Whats your Work-Bench/lab look like? Post some pictures of your Lab.

[MarvinTheMartian]

I'm a reformed man! After seeing some of the nice labs here I've decided to clean the Robsonian and then the electronics lab.
Pictures to follow!
Thanks guys you've inspired me! (Nancy doubts this will really happen but I'm not daunted!)

Rob

Think of it as a treasure hunt, you never know what you may find lurking in there!   

[Cubdriver]

I'm a reformed man! After seeing some of the nice labs here I've decided to clean the Robsonian and then the electronics lab.
Pictures to follow!
Thanks guys you've inspired me! (Nancy doubts this will really happen but I'm not daunted!)

Rob

Oh, sure - make me look bad, why don'tcha?!?   

-Pat

[AF6LJ]

That is very nice.

[bson]

@bson, From front to back what is the depth of you workbench? It looks like maybe 40 inches or so? Also, it looks like you've got a Rigol DP832 on the left. Is the back of the Rigol flush with the back of the bench or does it overhang some?

Apologies for the very late response!  I totally missed your post.  The bench is a heavy-duty 72x36" with a laminate top and an ESD mat.  It's this one here: https://www.amazon.com/BenchPro-Roosevelt-Industrial-Laminate-Capacity/dp/B01E98JID8/ref=sr_1_sc_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1467082729&sr=8-2-spell&keywords=72+workbrench

I've grounded the steel frame.  The top also has a foil underside, which is also grounded.  I then added a 72" shelf, also steel, and also grounded.  It has power outlet cutouts on the front, but I haven't populated those since I really no use for power cable hanging down onto the work area, instead I attached a couple of long 60-70" power strips along the back.

The DP832 and all other instruments protrude a little on the back, but all feet are on the top.

The deepest instrument is the HP 3577A VNA, and it sits on the S-param test set which sits on a ~1" wooden box under it.  This guy protrudes well into the back, but not badly or dangerously so.  I keep the bench a bit off the back wall for this reason and to make it realistically possible to get in and move a GPIB cable or something.  It's also too heavy with so many instruments (especially the VNA) to slide much.  So I try to keep the rear accessible to begin with.

The next item up is likely an Agilent 8753D VNA...

I'm asking because I want to add a new bench to my limited workspace but am having a hard time deciding on what size to get.

Yeah, I wish I had responded sooner!  It's GREAT to have a deep bench.  This thing is also rock solid; I could stand and jump on it and it couldn't care less.  The top is along the lines of 1.5" thick.

Very heavy, but very easy to assemble and since it has bolt holes also very easy to ground.

I also attached a wrist strap connector on the bottom of the top.

[Robaroni]

About halfway through cleaning the main bench, I think I'm going to need to borrow that chainsaw!

Rob

[Robaroni]

I'm asking because I want to add a new bench to my limited workspace but am having a hard time deciding on what size to get.

Bson,
When I built my bench I welded 3/4" angle frames and then cut strips of birch plywood to lay in the angle iron tracks. It worked well but I wish I had made them deeper.  I would say minimum of 17" (43 cm), mine run about 14" (35.5cm). The main portion of the bench is a little over 24" (61cm)

The trick with limited space is to build shelves that sit over the rear of the bench so you never compromise the depth of the bench with instruments. most of my instruments are on shelves above the main bench so I can work all the way to the back of the bench. If your bench sits against a wall you can suspend the shelves from the wall so there are no legs on the main bench. I made special brackets so my shelves can support forty pound plus power supplies.
Rob
ps:
I didn't have the luxury of a deep bench, my room is only about 6 feet wide by 12 feet long, so this is how I overcame the limited space issue.

[G0HZU]

Both Robs,

It looks like you're already taking full advantage of the vertical dimension.Work Bench

You mean this vertical dimension?

Forgive me for being a bit of a neghead here but that looks like a serious fire hazard. Having that much cardboard in box format above a load of electronic equipment would mean that the room would turn into a firestorm within a few minutes if there was a small electrical fire. Each box is like tinder with a nugget of oxygen inside it.

[Robaroni]

Both Robs,

It looks like you're already taking full advantage of the vertical dimension.Work Bench

You mean this vertical dimension?

Forgive me for being a bit of a neghead here but that looks like a serious fire hazard. Having that much cardboard in box format above a load of electronic equipment would mean that the room would turn into a firestorm within a few minutes if there was a small electrical fire. Each box is like tinder with a nugget of oxygen inside it.

I see your point but I think it looks worse than it is. The two large power supplies at the end of the shelf are only used for my CNC lathe when I'm in the room and neither is taxed to the point of any appreciable amount of heat. Also, there are no instruments left on those shelves when I leave the lab. The lower shelves have very low heat.

Paper catches fire at 451F and corrugated cardboard at 800F. You have to remember, cardboard is used in shipping and often sits in very hot trucks for long periods of time so it's not as flammable as you might think.
Rob

[bollio]

Here's the bulk of it.  Not pictured are my power supplies (homemade, but they do the job) or my component trays, etc... While my family thinks it's too much, it kind of pales in comparison to some of these gems!

