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Equipping a Small Hackerspace?
andy writes "After gentle prodding for about a year, my company actually agreed to include an electronics/robotics lab in the current build-out of our new office space. As I never really expected this to happen, I was at a bit of a loss when they asked me what sort of workbenches, equipment, etc. I wanted for the lab. The lab will only be approximately 9'x15' but there is a decent amount of vertical space to work with. I was thinking of having 2 workbenches side-by-side, one for 'hardware' and the other for 'software' with a floor-standing cabinet for storage. Semi-mobile workbenches might be a plus. Those of you that work in these sorts of environments, what do you recommend in the way of workbenches, storage, organization, and electronics?"
Where do you work and are they hiring?
Don't forget to get a cabinet. It makes storing random hardware a lot neater.
You will already have the core things you need 90% of the time. Go install your desks in an ergo way, then give your core tools a nice spot to live. Don't worry, they will get lost, borrowed, and misplaced quickly. Soon you'll have three of each, and you'll always know where one is.
The rest will evolve organically. Let it flow in as each project evolves. The most clever configuration will be the one that is flexed from the inside out, as your frustrations permanently solve yet another configuration issue. In a few years, people will wonder how your tech feng shui is so strong.
Eventually people who visit your hackerspace will coo at the random junk bottles of parts, odd CAD lamp lighting, and floor stains, completely oblivious to the purpose, but envious to their shallow cores at the shininess. You will be envied in your organic nerd pile.
slashdot: where everyone yells sarcastic metaphors to themselves to understand the issue
Like Vidmar, Bott, or Lista. Lots of storage, small space. Can also be used to hold up a benchtop. Pricey, but you won't regret them.
9' by 15' ? Does this lab currently contain a mop bucket and cleaning supplies? Sounds like something out of Office Space.
If you have a lot of vertical space, you could utilize some good pegboard and hangar brackets to store most of your tools. Also, I always find myself in want of a drill press and, to a lesser extent, a lathe and a mill. Welding equipment is also a plus. But all of those (minus a drill press, those can be pretty small) take up space. Fans and heaters are a nice convenience, if there isn't already some sort of environmental control. Finally, if other people than yourself are going to be working there regularly (I think that's kind of the definition of a hackerspace) then you might want to get a really nice label-maker/gun so that things stay relatively organized.
Motorcycles, Robots, Space Gossip and More!
"Well give you your space, but it can be no larger than a broom closet."
Make the most of the vertical space if it's against a wall. You will want to have several pieces of reasonably heavy equipment semipermanently present above the workbench - so build a couple of deep, sturdy shelves that can hold your benchtop PSUs, oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, etc. The probes and wires dangle down from the front. The lowest shelf should be as low as possible while still clearing the top of the tallest PC monitor you intend to put on that bench. Support those shelves with at least 1.5x the manufacturer-recommended number of pegs. The back of the shelf should have enough room to the wall, or cutouts, to fit - comfortably - an AC plug so that you don't have to move heaven and earth in order to add or remove an AC-powered piece of equipment from amongst the stuff on either side of it. As well as outlets at floor level, you need an outlet strip running down the back of the bench, or on the wall behind the bench at chest level to a seated person, with a minimum of 8-10 outlets per workbench. The outlets should be spaced far enough apart that they can hold a plugpack. DO NOT think that 6-way adapters are "good enough". It is a royal pain in the ass to deal with them, and they add to cable clutter. You will probably want a local Ethernet network for testing net-booting appliances, as well as wiring into your regular Internet connection. So make room for a small Ethernet switch. Use some more of the wall space for component drawers of the type people use to store nails, screws, etc. You cannot have too many of these. Since you will probably be using many SMD components (I know I do!) make a rack for the reels. A regular piece of wooden dowel with a sturdy chain attached to each end, suspended from the center of the chain, works OK. Having loose reels around the place is another pain in the ass - if you have them on a dowel then you can put R/C/L values in neat order, separate diodes from transistors, etc. These are a few of my suggestions based on my own workspace (I do this sort of thing on a contract basis)... I personally have also ditched all my desktop PCs and use netbooks and notebooks exclusively - much of the hardware you'll be using has to be tethered to the dev system by a short USB cable, and having a desktop PC up close enough really wastes desktop real estate.
I recommend globalindustrial.com. They have some great pick rack cabinets and modular equipment workbenchs. Please note I am not affiliated with them.
I used gorrilla racks as a cheap work bench. A single rack comes in two parts so i can put them side by side for a larger desk space. The surface is also treated to withstand chemicals and a pretty heavy load. I put the shelves on the floor and then the top so that I could pull up a chair to the rack. Since this is for a hackerspace I assume you don't care that it looks like you are using a shelf for a desk. Plus, for $90 you really can't beat it. Also, I have no affiliation with gorillarack. I just work for a small company and don't want to pay $500+ for workbenches.
http://www.gorillarack.com/raptor/grz636245bdi-storage-rack-p-53.html
are you that you don't have one of these already???
