Brad Boegler is a do-it-yourselfer’s DIYer. His West Bloomfield, MI-based workspace is something to admire. It features a sturdy 8’ × 5’ workbench, a well-built machining bench, and dozens of handy tools that enable him to work on projects ranging from constructing a temperature-monitoring network to milling custom heatsinks. Simply put, it’s an appealing space for any innovator interested in DIY electronics and machining projects.
Photo 1: One of Boegler’s Altera CPLD breakout boards is on the bench. He said he was “experimenting with some video generators in VHDL” when he took this picture. (Source: B. Boegler)
As I reviewed Boegler’s space, the same word kept popping into my mind: precision. Why? Let’s see.
Building a bench (or benches) for a workspace like Boegler’s takes a lot of precision measuring, cutting, fitting, and constructing. Check out the workbench in Photo 1. That’s no “Ikea hack.” The 8’ × 5’ bench fits a dual monitor setup, plenty of test/measurement equipment, a solder station, and more.
Boegler—who works as Linux sysadmin—described some of the equipment on this bench via email:
The left side of the bench is mostly RF equipment: there are two HP RF frequency generators, a VNA, and spectrum analyzer. The analog scope is a Tek 2246 and is one of my favorite scopes. Next to that is an HP 16500B logic analysis system and then a HP 54112D digital scope … The bench was custom made. I was not able to find any benches to my liking so I ended up building my own. It is 8′ wide by 5′ deep and constructed out of mostly 4×4s. It weighs a ton, but it has to be sturdy as a lot of this equipment is very heavy. I like very deep benches as I can push the equipment back far enough on it and still provide enough working space.
And don’t forget the power!
Those are various adjustable voltage current limiting power supplies, when working on projects needing various voltages you can never have too many supplies.
I’m sure everyone agrees that access to power supplies is key.
Photo 2: Boegler’s workspace for machining (Source: B. Boegler)
On a separate bench (Photo 2) are Boegler’s milling machine and drill press, which are two tools intended for precision designing and machining. Boegler wrote:
The drill press is used almost daily, one of the best tools ever. I use the milling machine for custom shielded aluminum cases for RF boards, making special sized heatsinks, and it comes in handy for any special brackets I can make to hold boards or components.
I’m sure you’d agree that machining board cases and heatsinks requires a bit of exactitude.
Much like the bench in Photo 1, building the actual machine bench required precise measurements and cuts. Just look at its clean edges and sturdy frame. And don’t you like the shelf underneath? It’s a simple yet effective place for stowing frequently used tools.
On the topic of storage, check out Boegler’s wheeled shelf system. I like it and will consider something similar for my garage. (We all take wheels for granted until we’re in a pinch and need to move a heavy object. For instance, try moving a wheel-less six-shelf system full of parts in order to track down a screw that fell on the floor. Actually, don’t try that. It’s an accident waiting to happen.)
A wheeled shelf system for microcontrollers, op-amps, and parts of all sorts (Source: B. Boegler)
Lastly, check out the neatly labeled parts boxes. I see labels such as “Microcontrollers/DSP,” “Op-Amps,” “Serial Cables,” and more. Nice!
Share your space! Circuit Cellar is interested in finding as many workspaces as possible and sharing them with the world. Click here to submit photos and information about your workspace. Write “workspace” in the subject line of the email, and include info such as where you’re located (city, country), the projects you build in your space, your tech interests, your occupation, and more. If you have an interesting space, we might feature it on CircuitCellar.com!
