Where do you do your electronics?

[weegee]

Hi

I was just re-organising my components, and it got me thinking - where do you people do your electronics??

Most of my component drawers are in the utility room, and bring individual componets through to my desk in the dining room to build stuff (i keep small amounts of resistors and capacitors in my desk drawer). I have a garage all prepared, so i'll be moving my stuff down there once the weather gets a bit better.

If you have a room dedicated to your electronics i'd love to see a photo.

Graham

 

[picbits]

I've built a workshop to do all my tinkering in.

 

[quixotron]

In the bedroom!!!

J/k. I used to work in my radio shop at school.

 

[phil7890]

On the kitchen island/counter!! My assistant will happily clean up the mess for me after I'm done (send everything into the trash can).

 

[Marks256]

My basement.

 

[crusty]

wherever i can find enough room to do it..

 

[weegee]

My assistant will happily clean up the mess for me after I'm done (send everything into the trash can).

i suffer that problem too, thats why i keep most of my bits out the way, and just take what i need to my desk!!

 

[RODALCO]

I used to use our spare bedroom but my misses wants that for her scrap booking.

So I'm in the process of shifting all my electronics stuff to the garage.
I have an area partitioned off 3 metres by 8 metres and put in the shelving at the moment.

It all takes time, the partitioning off hasn't been finished either.

Then all my heavy duty stuff 240 / 440 Volts is done under the basement of my house. area about 6 x 8 metres, most full with junk. old ac and dc motors, kWh meters, electrical equipment etc.

 

[RadioRon]

In a room in the basement.

 

[bananasiong]

In the college for sure I will be doing in the lab. In my house I'll do it on the computer desk, because I need to program my PIC. Include soldering. I use the power source from the USB.

 

[Marks256]

In the college for sure I will be doing in the lab. In my house I'll do it on the computer desk, because I need to program my PIC. Include soldering. I use the power source from the USB.

You solder using your USB port!?

just kidding...

 

[Andy1845c]

Then all my heavy duty stuff 240 / 440 Volts is done under the basement of my house.

You have 440vac in homes in New Zealand? I know line voltage in 240v in many parts of the world, but didn't relize you could get 440v

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

You have 440vac in homes in New Zealand? I know line voltage in 240v in many parts of the world, but didn't relize you could get 440v

440V is three phase, three separate 240V lives, 120 degrees apart, it may, or may not, have a neutral connection.

Essentially it's all three phase in the UK (and related countries), the substation provides a four core output, neutral and the three lives. As it goes down the street the first house will get a connection to neutral and L1, the second house neutral and L2, and the third house neutral and L3, and so on. This means the load is spread fairly evenly over the three different phases, resulting in little current in the neutral conductor - this means you can save money by having a thinner cable for the neutral.

If you have industrial premises, you can have a three phase supply, which is required for large motors and equipment - we have a small goods lift at work, and that uses a small three phase motor. Also different parts of the buildings are on different phases, so you can lose power in one part, and not the others.

Because of the presence of 440V between phases, there are strict regulations of how far mains sockets on different phases have to apart, and also the length of leads allowed on portable appliances. I've no idea what the actual figures are?, but you can imagine if the sockets are 20 feet apart, and the leads only 6 feet long, there's no way you can have one of each in either hand.

However, it's rare to have three phase in domestic premises, although if you have a workshop you may need it for the machines, and you could request it.

 

[bananasiong]

You can have three phase supply even from the house, there is a converter for it. But I don't know whether this is legal or not.

 

[Marks256]

We only have 2 220 outlets on our property. One in the pole shed for the welder, and one in the house for the dryer, i think...

 

[weegee]

borrowed my daughters camera, this is my desk where i do most of my electronics, and the other 2 piccies are in the utility room. I have loads of bits, but i tend to just grab a handful out and put them in the component drawers, when the drawer is empty, i'll refill it from the box.

 

[Marks256]

i would LOVE that many drawers!

 

[weegee]

thats about just over half of them. they little 3x3 boxes were 50p each, from a shop that sells sewing stuff (haberdashery sp?) as long as i dont store static sensitive stuff in there i should be fine

 

[picbits]

I spy a HPS10 and a potential digital car dashboard.

Those big drawers look like the ones from Maplin - I got one of those as well as a load from Aldi when they had them on offer.

 

[weegee]

yup, thet are aldi or lidl, cant remember which but a bargain anyways, HPS 10 till i can afford a real scope and what was a fully working car dash (but i have since borrowed bits for other project) here is its predecessor, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJn_JA4jW2w it was a year ago, and i have done many revisions between that one and this one. I have had one of my digi dash's in my car since this clip was taken, and never had a problem.