Monitor arms and wireless keyboards/mice, or a keyboard drawer. This frees up valuable desk space for working on stuff.
Also useful:
USB port replicator - used for laptops, gets legacy and USB ports up on the desk from the tower, so you can get at them.
Variable power supply - get good ones with a couple of voltage options. +/- 5V, +/- 12V rails along with a variable output is very handy
Plenty of outlets on the desks or, better yet, built into the desks
Grounding - if you can't get grounded desks, get antistatic pads or, at least, antistatic wrist straps, and ground everything you can
The three things you shouldn't scrimp on - power supply, soldering station with adjustable temperature, multimeter
Get a cheap desktop for the hardware station - interfacing with hardware doesn't take much horsepower.
Buy a monster for the software station so you can run multiple OSes in virtual machines - get the free VMWare player that lets you create virtual machines and you can run Solaris, Linux, FreeBSD, etc...
My Other Computer Is A Data General Nova III.
I think it's ridiculous to create such a lab for people who have no idea what do they need it for.
In other case you would have been known, what you need, definitely.
There's one thing you can never have enough of: space. Put as little in there as possible. The rest depends on what you're going to build there. Maybe you want a CNC router, most definately a proper soldering station, oscilloscope and a whole shitload of storage full of parts. But most of all: lots of space. That bad motherfucking robotarm you will inevitably build there needs a lot of it:P
- Cover the wall in network and power-points - you might well make use of 12 ethernet ports and 50 mains sockets.
- Have deep, load-bearing shelves above the workbench, (again, with power), and under-shelf lighting.
- Consider the ergonomics: workbench height for standing (and some tall stools), a/c, bright light, silent computers. LCD monitor on a swing-arm?
- If money is limited, you're probably better off with a larger variety of stock and tools than with fewer expensive ones.
- Do you need the ability to make it dark? Plumbing? Dust/Fume extraction?
- Ensure the floor is easy to clean, not static-prone, and easy to see where you dropped things.
You should cover all the walls and ceiling with markerboard. The shop in my parent's house is this way and makes for a great work space. Every (non-furniture) surface is a place to sketch out ideas and make little notes. If you put a thin metallic sheet behind the markerboard sheet, you'll also be able to use magnets to hold things up.
If you're the person who requisitioned the lab and you don't know what to put in it, why is your company even building such an area?
If your company has staff who would use this space, then poll them for the equipment they need. Otherwise, retract your request for a lab. Asking Slashdot will just get you a random assortment of hardware which will most likely sit unused.
Believe me, if you really needed this stuff, you'd know exactly what to buy.
Sincerely,
Person with a Ph.D. in EE who has worked with hardware development for 15 years.
I would advise against having hardware and software sharing the same space.
do people really want to code between a bandsaw and stick welder?
what kind of work are you thinking about doing in this hackerspace? its hard to say what you will need when we don't know what you will build.
this is what i find helpful for my purposes:
numerous soldering stations
those grippy tables with 2 arms and a magnifying glass.
lots of reverse tweezers. (most useful tool ever.)
proper wire cutters. the huge ones that hammer down and pull apart. save tons of time.
fish tank for holding etching acid
heat press for iron on transfers
rotary tools
small metal lathe
hand drill
drill press
band saw
a good vice
various clamps
optional: safety goggles
oh, and try to get a plasma cutter! I've never actually used one for anything useful, but it's fun as hell to play with.
-I only code in BASIC.-
Supply a piice of decent electronic equip(a nice scope), and be sure all the tools are the cheapest you can find. There going to go missing anyways, so longevity isn't a major concern here.
Let the enthusiastic bring stuff in if they want more.
Oh, and a library of basic electronic books.
The most important things is a welcoming attitude. Even the most bone headed nooob should be comfortable coming in and participating..a 'don't say no' attitude towards people wanting to participate.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
"I need (insert dogmatic instance of need here)! It will make us more (insert dogmatic insistence of improvement here) and we're falling behind our competition because you're not taking my awesome advice". Then when they say okay, you have no plan, no execution strategy...hell, you don't even know how to get start so you go ask someone else how to do it. Idiot. They should fire your dumb ass.
Surely the budget is relevant. Otherwise, I'd go 9x15xvertical worth of gold ingots and a lousy security system you know how to beat.
"Who is the Journal of Quantum Physics going to believe?" --Stephen Hawking
You don't say what your budget is, but good, sturdy workbenches (like these) with plenty of outlets for power supplies, scopes, meters, etc. as well as built in drawers and cabinet space.
If you are looking for suggestions on equipment, power supplies like the Topward 6000D series or similar (multiple output, adjustable, current limiting supplies) are invaluable. Good o-scope, handheld multimeter, etc. if you don't already have that stuff.
