The Lair is my lab in the basement. This page has photos and descriptions of what I consider to be essential equipment. It also has links to suppliers and places you can get similar items.

Out with the old, in with the new. Shown at left is the old version of my lab. It served me very well, but I was starting to outgrow it.

I have redesigned and built the lab in the basement. My wife and I finally bit the bullit and finished the rough space of our basement. I walled off a room of it for the lab, measuring about 12 x 10 feet. It is now the lab space I have dreamed of for years; a very professional looking space, with lots of room for expansion.

Clik here to see a page showing recommended tools for starting up your own lab, essential, nice to have, and way cool items.

Here is a quick floorplan of the new lab room. Many of the photos below have larger views. Just click on the photo to enlarge.

A view of the main electronics bench. This view from the back wall and high up shows the main bench. It is an 8' long counter (Home Depot, $50) with rubbermaid wire 12" deep shelving over pegboard. The bench holds all of my electronic tools, computer, proto board, wire and the shelves hold all of my components, books and soldering tools/accessories. All in one easy to reach space.

The bench is 30" off the concete, non static producing floor with no support extending further from the wall more than 8 inches. This allows me to slide in my wheeled chair down the complete length of the bench, which I do when I'm bored, or really stuck on a problem. The latter more often than the former.

I carefully designed the entire space before I built anything, using all the lessons that I have learned in the past two years. Everytime I have gritted my teeth in frustration at something about my lab before, I filed it away thinking "someday...".

The computer I slid down to the end of the bench farthest away from the cold water pipe, just in case of a big leak. I put in a speaker phone. Before I had to go upstairs to get a cordless and then get a neck ache holding in my shoulder. Also, I made it a corded phone so that the handset couldn't "walk off" on me, making me grit my teeth again. I put in plenty of power outlets, easy to get to and a flourescent light over the bench, controlled by a switch within easy reach. There are outlets under the bench with a power strip mounted firmly to the pegboard above the bench.

Test Equipment: My two main items of test equipment are a PC based oscilloscope and a combo proto board/power supply/function generator.

The oscilloscope is a Link Instruments (www.linkins4.com) model DSO-2100. It is a really nice two channel, USB based scope module in a compact and thus mobile package. It plugs in by USB to my laptop or desktop easily. I have an AC adapter for it, but you can make a battery pack for it very easily as well. The software allows you to set very complex triggering (trigger on the 3rd pulse of duration 200 ms, etc). It also is a spectrum analyzer to 50 MHz using an FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) algorithm. I can easily capture waveforms and then save the plots as bitmaps or jpegs and email them or include in reports. Fantastic piece of gear. This one is middle ended for price at about $780, but you can get other PC based scopes for as little as $200. I highly recommend it.

The oscope is mounted in a wire basket to the left of the phone. The probes hang in pegboard screwdriver holders. I try to store things off the bench surface as much as possible to make cleaning up easier.

Shown at left is a screen capture I did on my bench. I probed the output of the function generator on my proto station (next) and then hit alt-printscreen. Simple as can be. Click here to see an enlarged photo of the scope screen shot.

Prototyping station: Global Specialties PB-503. It has a huge bread board prototyping area that is removable (velcro attached), fixed +5V power supply, variable 1-20VDC (both positive and negative) power supply, function generator with TTL pulse or variable amplitude sine, triangle, and square waves with frequency adjustable from 1-100 KHz. 2 debounced push button switches, 2 BNC connectors for input or outputs with breadboard connectors nearby, 8 logic switches that can be switched to have output of either 5V or the variable positive supply voltage, 2 pots (1K and 10K), 2 SPDT switches, 8 ohm speaker and 8 input slots with logic indicators (green for logic low, red for hi). These logic inputs can also be switched to sense either TTL or CMOS 5V levels, or can be switched to use the variable supply as the high voltage. I use this more than any piece of gear. I love it so much I went and bought another one mounted in a portable case. Check ebay for these. I got both there at less than half the full price.

Tools: I keep most of my tools in a simple plastic toolbox, so that I can pick up and have a portable lab easily. When I'm in the permanent lab, I just set the toolbox on the floor.

The most often used tools are the wire snippers, needle nose pliars, tweezers, a Philips head screwdriver and wire strippers. I have two sets of these items, one in the toolbox and another that is always on the wall, in easy reach. I took some magnets out of bad hard drives to hold my most commonly used tools for easy grabbing, and letting go. These magnets are very powerful. I can throw my snippers in the general area near its magnet and it'll stick there.

Light: I have a flourescent light over the bench with switch. I also have a set of track lights on the ceiling so I can redirect lighting as necessary depending on what part of the lab I'm working in at the moment.

Storage: I stopped using junk boxes some time ago as they were threatening to overrun me and it was getting impossible to find anything quickly. I switched over to keeping everything in organizer drawer cases like those shown on my storage shelf. Everything from resistors, to IC's, to connectors, switches taken out of old copiers and printers to those I buy new. Servo parts like control horns, batteries, IC sockets, etc. I have a thoroughly stocked electronics lab and it's organized to the point that I can find what I need. I'm pretty much a neat freak. I hate wasting precious tinkering time looking for something.

Shown here is one of 5 60 drawer organizer cabinets, each with the contents of its drawer marked clearly. I have 2 cabinets for the 7400 logic series IC's, Another for resistor and capacitors, another for connectors, LEDs, sockets, etc, and the other one for anything else. I have about 20 drawers total that are unused right now for later expansion. Any component I want is right there within easy reach. No more hunting around.

I have 2 other shelves in the room to hold junk boxes, cannibalized toys, and in progress projects. There's always several of those. I can set them up out of the way and keep working that way.

Other equipment: I have a soldering station further down the bench. Tools shown here:

Anti-static mat: And quit blowing off anti static warnings. Modern IC's are pretty tough, but anything with a FET or even some CMOS devices are prone to getting zapped. I've done it and got tired of spending money to replace it or worse wondering should I? And then spending hours assuring myself that I didn't need to. So I buckled down and put in anti-static equipment. All bench areas have anti static mats (guess where I found them, you got it,ebay). I'm in the basement a few feet away from the main cold water pipe, so grounding is very easy for me. I don't have any carpet in my lab area either. I just have to wear socks (or slippers) in the winter.

Light/Magnifier: As you get old like me, you'll want a decent magnifier with a good light so you can see what you're up against.

Electronics project vise: This unit by Panvise is very handy. Shown is the circuit board attachment for holding board which you slide into the jaws then tighten. I also have the more standard looking vise for holding things other than boards while I work. This unit also has little dishes at the bottom to hold components as you work. Again, ebay. $20 for this one there.

Wire: I keep mine hanging above the bench on a 1/2" wood dowel rod. A roll of solder also has its place. The solder I got surplus pretty cheap. $10 for a 1 pound roll, I couldn't tell you long that is in feet. I've had it for 2 years now with no worries of using it up. More ebay items for you.

Power Supply: Not really a soldering item, but I don't use this much since the proto station has a power supply. This Elenco model can supply up to 3 amps though and has a nice built in analog meter to show me just how much current is being pulled. Again, off the counter surface thanks to the pegboard.

I mentioned teeth gritting earlier. In the old set up, cables were EVERYWHERE. Any time I moved my feet around I hit cables and it drove me nuts. So I built a wooden cable trough and shoved them all into that. This keeps the cable clutter off the floor, again making it easier to clean up. I kept the computer off the floor too both for clean up and in case there is a water leak (my cold water pipe enters the house inside my lab room. You can see the pipe behind the magnifier lamp in the photo above.

In a basket suspended under the counter is the cable modem and router for the home network.

Finally, since the floor is concrete, some slippers for winter time.

Computer: A modern robotics lab without a computer is difficult for me to imagine. All of my robotic projects are programmable, and to program I need a computer with a parallel and serial port. That's a pretty easy bill to fill these days. You can pick up an old 333 MHz machine with those ports on it for $200. I have a 400 MHz machine I'll sell you for that. USB hasn't made it into my programmers just yet, but it's coming. I also do video editing in the basement so I have my sweet machine down there (2.6 GHz Pentium 4 based machine). The speaker phone is just above the computer. You can't see it but I have a 2nd machine running Linux and KVM switch for changing between the two environments.

Not necessary but very handy is a home network. I have a jack on the bench to plug my laptop into for quick swapping of data between portable and desktop machines. It is also great for multi-player gaming in the house with my family. My wife and sons all gang up on me for a game of Age of Empires. (I still trounce their combined efforts). I have a wireless access point so I can take the laptop anywhere in the house. I have and recommend the 802.11G equipment for better speed. Range is about the same as B equipment I think, but you get much faster transfer rates with G.

Books: I've collected many books on the topic of robotics and various computer applications. I had to add the shelf on the wall as I ran out of space with the shelves. I have to watch my head as I get up on that new shelf. I also pin charts, specs, commonly used schematics and a calendar on the wall to the right of the computer for quick reference.

Across the lab in the other corner is the mechanical area. This is a separate table that is just for mechanical assembly (dremel tool action, nuts and bolts, etc). It also acts as an area for a guest to work during club hack sessions. I have another soldering station on this bench, along with charging stations for my rechargeable batteries.

My Dremel tool and socket set are on the mech bench. The Dremel tool is an all in one machine shop. I can cut plastics, wood, metals, whatever. It acts as a drill, mill, lathe, whatever. For those of you that have not discovered what a fantastic tool the Dremel is, go get one. I recommend the case for easy storage of the tool and attachments.

A 4 drawer filing cabinet is to the right of the mechanical table and holds specs, notes on designs, etc. This thing is just as handy, if not more so, than the Dremel tool. I have parts catalogs, receipts for all the parts I buy for tax writeoff, specifications for commonly used parts.

To the left of the mechanical table is a metal shelf which holds some of my in progress robots. On the wall is my whiteboard. Did I say the proto board was the most used tool in the lab? I lied. It's the whiteboard. From quick drawings and calculations to phone numbers to doodling, this thing is in constant use. I also grille my sons on their math homework on this.

Another larger shelf holds plastic bins which are my junk boxes. I switched to clear plastic bins to help me find things easier. I have them broken into electrical parts, plastics, metals, and everything else.

Here I am in my new happy home within a home. I spend a lot of time down here.

I didn't just include this photo to show a picture of myself grinning. I so far have neglected to mention THE most important design feature of the entire lab. This last feature saves me from the number one teeth gritting problem that I faced. That feature is visible right behind me. It is called soundproofing board, and is a cheap soft fiber board that deadens sound beautifully. The kids are in the main area of the basement just a few feet away in their play area. I just close the door and "aaaaahhhhhh", blissful peace and quiet. I even have a lock on the door, though I don't need it. Both boys are very respectful of my lab and I don't have to worry about them coming in and messing with stuff.

All of the lab walls that don't back onto solid earth are clad in this soundproofing board. Home Depot. $8 a 4x8' sheet. Worth every penny.

My machine shop is still in the garage. I thought about moving it down the basement, but I use the equipment for wood working as well as metal and I didn't want the mess.

I have a drill press, band saw, bench vise and a bench grinder. I work a lot with aluminum bar stock on my bots. It's very light and easy to bend and cut. You really need a drill press to do precise drilling. I made do with a cordless drill for a while and really butchered a lot of stuff. The drill press should be your first major item for machining.

Shown here also is a good set of drill bits, safety glasses, and the bench vise. Not shown is another set of carbide tipped bits for drilling printed circuit boards. When you start etching your own boards you will HAVE to get a drill press.

A vise is very important. Moreso even than the drill press for that matter. Hard to use that hacksaw on something that can get away from you.

Moving up into 2nd place for me now is the bandsaw. Man, what a FANTASTIC piece of equipment. I spent 2 years finagling with a hack saw. No more. I can barely begin to sing its praises. I cut aluminum bar stock, copper clad board, plastic, plexiglas. Absolutely unbeatable. I got lucky and found this Craftsman model at Sears on clearance (they don't make it any more)It's an 11 inch bandsaw (clearance from blade to back of the saw, thus the largest thing you can get in there). For me a big plus was its relatively low stature. As you can see I have it on my bench in the garage which has a shelf suspended over it. The bandsaw goes right in under there.

3rd would be bench grinder. Why? Because you can throw sparks like this! Isn't that great? When you work with metal it never comes out like you want unless you mill it with a precise CNC like machine. I can't afford that yet, so I use the grinder to shape metal where a hack saw or a dremel tool doesn't quite make it.