very heavy sturdy base and it will compensate for the tower.

author: Kjelt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 21, 2014, 11:31:58 am
content: Ok well you're not in the common earthquake countries so it would be fine then.Those RAACO racks are pretty expensive though, some investment you have there, but good quality.

author: FoXX
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 21, 2014, 12:35:36 pm
content: QuoteYep they are really expensive here in Denmark, did you find a nice place to buy them from?One is like 200 Dkr. ~29$/FoXX

author: karlmag
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 21, 2014, 01:17:10 pm
content: Quote from: FoXX on March 21, 2014, 12:35:36 pmYeah, those particular he has (and I have a bunch of too) is going for around that price - while on sale.. if not on sale, almost 50% more.That is, in the only store I know have them around here. There might be other places, but in any case, they're usually not particularly cheap.--KarlMag

author: Phaedrus
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 21, 2014, 05:34:03 pm
content: I remember visiting Etasis (PSU ODM) and walking through their engineering section. There was an entire 5mx3m space blocked off, with component drawers all around the outside, and two double rows of drawers going through the middle, all stacked almost to head height. Filled with every electronic component you could dream of that would be relevant to power electronics.It was like finding Nirvana.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 21, 2014, 05:44:30 pm
content: I spent 2 weeks going through the central stores in the military once, only went through 2 small buildings. Next door was a hanger with a basement, which only held fasteners. One of 5....... Let alone the bigger ones around that held components and other assemblies. A building with a full length 50 ton crane inside, and it was needed often. I did come back with a small book of misplaced parts, along with a large number of other part numbers of interest, like lugs, connectors, cable, lamps, along with a 100kg parcel that was originally destined for scrap when I walked in the first day. Assorted resistors that were new and unused, but which had not been ordered in decades as they fell out of the system. I spent 4 hours with my stamp and a pen signing the paperwork, it alone filled a box. When done I took a roll of plastic tubing, known as "bag any length" and sealed the one end, then filled it with packets till full, then did another as it would have been over 3m long. Then put my address on it and put it in internal mail. Arrived before I got back, and filled our resistor rack to overflowing of many values.

author: FoXX
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 21, 2014, 06:06:01 pm
content: Off topic but:QuoteWith that wages and tax system, you should be glad.. All hail to the oil

author: karlmag
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 22, 2014, 12:21:53 am
content: Quote from: ErikTheNorwegian on March 21, 2014, 08:42:31 pmThanks for the offer, but I live in Bergen, so it would cost more to drop by than to just buy new paint :-)

author: karlmag
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 22, 2014, 12:28:33 am
content: Quote from: ErikTheNorwegian on March 21, 2014, 08:49:48 pmThat is actually not a bad idea. Guess I need to explore some similar solution. Have wondered about it earlier, but never put much thought to it so far. Guess it's possible to make something out of wood too. Use a router to cut some grooves or something.But this is good ideas :-)--KarlMag

author: karlmag
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 22, 2014, 12:36:44 am
content: Quote from: karlmag on March 22, 2014, 12:28:33 amAnd also, you can use the stick to put wire- or component reels on.Possibly on the side(s) of the storage cabinet thing?

author: Shock
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 22, 2014, 03:08:41 pm
content: Quote from: karlmag on March 22, 2014, 12:28:33 amWooden dish rack or make your own.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2014, 09:03:26 am
content: Do not use a wire rack, as the wires tend not to be well attached with the spot welds typically used. The rake is a good idea, as the tines will be welded securely. I just use some garage holders made from light tubing, they are $2 each, and hold well enough. For other things I use a stick on plastic hanging rack, as I can get them at work for nothing as damaged items. Peel the label off ( misplaced and thus rejected, as the label is hard to remove and tears easily) and just stick where needed. Others are an old piece of Beech wood edging with L shaped hooks screwed into them. As they have a recess at the rear they also make convenient cable trays for permanent cables on the storage rack.

