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CannibalRobotics

I never throw away power cubes. To make them instantly versatile, I put a header on them and label with BIG print.
Makes them easy to find and a cinch implement.
You'll save on batteries and time.
Jim-

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Signature space for rent!
Send $1 to CannibalRobotics.com.

W9GFO

Good idea, I always use a Sharpie to label them, it doesn't detract from their appearance yet you can see what device they belong to.

Rich H

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The Simple Servo Tester, a kit from Gadget Gangster.

Scope

I have 47 in a large plastic bin - I'm afraid if I put labels on them jealously would result, followed then by all out anarchy and when I opened the bin next time I could be the target of their pent-up enmity.

Brian_B

Scope said...
I have 47 in a large plastic bin - I'm afraid if I put labels on them jealously would result, followed then by all out anarchy and when I opened the bin next time I could be the target of their pent-up enmity.

That explains why·the cords are always tangled up on mine :-)

Brian

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"Imagination is more important than knowledge..." Albert Einstein

kf4ixm

Brian_B said...

That explains why·the cords are always tangled up on mine :-)

Brian

Two words... Ziplock Baggies! [noparse]:)[/noparse]

Timothy D. Swieter

Good idea CannibalRobotics!! I was already placing them in plastic bags, but silly me didn't think to label them. W9GFO, what do you mean by labeling them with a Sharpie? Usually the products that I have are black and a black sharpie wouldn't show up so well.

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Timothy D. Swieter, E.I.
www.brilldea.com - Prop Blade, LED Painter, RGB LEDs, 3.0" 16:9 LCD Composite video display, eProto for SunSPOT, PropNET, PolkaDOT-51
www.tdswieter.com

W9GFO

Timothy D. Swieter said...
W9GFO, what do you mean by labeling them with a Sharpie? Usually the products that I have are black and a black sharpie wouldn't show up so well.

That's right! It doesn't show up very well, but when you look close it is easy to read.

Rich H

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The Simple Servo Tester, a kit from Gadget Gangster.

SRLM

There are also silver sharpies available, and those work well on dark things. For cords and other long supple things I like to use these velcro strips. They work really well, and they last a long time.

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John R.

For other organizational ideas, look up "5S" as it applies to "Lean"...

* Sort (what do you need/not need in a given area)
* Set in Order (a place for everything, and everything in it's place)
* Shine (make in clean, not just neat)
* Standardize (labels, clarification, understanding your role in a multi-person environment)
* Sustain (keep the discipline)

Or for "5S + 1", add Safety.

The first one (Sort) can get kind of funky. It's about getting stuff you don't need at hand "gone". Either in a remote (relatively) storage area, or just plain "gone".

Look around the typical work area. How much of the stuff within arms reach do you really use more than once a month? Of that, how much would you know you would need before you started working on a given task (meaning you could collect it for the one job/task, and then put it back, out of the way).

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John R.
Click here to see my Nomad Build Log

kwinn

I label the side with the voltage and current ratings, wrap the cord around and between the AC power pins, use a rubber band to hold it in place, and store them in a shoebox sized plastic container.

Scope

And besides, if my robotics lab & r/c work area appear "too organized" then Ms. Scope will wonder why the yard doesn't look so great and I'll get tossed out there with a rake, or something. So, ya, chaos can be useful.

John R.

The flip side is that if you are real good at the organizing thing, when Ms. Scope "borrows" your $35 flush cutting side cutters to cut a coat hanger, and doesn't put it back, you know INSTANTLY because of the empty space where the tool SHOULD be!

Then the replacement cost can come from HER pin money...

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John R.
Click here to see my Nomad Build Log

Scope

Being too organized eliminates many opportunities like last night when I went looking for a chip puller I was in the garage and found a plastic bin that had various tools in it and at the bottom there was a matchbook from the inn where I stayed in New Jersey last year and I began wondering about the staple in the matchbook and how much metal went into the making of all matchbooks and if that metal was converted into cars, how many cars could be manufactured, and what type of car would use the average amount of that metal in the unibody and whether or not frame & body vehicles would be considered in the comprehensive diagnostic evaluation.

The thought of missing out on those opportunities motivates me to continually pursue an ongoing appearance of being "strategically unorganized." It's tough, but I demand a lot from myself so my wife doesn't have to bear that burden.

Ya, she's very fortunate indeed, I must say.

SRLM

I agree with John R. In my case, I have to fit all my living needs inside a dormitory room. I think I may be the only person here with a work bench, but I bought an old desk and set it up with "lab" computer, power supply, and all my tools. My personal rule is to always clean up before I go to bed, and to never open the blinds on the window until my bed is made up in the morning. If I don't keep it clean, then I can't do all the diverse things that I have to do (electronics, mechanics, schoolwork, computer work, resident mediations, sleeping, eating, and just living).

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kf4ixm

I too am kinda cramped on workspace, i use one of these to keep all my discreet components in, like resistors, transistors, chips, caps and alot of other stuff. Very Roomy! It's a Plano 737 Tacklebox. Plus it has 3 more smaller·boxes thats stored on the right side.