Like pi? Try 10,000 digits.
in the movies with the 20 plus monitors, cool lights and all that jazz. Then when your boss pops his head in he thinks "wow these guys are working hard and super cool" just like those movie nerds not sucky like regular nerds.
Lots of high-current outlets, preferably on several circuits. Some non-fluorescent, repositionable work lights to help kill the flicker and see the work. Locking wheels for everything. Pegboard and hangers. Fans, ventilation, etc.
Why do all the neat opportunities always go to the lads with the fewest clues?
Lots of "extra hands" ("third hand"), clamps /stands that can be moved quickly and easily but stay in place when needed to hold things when Bob is not handy to hold something for you.
http://www.aconcordcarpenter.com/2010/09/rockwell-jaw-stand.html
http://api.ning.com/files/1wnjqZCMOaHxwJZE9-s1LAFawfD8ybVeqLYkbodmkHZhZSh4zC3KY3Ky6t-jKsdnamxXlVhnU215Wp9wBsY2lMGJ6*vhM9FU/14Solderingsetup.jpg?width=721
http://reviews.northerntool.com/0394/253800/free-shipping-rockwell-jawhorse-work-station-model-rk9000-reviews/reviews.htm
Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
without hand-holding, then why have you been entrusted with this task? Surely you've worked in an electronics lab before, and you know how to use Grainger.com?
Not sure what you're really doing but...
oscilloscope
signal generator
discrete power supply
Voltmeter
Breadboards
General toolbox (seriously you'll need a hammer at some point)
Multiple workstations with serial ports obviously
parts bins
Lable Maker (for the parts bins)
etc...
If it's a tall room... tall shelfs and one of those ladders on wheels.
.. from Abyss Creations :)
Get a Weller soldering iron, some of those Jameco parts kits for all your common components, an oscilloscope, a couple decent multimeters, maybe a logic analyzer. Solderless breadboards and lots of those plug-in wire jumpers are useful. You want to have all the usual hand tools, plus a third-hand tool or two, a heat gun and heat shrink supplies, maybe a molex pin crimper. Try to leave some of your budget left over for when you find new things that you really want to get.
If you are going for serious hardware electronics work, you need a hot-air soldering station, not just a soldering iron. Hot-air soldering stations will allow you to do all the modern SMT components that you can't do with just an iron. If you are doing electronics, you need a DC power supply; Oscilloscope; Multimeter, Signal generator. If you are doing power electronics you will need a Variac (autotransformer) and some heavy duty switches. Aligator clips are always handy. Non-contact temperature sensors are also handy. Caliper for measuring.. This all in addition to the work benches, power and lighting other people have mentioned.
Order it from the Japanese, if you need it to play guitar or make a car,
or from that company that makes the disturbing headless-horse military robot.
They know what they're doing.
I mean seriously. What do you want a robot for?
Sounds like its to satisfy a tinkering itch.
My advice is don't build any hardware til you have the entire thing
functioning perfectly in a software sim. And even then, don't build
any hardware. The silly mechanical problems and non-linear force
issues will defeat you and eat all your time. For what? For what?
Where are we going and why are we in a handbasket?
I'm in a hackerspace.
I find the oscilloscopes, and multimeters useful. Include a solder iron, some prototyping board, hot glue gun, various screwdrivers, wrenches, bubble level, measuring tape, battery charger and some electricians pliers and you'll have a very useful space.
Also a bench with a vice and some helping hands.
1) Wheels on stuff is cool. Make sure at least 2 of 4 wheels lock, and get the biggest diameter wheels you can stand. Rolling a workbench with 600+lbs on it will shred those plastic casters.
2) If you're going vertical, get a Little Giant-like ladder that splits into two a-frames, other brands work very well. Handy to be able to a-frame it, stretch it out and store vertically in a corner, use with planks as a third workbench, and of course lend out under constant supervision when someone else needs one.
There is little else as much fun as establishing a new shopspace. I've done three big ones, and it's a riot. Just be glad you're not working on portable tape recorders, and have to explain the $400 P.O. for screws. Having a 1x1.2mm screw when you need one; priceless. Sony made great stuff back then, man.
deleting the extra space after periods so i can stay relevant, yeah.
Ask for a 3D printer and/or a 3D desktop mill such as the Roland MDX-40.
Also ask for Arduinos. Lots and lots of Arduinos.
Label maker. Different colored cables where possible. Makes finding cables in a nest easier.
Multiple racks of parts bins, labelled.
Shallow organizers can be put on hinges if wall area is scarce.
Plywood or mdf or purpose-built sheets can also be used to hang tools. Put those on wall hinges to get tool hanging surface area.
Get a standing table and a sitting table. Build out of wood with the necessary crossbracing and 3/4" or 1" urethaned tabletop.
Can never have too much table space. Use all-round strapping or bolt holes to attach power bars. Get IP-addressable power bars if you want some automation.
