I've made some changes to the lab here since
last time I posted an update. Here's a few pics for anybody who enjoys "test gear porn".
![DMM :-DMM](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/Smileys/default/smiliey_dmm.gif)
Current state:
(Well, almost current. I've made one or two more small mods since I took these photos)
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ACtC-3f6sBUtxYyIeWZpSv6RJ-5_3SgDqxz1NjjEnMGoRRKwHS_ByEaLNciQqY69QQlZftKbFRM6jDIS9kV_SmUhXVEZvfcXga9jPBmesAIQQ--5WTtTKvhMqw-pHNgwHtjJGnHonWWt8SUAoFn8PBuG8NM4=w1139-h854-no?authuser=0)
That entire area to the right of my bench is "new" (as in, newly made part of my "lab area"). There was always a TV stand there, but for the last few years all it's held was an old rack-mount UPC that I was gifted from a previous employer, a rack mount SAN array which I was also gifted by that employer (they were moving a lab and downsizing in the process, so they threw out a bunch of kit), and bunch of books and magazines. I cleared that off, put up one of those cheapo wire-rack shelves, and put all the new stuff (including a new TV) over there. And yes, I consider the TV 'lab equipment" more than anything. I actually do all my media consumption (Netflix, Hulu, etc.) on my laptop usually. That TV is there to be used for Raspberry Pi stuff (to be fair, including playing old games using RetroPi every now and again), the lab PC, maybe looking at something with the new microscope, etc.
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ACtC-3ctIwJg3X55MUd41QqGMpGz6erYX4daX05-Ioht2DFN3NacIyqlGCGbDMo2BOZKR9EmiQU0ANrZQo8LNsu3akurbdoug3Cv2eA0aBtyQoQgxwaQAmnWMbW_O0f7z1gblu6Sy92C0JM0GMEo-aUuNSMG=w1139-h854-no?authuser=0)
Behind the TV is a Black and Decker convection oven that I plan to do a reflow oven conversion on, as well as the older HP 1660A logic analyzer. Luckily this TV is so light I can pick it up with one arm, so it's easy to move out of the way when needed.
Above the TV is an old Toshiba laptop that is there mainly for listening to music, looking up data sheets, and programming Arduinos. Next to it is the new Keysight 16862A logic analyzer.
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ACtC-3dmHuzhks0ujI61aafqbuxpjREmVolmyJt4vzb7u6PJ1dzbOGIlQiecaxQRdgAuKlbQgj2DS6wAbruniEXsBTo1Uy_P1_0Rj64lq0VDUU-Hlb5QhimzdzosJsMNBeYvuSpif7NLGGo3yz9KUMwTcAib=w1139-h854-no?authuser=0)
This one Raspberry Pi is semi-permanently dedicated to being my "game console" running RetroPi.
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ACtC-3cPjqi5dDWg4uuRCSBd1JADxgbJivCaovUAdnXJunDi3NJHftqn6JFE5uEJB_Rlt5UTQRHWMPfEJGDhIB8R01Oe82OSSb4PdO9AWzYgf32mC8tqlSPTMC1CFQSBNt0k9t9yG6jKjq4sGU5zAbDLkjPa=w1139-h854-no?authuser=0)
An unfortunately blurry photo of "The Beast" - aka my "new" Keysight 16862A logic analyzer. This one has "only" 68 channels (and I only have one probe so I can only use 34 right now) but is quite the machine.
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ACtC-3dzVV3ELRtCGIWDQMH4bIghl-1_N9TvSY9qWgb_PgYTKdgoU89wKc7aCCvnsFYiB6Ecr8-27AuSuZ4ONK-0xlg96MHVhgqXtpsakunfXmLsAH4VfcMId3POpWKI9ew85G5XL3FOhXAacoeHWjvNqKrP=w1139-h854-no?authuser=0)
Another look at the old laptop and the new logic analyzer.
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ACtC-3fsQmUuxNnXUrw8j71SrLSiku3LjMvk4x9CH0ds9SvoU9_LVh9GxDmIaaL7J4T5mizuZQl6-RnvGetFNF_T8wbKc6EIxttZgIcMbi2PWabEueYomQqN13CT8waQOZgA8Ol8VojGbGAXnzFLmBoemZXc=w1139-h854-no?authuser=0)
The new Rigol MSO7024 scope.
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ACtC-3fOdOZ2Bw2qJfVAnOjlQCpLBKj9eXukPgYXZA49fqyVDdzzUbSJVs85PJNuQeaWARfH0ZDqqHydAGQ5uGmHcWfXDadD-UA-pMHZCTzZqkmyCKjQ2FFnqBbtuiRCgKzYWhnjBABjwm6PGGwDaWcoEq7Y=w1139-h854-no?authuser=0)
And the new Rigol RSA3015N 1.5 GHz Spectrum Analyzer.
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ACtC-3fYXGkCuC7xoox0dVh90tOFQaaXN2DlV0G3qpZzzn29dS-4Z0DNJZWFLLOF1Y8MPZEvlIgNrEYUBDN0SRtJTbf8gqvhtq4ExiTPeZwBFU7h4eItIHFmADYAMkIBl7DCCtF_ahY9K-KSJfSMFB_NcSUQ=w1139-h854-no?authuser=0)
Temporarily jammed up there and not even unboxed yet are a cheap 3D printer and a cheap CNC mill (which I intend to use mainly for making PCB's)
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ACtC-3fIWxxPNsPlwD8bVV-N2zuHtw8_KCVn6-k2VmMJTwqqWcs7PJyb1LhSoJ1FNg2KOfp4x8v7yMnjTXsJ9LEQ1kOZH9XoPsUZpxf2G-9ZnxB6jSDXdxsIfxrht80vnDE6OEZScfzuRijOK8penSytBwWR=w1139-h854-no?authuser=0)
Wedged away down there and barely visible is my new Andonstar soldering microscope.
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ACtC-3e4VEx7bH6nUFrgyUpLS7X5EumWqBEYXvga_XkpxfzRT9zOsxRc2Z7l20nCmmvx3hKOuA2avD7tvaVsqia8N8XakOxyaTZceMqJp1JaWQfzfRNlu0Ap5OLf_KiUOT5CJw_ywjIstOqGx0mF76rbApv9=w1139-h854-no?authuser=0)
I've been threatening to buy an official EEVBlog DMM since I got here, and well... the time has come!
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ACtC-3fqa74l1WSRFRN0M6ofBQF9Qlet8iDnIOstn9t1IYQpGdWlil5ewW54ghzTVioM6Co72C7q6p5-NzH4ACYsA44X-lBNODOgW9TqqxM-kj9NYJ5IZrtQ-FA682tYsGezioDL8KbuBK50lhuYmJ-WTqH_=w1139-h854-no?authuser=0)
And an LCR meter just for the sake of completeness.
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ACtC-3ejTED6lV8KylaJl3dXFA0X6SP4Yr_rzneTEuU_9vgczuwv8j5oqJqBsoANKkFLCq4JuMYlKs0XQ9B_Cz0mJv59APp1fZAOXQW1Jo7062tloBjTKLWuakFjDh5TYaof-golpuKso7f76oacluiZCRh2=w1139-h854-no?authuser=0)
You can never have too many soldering irons, right?
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ACtC-3esAShfEE-GhjD9adY0Z2YJzC9aG5jjjWrt-MNA2UW8l81LuHTxKPR0k8JqFvhdNRZQeW_fn2b-HMLCiUVU84mYSa1Y_JdfJs_ZuzooaIFEXW5QrUsN5Y-n_57cxzTnn2u88lbER4u_5wPZRmyRE7el=w1139-h854-no?authuser=0)
Soldering is cool.
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ACtC-3flucCzcjN8V3WLwfVA6Bs6zoiTFX5AHs0inMKb258hpz3gbZZajAJH8kXaVlyg-d5bUYxV5Zb158QCo82OQ8ed8rYGXIsov57N08Wl5VFfNu-0YsloH4hFcK4y39C9srKhzgxlpIzUFH3Hg-feVYq-=w1139-h854-no?authuser=0)
Doing it under magnification is even better.
