What do you keep components in?

[Noplasticrobots]

I'll be going out today to buy some sort of storage apparatus for my components since I hear my kitchen table is NOT designed for soldering (who knew?)
My initial inclination is to go to Target or Home Depot and get some of those plastic storage drawers that have a locking feature. Then I realized some plastic can build up static (modern day playground slides anyone?) so I don't know if this is the best idea. What does everyone else use?

[vanhansen]

Once we get in the new house I'm getting some of those hardware drawers from Home Depot to either hang above the bench or sit along the back of the bench.  Right now it's a cardboard box with separators, a cheap DIY way. 

[formerMember1]

Then I realized some plastic can build up static (modern day playground slides anyone?) so I don't know if this is the best idea. What does everyone else use?

yeah i would like to know this too, since my parts are either kept in carboard boxes in static proof bags or ziplock bags, just recently i saved two plastic boxes to use, but maybe i won't now. 

[StephenGiles]

Little envelopes in biscuit tins, then I get to eat the biscuits first!
Stephen

[Mark Hammer]

For semiconductors, I use sewing/embroidery kit boxes that I get from the big crafts store near us.  I have one from silicon trannies, one for germanium and FETs, and another for ICs.  Another contender might be those pill planner boxes where each little compartment (for all the meds you have to take at that time of day) has its own little door to open.  Cheap and widely available.

For other stuff like resistors, caps, and hardware, I use parts bins like normal people.  For a number of other things I use resealable sandwich bags.  Some of the bags I get components in cover that function nicely as well, and are heavier-duty plastic.

[Hal]

my friend who is a drug dealer gave me about 100 zip lock pot bags.  I keep my resistors in there, as well as some caps, sorted in boxes.  No joke.

[jmusser]

Once people started giving me components, and old VCRs, Radios, Tape Decks, etc. to scounge parts from, all at once, I was overwhelmed with parts. I'm talking enough to fill a gallon ice cream bucket! I went to WalMart, and got me several stackable plastic chests, with the clear drawers and the dividers, small zip lock baggies from the craft store, and a bunch of stick on plastic labels. In a bigger bottom drawer, I may have several 47uf caps in a bag a labeled, along with 33uf, etc. Then, I label the front of the drawer with the range of caps in there. In the smaller drawers, I have 3 dividers per drawer, and what componets are in each one labeled on the outside. Chips, I leave in the antistatic bag/ foam or plastic tube in the drawer labeled. If I have a bunch of them, I just lay them in the drawer with the legs up. It takes a lot of time to sort and label, but once it's done, you'll always be glad you did it. If I have transistors in there that have odd pinouts, I tag that on the bag. On a lot of smaller disc caps, I'll write the micro,nano,& pico conversion on the bag, so I don't have to get a conversion chart out, or try to remember how many zeros to the left. You can be as organized as you have room for chests. I have to throw all my pots together, and a lot of resistors, because I just don't have room for each value. The pots will have their values labeled on them, if they're ones I've stripped that have odd part numbers. I just measure them and label. I have Wally World shelves for my boxes, and a huge Tupperware tub for paint, bare boxes, sheetmetal, etc. That goes into the box making process. The next thing on the agenda, is getting myself a bench set up on the back porch, to do the sheetmetal work, instead of doing it after work at the company shop.

[10acErnie]

Since I'm pretty new at this I seem to have accumulated a ton of parts in a short amount of time.  I had boxes all over the floor from Mouser, All Electronics, Small Bear, etc. I went to Home Depot to get a huge parts drawer to organize everything. Guess what? Less than 1/16 of the parts I have fit in that huge parts drawer. So I still have boxes all over the floor!
I'm finding it easier to leave everything in the boxes in the original labeled bags, especially the resistors and the caps who's codes still look kinda foreign to me. For me switches, DC jacks, 1/4" jacks, knobs, sockets, LED's, pots and things I can easily identify work well in the parts organizer.

[bioroids]

I leave the ICs in the plastic antistatic thing in wich they come, cutted in pieces so they can fit in a cardboard box. The TL072's are in an antistatic bag at arm distance...

