What's On Your Tech Bench?

Twev1701 writes "As a small computer repair company that has seen enormous growth in the past few months, we are now looking to expand our facilities. With construction starting on our office space, we now turn to the task of designing a new tech bench. Our existing bench is 6'x3', has a dedicated 15" CRT, 4 port KVM, and overhead storage bins for parts. With a new bench of 12'x4', we have lots of room for expansion. What essentials would the /. community put on their new tech bench?"

Comments

The essentials!

[Blapto]

Apart from computers and cases of varying kinds, you need to remember your mini fridge! Don't forget the mini fridge!

Re:The essentials!

[tomhudson]

3 "tech benches".

1. Junk that I haven't gotten around to putting in its place. Plus, Coffee machine, Franks "Red Hot" sauce, 2 cans of coffee (1 with coffee, 1 with dog food), clipboard for notes, spare parts for whatever is being worked on lately.
2. Junk that I haven't gotten around to putting in its place. A couple of servers, spare parts, and (look UNDERNEATH - AGGG!) all sorts of shit. Parts, parts, parts. Boxes. WTF - Muriatic Acid!!! Oh, right - only safe place for it. About 50 cards (video, audio, capture, etc).
3. Junk that I haven't gotten around to putting in its place. 21" monitor and spare box for "doing stuff". Photocopier.
4. Desk - Junk that I haven't gotten around to putting in its place, crt and box, etc.

But I can FIND stuff! Just last week I found some software I wrote last year that we were looking for last month (better late than never).

The essentials of desktop repair

[Mishra100]

Definitely make sure you have enough ground straps and a place to ground them to......

Because we ALL know 99% of techies out there ALWAYS use ground straps. A+ basics right there.

Re:The essentials of desktop repair

[Slashcrap]

Definitely make sure you have enough ground straps and a place to ground them to......

And make sure you remove those damn safety resistors. They are for pussies who lack faith in their own abilities. It also helps to add back that element of excitement that is so often missing in today's workshops.

Re:The essentials of desktop repair

[eggz128]

I have a friend, I'll call Sue, who I help out by fixing her computer whenever they she does something stupid to it. Which is often.

Sue had been complaining for a while that her computer was slow. WinXP on a P3/600 128Mb isn't much fun :) So I figured out that she'd need PC700 Rambus ram (which as it happens ment that it would be cheaper and easier to just junk the thing and get a new one, but no, we can't do that). A couple of weeks later I get a call saying shes got the RAM and could I come over to fit it.

On my arrival she proudly told me that she'd been going to evening classes, learning how to fix computers, and the instructor had given her some spare RAM that would work.

Anyway, I opened up the case, and started to work my way through the wires looking for the RAM slots.

"No," she yelped, "You've got to use an earthing strap, or you'll damage it". She then launched into a nice 5 minute long lecture on the dangers of static electricity (which she'd learnt all about the previous night).

Ok, fine I'll wear the earthing strap. Although I'd already earthed myself by touching part of a near by radiator, this would save me any more earache.

"Ok, I can see the slot. Could you pass me the stick of RAM now please?"

Sue turned around, and picked up a nylon ruck sack. She unzipped the front of the ruck sack, rooted around inside for a bit, and then produced a single DIMM of PC66. Not in an antistatic bag, not in any kind of protection at all actually, from either physical damage or electrical damage. And covered in all sorts of whatever crap that was in the bottom of that ruck sack.

"Sue, why am I wearing an antistatic strap if you're going to carry the ram about, unprotected, in something that generates more static than your average Van der f**king Graaf generator?"

"Oh"

"And thats not a Rambus RIMM like I told you to get. It's a DIMM. PC66."

"Dave my instructor said it would work."

"It won't even physically fit in the slot. Look, the notches are in different places."

"But Dave said..."

"Dave is an idiot."

"Dave also gave me this to speed things up..."

And with that, Sue reached back into the ruck sack, and produced a K6-2 processor. Also covered in crap, not in an anti static bag.

Re:The essentials of desktop repair

[fireboy1919]

grounded compressed air

Its a good strategy to keep grounded compressed air on hand.

While it's little known in the computer industry, the common use for grounded compressed air is for tire-air replacement (it gets stale). Its best to replace the air in your tires once either every 4-6 months, or when you change your blinker-light fluid.

When using your grounded compressed air, its important to remember to stay away from electrical outlets. Normal air is an insulator, and therefore incapable of being a ground at all.
Grounded compressed air is not, and as it drifts around it may randomly form an electrical path between things if it loses contact with the ground.

Now please excuse me. I have to go rotate my hood ornament.

Re:The essentials of desktop repair

[mollymoo]

You know how it is, you have a few too many beers and gradually the chick with three ears, one eye and an OS/2 laptop with a broken floppy starts to look like Natalie Portman asking you to make the dock icons smaller on her PowerBook.

Re:From my list of requirements for the ideal PCbe

[snookums]

standardised personal tool harness for everybody. Power Screwdriver, small wrenches, bits, e-meter and maybe a headlamp/MiniMag with headstrap.

What on Earth do you want an e-meter on there for?