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ACtC-3fEVWDNgSlDt2_orc6ofclvEYfTSSNhfviDQcFCpu96aG-RcDE50mM8pvgWmWUjvO4F1EPw_AYkullJNeiRmAfGLk2vsjA0NRwqH4UG9W-JtrP8vEQ0W6_rRyKLQbBmwDientZXFAga0FZ6UeN2_aio=w1139-h854-no?authuser=0)
A Rigol DL3021A programmable load. I got this last year, before my recent shopping spree.
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ACtC-3fPGvf3qW6R4lhOQooYBBxOXpzMEt3boIyN0o-m6Xt-rj_iCAwAtFKG4B_H0Ap3q5ZZbG77vY6smH-JwhtZeWKLAuGGISlXf_sfjaryuT-PcCqi27ypu4eT_-OoExdItVnAzpfPX7wV23RQEehK5V6I=w1139-h854-no?authuser=0)
The piece de resistance!!
![Laughing :-DD](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/Smileys/default/smiley_laughing.gif)
Underneath the coffee mug is the battery tray from the UPS I mentioned above. I never bothered using that UPS for anything when I first got it and it had been in storage for quite a while. I pulled it out and it wouldn't power up. The batteries were stone cold dead, so I ordered up a new set, slapped them in, and it's working like a champ now. The UPS (an APC Smart UPS 1500) now lives behind that TV there, and all the test equipment and stuff is running off of it.
EDIT:
A few pics of the very latest tweaks and additions, from in just the last week or two:
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ACtC-3fvYaAPKup6zFlCvq5UTUEce725iFLPbQifX9QKzDJOOchDOK_jjWLvDe9k4TCwG0yiNxcYSDZS5fraNyf7EgQKsoX0BxDGAwLJIl4X2raRtHJJCkwbnyp3aPypTM2z81krenG8LknrQh1vj4Gyv-Jz=w1139-h854-no?authuser=0)
I added a strip of those silly color changing LED lights just to add some pizzazz. Or "bling" as the kids call it today, I guess.
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ACtC-3e40ieFS5FSAz1qqAaD_Ik_GH7_DFhT6wpJCDpOtNVXZSXvyr0Q13M35FaHIyhiuHrpHWf_UkMd74R6wEdCJnV4Xsomibi4g9tlyPT8K3grpYNFc4rCKdlYjHqd6NRNz8NZ4mlzKyzZ1-hF1vn7sD-3=w1139-h854-no?authuser=0)
This room is perpetually dark to my way of thinking and you can never have too much light, so I added a couple of these old-fashioned drop lights. You can't really see it in this pic, but I used those simulated retro "Edison style" bulbs, just for aesthetic effect.
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ACtC-3cwpSKq-qkrPHvCcd6bfL4Ar3qnQmQHC31yfyyKiM9z_D3X8Wr6YXpJ2sPig_dABdFGQqFplStQp-PdJGWg8q8lR1DMbehHgeIZfkhdkZBf0kGSlylXoXCTMaxuLEUdnfQshF9YpuCgQCpv0ptRW7qI=w1139-h854-no?authuser=0)
If I'm doing something on the bench that really calls for a lot of direct light, I can pull one, two, or all three of the drop lights over and hang them off the rack like this.
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ACtC-3d8KOtsJD3OoR5BK0umWaaG33BigcVaIq_nCSruNrEtRTSEf_4fMZGZ2wm1MBimHwJDox86kPeZHRLMijTUOzzr6YwNcY9HdlVHcaAhUBC9yt3dHNUGXcFNBlzsqUuKG1uayHRVuP7Q66tRh5Udp7eX=w1139-h854-no?authuser=0)
Maybe it's just me, but I really dig these bulbs. Makes me feel like I'm working in Nikola Tesla's laboratory or something.
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ACtC-3f_2uqw3dGW-f1PUTjUPyxutdxeFHFUuuIiwrvAJ6xzfXaKP47imIm0_E1X6EpjiS6gZkkIbkGK52Bjoln0TR-k-gjSGgBCemRSYI80MJFg_Q6xqfYDBNUMrcXYldoscC9VLkLkYWY-0Wff9T8DvRGS=w1139-h854-no?authuser=0)
A better picture of the new Keysight logic analyzer.
