Parts organization

[Jasonbit]

I have troubles with separator in drawers. Because the separator is not completely glued to the bottom of the drawer and I have components (resistance, diodes, etc.) to pass between spaces. This is annoying!

I solved the problem through hot glue in all separator. I have more a less 500 drawers and each drawer has four separators   

[tkamiya]

I have dozens of plastic tubs with lids.  My stuff are categorized but not divided into each values.  Since all of my parts are through-hole type or larger, this system works for me.  I plan to use books when I go down to SMD.

[PhysicsDude55]

If you have a 3d printer (or access to one) these customizable trays that fit inside common small parts organizers are fantastic.  When I was re-organizing all my parts I bought a 3d printer primarily to print out a bunch of these organizers.

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2836113



I also bought a bunch of shoebox tubs ($1 each at home depot) for larger items (cables, relays, usb chargers, etc.) , and put chalkboard labels on them.  Works really well!

[eugenenine]

I use a lot of these
http://www.planomolding.com/fishing/stowawayr-utility-boxes

different sizes for different things.

[beanflying]

You need one of these and a 300mm bed 3D printer The design was only done yesterday and I have only printed the base out so far (lid is on the printer as I type)

3mm radius bottoms to help getting the small bits out (biggest PITA), custom sizing of the internal baffles as needed. Simple slide latch for the front. 1mm Nichrome based pin hinge for the lid. Cost about $4-5 in materials and 20 hours printing time. STL's could be available when I am happy it works well as designed.

Not economical but satisfying 

[TERRA Operative]

For electrolytic capacitors, I use the drawers as shown above.
My sorting method is on three axis as follows.
Horizontal: 1uf, 10uf, 100uf, 1000uf, 10000uf etc.
Vertical: Increasing standard values, ie. 10uf, 22uf, 33uf, 47uf etc.
Then each drawer is organised low to high voltage rating, front to back.

Works well and keeps things logical.

[Pirateguy]

those cabinets with the little drawers drive me nuts!
they are never the right size for anything and any time i grab a component i
spend another 30 seconds trying to get the rest to fit in there so i can close the drawer.
and of course the next time i grab that drawer it will get stuck in there...

anyway the real problem i had was with larger components.
currently i am using these:
https://www.action.com/nl-nl/p/werckmann-opbergkoffer-/
in those i keep larger things like flyback coils, display modules, switches, buttons, etc etc.
i am gonna put a sticker on each of them and divide the stuff into categories per box; switches, displays, high voltage, motors, etc etc.

for discrete stuff i plan to some time switch to a system with larger drawers and divide values with
ziplock baggies or something like that.

[exe]

they are never the right size for anything

Yep! Unfortunately, there are only few flexible options allowing drawers to be of different width/height. That's why I count on my 3d printer to solve this issue.

[not1xor1]

they are never the right size for anything

Yep! Unfortunately, there are only few flexible options allowing drawers to be of different width/height. That's why I count on my 3d printer to solve this issue.

in this case thermoforming (a DIY thermoformer is much cheaper than a 3D printer) is cheaper and much faster than 3Dprinting

[Shock]

in this case thermoforming (a DIY thermoformer is much cheaper than a 3D printer) is cheaper and much faster than 3Dprinting

Actually that is a great idea you could purchase or setup one how you like it and duplicate it.

[beanflying]

in this case thermoforming (a DIY thermoformer is much cheaper than a 3D printer) is cheaper and much faster than 3Dprinting

Vac Forming is great for production speed for small runs once you have a the mold and don't mind trimming plastic. Even a home brew setup costs some $ for bits and plenty of time to get it right. So sub $300 USD for an Ender Pro or even less for the standard one is great value and works within an hour of opening the box. Both have pros and cons and I own both.

Got the lid and latch sorted on the design above. Can be turned over, shaken and seems to keep even the washers in the right compartment so I call that done 

[joeyjoejoe]

SMD - AideTek Box-All 144
https://www.amazon.ca/AideTek-BOX-ALL-Enclosures-Capacitor-Organizer/dp/B00A15YHJY/
Shoulda got two 96's maybe.. but pretty good.


Resistors - 3D Printed box and coin envelopes


Prototyping, some SMT, smaller breakouts/Arduino/sensors/etc, solder, tweezers, wick, catch-all
Plano 23620-01
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B000E3C3NU
Cheap, SOLID clasps and tight compartments.



