Storage solutions for your small electronics projects

I’ve accumulated a lot of stuff for my home automation projects and drone hobby, and throwing all the parts into boxes just wasn’t working. So I found two great solutions to keep everything nice and tidy. The first is this Akro-Mils Hardware and Craft Cabinet, which offers a couple of different drawer configuration options and dividers to optimize your space:

Not only is everything nice and organized (and readily visible through the translucent drawers), I went one step further by printing labels with a label maker for parts that tend to look alike, which avoids a bit of the “open drawer shuffle” trying to find the right parts.

While these are great storage options, my drone parts require a storage solution that’s a little more portable for bringing out to the field. For that, I use a slightly unconventional approach: a fishing tackle box. It’s portable, a great size, and offers a ton of little compartments for all your small electronic parts (and the big bin at the bottom for larger tools):

One last storage trick that’s probably pretty well-known by now: Altoids Tins make excellent containers for small, loose parts like screws or washers. In fact, Altoids Tins have an incredible number of uses, as described in this post by The Art of Manliness, 22 Ways to Reuse an Altoids Tin.