Organizing Your Computer Bench...

eGoCeNTRoNiX · Post by **eGoCeNTRoNiX** » Sun Jun 20, 2004 11:58 pm

Ok Guys.. Tonight I about had it! lol.. I've been working on this commercial for work, nothing major. I had planned on putting it on a DVD and letting them play it over and over.. Well, today I get a call.... They say I can't put it on a DVD that I have to put it on a VHS tape. I'm like uhhh.. I don't have a VCR.. They're like well, we really need it on a VHS tape. So I say I'll see what I can do. Truth be told, I do have a VCR, but it's built into my TV. I hardly ever use it unless I'm recording something for my mother. (There's a point to this I promise). So I go and drag the TV over to the computer bench and set it all up. In doing so, I have to go find my RF modulator because this TV doesn't put out the 75 Ohm that is needed to get most Video Cards to show a signal. Then, I have to find an S-Vid cable. Find one. Then I realize the modulator doesn't take S-Vid, so I have to go and dig up my S-Vid to RCA adapter, got it. Hook up my DIN jack to RCA converter (DIN is what you call a headphone tip right?) to the speaker out on the onboard sound and hook the white and red up to the modulator, hook the yellow up to the modulator. Go to hook the S-Vid to the back of the card... I get to the back and want to hook the S-Vid up to my AIW and it won't fit. Guess what, special cables.. So yet another thing that I have to go digging through a GD box to find!! lol..

I find myself doing this any and every time I build a computer or decide to tinker with the stuff I have. I have boxes FULL of cables and parts. I have a room 8x10 that is my "shop" so to speak, that I'm not even using yet because I have yet to set it up. I'd really like to know what some of you guys do to organize all your stuff. Any thoughts and ideas/links would be appreciated. If you have pictures of something you've built or done to make it easy for yourself that would be cool too. I'm good with wood (heh that's funny) so I can build it as long as it's not TOO engaging.

Thanks for Reading..

eGo

Invisible Evil · Post by **Invisible Evil** » Mon Jun 21, 2004 6:44 am

Im so disorganized right now Martha Stewert would slap the sh*t out of me.

Executioner · Post by **Executioner** » Mon Jun 21, 2004 1:53 pm

I'm a pretty well orginized person to an extent. For my pc stuff, I have most stuff in boxes or on shelves. For example, cables are all thrown into one box, cpus another box, etc. Drives like CDROMS or DVD's are on the same shelf, with HD's right below. Spare motherboards are in their original box or one that comes close, each with the original manual or PDF file. I also throw in a driver disk.

For my software that are normally smaller than 100 meg in size, I catolog them with WhereIsIt, other than that, the originals are stored in a cabinet. My kids always get a "copy" of the software. I never give them the originals. In my garage, is my workbench where I perform repairs or upgrades. On my workbench in my garage is my spare rig, where I can access the net for drivers if I'm fixing a pc for someone. My workbench has the most common tools needed for pc boxes, and of course, I have my old stereo receiver cuz I have to listen to Joe Satriani while working on someone elses POS pc.

Busby · Post by **Busby** » Mon Jun 21, 2004 2:10 pm

Ummmmm my Cds are either in a 88 CD binder (I need a bigger one) or one a 100 CD spindle. Cables are in one of two boxes, one for IDE/ATA cables and one for other random cables (CD-ROM Audio cables to sound card - Who uses these anymore?). I have a Western Digital harddrive box for all my manuals and most of my boxes are at home. I keep the screwdriver near my computer and my spare hardware is at home too.

I keep some spare ethernet and power cables (I think my supply has dwindled some) in my "LAN Bag". Blank DVDs are above my monitor on a shelf, blank CDs in a drawer. I make good use of the small space I have in my dorm room.

Whenever I do upgrades my lap becomes my work bench with the bed as an extension to place parts. Not the safest but I usually keep the parts on cardboard boxes.

smb · Post by **smb** » Mon Jun 21, 2004 4:06 pm

Those big tupperware type thingies at wal-mart are your friend. They're real cheap too. I suggest you go invest about $20.00 in all sizes for your "stuff".

I don't know if you ever noticed, but when it's our things it's "stuff", but if it's someone elses it's "junk".

canton_kid · Post by **canton_kid** » Wed Jun 23, 2004 11:02 pm

I assume you have a DVD player if your making DVD's and a TV to watch them on.
I always test my masters on a settop player!

Easiest thing to do when you need a VHS tape is connect the Setop DVD player to the VHS recorder, in your case you still would need the RF converter, but that should be all. Burn disk as normal, then play in player and record to tape. I have to do that sometimes, been burning disks for a theater group but sometimes some of the people in the plays only have VHS still.

2 advantages of burning the disk and making VHS this way, 1 you can make as many copies as you need with no quality loss compared to tape to tape copies. You still might loss some Going from DVD to VHS depending what the source was. Second, you don't tie up your system doing a real time VHS tape!
1 hour tape, 1 hour record time! 2hr + 2hrs!
You could be using the system for work like capturing more footage.
Also of course you don't need all the cables and such for the PC so you can be dis-organized like me and just toss all the "extra" stuff in a monitor box and sit it in the corner under the new printer when you take out the new monitor!
I think that's where I put the ATI remote controll stuff!

Mostly I organize my stuff like cables in a KDS monitor box marked cables, Kds monitor box marked disks, canon printer box marked disks (for recordables, CDS DVD R still in packs) ect..
DVD cases stay in the original box and tossed on top of the stack as I need them most often.
Other stuff in other boxes.

For smaller items in smaller boxes, I leave them in the boxes they came in.
I have a 500sq ft area with 750 sq ft stuff in it! Everything from computer stuff, leather working, gold plating, pewter casting, etc... Storing some stuff in the original boxes really helps sometimes, if it doesn't waist too much space!