Larger breakouts/medium size misc
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/New-2pcs-lot-Plastic-Portable-Clear-Transparent-jewelry-boxes-plastic-acrylic-cosmetic-nail-art-Pill-box/2025924105.html
(This price is a bit of a rip off, I payed 1$ per container)
I'm addicted to these. They are the boxes that the EMAX motors come in for drones.


Everything else - big storage box under the bed.

[Shock]

You can use pocket envelopes for non static sensitive components, also store small parts boxes vertically. So this way you should be able to store leaded, smd and loose components like a box of caps all in the same drawer.

Joeyjoejoe has a good system which is what I'm moving to. Putting containers on end like he has means easy selection and removal, same goes for the small packets or stuff left in antistatic bags.

Just got to stay away from either too deep/shallow drawers. Shallow drawers great for tools, but bags and labels etc always get caught up. Deep drawers (unless you stack inside them vertically) tend to get other stuff packed in on top or are a waste of space. Go for roller drawers if you have the option.

[Jasonbit]

Can I use a simply air bubble plastic to conditioning and damping of components? Just like this? https://snag.gy/C8cST4.jpg

Thanks

[Shock]

Or use antistatic bags or envelopes upright in partitioned roller draws similar to a card file system. Both are fairly efficient and easy to scale in size.

Hello me from two years back. Maximum storage density level unlocked!

Finally pulled the trigger on many full sized steel card file cabinets. These are about 1600mm x 600mm x 600mm, wide and quite substantial archival quality cabinets. Great condition aside from needing to lube the drawer rollers (probably the first time it's been done). Secondhand I paid just over scrap prices so made off like a bandit. If I brought new today could have easily spent $4-5k.

The drawer depth is perfect as mentioned for antistatic bag or envelope parts filing, the density of one drawer is about 4 of the hobbyist parts storage cabinets. Plenty of room for multimeters, instrument cases, probe pouches, manuals etc.

Doesn't really convey the size well but imagine a large row of these.

[wizard69]

This is a rather old thread but a couple of ideas have been missed here.   The problem with these discussions of course is that what is right for storage depends upon what is being stored.

First I didn't see anybody mention mechanics tool boxes such as: https://buykennedy.com/products/kseries/ .   Now you may say not exactly a storage solution and you would be correct with an as delivered tool box.   The solution is: https://www.schallercorporation.com/view-all-products/ bins to give you a poor mans Vidmar type solution.   This is great for larger dimensioned parts such as steppers large caps, inductors, variable caps and etc.   If you go to larger roll around carts, you can move our bulk storage out of the way when needed.   More so you get great storage density in those roll arounds.   So don't think of "Tool Boxes" as tool boxes but rather storage options that can be had cheap.

Another option that has some value in even electronics lab, is the contractor storage brief cases.   An example being: https://www.milwaukeetool.com/Products/Storage-Solutions/PACKOUT/48-22-8430 which is suitable for bulkier items or stuff you buy in quantity.  They are also great for mechanical parts like nuts and bolts, bearings, pulleys and other stuff for electromechanical projects.

The next option is: https://www.uline.com/Grp_324/Corrugated-Bins?pricode=WU296&AdKeyword=uline%20cardboard%20bins&AdMatchtype=e&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI6LuL85a36wIViJWzCh0EUwdDEAAYASAAEgIey_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds or cardboard storage.   The only big problem here is that uline expects you to buy 100 at a time.  However you are talking very cheap if you  need a lot of bins.

Also don't dismiss manufactures of fishing gear.    Flambeau for example has ESD storage: https://www.flambeaucases.com/conductive-storage-cabinet-1036.aspx along with its more conventional storage solutions.   Some of these are great for travel so if you go to maker events may be of interest.

[Shock]

Automotive tool drawer chests I found were one of the more expensive options and there is a lot of competition for quality secondhand drawers.

Great at waist work height if you can access them while at the bench but flexibility and portability drops right off due to the shallow drawer depth and weight when on a cabinet with castors.

If they are out of reach I think containers in drawers are more convenient. Automotive drawers unfortunately don't work well if you have a lot of odd shaped containers and would be an overkill for this anyway. Great for large sets of tools though.

As I mentioned in a previous post, the "grab and move to the bench" usefulness of containers is really hard to beat. For tools I currently use tool boxes and a carpenters carry box which is a similar concept for portability. I may add a miniature tool wall for some small hand tools and a table drawer at some point.

[basinstreetdesign]

For SMTs I can't fault these pages.  These are 0805 R's and C's