Ways of Organizing Builds in Progress?

finebyfine

finebyfine

Well-known member
I'm a neatnik when it comes to most things so maybe I'm generally more sensitive to the feeling but lately I feel like I've been drowning in post-its with build notes, forgetting to order one or two random components for a build, getting mixed up on enclosure designs, etc. It's nothing, you know, insurmountable, but I feel like I'm missing some sort of system to keep me more organized with my pedal building that could prevent a few annoyances here and there. I have a basic spreadsheet set up for tracking some progress but it just seems so clunky.

Do any of you have methods that work well for you or is it sort of managed chaos?
 
I have little yellow plastic trays that I save from H-Mart.
They have a number of packaged produce items (eg jalapenos) that are in trays and covered with cellophane.
Perfect size for a pedal worth of parts.

Not a full solution to your problem by any stretch, but I find it helps keep a little of the mangled chaos in check.
 
Dreamlands said:
I have little yellow plastic trays that I save from H-Mart.
They have a number of packaged produce items (eg jalapenos) that are in trays and covered with cellophane.
Perfect size for a pedal worth of parts.

Not a full solution to your problem by any stretch, but I find it helps keep a little of the mangled chaos in check.
Click to expand...

Oh damn this is exactly the direction I needed to be pointed in, thank you! I might see if drawer organizers could make sense along that route, I have a cabinet with someone unused drawers that might work
 
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Ok, I think I understand where you are with things.

There's a thread in here somewhere where members have posted their setups.
I think you'd get lots of ideas from that for how to layout your work area and workbench.
 
Dreamlands said:
Ok, I think I understand where you are with things.

There's a thread in here somewhere where members have posted their setups.
I think you'd get lots of ideas from that for how to layout your work area and workbench.
Click to expand...

Awesome I will dig around for it, thank you. I have small component organizer cabinets at least so components wise I feel very sane
 
If you can catch Akro-Mils bins (or similar) on sale, they are the bomb for most part storage. Stackable and hangable. Don't buy the dividers from them. There are kids with 3D printers who sell them for cheap.

If you order from Tayda save those ziplocks. I love the pink ones that the enclosures come in. I put the components and pcb in a smaller bag, stick them in the enclosure, and put it in it's own bag.

Buy more components per order! You will save can save on per piece and shipping (and less likely to have to put the build in the bag cuz u ran out of 100k resistors).

Use anti-static foam for ICs or tubes. I layer mine in large empty shortbread tins.

Always D-wipe yourself and tools before turning off the light.

Hope any of this helps.
 
fig said:
If you order from Tayda save those ziplocks. I love the pink ones that the enclosures come in. I put the components and pcb in a smaller bag, stick them in the enclosure, and put it in it's own bag.
Click to expand...

I knew I was right to save all of those! I have a big ol cardboard box of those on the floor lol, this is genius
 
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I use a 3 ring binder with those plastic page protectors to hold the PCB I'm working on along with the paperwork. I keep the parts in a couple of small parts storage bins on my workbench. PCBs I haven't started yet are kept in the storage bins.

When I'm building I keep a little paper pad next to me and write down components I am missing or running low on. When I finish working on something I go and put those parts in a cart for Tayda/Mouser/LMS/whatever and then when I feel like I can justify the cost of shipping I buy it.

It gets me by. I used to keep everything in an online parts inventory but it became too tedious to upkeep. While I was pretty good at putting inventory in I was terrible about removing it as it was used, so my inventory got off and it would have been too much of a hassle to go through and reconcile the numbers, so I just kind of stuck with this lazy method.

Edit to add: @SYLV9ST9R I think we might have to get a vinyl thread going in the breakroom one of these days. I love seeing the gems that others have picked up.

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Sheet Pan Rack. This one is the 1/2 height and holds 10 pans. Works great to keep different size enclosures organized on the lower racks and current projects/builds on the upper racks.
This picture is probably a couple of years old and I've got it pretty filled up now. I probably should have gone with the full height one!
You could easily keep the build docs with any "in-process" notes right along with the build on each tray.
 

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I've got lots of unfinished projects and seem to start new ones before finishing old ones.
Plastic take-out food containers (cleaned, I'm not a slob) to hold all the parts for a build together.
I've got some of those little plastic rack bins'n'drawers that you can mount on pegboard or whatever (mine just sit on a bookshelf. Even with those, the parts inventory grew beyond them. I've got plastic tubs with plastic ziploc bags inside. I've had to start keeping the envelopes PCBs come in, just for more storage...

Alas, even with extended efforts to stay organised, I'm very disorganised (I'm a slob).
So thanks for all the help, I need all the help I can get!
 
I had some of these coin envelopes left over from work and found them not terrible for organizing builds. I don’t think I’ll use it as a system completely but I think it’ll suppress some stress until I get something more together.

B39EB1FA-1BE5-4C74-97DB-DEFF5202A198.jpeg
 
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