[sdiy] Organizing ICs

[David G Dixon]

> I'm wondering if anyone has come up with a good method for 
> organizing their IC stocks.  I've got parts drawers for 
> resistors and another for caps, but they don't seem like a 
> good solution for ICs, especially if you have a tubes worth.  
> Any suggestions?

I use two things for chips:

a) For really common chips, I just keep them in the tubes they came in.

b) For occasional chips, I keep them in soft plastic notions bins that I buy
at Michael's for $3.  I also use these for electrolytic caps and assorted
hardware.

Both solutions live in the drawers of my work desk (an old steel school desk
with a formica top -- perfect for electronics work.

I really hate cabinets with tiny little drawers, for two reasons: 1) they're
too easy to tip over and lose all the drawers and their contents all over
bench or the floor, and 2) they have to live on the bench.