I hope you're having a great Sunday, let me share an idea I got yesterday.
Let's say you're thinking of your next #electronicsLab. You have a space that can be kept reasonably dust free, and at a comfortable temperature, great. For starters, you want to have a zone for soldering and rework: ESD mat, soldering/desoldering station, binocular :microscope:, wire racks, the basics. You also want to have a zone for testing/flashing, with a PC, various power supplies, multimeters, oscilloscopes, and maybe some specialized equipment.
So far, so good, that can fit in a tight space.
Now you also want to have some desk space for one or two "ongoing projects" in various state of completion, or a disassembly/repair that won't be finished in a week-end. Or maybe some long-duration testing of one of your quasi-finished #project.
So, more "zones" needed because putting everything in and out of boxes would mean lots of "context switching", and squatting the living-room table is a sure way to irritate your partner/roommates/parents and get your project mariekondoed 🗑️ away.
Also, because #DIY #electronics projects are rarely "just electronics" and need enclosures, you want space for a filament #3Dprinter, maybe also a resin one, with some dedicated "wet" zone for finishing, including a water source and sink. The sink is a must-have anyways if you want to etch some PCBs from time to time.
Sure, you can order low-cost high-quality #PCB online, but sometime you just need test some stuff *now* and a breadboard with loose wires is not good enough (RF, clocks, high-speed buses, noise-sensitive sensors, etc).
But wait, there's more!
As some of the #OSHW projects you've published (because, of course you do :wink:) generate interest :crossed_fingers:, you want some zone to do #smallBatchAssembly. *Just* some additional desk space for a manual stencil printer, some efficient way to do components placement (have you heard of PnPAssist? If not, https://hackaday.io/project/179878-pnpassist ), fore sure a hot plate or reflow oven, and hopefully a testing jig ✅ .
I've made a small schematic of the idea, representing 6 desks, from 'A' to 'F'. Desks B+C and D+E are mobile, guided by high rails, with wheels on the floor, connected to mains + networking from ceiling junction boxes. Desks A and F are fixed, and suitable for plumbing, hoods with extraction, etc.
Assuming 90cm deep and 2m wide desks, a 90cm "alley" to roll through with a desk chair and a 90cm "access" alley on one side of the room, that would result in 10.8m² of usable desk space + many cubic meter of accessible storage in a 18.3m² room.
Does that seems like a workable solution? Has it already be done? Does something better already exists? What do you think @jrsikken @SexyCyborg @arturo182 @blitzcitydiy @timonsku ?