Get as much light as you can in that room, and keep flashlights and an LED headlamp handy (energizer has some good bright toughcase headlamps).
Plumb in a urinal and a sink. (Half joking about the urinal...) Plumb for compressed air. Install outlet for central vac. Install a fume ventilator. Install conduit (2 inch perhaps) with generous bend radii and leave some strong line in for pulling cables. Check building codes for when necessary.
Install vinyl skirts on any cabinets or shelf units so parts dropped on the floor won't sneak their way to some unreachable position.
Get a big trash bin, or use a large diameter vacuum for dry trash disposal.
And put an equipment rack in the corner.
Okay, it sounds more like a garage than a hacker's room, but I hope you can take away some of these ideas.
Many amateurs or hobbyists have faced this dilemma in their own personal (and professional) work spaces for centuries nows. Two groups I know a little about are wood workers and machinists, who have written dozens of books and articles about this subject, in both the general and specific case.
0. Safety equipment: dust masks, goggles, safety glasses (with side protection), gloves (nitrile, latax, neoprene), hearing protection (ear muffs, ear plugs), and as needed!
1. Tools
2. Storage / management of those tools
3. Hard copy (dead-tree) documentation, it is being rapidly moved online thanks to cheap and compact computers and laptops, but much older reference material is still in old-school paper form (which can be handy) (example references to collect: ARRL Handbook, Art of Electronics, Machinery's Handbook, Woodworking Basics, Understanding Wood, Wiring Simplified)
4. Commonly used materials (lumber, hoses, holes clamps, fabric, sheet metal, dowels, nuts & bolts, wood and metal screws, etc.)
5. Parts (in anti-static containers for any static sensitive parts like CMOS ICs)
6. Labelling tools
7. Log / Lab notebooks . These should be paper-based, though can be complimented with online documents, a honest to goodness hard copy lab book is essential.
8. Chemicals
9. Large, easy to read clock
10. Test equipment: rulers, tape measures, calipers, digital multi-meter
11. Plenty of AC mains circuits and outlets. Preferably with a separate circuit for lighting versus wall outlets. - Avoid extended use of extension cables, and excessive use of power bars.
And time.
You could never go wrong with lasers.
Mount mirrors and lenses on a small, sturdy table and have a few beams of 1mW laser bounce around in smoke from a small smoke machine and you'll impress the boss enough to keep your lair. (and job) ;)
It depends greatly what you are building or fixing.
For basic electronics stuff, soldering irons, those boxes of little drawers (filled with components), good chairs, a magnifying lamp, lots and lots of storage for this-and-that, heat gun, lots of shrink tube, wire in a handful of gauges and insulation colors (all teflon, if your budget allows) in solid and stranded. A variac. An oscilloscope (I have found that there are exactly two good places for a 'scope: on a cart, or in a 19-inch rack). Hand tools, and save some budget for extra hand tools as they have a high vapor pressure. Good hand tools, at that. Basic metal / wood working tools (files, hand saws, drills). Drill bits: buy good ones and you'll thank me later, buy cheap ones and you'll end up buying good ones anyway. A small drill press (one of THE most valuable bits of kit around). One of those massively heavy vises that gets bolted to the work surface (and do, indeed, bolt it in place). I've found an end-sander is really useful too. Epoxy, lots of epoxy. A set of precision screwdrivers (keep them under lock and key). A cordless drill (minimum a DeWalt). Fluke hand-held meters. A very high quality 6 or 8-inch L-square, and a decent quality 12-24 inch one. Good lighting. Lots of electrical outlets. A handful of ethernet drops.
Put my fist through my alarm clock with its ding-dong death inside my ear. - The Blackjacks.
Few things look more badass then dozens of monitors tailing log files. And it must be displayed as green text on a black background, otherwise you lose *major* cool points.
Which is sadly under utilized these days (too much real work unfortunately)
Several voltmeters - I like the old Fluke bench units... LED displays you can see across the room, and the batteries are never dead because there are none.
Several scopes - tek is king here.
Drill press - bloody essential for anything mechanical at all.
Logic analyzer, i'm partial to the HP ones
Spectrum analyzer - pricy, but a godsend for RF work (if you'll be doing any) - HP, again.
Power supply - hp made good ones again. you can never have too many it seems. I have some homebrew ones too - ATX supplies and random ebay SMPS units can be handy and dirt cheap, but not adjustable (you can add an external reg easily though..)
Freq counter - hp, but fluke made decent ones. more for RF, but can be handy for digital, clocking and stuff...
Freq gen, whether you need a lower freq audio one or one that does RF depends on what you're planning on.
For soldering irons im partial to the hakko ones, '936' is the model, and there are plenty of knockoffs available on ebay. The genuine model isn't crazy expensive though.