Miguel

[StephenGiles]

Hey Miguel - Dulce de Leche jars are good for resistors - you can stand them sideways! We bought 2 at the Anglo Latin American Fiesta in London last Saturday - wonderful food from all over Latin America, empanados, choripan etc Argentine Wine, Chilean Wine.............
Stephen

[steve b.]

Also at warmart in the fishing section they have the clear boxes for tackle and u can make up the size compartments that u want.They have boxes that are about 6" by 9" and ones that are about 9" by 12" which are about a dollar.I have them in a open front box and they slide out like drawers.Label the front and your good to go.

[nelson]

I just bought more storage today. I have pots and various other things that have an easily recogniserd value in a cardboard box with seperators. The resistors caps and IC's I have stored in various sized plastic containers that I bought in the "pound shop" for yeah, a pound. They originally contained assorted bolts screws etc. I have all the compartments labelled on the lid with a bit of paper covered in sellotape.

[phaeton]

I use the plastic PLANO trays that were intended for fishing tackle.  I've worried about static with them too, but anything that's overly static sensitive i either leave in its static bag or rail,  or i stick its pins in conductive foam.  I haven't really noticed any static issues with them that I can tell (i'm allergic to most fabric softeners, so in the wintertime i'm a real riot to be around).

Have any of you folks had any problems with plastic trays, and/or do you have any solutions?  I've considered conductive paint or taping down some bare copper wire or foil in various places to make the trays conductive...

(modern day playground slides anyone?)

Dear Gods those things are murder.  I went down one of those once and people said they saw arcing and lightning bolts going up my back.

[Jason Stout]

I use coin envelopes for resistors, capacitors and xistors, diodes, etc., conductive foam for IC's. I can’t recommend the coin envelopes more; they are inexpensive, take up very little space and are easy to flip thru. I store two rows, one for R's one for C's about 18 inches deep in a shoebox sized plastic container, .  The idea's a Keen one!.

http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=996.0

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

I'm doing (very) small-scale manufacturing, so I keep chips in their tubes (which themselves are stored end-on in deep chipboard shelves kept a couple of inches apart by bits of wood). Odd chips go in antistatic foam.
I buy resistors in boxes of 1000, these stack well end on. Caps & other components go in tackle boxes (18, 12, or 6 compartment depending on type of component). These boxes stack OK too (use the undivided ones for tools).
Where undivided flat plastic boxes shine, is keeping prototyped boards, with documentation. All sealed up, can't get lost/damaged.
Also those plastic parts bins for bulk stuff.

[Connoisseur of Distortion]

now all we need is someone to hybrid a Tesla Coil with a playground slide. photoshop, anyone?

i have a bunch of cheapo bins for most things. i keep all stat sensitive stuff in its bag until it must be used.

[phaeton]

Those disposable "tupperware" things (i think made by Glad) probably would make great bulk storage for say, 5000 resistors of the same type, or 5 pounds of 100K pots, etc......  I mean, i can fit two whole cans of red beans in them and still have room!

Do we need to start another Mojo Myth about the containers that components are stored in?  Some interaction and leakage of certain materials out of the components and being replaced (in small but detectible amounts) by the container material?

All of our transistors are beechwood aged at the correct 53F cask temperature for a minimum of 7 years, handled with felt gloves and never exposed to damaging light with excess yellow wavelenghts

[brad]

* Ziplock bags for inividual cap and resistor values.
* Plastic box with a bed of conductive foam for ICs.

Then it all goes in a big pencil case with my breadboard and pre-cut wires

[cab42]

I use coin envelopes for resistors, capacitors and xistors, diodes, etc., conductive foam for IC's. I can’t recommend the coin envelopes more; they are inexpensive, take up very little space and are easy to flip thru. I store two rows, one for R's one for C's about 18 inches deep in a shoebox sized plastic container, .  The idea's a Keen one!.

http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=996.0

I use almost the same approach, just ordinary envelopes. I got som wine in a wooden box and the envelope fits perfectly in that box. Irregular shaped stuff, I keep in plastic bags with zip locks.

Regards

Carsten

[Hal]

Those disposable "tupperware" things (i think made by Glad) probably would make great bulk storage for say, 5000 resistors of the same type, or 5 pounds of 100K pots, etc......  I mean, i can fit two whole cans of red beans in them and still have room!

those are the ones I use to keep the breakfast foods I steal from the dining halls in :-D