How to organize electronic components

[lefam]

Hello guys.

I have just started learning electronics. Now I have many components (breadboards, jumper wires, micro-controllers, resistors, capacitors, transistors, lcd, LEDs, ICs, etc).
I keep most of my components (eg. resistors, capacitors, and transistors) in plastic bags. I store all my components in a drawer.

I would like to know from you what is the best way to organize electronic components. Are they any tools to store them (that I can get from Digi-key, for example)?

 

[#12]

A picture is worth a thousand words.

 

[Reloadron]

Just file by pile. Pile things up all over the place and hope you can find what you want when you want it.

Or you can start here since you mention digi key and run with #12's image.

Also you follow the handling and storage precautions for items they come with. Like store in a cool dry place. You don't store fine wine or cigars in an attic that is 120 Degrees F. in the summer time and you don't store sensitive ESD chips in plastic baggies wrapped in wool.

Ron

 

[Sceadwian]

I use Sterelite hobby drawers, like the one in the image I attached. They're 12X12 inches and if you shop around you can buy them amazingly cheap.

I also bought large number of 3x3 inch kraft paper boxes from u-line.
3 x 3 x 2" Kraft Gift Boxes S-10625 - Uline

And I use this stuff for labels
Amazon.com: Post-it

I have 2 3 drawer units, at 16 boxes per drawer that's 96 containers. I also have two of those desktop units like #12 has in his pictures that I got free from work which are dirty and empty, I'm still pretty disorganized right now pending a move to a house.

 

[#12]

I organize my resistors with the drawers labeled as 10% values. This uses 12 drawers running left to right, that requires (2) 6x8 cabinets. The 8 vertical levels are powers of 10, so I have used 96 drawers just for resistors, and it works out fairly well. The only level that is doubled up is the (starts with) 1 meg and (starts with) 10 meg row. They are both in the top row.

Capacitors are a whole 'nuther problem with the voltage ratings AND the capacitance value. Maybe 2 sets of 96 drawers with one set for caps below X volts and the other set for caps above x volts? Mine are all voltages in one cabinet and it's a PIB scratching through a drawer and hoping the higher voltage caps are bigger that the low voltage caps.

Then there are the cabinets for WTF. Everything from neon indicators to cabinet feet and several drawers of connectors. This is a reason to get some cabinets with mixed size drawers.

Labels...Target has labels intended for paper files like you put in file cabinets. You know, 8 1/2 by 11 inches? Anyway, they are sticky enough. They don't fall off like, ever.

 

[Sceadwian]

That's a lot of drawers #12.. far more oriented to someone doing production rather than a general hobbyist, especially one just starting out.

 

[DemonicSandwich]

A picture is worth a thousand words.

I use an old manual preheat lamp like that.

I file by pile as well.
For the components that don't have their own packages anymore, I just combine them into mini ziplock bags by component type.
For the ones that do still have their original packages, I just toss them all into freezer bags.

 

[#12]

Fourty years accumulates a lot of stuff. The one part that I really, really, appreciate is the resistor drawers. A hundred plus values of resistors is a lot to scratch through trying to find the right one! I suppose a beginner could use a drawer for each power of ten. Less than one ohm in one drawer, 1 to 9.99 ohms in the second drawer, and like that.

 

[Mosaic]

Whats the Reebok box for?

 

[DerStrom8]

This is what I use. It's actually made to be a fishing tackle box:



You can get these from just about anywhere (I got mine from Wal-Mart). I used a stiff foam to hold the resistors, ICs, and LEDs (the foam is what the green squares are). There are two layers of resistors in each section. You can use as many of the "tackle" boxes as you need (I have a couple), and they have worked very nicely for me for several years. And the best part about it: everything is portable!
Hope this helps!
Der Strom

 

[#12]

The tennie box has heat sinks in it. Mostly TO-3 and TO-220.

 

[KeepItSimpleStupid]

Use bug boxes, bug trays and a bug cage for the small stuff. https://www.electro-tech-online.com/custompdfs/2010/12/P173.pdf

 

[cr0sh]

If you go for the multi-drawer storage - go for Stack-On drawer cabinets:

**broken link removed**

I've found these cabinets to be the best of all cabinets I have tried over the years. The drawers are of a softer plastic than other, cheaper cabinets, so they don't break or catch as easily. The only downside to them is that you have to order extra drawer dividers separately; the cabinets only come with a limited amount of dividers, which don't give you enough dividers for all the drawers, only some of them. Fortunately, the dividers are cheap. You can get both the cabinets and dividers off of Amazon easily. These cabinets tend to cost more than other brands, but to me, they've been more than worth it.

 

[Sceadwian]

Balsa wood makes good dividers, I've used it in a tackle box I have for bits. It's cheap and trivial to work with using nothing more than a ruler and a box knife.
Personally I'm of the mind to use whatever is at hand and cheapest.

 

[BobW]

Fourty years accumulates a lot of stuff. The one part that I really, really, appreciate is the resistor drawers. A hundred plus values of resistors is a lot to scratch through trying to find the right one! I suppose a beginner could use a drawer for each power of ten. Less than one ohm in one drawer, 1 to 9.99 ohms in the second drawer, and like that.

For resistors and capacitors, I found a good compromise to be two drawers per decade. Eg., 0-32 ohms, 33-99 ohms, 100-329 ohms, 330-999 ohms, etc. Then everything 330k and above goes into the same drawer. So you can get by with 10 drawers for all your resistors, but it's still reasonably easy to locate the correct value. (The reason for splitting at 33 is that there are the same number of values <33 as there are >=33, so your drawers end up being filled equally.)

 

[Sceadwian]

Good division plan BobW. It separates the application specific values from their ratio-metric cousins.

 

[SABorn]

I use the file draws to, and with about 200 little draws i still have other piles as well.

A friend of mine keeps all his resistors in envelopes, as they are easier to work with than plastic bags, and you can file them in a nice neat card storage fashion (drawer or shoe box) with the values written on each envelope.

Old carbon resistors i had no trouble reading the values at a glance but metal film i hate them and can not read the values as the colours blurr together, for this reason i write the values on the paper tape edging of each batch i buy (normally in store so i can file them easy when i get home) also some become a little mixed in the draws and it solves using the wrong values by mistake.

 

[AtomSoft]

Be organized its better look at this. Its not really organized ... the way i want it at least but i know where everything is! even in the bins

 

[RMMM]

I've got the same cable modem AND Bacardi bottle!

 

[#12]

Old saying that I made up: A part you can't find is as good as a part you don't have.

and I have the same Netgear router!