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ACtC-3fahlSwD9E5pDGF1u03fke_gwiVj8buDYzZOJHLQIZshY4Q0Lki32OOLJwEI30Z8_e6I1ZIrwz9tCwj99e4LLfqw-LfrXmhnrz2NB-E5hr3qL_gVekx7xJJnIjsZS787PgCABlAeSnpnI7He1YKsosK=w1139-h854-no?authuser=0)
Not really a recent addition, but who doesn't like looking at solder??
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ACtC-3fuT0u-C_izXDdve126NPRWWVhOwLDsBI736PTapi7e_qe1u3YO0n5hX3iRAGa5k4J84uqE0W9VsBp8YrbBOHodQodCFX5TDGG6apCIvA47k6_-F6IvgYHN5CLHyQd1AgSOZwQXAV8IWxYZLZB8UyR3=w642-h854-no?authuser=0)
No, your eyes do not deceive you. I still use the Radio Shack brand solder on (rare) occasions. Mostly I use Multicore these days, but I keep some of the RS stuff around nonetheless.
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ACtC-3dLgjHVb8U3Wcmg3wkRYkmXf0571wS9qPWlPAXefMNoh6uVbrYJenTfE4V8ybcmMJgjWhz38V8LjXCCPwY68VpsRm-vCeURXb24muqGN-pzArssA3dyXHQkA6sqtbWROiFJOmU226tEG73hTd5EywkK=w1139-h854-no?authuser=0)
Just put this in place earlier today. It's good to have more places to plug stuff in.
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ACtC-3dOfr-h4P1-4VD_i0OdrYhprLMEgcjwBkHMXHFUU23nFyi6FOgk4k0P9lQqJ-mQMoK6HWHkNF4msKgJ8jyTGsUJ7MiodbIpn0mCQtsdFgDNy-zCG3fumLcfQTfXJvQpDfjhCq21Tc5Meb4tpz-RpsUA=w1139-h854-no?authuser=0)
As mentioned above, behind the TV lives this thing which today is a "convection oven" but which will soon be a "reflow oven".
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ACtC-3c3ggHIsnvcpnHnisVvrZPVEc_T6O-Htn0ZNV-B1nMX6GDvTYBDdl1Cv4Ja_P-bH5YtORJ3CKFge_CFGG9oPysQgpT0sM-K6T8q178bVhNxwbDfzWiObkRaI-2whUpNbtvXmRfSsaloCYADGF9oBhD-=w1139-h854-no?authuser=0)
My other HP logic analyzer. It also is hidden behind the TV most of the time. One of about 10 logic analyzers I own, if you count all the miscellaneous USB logic analyzers, bus pirates, etc. that I have lying around. I guess I sort of collect logic analyzers. Weird, right?
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ACtC-3f_gOrjNcaD4vKn6zfVuWKJDSs5206zdON3IxZbILOAt6AgOzJXEHh7hb7xgfk6QQSdT5hACLrbAJzu48Fl20WVaza3dvphr9ujUq4EB6rivQJGe9Onv4laePr48QU06hXVF7V-43Qi6_anysJQ7YK9=w1139-h854-no?authuser=0)
Same thing, but without my thumb in the picture.
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ACtC-3fFCSQEgX2Ttae91ceA1PgX2Kg_h9xKkC37LZcMbG2191YH6gP7oo_WWUeefg_9bT9UAuDGj2CTvHj4drzjghuR--ld1PSgFtjdIuQcOzZANeEKBDmKxFW7keAhiNgs0TPoG_tOerh3OANFwHrEONpV=w1139-h854-no?authuser=0)
The Smart UPS 1500. It sits sideways because it won't fit the other way, so not much to look at from this angle.
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ACtC-3db4poCvniokedla80r8gZHLp5CIXGtJhzcQqdfvHhGZtCqfgWmvdO1AmaTkXFGcAlqrNixGTDuTTJ9bO9Jd45j6YpVXtpqffBiwb6uZouwNuTDDNj8ZHad_clGL8tKxTjHpskZY98Qb58doPSqaRUU=w1139-h854-no?authuser=0)
My little Baofeng ham radio is tucked away down here in the corner.