Then a PC, a few programmers, depending on what you want. I'm partial to Atmel's AVR, but PIC is big, some folks are still stuck with moto 6800 derivatives for some unknown reason, likewise with 8051's... For the money ARM is really the way to go, but I havent played with them much yet. Some sort of JTAG unit will be handy for random programming also. I usually use a linux box with avr-gcc, but some tools are win32 only, so might want to have a windows box or virtualbox around - not to mention some schematic / board layout stuff is win only too.
For dev boards, I have a few from atmel, but some of them are pretty pricy. these guys make some nice dev boards, but I'm not crazy about their compiler. The IDE looks nice enough, but I'm used to gcc and my own editor. I have one of their AVR boards, and I use a GPL'd AVR based AVR programmer (chicken and egg if you dont already have one ;) ) with it, because their built in programmers (which work well, mind you) are windows only.
Sent from my PDP-11
What do you plan on actually building in this new lab? If it's to be for robotics projects, what sort of robotics? You get your big industrial robots in various shapes and sizes, but surely that's not what you want to do in there (also those are not really that cheap). Then you've got nanorobotics, but you'd probably need a REM or AFM or CT or similar devices to set up experiments with those. But that's surely out of the question, too, again for space and probably budgetary reasons.
Anyway, for general electronics stuff you'll want a good multi-channel oscilloscope (or more), frequency generators and counters, logic analyzers could be of great use, and how about spectrum analyzers? BTW, what is frequency range of the circuits you're going to work with? The higher up the more you'll have to invest in proper tools that can handle high frequencies. Decent soldering station, desoldering station (be sure to buy something that handles SMT well). To be on the safe side with health and regulations look into exhausts for all the fumes that are generated by soldering and similar activities. For general prototyping you could do worse than to buy a CNC mill for making front panels/enclosures and prototyping PCBs. A good drill press with various bits for all kinds of materials is mandatory. And so on and so forth. I guess in your situation you'll have to decide on what you really need to do there in order to make a reasonable shopping list. Good luck.
It's a sad fact that most people who will want to borrow tools from your lab will not have any concept of returning them, much less of signing them out. I managed a robotics research lab for 12 years, so I know something about how this works.
It's extremely frustrating to someone in the middle of an elaborate assembly or repair project to reach for an essential tool and discover that it has walked away with some unknown person.
Therefore you pretty much have to keep tool cabinets locked, particularly the ones where the more popular hand tools are stored. Invest in cabinets with lots of separately-keyed doors and drawers. Always buy essential hand tools in pairs, and keep the backup set somewhere else.
It also doesn't hurt to keep an open bin in the lab for storing cheap multibit drivers and the like. Buy lots of these, and restock as necessary. That way, people who drop by the lab to borrow something and never return it will go away happy, without causing frustration for your legitimate lab users. It's good politics, as well as allowing you to run an effective lab for the people who really need it.
Parity: What to do when the weekend comes.
1. Have your own tools, lock them up, lend them to no one, ever, period.
2. Good technicians have their own tools.
3. Good technicians keep their workplaces neat & well stocked
4. Idiots "borrow" tools, because idiots have no respect for nor do they own any tools, they will leave them scattered everywhere and lose all of them within days of seeing them for the first time! If the company buys tools, let'em, you can't control what you don't pay for, make it clear to your manager that you think all tools should be on a sign-out basis only, and shop time also should be on a reservation schedule (especially important in very small shops). Have a written policy regarding shop safety, tidiness and security.
5. Keep it locked at all times.
6. Project tracking, (cross project parts pilferage) keep your projects and the parts purchased therefore segregated from others.
7. Cost accounting, keep track of, parts, time, etc.
8. It's easy to get sloppy, keep a checklist and keep to it!
I killed da wabbit -Elmer Fudd
The most important thing you need is every copy of the keys to that space. Don't even let the janitor have one.
If people have keys to it, eventually someone will open the door when they're doing a building inspection, and think, "Man, this is a great place for a closet. Clear all this random junk (read: your in progress project) out of here, and we'll be able to claim X amount of square feet back on the management floor, where it clearly goes to better use."
Seriously. Keys. Everything else is nice, but you need to control the space that was built reluctantly.
Reeses
and lots of glue for it, no kidding they are as useful as can be.
Just last month I found myself at the local big box hardware store looking for - you guessed it - looking for a small vice .... with a wonderfuil sense of deja-vu I got to pop the question - the young whipper-snapper there didn't even blink and took me to the aisle with the vices - kids these days, just oblivious
Nobody has mentioned a Tesla coil. *Every* true hackerspace must have a Tesla coil; the bigger the better. Just because.
Right. No, your other right. No, the other other right.