author: karlmag
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2014, 03:29:56 pm
content: Quote from: Shock on March 22, 2014, 03:08:41 pmThat's an idea. :-)

author: Shock
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2014, 12:03:58 pm
content: Had an even better idea. Get some spent rifle rounds (long cases) drill some holes in a piece of wood.Polish them up and glue them in.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 29, 2014, 05:19:43 pm
content: Went looking for those style rakes this week, but only the horrid plastic or an even worse steel one. Looks like that old fridge rack from the 22 year old KIC fridge that I took to scrap last week will come in useful. That at least has decent thick wire bars, and plenty of cross braces. Too bad the plastic dip coating will not survive the cooking it will get when reinforcing the welds with braze welds though, it will all have to be burned or peeled off.

author: HighVoltage
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2014, 12:27:50 pm
content: Here are two pictures of my version of a component towerThis way I ended up with an empty big square hole in the middle, but I have 24 of these storage rags mobile.The space saving is just amazing.I built this 5 years ago and would build it again, the same way.But instead of florescent tube light, I would use some LED stripes for the lights.It will definitely not fall over but sometimes I am worried about the bottom plate.It is heavy, but I can still move it around.

author: Kjelt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2014, 12:58:46 pm
content: Quote from: HighVoltage on March 31, 2014, 12:27:50 pmLooks great. I probably will build a small one (2x2 as Erik) in the end for the bigger components.For the smaller components I personally find this solution less usefull since you end up with a lot of empty unused space in each small compartment.So for instance for these small standard wired components such as resistors unless you have a lot of them of the same value (>400 or so) the compartment will be >70% empty unused space since they are too high for them. You would need 120 compartment half height Raaco's which do not exist (AFAIK).If you have <100 pieces of each value I still would choose my (red) drawer solution:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/componant-storage/msg287995/#msg287995

author: sleemanj
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 30, 2017, 11:44:33 pm
content: A nice looking product, but $400 USD is pretty high, not that they could do it cheaper, but it's a pretty high cost:storage ratio.Also no mention of esd matters, for a product called "Chipeasy" at a fairly high price point you'd think that would be something at the top of the listNo caps on the bins (maybe I'm just clumsy, but I can absolutely see me catching an open drawer and causing parts to go flying)Can't be wall mounted, so you need twice the bench space (it's own footprint, plus open drawer)The bins do not appear to be adjustable, or even a mixture of sizes, they are all very tiny, small enough that tweezers are going to be necessary to remove any part from themHere's a large-scale implementation of the same ideahttps://hackaday.com/2012/03/18/storagebot-finds-all-your-components-makes-your-storage-drawers-feel-inadequate/

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 31, 2017, 01:18:44 am
content: Quote from: lucaslin on January 30, 2017, 10:57:05 pmKind of interesting. I've been doing the same with an MS Access database and small bins/bags for nearly two decades though.BTW: you found it or made it? The way you are promoting it by ressurecting old threads makes me think the latter! Creating one new thread an being open about your motives works best on this forum!

author: Kjelt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 31, 2017, 09:39:06 am
content: Not convinced, for small amounts of smt ic devices it could be nice.But most of my smt products will be larger than those storage containers (elco's, coils etc) and they differ in amounts, from some I have ten pieces which will be ok for these drawers but from others I have complete reels of 2000-10000 pieces, not very handy to split them up.I use an Excel sheet for all my smt components , amounts left, interesting specifications (capacity, voltage, ripple current etc. etc.) and I also put a link to the datasheet that is stored in the SVN repository.If we are going to automate it then do it all the way, a robot like found in pharmacies that pick the right drawer, open the package and take out the amount of pills requested and returns it.That would be neat, upload the BOM and get a esd safe container with all the requested stuff in it, oh well dream on

author: @rt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 31, 2017, 02:45:34 pm
content: Yeah, I’m pretty sure it was me who made the mistake of selling it to you!Quote from: aargee on March 21, 2014, 06:41:04 am

author: @rt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 31, 2017, 02:48:56 pm
content: ps. If you want another base and top, you might as well come and get them