What's in your workroom ?

[CheffoJeffo]

We've all ogled other people's beautiful game rooms.

If you hang around in this hobby long enough, you will eventually ogle other people's amazing workshops, replete with multiple oscilloscopes, EPROM burners, totally pristine test fixtures, Fluke meters, Metcal soldering stations and every cap, resistor, diode, transistor, socket and IC known to man all organized neatly enough to rival the cleanest hospital OR.

Well, my workroom is definitely not beautiful and I would love to have more gadgets and tools, but don't yet have the expertise nor, in some cases, the $$$ to justify them.

So, I ask, what is in your workshop that you can't do without for this hobby ?



My ghetto test rig -- PS with fused QDs, speaker, ISO and monitor. You can also see my logic probe, which I am trying to learn how to use.



Cheapish soldering station, RadioShack DMM, cheapo magnifier/extra hands and mugs to hold bits and bobs as they are removed/installed.



Pliers, cutters, drivers and a truckload of security bits.



Moderately organized bins of caps, connectors, ICs, sockets, diodes, resistors and assorted bits.





Space to store the tons of junk (most of the tons are not shown, but reside in boxes scattered around the shop)





Important reference material -- Atari's The Book, Randy Fromm's Big Blue Book and, of course, stacks of GameRoom Magazine!

Not pictured, but definitely heavily used: Dremel, heat gun, GoofOff, GooBGone, Soldapult, crimping/stripping tool, pink erasers, flux remover, Novus, spare wiring harnesses, not enough patch cords and a bunch of things that I have forgotten about and will probably buy again before I remember.

What do you have in your shop that you can't do without ?

[LLUncoolJ]

So this is what I have to look forward to? I can't even keep my general use tools in one place. My game/pinball specific stuff is all in a couple of boxes (wire strippers, cutters, soldering iron and accessories, connectors, multimeter). Then I have some sother useful goodies scattered in various storage areas and the garage (table saw, sanders, miter saw, circular saw, dremmel, router, etc). And of course theres the garden viriety tools...I won't list them.

Unfortunately, I have to devote a majority of my spare time to other projects around the house. But maybe someday I will be finished with all of the upgrades around the house and bear down so I can actually learn how to work on this stuff.

[HaRuMaN]

Gah.  I'd have to clean before I take pictures, lol. 

I sort and store spare parts using plastic coffee cans, lol.

Some equipment off the top of my head:

Benchtop digital multimeter: HP - Agilent 34401A
Solid State Benchtop Power Supply (forget the brand)
El Cheapo grounded soldering iron / stand from Radio Shack
Stripmaster wire strippers
Crimper
Bins of various resistors, transistors, quick-disconnects
Heavy 2 arm spring loaded PCB holder: great for soldering small PCBs, like controller hacks
Solder Vacuum
Weird torx screwdriver for opening wireless Xbox 360 controller
X-Acto knives, small flathead and phillips screwdrivers
soldering heat sink
hot glue gun
shrink tubing
zip ties and square self adhesive zip tie mounts

Umm... I'm sure I'm missing stuff

[slasherman]

see my "new" workroom here: http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=95061.0
More equipment coming soon.

[polaris]

cheffo, i wish i had a big pile of crap like you've got
nothing, haven't even got a bloody workroom at the moment

[Kevin Mullins]

Workroom ? What's that ? 
A share a corner with the washer and dryer.   

[ChadTower]

I have a work area but it has two main challenges:

1)  the family uses it as a place to stack crap, just like any other flat surface in our house.  I spend as much time cleaning it off as I do using it.

2)  It's in an "office corner" along with the main house PC.  That means to do any bench work I also have to work around anyone who wants to use the internet.  There have been quite a few nights that board work had to be postponed because my wife wanted to be on Facebook.   

[Level42]

I should have something like that.....I really should....

Cheff, can you run that Randy Fromm book through the nearest Xerox machine for me ? 

[drventure]

Hehe

the garage is home to most of my woodworking tools, right now, the formal dining room table has become my workroom, primarily because it's so dang hot outside, I can only stand being out there for short stretches.

It'll get cleaned up, eventually....

[RobinHolland]

My workroom   

[FrizzleFried]

I'd be embarrassed to post what my work area looks like right now.  EMBARRASSED.  Luckily i have an excuse at this moment.  The wife is in San Diego with our digital camera.  Unfortunately my new Xacti came in the mail today and the battery is charging...

 

[CheffoJeffo]

Historically, my bench has been piled high with crap and it has been me that has dumped it there.

