Workbench Organization

[Guy Macon]

What's bugging me, is the industrial design and esthetics of the whole
thing, not the scope probes.

Then you should go back up the thread and reply to my post where I
talked about the floor-to-ceiling whiteboards.

 

[Charles Edmondson]

Hi Dave,

I bought some professional top notch lab tables. Used, of course, from a
company that shut down a subsidiary. The expense was reasonable but that
way I got something that cost thousands when new.

You can get plastic cable channels, usually gray and with break-out tabs
where you can create entry and exit points in a width that accomodates
the bundle sizes and the flexibility of the cables. That keeps the ugly
cable messes away and also makes it easier to find and exchange cables
without having to untie several sailor's knots. The channels come with
snap-on covers that can be cut to length for an even nicer look. If you
want to be super tidy you could even cut the corners at 45 degree angles
for a snug fit. You'd have to provide for some larger areas where
service loops and excess lengths can be housed.


Regards, Joerg

I have done this in the past. What is really helpful is to have two
channels, one for signals and the other for power. Quiets things, and
makes it more convenient...

 

[Dave VanHorn]

I don't like the common practice of having the rear of the benches

 

[Guy Macon]

We're pretty much in tune.
Floor to ceiling seems overkill, since the upper and lower parts
are hard to use.

That's what I thought until I set up my lab that way. Have you
ever had something on your whiteboard that you didn't want to
erase? Have you ever had several such items start taking away
your usable space? With floor-to-ceiling whiteboard you just
rewrite the item up high or down low.

BTW, a good automotive carnauba wax (the real stuff, not the fake
stuff with a deceptive "Carnauba Wax" label) on a whiteboard
makes it so that the marks clean off without ghosting. For small
whiteboards a ceramic surface is ideal, but floor-to-ceiling only
comes in plastic.

My existing layour is an L, with the desk/programming side
against the wall, and the hardware/prototyping side out into
the room, with about 4' clear behind it.

Good layout. That gives you the all-important rear access where
you really need it, and needs lesss floor space than my "access
to the rear of everything" layout.

One wall, above my A-E plotter, is covered with parts in cabinets.

What kind of cabinets have you found to work well?

 

[Fred Bartoli]

On 21 Sep 2004 20:48:06 -0700, the renowned [email protected] (Tom
Seim) wrote:


BTW, the word is 'voila' (or 'voilà' if you want to be pretentious).

No,no. "Voilà" with its accent is not pretentious at all.
Well, at least here


A

viola is a musical instrument that looks like a big violin.

http://www.mit.edu/~jcb/jokes/viola.html

These jokes look like a bit 'sexist', don't you find ?

BTW, here we call the 'viola' an 'alto' and the 'viole' word more
specifically refers to the viola da gamba.

 

[Tom Del Rosso]

"Fred Bartoli"

These jokes look like a bit 'sexist', don't you find ?

I didn't notice that.

BTW, here we call the 'viola' an 'alto' and the 'viole' word more
specifically refers to the viola da gamba.

Speaking of viola da gamba jokes, my local classical station had a
comedy hour many years ago, and one punchline stuck with me. "Not with
MY viola da gamba you don't!" Unfortunately I only heard that and never
heard the rest of the joke, so I've been trying to imagine what it might
have been. Maybe somebody else can make up something that fits the
puchline.

 

[John Woodgate]

I read in sci.electronics.design that Tom Del Rosso
ops.worldnet.att.net>) about 'Workbench Organization', on Thu, 23 Sep
2004:

"Fred Bartoli"


I didn't notice that.



Speaking of viola da gamba jokes, my local classical station had a
comedy hour many years ago, and one punchline stuck with me. "Not with
MY viola da gamba you don't!" Unfortunately I only heard that and never
heard the rest of the joke, so I've been trying to imagine what it might
have been. Maybe somebody else can make up something that fits the
puchline.

One of those Victorian 'Helpful Phrase-book' gags, a change from the
poor postillion who keeps getting zapped.

'Excuse me, do you have a blunt instrument with which to despatch my
injured terrapin?'

 

[Tom Del Rosso]

One of those Victorian 'Helpful Phrase-book' gags, a change from the
poor postillion who keeps getting zapped.

'Excuse me, do you have a blunt instrument with which to despatch my
injured terrapin?'

That's very good! In fact that should be the punchline -- question
last, like on Jeopardy.

 

[Guy Macon]

Another nice thing to do is to make a workbench top out of a thick slab
of teflon.

 

[John Larkin]

Another nice thing to do is to make a workbench top out of a thick slab
of teflon.

But when I stand on it to change a lightbulb or something, I'd slip
off.

John

 

[Dave VanHorn]

Teflon can entrap static charges, plus it would cost a mint.

 

[Guy Macon]

John Larkin says...

But when I stand on it to change a lightbulb or something,
I'd slip off.

Crampons.

 

[Bob Stephens]

Crampons.

SOunds like just the thing for monthly feminine distress...

 

[Guy Macon]

Teflon can entrap static charges,

Yes, but it doesn't transfer the charge very well, so ESD isn't
a big problem. The way I do it is to have bench covered with
staticplas, and a sheet of teflon, a sheet of stainless steel
and a sheet of wood on the side, ready to be put on the bench
to meet various needs.

plus it would cost a mint.

Not too bad; $750 for a 36" x 48" x 1/4" sheet.

 

[John Woodgate]

I read in sci.electronics.design that Guy Macon <http@?.guymacon.com>

Another nice thing to do is to make a workbench top out of a thick slab
of teflon.

With a 16 g sheet of gold underneath to act as a ground plane.

 

[Darrel]

Sounds like just the thing for monthly feminine distress...

That jogged my memory, you also need a first aid case on the wall in plain
sight. The JIC type supplies.