The size of my electronic lab is getting pretty big and the number of projects I’m working on is increasing. I have a few bin to organize components but I have outgrown them. This is the pile of resistor I had to work. This is obviously not an effective way to work. Every time I needed a resistor it became a long frustrating search.
I had an idea of using a three-ring binder with vinyl baseball card holder system. You can also find other on the web that had the same idea. The goal is to have a resistor color coded label system. Below is the result. It took a few evening in front of the TV to complete this task. In the end, it was well worth it.
I will eventually do this for the capacitors and other components but resistors was a great place to start. I really couldn’t find a good color resistor chart so I made my own and you can download it below.
Download PDF here: Common Resistor Tags
Excellent idea! I just implemented it, and added ceramic capacitors and some diodes as well. However, I do see a potential problem: Accidentally picking it up upside down! I have printed large “This end up” arrows on the front of the binder, but I will still have to be very careful.
I’m considering adding a small piece of an easily removable tape to the top of less-often used components. A piece of double-sided scotch tape to the top edge of the pocket might be a better idea. It should allow the pocket to easily be opened, yet provide a little bit of resistance to components falling out. Thanks for the idea!