I'm a director of a Hackerspace in California, so I've got a few scraps of things learned the hard way. First bit is: don't let clutter build up. Be tough about broken things for restoration, and find a comfortable point where if something has been unloved for too long, that it must go. I strongly advise against permitting anybody to store anything there that is not for sharing with everybody. Make the space carry-in/carry-out. This is a great way to reduce clutter, and decrease drama and egos when people fight over territory, or tears when somebody's beloved project gets knocked on the floor and smashed. As for as organisation: abuse a label maker and try for clear containers. With a high-volume of unfamiliar people passing through, training everybody where everything belongs becomes a hell of a chore. You're better off just making it very easy for a well-meaning stranger to put things away, and to make it easy to see what is in storage containers to minimise rooting about. Keep a ready supply of fuses for your power supply etc about, people are going to be dumb and burn them up, and you don't want anybody to be tempted to "hotwire it just for a second while they try something." Reach an early understanding that the space is not liable if things left there are broken or improperly used. Also leave cleaning supplies very easy to see. People are more likely to clean up after themselves that way. Keep the drills and power tools away from the electrical station. I know "hardware" and "software" divisions make sense in the abstract to some people, but electrical people get very grouchy when metal chips wind up shorting out their boards.
A desktop CNC can be equipped with a plastic extruder so it could function as a 3d printer, plus it can mill circuit boards, wood, aluminum panels, enclosures, etc, etc.
I've done a lot of reading on the subject lately and the easiest and cheapest way to get one without spending a ton of time doing your own work is:
http://mydiycnc.com/
For $400 (if they reach their goal) you will be able to get a complete CNC kit including spindle.
Alternately if that falls through the next cheapest option is a Zen Toolworks kit. They are available from Amazon but you need to get a spindle, stepper motor driver board, and power supply to go along with it.
Total cost works out towards the $600 range.
More expensive than that are the cupcake CNC, lumenlab CNC, etc. But those are the cheapest options above, aside from the Mantis CNC which costs around $300 completely outfitted. Unfortunately it also takes the most time as you have to cut all the parts by hand and the guy who designed doesn't seem too interested in helping random people build their own.
twitter.com/gravitronic
If you're doing anything computer or network related, you're going to need a 19" rack, and you should get it upfront so you can allocate the space to access the front and back. You'll want some shelving in a fixed location, but rolling shelves or carts let you effectively use the space in back of your racks. You'll want lots of electricity, and usually Wiremold is the winning way to deploy it. The real trick, if you're in a US-like country, is deciding whether you only need 110v or also 220-240v.
Your Building-management people may have lots of opinions about whether you can have 220vAC, and whether your racks, shelves, and desks need to be earthquake-braced, and what kind of HVAC you can have, and whether they need to install fire sprinklers or other fire suppression systems if you're soldering things. Let the wookies win - You will not successfully work around them, and you'll occasionally want them to be your friends, even if some of them are corporate droids. When I built a lab in the mid-90s, in San Francisco, I could have had it up and running in a couple of weeks for a couple of thousand dollars, before we hit the "earthquake bracing" question; by the time I was done, 6-8 months later, we had $900/seat "workstations" (that's the desks, not the $300 computers sitting under them), and an extra A/C system in the ceiling that only occasionally iced up and leaked, but we also had all the electric supply we needed to run a couple of eventually-full 19" racks.
And you do want some kinds of cabinets or toolboxes to store miscellaneous stuff - the Sears Automotive tool drawers can be nice for random parts, and you'll want somewhere to keep random crap that isn't visibly cluttered, and some bookshelves for books.
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
If you've got a 9x15 space for your lab, it's probably in an office building, and probably in a city, and there are so many sets of rules that you will not be able to meet if you want to do it safely and legally. For welding, you need things like cement floors, lots of ventilation, fireproof construction, beefed-up electricity, safety inspectors, fire code compliance, appropriate insurance, etc. etc., and that's if you're doing something nice and clean like MIG or spot welding, as opposed to acetylene torches. Not gonna happen, unless you start working from the beginning with your building people to find out what they need you to do.
The real question is going to be whether you can get approval for soldering, which still takes a decent fireproof bench and some ventilation.
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
but this is what we have at work - i rarely ever find myself at a task i dont have tools for
electronics tools
adjustable/programmable power supplies, more channels than 1 prefferably - you can make do with smps adapters, voltage regulators etc etc but nothing really beats a decent psu in ergonomics have a hp 4 channel programmable one, you can get cheaper one(s)
oscilloscope - a must have for all your time changing signals - a logic analyzer input is a bonus if the os has one - have a 4 channel 1GHz agilent one, you can find a cheaper one
arbitary signal generator - generating time changing signals if you dont have one will be a very time demanding task - i have tecktronic one on my desk
programmers - elnec has some good universal ones, you need to get your code to the hardware somehow, you can always diy or use eg atmel chips with boot assistant but with a universal programmer its just so much sinpler
radio tools: spectrum analyzer, vna, rf signal gen, power meters.. there are some jobs you just cant do without but the hardware is really very pricey, its nice to have but you probably cant afford it, we have Rohde and Schwarz instrumets
rackable programmable multimeters - again cost a lot but are nice to have on your desk and very ergonomic in some tasks. i use keithly ones mostly
a proper welding station, not an iron you plug into wall. nice features are smd tweezers, vacuum and more than one soldering iron hot at once. again you can have just your avarage one with single iron, flat wide tip will be good enough for 98% of the tasks - we use weller ones
logic analyzer if your os didnt come with one, i dont have this and i often wish i did
a large breadboard, nothing beats that in fast prototyping
microscope or real good magnifier, for finding these pesky short circuits on smd pcb-s
cabling tools(now these are lot cheaper so you can get most of these):
good pliers - a must have tool
cable strippers - ever find yourself in need to soulder 50 wires and only have a knife?
