The next few months...

[Chris Savage]

This is the label maker I am using. Nothing fancy. I finally went through three cartridges so far, and now I am off to Walmart to buy more so I can keep labeling.

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[JKnightandKARR]

Yeah, I had to take each drawer and pour all the contents of the drawer into a small bag (careful to use anti-static bags - $$$.) Then the bags needed to be labeled with what is in each bag - I put the label inside the bag facing out (more difficulty) so that the label could be seen through the bag. It was a pain to make sure that the components didn't slip between the label and the bag's side. Next carefully placing the bags into a box - using a few layers of bubble-wrap on the bottom and top, and then between layers of component bags. It took days to get all of my stuff bagged and boxed. Since I didn't have a workroom in our last house (six months there,) it all stayed packed, then when we moved here it took a while to find, and unpack, my tools and parts - still don't have most of my stuff unpacked. I really need to get my other drawer units (look much like the one you show there) out, and start sorting my stuff.  (I was never able to find my label maker, so I finally had to go out and buy a new one. Now to get the gumption to get going.)

I've been having issues with storage myself, and labels aren't fun.  Want to make some on my computer, I just need to make a whole list of standard resistor values and such and print em out.

This is the label maker I am using. Nothing fancy. I finally went through three cartridges so far, and now I am off to Walmart to buy more so I can keep labeling.

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Got one myself.  Label Maker  I just wish that they could do some colored text..  would be nice for resistor color codes..

[Chris Savage]

I've been having issues with storage myself, and labels aren't fun.  Want to make some on my computer, I just need to make a whole list of standard resistor values and such and print em out.

I created a spreadsheet to match the drawers in the cabinet and then decided what values I wanted from there. I went a little overboard, but I'd rather have values I rarely use that need one at a critical time. Doing the ICs is proving a little more difficult since I did downsize my chip collection unintentionally when I left CA. Then when I left ID I didn't have ANY of my parts drawers anymore. SO I had to start over.

[JKnightandKARR]

My current problem is currently NO room for any storage, least till I get my desk finished.

[Chris Savage]

My current problem is currently NO room for any storage, least till I get my desk finished.

I get that. In my current place (apartment), I have piles everywhere, even in my bedroom.

[Chris Savage]

@granz should recognize this device.    I have a few left (10).

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[granz]

Yep, ATtiny-11s & -85s. I especially liked the Digispark ATtiny85 dev board (https://www.instructables.com/Digispark-Attiny-85-With-Arduino-IDE/).

[Chris Savage]

I especially liked the Digispark ATtiny85 dev board (https://www.instructables.com/Digispark-Attiny-85-With-Arduino-IDE/).

Yes, that is a very compact design. I remember back in 2005 it seemed there was a surge of tiny dev boards that could be plugged directly into the USB port and had everything self-contained. Not sure what the current state of things is, but I do remember Parallax even jumping on that bandwagon with the BS1USB.

Sadly, the BASIC Stamps were always so much more costly than other microcontrollers, so not as widely adopted.

But, back to the ATtiny stuff...many years ago I used these to make small co-processors for the BASIC Stamp2 so that I could use it in commercial projects without the limitations. That said, I stopped doing that when I started working for Parallax to prevent the perception that the BASIC Stamps really needed some of these things, which is ironic, because a short while later we had a number of specialized co-processors, like the ServoPAL, SoundPAL, PWMPAL, ColorPAL, etc.

I have used Atmel chips over the years to drive a Parallax LCD in a serial manner (pre-Parallax Serial LCD), drive servos / motors and monitor events so that the BS2 was not over-tasked.

Getting back on the original subject, I just received an order of foam blocks for all the ICs I am putting away in these parts cabinets. I have no way of knowing if these cabinets are anti-static, but I would guess not. The quality of parts cabinets and the selection have really diminished over the years. The good quality cabinets I once had before moving to CA have not been available in many years. The replacements I picked up in CA are also no longer manufactured.

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[Chris Savage]

Today is the day...it's closing time. Savage///Circuits will now have to move and be reconstructed. This time with more room!

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[JKnightandKARR]

Comgrats

[Chris Savage]

So this is a photo from when we looked at the place (staged). This is the future home of Savage///Circuits.

I will, of course, document the evolution of the new office space in Office Evolution once I get started.

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[JKnightandKARR]

Looks big

[Chris Savage]

Looks big

Definitely bigger than my current office and then I also have some bonus space outside this room. There's a landing that's just extra space between the two upstairs rooms and the bathroom.

I'm going to put my indoor craftsman toolbox along the wall, and then four more storage shelves. So, that will be less stuff cluttering the office space.

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[granz]

Congrats - been a rough week, between sick/aching and travel (although I did get eight boxes of my old electronics/computers from my son's house.)

I'm going to be following this thread with interest, because my office/lab/workshop is in pretty crappy shape. It's past time for a complete "extreme makeover - lab edition."  What do you have (or have in mind) for the "four more storage shelves" that you mentioned?

[Chris Savage]

What do you have (or have in mind) for the "four more storage shelves" that you mentioned?

There are two black shelves and two white ones. These are 5 or 6 shelf plastic shelves that can connect together. The two black ones will be on the side my toolbox is on, since the toolbox is black. The white ones will stand on the other side.

They currently hold several Sterilite organizers. Some are 3 or 5-drawer organizers and some small totes. The shelves will primarily store that stuff. You can see little bits of the white shelves in my article: Office Evolution


In that article, in the 2018 section you can see one of the large shelves and a smaller one being used for eBay stuff.


In this photo from 2020 you can see some of the organizers stacked next to my metal bookshelf.


In this photo from 2023 you can see they're sitting on top of that bookshelf. But when I'm done they'll all be on the plastic shelves.