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The perfect lab

As those who follow my Youtube channels or follow me on Google+ will be aware, I'm building a new lab/studio in my workshop.

Over the past week, the framing and Gib have gone up and soon I'll be painting, building benches and setting up my gear in this space.

Now while setting up the lab might seem like a simple enough task, it's surprising the number of decisions that need to be made and just how crucial some of those decisions can be.

For example...

How high and how deep should the workbenches be?

Seems a pretty simple question -- but the reality is that if I get something like this wrong, I'll be cursing for all eternity.

Simply copying the dimensions benches I've used before might seem like a simple solution but it's not the best one.

Just a decade or so ago, much of the electronics test gear you'd find in such a lab was large and bulky. Things such as oscilloscopes and spectrum analysers tended to rely on cathode-ray tubes for their display and that meant that the benches on which they were to be used had to be very deep. Today however, LCDs have replaced those old CRTs and, as a result, much of the modern test-gear is much, much smaller.

Previously I'd have used a bench that was a metre-deep, so as to allow my scope and other gear to be tucked away at the back whilst still allowing a good workspace in front. Today I'm thinking that 800-900mm will be more than sufficient depth because my gear is 300mm shallower than it was.

Then there is lighting...

I've got a couple of twin 58W fluorescent fittings on the ceiling and some 105W CFLs with adjustable reflector/diffusers for the end where I'll do my video work.

However, there will be shelves over my electronics workbench so overhead lighting will cast a nasty shadow on part of the work-area. To get around this, I plan to use some LED strips mounted on the underside of the shelves with a small strip along the front edge of the shelf to ensure that the LEDs don't shine directly in my eyes. I'm also thinking of a couple of other LED COB lights over the "build table" so as to provide some useful spot-lighting.

Questions remain however -- what temperature of fluro and LED is best?

For the filming area and overhead tubes I'm going with 5500K "daylight" CFLs which are perhaps a little cold -- but if needed I can add some 3500K "warm" in-fill lighting.

But what about the workbench?

Is a warmer light less tiring on the eyes or is the cooler colour temp better?

The walls will be painted in a flat white to maximise reflection/diffusion and minimise the actual number of lumens required.

Given that I suspect many of Aardvark's readers have been through this process themselves and have set up rather nifty workspace areas in their own workshops, how about you offer up your best tips, tricks and suggestions while mine remains in a state of flux.

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