knives/scalpels
hot shrink tubing of various sizes - once you try these you never want to see a piece of sticky tape again
mechanical power tools:
a dremel - solves a lot of mistakes
cordless drill, with anywhere from slow to high speed, dont take the cheapest one - will drill holes, screw screws, bolts, nuts, taper thread(in soft materials with M5 and above), etc, irreplacable
drill bench - for holes that have to be straight and true
bits:
drillset 1-10mm with 0.5mm step
taper bits
unibit eg step drill, good for larger holes in metal and plastic
manual mech tools:
screwdrivers - all sorts dont think that single size crossed one or flat one will do, you need anything from large to real tiny
allen key set, one end with ball ends - better than any other bolt heads, except maybe torx
wrech set, +an adjustable one
hammer - good for hitting things witrh
hacksaw
im sure this list can get a lot longer but this should be about the most of tools i daily use, adjust the list to your budget, you dont have to have everything
So you're going to need some water tanks and a faucet.
Why yes, I actually *do* work in an underground lab0ratory for my day job.
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
I just changed my terminal colors to green on black B-)
OK actually this sucks. I'm gonna have to use white on black when nobody's looking.
"When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
Some side areas of the Innovation Center on the RIT campus are dedicated to that purpose.
Sometimes separate walled-off rooms, sometimes an open area on the edge of the big room.
While walking around, I've noticed:
The tables were trapezoidal and on wheels (easily reconfigurable arrangement)
* They seemed to be relatively normal tables; not sure fi what you're doing would require ones that could handle a lot of weight under them.
Probably could use more outlets and Ethernet ports than we already have.
Small personal lockers in addition to the storage racks for tools
[These particular hackerspaces seemed more suited to software AFAIK; not sure if hardware stuff would require more space.]
Do you want to play around with oldschool equipment, or focus on up-to-date stuff?
I listen to both RIAA and non-RIAA stuff if I like the music, tangential business/politics nonwithstanding.
IAAEE and I do design work; I'm in my lab daily and helped design the current lab. My lab has two separate spaces, one for mech work and the other for EE work. The mech lab has a bandsaw, drill press, grinder, lathe and milling machine. For the space you have I'd say get the mill. You can use it to drill, cut and face a small workpiece. Look at Grizzly tools (basically Harbor Freight) for decent deals and ok quality equipment.
The EE lab has a lot of kit. You need at least one dual power supply for each station where you'll do electrical work (look at BK, they have several value items), as well as a soldering iron. For irons the near-instant heat types are truly awesome and IMO well worth the cost. We like Weller but as long as they get hot they'll work fine. One piece of advice - however many soldering stations you intend to have, you should buy them all at one time. Weller loves to keep redesigning the tips so I have to stock five different families of tips in my lab. Don't waste money on benchtop multimeters, for the cost of one great Agilent we got four Fluke 77's - sufficient for most work and more easily portable. You need at least two multimeters per EE station. You should also invest in scopes if you do anything analog. You must have at least one good scope in the lab for every two EE's, and you should also have a bad scope. We have some cheap Teks as well as one awesome MSO4000 series which has a 16 channel mini-LA - expensive but worth every penny. If you do much digital look at the USBee for a cheap LA. Also at least one good function generator is very useful; look at Agilent and SRS for good ones. You may need a spectrum analyzer depending on what you're doing, too.
Back to the basics, though. You can fit two 6' benches on each 15' wall with space between. Global Industries sells these at reasonable cost but Costco might have some near you for ~$150. A good bench will have a hutch shelf with a row of outlets on it (outlets you can see are really important, but you can also get a 6' industrial power strip instead if you need). I'd get two, and a stand for the mill, as well as storage. A good rolling tool rack (with ball bearing slides! don't skimp on that!) and a cabinet will use most of the other wall. Look at a good shelving cabinet like Akro Mills make if you will stock small parts. Expensive but an excellent way to store and organize your SMT parts or hardware. And think about how/where you'll store your scrap mechanical stock - you might still have room for a good open vertical shelf.