Recently, however, I have had to make use of something new in the arcade:



I currently have 3 of those hanging from until-recently-working machines (including the Asteroids and the MW, which are my favourites) and the constant reminder is what has encouraged me to clean my bench and try to get to work on fixing stuff.

[slasherman]

Is this due to pcb problems?

[CheffoJeffo]

Only one of the problems is PCB-related and it's the only one that i'm not sure I can fix (my board repair skillset is not even close to complete).

Battleshark -- Blown flyback (could be more, but the flyback is definitely toast)
MultiWilliams -- as yet undiagnosed monitor problem (no raster)
Asteroids -- PCB problem (reports RAM errors, but RAM is good and I can't find another problem)

[Kevin Mullins]

Cheff, can you run that Randy Fromm book through the nearest Xerox machine for me ? 

Well hell, it's obvious he JAKD them from somebody else.   

[slasherman]

Only one of the problems is PCB-related and it's the only one that i'm not sure I can fix (my board repair skillset is not even close to complete).

Battleshark -- Blown flyback (could be more, but the flyback is definitely toast)
MultiWilliams -- as yet undiagnosed monitor problem (no raster)
Asteroids -- PCB problem (reports RAM errors, but RAM is good and I can't find another problem)

I have only one original pcb, at least I think it's original and that Wonderboy...

[ChadTower]

My workroom   

The problem is that extra copy of Pulp Fiction.  Get rid of that and you're all set.

I need to get rid of a LOT of game console stuff.  That will free up a lot of space.  A lot of space.  And bins of pro wrestling VHS.  Maybe 8 bins of them.

[smalltownguy]

My workroom   

The problem is that extra copy of Pulp Fiction.  Get rid of that and you're all set.

I need to get rid of a LOT of game console stuff.  That will free up a lot of space.  A lot of space.  And bins of pro wrestling VHS.  Maybe 8 bins of them.

Well, you've got a pickup truck now, so no reason you can't get them all out in 1 load now, right? 

How's the new truck running?

Just to stay somewhat on topic....I'll post some pics of my workshop later tonight. I was lucky enough to purchase a home with a workshop in the basement, pre-installed. Central vac lines and the works. Unfortunately, I've not done a whole lot to get it running as a fully fuctional wood shop. I have however managed to fill it with several power tools. 

[ChadTower]

Well, you've got a pickup truck now, so no reason you can't get them all out in 1 load now, right? 

How's the new truck running?

Heh, yeah.  Typical guy problem disposing of the artifacts of past hobbies.  Took me years to amass that tape collection - how can I just toss it, right?     I need to come to the same conclusion on the game console stuff.  I really don't need every version of every console... yet it's cool to have... bah.

Took a bunch of hassle with Toyota to get the title but it's on the road now and it runs exactly like a truck with 14000 miles should.   

[smalltownguy]

My workroom. The 'clean' side

Items of note:

• Several projects underway. See if you can find the headboard, motion sensing light switch, LCD monitor with blown bulbs, etc
• Current project: my cab control panel -- I'm filling in some holes
• visible are my router (below the bench), cutoff saw, lathe
• not visible (b/c they're on the 'dirty' side of the shop): scroll saw, band saw, jointer, table saw, drill press, air compressor, and my cab project

[Dr Zero]

hmm these them

[Mauzy]

These are a couple months old, but my workroom now is piled high with basement furniture due to carpet laying.


The first shows nothing special but all of my hobbies culminate back here. A couple of my game consoles are back here (most are in the gameroom hooked up), the boxes from my Epiphone Valve Jr head and cabinet, and my old analog disc players. Ones a Mitsubishi LD player and the other is something else. Honestly not sure what to to call it. I haven't done much research yet. Most of the boxes with duct tape labels are arcade related items.


The second shows my actual "work" area. The bench, tool chest, and cabinet are hand-me-downs from my dad's garage that was recently refreshed with new work surfaces and tool chest. Nothing fancy here really. I like having my storage and work areas in the same place though.

[Ed_McCarron]

Took a bunch of hassle with Toyota to get the title but it's on the road now and it runs exactly like a truck with 14000 miles should.   

But, will a sheet of MDF fit in the bed?  Inquiring minds want to know.

My 'workroom' is spread between two buildings and I still never get anything done.

[Franco B]

We got our first places in March and the first thing I did was to get some kind of work space set up in the garage.

It only had one socket and a single bulb in so In two more double sockets and two strip lights. The floor was concrete and was a nightmare to sweep as it just brought up more and more dust so I painted it with some floor paint. I bought some off ebay and painted half of it and then ran out. I ought some more (of the same colour) and well, you can see the diference  Oh well, I quite like the two tone.







