Storing your electrical components. How do you?

[xheavenlyx]

For long the problem of storing our electronic components efficiently has fumbled us! To me, it has! But what abut you guys? How do you store those lil naughy bits of silicon and carbon?

So, I recently started using a piece of thrmocole (coal?) to keep/attach my small electronic components like LED's, transistors, switches, caps, Ic's etc. Its easy to place them and easy to remove, its light and can be placed even upside down sometimes!! I am thinking of sticking it on my wall near the table





And the black one I mainly use as a store for small connector wires, which get so rare and lost sometimes.



Here is a pic, what do you think? I didnt know if it was safe in terms of static. tell me if its ok. And how do you all store? Send in pics if possible

Regards

 

[justDIY]

i dont worry about static safeness storing my parts and pieces

I have a shelf with about 16 small fishing tackle organizers, each one maybe 18x10 inches, 30 or so divisions inside it. so I have them broken down into actives, passives, general purpose ic, special fuction ic, microcontroller, optoelectronics. then I also have larger tackle boxes to hold mechanical, electromechanical and big passives like large caps and resistors.

ill try to dig up a picture for ya.

 

[Hero999]

Using normal polystyrene foam to store semiconductors in is a bad idea due to the potential ESD hazards. Granted most stuff including red/orange/yellow/yellowish green LEDs, doides bjts, jugfets, LM317s and TTL is pretty but CMOS componants and blue/white/voilet/UV LEDs can be pretty sensitive and easilly destroyed. Use conductive foam or make your polystyrene conductive by wrapping it in aluminium foil.

I use fishing tackel boxes too and they can cause ESD problems too so I keep the sensitive componants pushed into conductive foam blocks; if you don't have any of these then line the compartments with aluminium foil.

As far as resistors are concerned I have a separate box for them. I've got 10 of each of the E12 series from 10R to 1M plus the E6 series and loads of the E3 series because they're so common.

I have a bix of mains transformers with lots of small speakers from old radios andTVs on top and a bag of assorted motors.

My PCB making kit lives in another box, I've got some UV developer, a tub of etchant some plain copper clad boards and a smaller quantity of the photoresist stuff.

I've got so much junk now I don't know what to do with it! I have a big box of resistors and capacitors with a smaller quantity of ICs. I've picked out all I need and the rest will be donated to the college where I obtained my HND.

 

[xheavenlyx]

Wow, thanks for the foil technique!! I was thinking of a way, but you helped me out

And its the same here, my junk is getting larger in number too, and its difficult to throw away stuff which I prob will not use. The speakers, old circuits and old adapters are taking up most of the space...lets see where all that goes.