You will want all the storage you can fit in there. Think about a layer of shelves at 6.5' off the ground all the way around the room for rarely-used equipment. And your lab needs power and data. You should have a dedicated power circuit (or two) for the lab and more ethernet ports than usual (preferably two per work station or more). Finally since you are short on space you should try to get a laptop dedicated to lab use, and preferably one with a real db-9 serial port on it (or a base station with one).
That would be my Christmas list for your lab. Hope it helps.
Just my $0.55 (US inflation, 1774-2008, for $0.02)
You should get a function generator, oscilloscope, a good DC power supply, and a temperature controlled soldering iron. these are the basic pieces of equipment you will most likely need. also you will need to pick a manufacture for a microprocessor you intend to use, and get a programmer for it. this should cover the digital end. The nice thing is that these should all fit on a decient workbench nicely.
Another thing which is valuable at all times:
Get a decent mains isolation transformer so you can test and analyse mains powered stuff too. (like smps) I always remembered the sentence: "Your oscilloscope was never designed to float"
This is only related because it was said in my hackerspace, this morning:
Q: How many hackers does it take to... do anything?
A: Three. Two to watch and one to demonstrate.
P.S.: If you happen to be in Luxembourg, we're selling chocolate keyboards this weekend.
www.eissq.com/BandP.html Ball and Plate System. Amuse your friends. Crush your enemies.
You need to add a pinball machine. Preferably something from the late-80's to mid-90's. It is great for morale.
I just saw a special Make magazine that talks about organizing the perfect shop, and on page 6 they have a shot of a toolbox made by Adam Savage. The neat thing is that it has a scissors lift style base so he can elevate it from floor to bench height.
I mention this because I'm wondering if something similar would keep your toolbox from falling over.
You may find Make Magazine's 2011 Ultimate Tool Guide useful for this. Has a lot of information/suggestions, and only costs $10. (Granted, there are a lot of advertisements that masquerade as articles, but still.)
Build Your Own Security Lab: A Field Guide for Network Testing by Michael Gregg ISBN 978-0-470-17986-4 http://www.amazon.com/Build-Your-Own-Security-Lab/dp/0470179864/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1291996372&sr=1-1
whether you can get approval for soldering, which still takes a decent fireproof bench and some ventilation.
Electronics soldering is quite safe. Most standard office furniture (e.g. particle board with melamine) should be fire resistant enough by nature to be safe enough, and any sane workbench would be a non-issue. A small square of hardboard (high-density fibreboard) as a temporary tabletop protection is an approach I've used with no problem in locations without a workbench.
An small to medium wattage soldering iron with a stand is quite safe.
While the soldering fumes can provoke and may cause to asthma (due to rosin fumes) and can contain lead oxide (in lead based solders), the health risk can be managed through ventilation such as an activated carbon filtered fume extraction fan, which you can make yourself.
Oh, and wear pants, soldering in shorts is dangerous.
Call these guys, they did a 3D Google Sketchup of my garage with all the storage options I wanted - http://www.carguygarage.com
whether you can get approval for soldering, which still takes a decent fireproof bench and some ventilation.
If you are going to be doing any plastics work, that is another reason for ventilation--I got into big trouble with the office building neighbors when curing some smelly acrylic resin (clear casting resin). The "lab" room had a ceiling vent, but a bit of toilet paper wouldn't stick to it, so there was basically no air flow, at least not when I tested it. My work-around was to put the curing resin into an airtight sealed box.
If you use power tools (drills, grinder, etc), the noise could be a problem. Consider a door with a good air seal--plugging all the cracks is the first step in noise isolation.
.... a kick-ass sound system (doesn't make any difference what's in the workspace if you can't hear the tunes).
doesn't mean drill presses, The tabletop bent as soon as the press was put on it and it became evident that the anchoring bolts would come out in a hurry if anyone bumped into it. I had to add plywood reinforcement to make it safe.
Tech Public Policy stuff
I use Panavise, a base plus the board holder, and other things can be attached to the base.
Get a good lighted magnifier on a swing arm, the kind where there's a circular light source (fluorescent or ring of LEDs) surrounding the magnifier.
Each will cost around $70, and they're well worth it.
When one is doing printed circuit board soldering, or examining surface mount PCBs, it really helps to be able to see what it is you are working on with a nice, shadowless light. And for the board to be up where you can easily work on it.
Tech Public Policy stuff
If you're going to have hardware hacking tools, at some point you will need a medkit. You may also want a landline phone with the physical address of the hackerspace next to it, so that anyone who needs to call emergency services for any reason will be able to give directions.
That aside, keep an eye on the cost of 3D printers and snag one once it comes into your price range. Additionally: don't forget to surge-protect your power sockets and be able to isolate your USB and network sockets both logically and physically - you never know what some people might plug into those things.
Makezine has a new guide book out, 2011 Ultimate Workshop and Tool Guide, that goes through how to set up and equip a workshop.
Falcon
Should there be a Law?