Every shop needs some tunage so I put some speakers up and mounted a stereo amp under the bench and added an Ipod dock. I put some worktop on top of the workbench so I could hang a vice off the end and to give a nicer working surface than the 8mm MDF that came with the bench.

I just wish it looked that tidy now!

I also have my dual router table set up now. I still need to add a rear fence and front mitre guide but it works for my needs right now.







I have since replaced the ghetto-tastic duck tape with cable ties.

[ChadTower]

But, will a sheet of MDF fit in the bed?  Inquiring minds want to know.

Only if you put a kid back there to sit on and it make sure it doesn't fly out of the bed in a gust of Poppins.

[Angry_Radish]

I'll play, here is my incredibly dirty work area as of last night:

[smalltownguy]

I'll play, here is my incredibly dirty work area as of last night:

All RIGHT! That's what I like to see Looks like there's some REAL work getting done there 

[SavannahLion]

I'm almost ashamed to say I don't have a workroom... period.

It's essentially any place that I can find a horizontal surface. I originally took over (less than) half of my fiance's "craft" room. She does crafts including glass blowing, kilning (is that a word?), clay, ceramics, knitting, beading, painting etc. It's a constant tug of war, especially since I discovered a serious leak during the rainy season. Slightly new arrangements had to be made until the leak can be resolved.

My father's wood working tools (and my future wood shop) and my fiance's wood working tools (small scale) reside in the garage... along with a six foot tall pile of... something.

Most of my arcade parts reside in the shed, along with the mountain bikes, garden tools, a chair, and some more of my father's wood working tools.

Whatever remains of my PC's, a majority of their guts reside on the floor and night stand on my side of the bed. The rest are in the "craft" room. Some non-essential stuff hide in the bottom drawer (unable to open because of the sewing machine), underneath the TV and a cabinet near the entertainment center.

I'm usually very fortunate if I can locate any tools, parts, or components.

My workshop was considerably smaller in highschool, but far more organized and better equipped. 

[Angry_Radish]

I'll play, here is my incredibly dirty work area as of last night:

All RIGHT! That's what I like to see Looks like there's some REAL work getting done there 

Not as much work as I need to get done, what you DON'T see are the 10-15 monitors of various sizes on shelves awaiting work, as well as 3 or 4 cabinets waiting on board work 

[CheffoJeffo]

Yeah, but the fact that you have a mirror on your bench implies that you actually do work at some point ... same can't be said for me ...

[Angry_Radish]

hehe,
I didn't used to, but a month or so back I had to do a repair on a redemption machine that involved replacing a bunch of mirrored plexi. After a couple failed attempts scoring and cutting (at $38 a sheet) I found myself with some extra broken mirrors to use for monitor repairs 

[smalltownguy]

Thought I would resurrect this thread, since I really enjoyed seeing some pics a while back. I have more to share:

Before:



And after:


Nice to be able to walk around again. And look, it's one of those magical moments when my Mame cab is in 1 piece

[shardian]

Workroom. Hah! I usually work in the gameroom , and use my bumper pool or ping pong as a table. Lately I've been using my mobile outdoor theater rig as a monitor working station. I also have a plethora of bar stools I use to hold stuff - usually set my soldering iron on one.

[ChadTower]

Lately I've been using my mobile outdoor theater rig as a monitor working station.

Could you elaborate on that?

[shardian]

It's a rolling AV cart. It's 2sq feet of clear workspace at the proper height. That kind of real estate in my gameroom is the equivalent of acreage in downtown LA. 

[ChadTower]

It's a rolling AV cart. It's 2sq feet of clear workspace at the proper height. That kind of real estate in my gameroom is the equivalent of acreage in downtown LA. 

I know that, I have the same type of movie cart.  I am interested in how you're using it in repairing monitors.  Or are you just using it as a table?

[shardian]

Table.

[ChadTower]

Damn.  For a second there it looked like you had come up with something I might be able to steal.   

[Ummon]

We got our first places in March and the first thing I did was to get some kind of work space set up in the garage.

It only had one socket and a single bulb in so In two more double sockets and two strip lights. The floor was concrete and was a nightmare to sweep as it just brought up more and more dust...

That's why mops are handy, although painting is a good idea afterward. (When I worked on 'the ramp', we had to mop the bay floor every night. We eventually got funding to seal the floor, which made easier cleaning up oil spills, but we still had to mop it every night.)

Nice to be able to walk around again. And look, it's one of those magical moments when my Mame cab is in 1 piece

I'd move that cab - sawdust bad.