[abebarker]

Here is my temporary office and workbench. Not much gear with me at the moment. Trying to keep the weight down.

I have the laptop, battery for the laptop, magnifying glasses headset, and circuit that I am trying to reverse engineer. Not shown I have a cheap multimeter, dial-calipers and portable solar panel.

[bitseeker]

Here's the bulk of it.  Not pictured are my power supplies (homemade, but they do the job) or my component trays, etc... While my family thinks it's too much, it kind of pales in comparison to some of these gems!

Looks good to me. The scope really stands out from the crowd there.

[bitseeker]

I have the laptop, battery for the laptop, magnifying glasses headset, and circuit that I am trying to reverse engineer. Not shown I have a cheap multimeter, dial-calipers and portable solar panel.

Reverse engineering while camping! Quite the combo of activities.

Regarding weight, can you replace the laptop with a tablet or smartphone instead?

[bollio]

Looks good to me. The scope really stands out from the crowd there.

ha ha, indeed!  Siglent 1102cml... first DSO and have to be honest, I'm not sure I really like it.  I have to select language on every powerup and software/support is all written in chinglish... which I'm not the most fluent in.  Kinda thinking about returning it and getting a Rigol...

[tautech]

Looks good to me. The scope really stands out from the crowd there.

ha ha, indeed!  Siglent 1102cml... first DSO and have to be honest, I'm not sure I really like it. I have to select language on every powerup.....

Not exactly.
Yes while these entry level DSO's do boot to the default Chinese language selection menu any touch of a button or knob overrides the language selection dialogue and returns the scope to the last power-on state.

Edit
For clarity.

[ez24]

just in case this has not been seen

not my lab



Is Mr Carlson a member here?

[cvriv]

She's brand new captain.... take her out slow.

[AF6LJ]

just in case this has not been seen

not my lab



Is Mr Carlson a member here?

I wonder if Mr Carlson is single??

[xrunner]

She's brand new captain.... take her out slow.

Nothing is even turned on and glowing ... 

(well yea the monitors are on)

[cvriv]

She's brand new captain.... take her out slow.

Nothing is even turned on and glowing ... 

(well yea the monitors are on)

OK OK OK. Hold on....

[cvriv]

Lights on. I go on vacation tomorrow, more like a staycation. I'll be making leads and messing around with all this the whole time. I have to start studying for this semester coming up as well.

Oscilloscope is amazing compared the the ones at the school. Have to learn how to use it fully before classes.

[Robaroni]

just in case this has not been seen

not my lab



Is Mr Carlson a member here?

I've seen a few of his vid's. Eccentric but fun to watch. I wouldn't want the electric bill for that lab!

See how neat it is? That's how mine is going to look when it's done.

Rob

[abebarker]

I have the laptop, battery for the laptop, magnifying glasses headset, and circuit that I am trying to reverse engineer. Not shown I have a cheap multimeter, dial-calipers and portable solar panel.

Reverse engineering while camping! Quite the combo of activities.

Regarding weight, can you replace the laptop with a tablet or smartphone instead?

That would be nice. Do you know of a circuit capture program that can be used on a tablet? Kicad doesn't work on a tablet.

I also wanted the laptop so I can create some designs in 3D. As far as I know there isn't a good 3D program for the tablet. If I could get a development environment for Google cardboard going that was based solely in tablets and smart-phones I would be willing to give it a try.

[ECEdesign]

I have the laptop, battery for the laptop, magnifying glasses headset, and circuit that I am trying to reverse engineer. Not shown I have a cheap multimeter, dial-calipers and portable solar panel.

Reverse engineering while camping! Quite the combo of activities.

Regarding weight, can you replace the laptop with a tablet or smartphone instead?

That would be nice. Do you know of a circuit capture program that can be used on a tablet? Kicad doesn't work on a tablet.

I also wanted the laptop so I can create some designs in 3D. As far as I know there isn't a good 3D program for the tablet. If I could get a development environment for Google cardboard going that was based solely in tablets and smart-phones I would be willing to give it a try.

You could get a Microsoft surface.  It will run full CAD programs and it is really light!

[ez24]

I've seen a few of his vid's. Eccentric but fun to watch. I wouldn't want the electric bill for that lab!

See how neat it is? That's how mine is going to look when it's done.

Rob

Me too 

[Cubdriver]

I wonder if Mr Carlson is single??

I'm about 95% certain that I heard him mention in one of his videos that his GF/wife (not suggesting he has both, simply that I can't recall which) does some of the filming or video editing. 

Sorry, Sue...   

I have to admit I drool over his collection of gear myself.  He's got quite the setup there.  Some one of these years I'll start to catch up to him a little, and get things set up properly.  I have an unmitigated disaster here, with stuff scattered all over the house.  At some point the basement will get finished and it will migrate down there. (partially because I'm afraid if I bring it all up here the floor will collapse!)

-Pat