On Thu, 23 Dec 2010 14:17:15 +0000, you wrote: >On 23/12/2010 12:33, Olin Lathrop wrote: >> Oli Glaser wrote: >>> That is a problem with electronics though - so many tiny little parts >>> to keep track of... >> The answer is lots of small parts cabinets. I like Akro Mils 10164, whi= ch >> have 64 little drawers each. I just checked and that model seems to hav= e >> been replaced by 10764, although it's not obvious what changed from the >> description. >> >> I'm looking at our wall of parts, and we have five 10164 in use with ano= ther >> 20 or so of other types. We have another eight 10164 in boxes ready for >> expansion. These things are not expensive, even for hobbyists. 1 3/4 x= 1/2 >> inch labels fit nicely on the individual drawers. >> > >They look pretty good - we already have a few similar cabinets from RS=20 >which are reasonable quality ( just not enough.. :-) ) >Main problem really is lack of space in current workroom, though we are=20 >looking at moving to a different site very nearby quite soon - already=20 >set up with huge workbench and can accommodate three people a lot more=20 >easily. So the space problem will be solved pretty soon, just need a=20 >load more cabinets - I checked for the ones you mention above and they=20 >are quite a bit cheaper(than our current ones) but unfortunately I can't=20 >find any in the UK, will have to have a shop around and see what I can=20 >find. Jellybean stuff like SM resistors and caps are generally in long enough tap= es that a binder solution works well. Farnell sell spare binder pages for their resistor kits which a= re ideal.=20 http://uk.farnell.com/multicomp/mcinsert-chipkit/file-insert-component-stor= age-pk5/dp/5412067?Ntt=3D5412067 However these are only good for 8mm wide tape, and only lengths long enough= not to get lost down the long cavities. Iin the past I've also used film negative and baseball card = binders. For through-hole parts with relatively few values, e.g. capacitors, electr= olytics, common transistors, trimmers etc., Raaco and similar assorter boxes work well, but= compartment boxes don't work well with SMD tapes That leaves all the ICs and other more random parts which are a collection = of SM and DIP, in tapes, tubes, sample boxes, bags and loose, in typical qtys from 1 to 20 per type. Over the years, I've distilled the storage criteria down as follows : 1) You want to store them by type/function per box (e.g. RS232 drivers, vol= tage regulators, 74HC CMOS, opamps etc.), not by individual part numbers as there are too many di= fferent types. 2) The container must be reasonably long in at least one dimension to accom= modate tapes and cut-down tubes 3) The container must be reasonably shallow so you can stack lots of them i= n a reasonable space, and can easily see parts at the bottom 4) Need to be able to quickly find parts within a container 5) Need to be able to just chuck parts into the right box when clearing up = after a project but be able to find them easily later 6) Cheap - I need at least 40-50 of them to cover the range of parts I want= to store. 7) Need to be continuously available, so you can expand as required. or che= ap enough to buy plenty of spare. 2 precludes almost every type of cheap very small plastic box - e.g. jewele= ry display/sample boxes etc. 4 and 5 preclude boxes full of poly bags - too fiddly & just ends up as a m= ess. 6 Precludes most of the stuff specifically targetted at the electronics ind= ustry So just a basic undivided wide, shallow plastic box with a lid of some so= rt, into which I can put a sheet of conductive foam to hold DIPs. Once you've lined the bottom with= conductive foam, the box itself doesn't need to be anything exotic like antistatic. Clear is nice, b= ut not essential. Not hard to find you'd think... actually surprisingly so! I recently stumbled upon these, which are pretty much perfect : http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/5-x-PEEL-OFF-STICKER-BOXES-PLASTIC-STORAGE-CONTAINERS= -/390229081229?pt=3DUK_Crafts_StickersScraps_Decoupage_SM --=20 http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist .