Question on setting up a bench

[guitar_199]

I've got a question, but let's see if it makes any sense.....

When setting up a radio workbench..... is there any particular wisdom in separating different pieces of equipment? What I mean is..... in videos I will often see scopes and spectrum analyzers on shelves near or even over each other....but often the RF generators and meters are somewhere else in another stack or shelf.

So.... does it REALLY make any difference? Or is it more ...... lay it out where it makes sense or "feels right" ???

 

[Tallman]

Set it up for your comfort. For the work top I used a counter top from a home depot store. It was 14 ft long and at one end the area where the sink was to be installed had a crack in it. I whipped out my circular saw and cut the sink area off and still have a
seven ft long bench that I set up on saw horses. On top of that I put my anti-static mat and connector for the wrist band. On the back splash I mounted a heavy duty power strip. I spent $60.00 including the saw horses and $30.00 more for the power strip.
https://www.harborfreight.com/12-outlet-super-power-strip-96737.html

 

[Unit 75]

lol...I have mine set up like the helm of the Enterprise. it's wrapped all around where I sit. Easily accessible for what I use the most. You gotta chill in the man cave

 

[Rob_MA]

My take is equipment you use more often should be closer to you. Equipment that has long leads that doesn't need constant adjustments on a shelf above the bench. Power supplies should have most/all the connectors needed on long enough cables so you can power something up quickly without alligator clips that can short out. You will likely move things around once you start doing some projects. Bench tweaking will improve it over time.

Other tips if you are interested...

Harbor Freight magnetic parts trays (multiple ones) so you can put screws in after disassembling - one for external screws, one or more for internal ones. You can often get these on sale for less. Warning - these are habit forming and you'll have these all over the place.

https://www.harborfreight.com/4-inch-magnetic-parts-tray-90566.html

A drawer or two or three for tools so that they are somewhat organized and easy to find. A drawer will get the tools off the benchtop when not in use and make for a better work station.

I invested in a good soldering iron - Haku - heats up to 750F in less than 45 seconds and is great when you need to make a quick fix and don't want to wait for it to heat up. Temperature controlled so you can knock it down for delicate repairs. Tip cleaning is important. I also have it connected to an AC timer so that I never have to worry about accidentally leaving it on. Add a good quality solder sucker, too

Lots of good lighting including one on an arm for close in work. Magnified if needed.

An excessive amount of outlets on good power strips. There are never enough. A master kill switch is also recommended.

A static mat on the surface. Even if you don't need static protection it makes a nice surface to work on and helps to avoid scratches.

A comfortable chair.

- Rob

 

[OldTech03]

A picture can be worth a thousand words. Here is a bench that is used nearly every day. It's always a work in progress as I change the layout at times when it becomes obvious to do so.

 

[Tallman]

A picture can be worth a thousand words. Here is a bench that is used nearly every day. It's always a work in progress as I change the layout at times when it becomes obvious to do so.

View attachment 30940

Nicely done! That's what I mean about setting iy up for your comfort. If you do a lot of repetitive repair work have your most commonly used tools within easy reach. You don't want to have to stretch to get to a soldering iron or any other "HOT" device.
Do get a proper range heat gun for heat shrink tubing, using a BIC lighter can cause carbon tracking. In low voltage circuits not a problem, RF circuits can be affected, high voltage will smoke the tubing.
If you work bench is mounted against a wall those shelves that have the slotted tracks will work good for mounting test equipment. Power supplies that do not need constant adjustment can be mounted under the bench away from your ears if yours is noisy.
The heat gun range is important, You don't want one that can strip paint off of a house.
I had a novice bring a unit to me and he had used a High Power Paint Stripping heat gun and he literally cooked the radio to death. Too much heat!

 

[guitar_199]

I've actually got most everything I need to start out. 100 MHz Tektronix scope, 500 MHz Spectrum analyzer, VTVM, Signal Tracer, a nice RF Generator, several DVMs. Variac(analog meters, volts & current), freq counter....

I'm just having a devil of a time, committing to "what needs to go where". I ALWAYS let the little things slow me down.....

 

[guitar_199]

That is a great looking desk OldTech03. Is that shelf reasonable stable?

 

[Shadetree Mechanic]

I've actually got most everything I need to start out. 100 MHz Tektronix scope, 500 MHz Spectrum analyzer, VTVM, Signal Tracer, a nice RF Generator, several DVMs. Variac(analog meters, volts & current), freq counter....

I'm just having a devil of a time, committing to "what needs to go where". I ALWAYS let the little things slow me down.....

Big stuff on the bottom. Small stuff on the top?

 

[binrat]

What works for me may not work for you. But, I agree with SM above, start with big stuff on bottom, small on top.

 

[loosecannon]

the absolute most important thing to consider when putting together a repair bench for CB radios is to make sure the bench is tuned.

Now, i know that anyone who does this professionally and repairs radios for any other service including amateur radios, commercial radios, and even military equipment will laugh at that statement until they fall out of their chair, but for CB radio specifically, you have to tune your bench.

You see, you don't actually need a real electronics education to repair CB radios, and because of that, you don't have to know things like:

1: a 50 ohm non-reactive load does not require any certain length of coaxial cable to be used.

2: all professional test equipment used in the electronics repair industry is designed and built to present a 50 ohm non reactive impedance, specifically so that any length of coaxial cable can be used. This is imperative because of the range of equipment that might be put on the bench. There has never been a manual written for any piece of RF test equipment that called out for certain lengths of coaxial cable to be used with them.
that would be absurd.

The great thing about repairing ONLY CB radios is that you can throw all this knowledge out the window because your customers won't know any better!

You see, if you were repairing ANY other type of electronics gear, you would be dealing with people who know what they are talking about and would be expected to
have your facts straight as well.

But with CB radio, all you have to do is keep saying the same things over and over, and then bad mouth anyone who disagrees with you or shows you when you are wrong.

What a wonderful world of repair we have in the CB radio hobby.

Oh, and if you would like to know whether a CB radio technician is actually educated in their field; just ask them if they have ever worked in another industry as a repair person.

EVERY CB radio technician that has a real education in electronics repair will also work on other electronics equipment and not just CB radios.

If you find a technician who claims to know it all, but can only work on CB radios, well, run Forest, RUN!.


now, i've got to go take a rest, as my cheek is hurting from having my tongue pressed against it for so long.
LC

 

[Tallman]

LC, you had me worried for a bit. I worried your train of thought had been derailed!

My bench is tuned to B#!

 

[loosecannon]

Tallman i can "C" what you are saying here, and i have just begun work to tune my bench specifically for when i knock on wood.

LC

 

[TM86]

the absolute most important thing to consider when putting together a repair bench for CB radios is to make sure the bench is tuned.

Now, i know that anyone who does this professionally and repairs radios for any other service including amateur radios, commercial radios, and even military equipment will laugh at that statement until they fall out of their chair, but for CB radio specifically, you have to tune your bench.

You see, you don't actually need a real electronics education to repair CB radios, and because of that, you don't have to know things like:

1: a 50 ohm non-reactive load does not require any certain length of coaxial cable to be used.

2: all professional test equipment used in the electronics repair industry is designed and built to present a 50 ohm non reactive impedance, specifically so that any length of coaxial cable can be used. This is imperative because of the range of equipment that might be put on the bench. There has never been a manual written for any piece of RF test equipment that called out for certain lengths of coaxial cable to be used with them.
that would be absurd.

The great thing about repairing ONLY CB radios is that you can throw all this knowledge out the window because your customers won't know any better!

You see, if you were repairing ANY other type of electronics gear, you would be dealing with people who know what they are talking about and would be expected to
have your facts straight as well.

But with CB radio, all you have to do is keep saying the same things over and over, and then bad mouth anyone who disagrees with you or shows you when you are wrong.

What a wonderful world of repair we have in the CB radio hobby.

Oh, and if you would like to know whether a CB radio technician is actually educated in their field; just ask them if they have ever worked in another industry as a repair person.

EVERY CB radio technician that has a real education in electronics repair will also work on other electronics equipment and not just CB radios.

If you find a technician who claims to know it all, but can only work on CB radios, well, run Forest, RUN!.


now, i've got to go take a rest, as my cheek is hurting from having my tongue pressed against it for so long.
LC

I was really hoping for a dissertation on material densities and how to put them together in such a way as to have not only a functional workbench, but a playable percussion instrument.

Not disappointed, though. Not at all.

 

[Unit 75]

I almost spat my coffee out, LC......Shouldn't read and drink at the same time hehehe.