Michele Guerra is a Cento, Italy-based digital enthusiast who enjoys working on robotics, automation systems, and even some retro-electronics projects in his home electronics workspace. The long-time Elektor reader recently told us about his workspace and shared some images of the fairly spacious room. We call it a dream space because it seems perfect for studying electronics (and reading Elektor), soldering new designs, and even tackling CNC machining projects. The well-planned workspace's size is easy to envy. 
 
Take a look inside Guerra's spacious workspace. He has plenty of room for test equipemnt and several shelves of books on electronics.
How would you best describe your electronics workspace?
An electronics lab for learning and making projects.
 
The workspace has been in your house for 15 years. And you use it daily. What were your intentions when you first set up your workspace?
I wished to have all my equipment all together in the same room — all connected to a PC — to make a happy island for me where I could make the things I love. Also, I needed to have a central table high enough to easily work standing up — a rough and heavy task, for example, to disassemble and check dirty and dusty items and devices.
 
You are clearly a digital enthusiast. What do you work on in your electronics workspace?
I love digital things. I enjoy making LED and seven-digital segment related projects. I also like robotics and automation. Usual I like to convert some beautiful LED panels of old equipment in digital watches with useful information, like temperature, humidity, lunar phase, days to go to the end of the year, etc.
 
Tell us about your equipment. What do you have?
Three soldering stations, one de-soldering station, many multimeters, a digital oscilloscope, a portable tester/scope, a function generator, many power supplies, a cutting plotter, and an engraving CNC.
 
What is your favorite tool or best piece of equipment?
I have many test tools, but the best tool I have is the logic digital analyzer from Saleae, because it's very small, not so pricey, and has a simple power software able to zoom a very small signal. I also love my Siglent scope, tester, and power supply because it is simple and intuitive to use. I also have a Rigol GD822 function generator, but it has a not-too-useful user interface and a not-so-intuitive front panel.
 
Is there anything special or unique about your workspace? Perhaps you have a unique electronic system, an interesting tool, or a special compartment for components?
I made a simple tool to extract fumes from the solder zone. I used a cheap fume extractor, changing its normal orientation mode from vertical to horizontal, using a snake tube from the ex-top zone to extract fume exactly from the small zone where the solder is made — not from all the room as this cheap fume extractor does.
 
Do you have anything exciting planned for your workspace? Thinking of purchasing something special?
I wish to buy a Siglent electronic load. I made a conversion of my CNC from Mach 3 to GRBL. All is done. I am now solving a ground shield problem on the wires. I am also buying a hot air device to solder my SMD circuits.
 
Do you have favorite electronics project? What did you learn?
I love converting old electronics panels from not working or obsolete test instruments. I enjoy giving instruments a new life while preserving their beauty and saving them from the dumpster. I made one using Arduino, SAMD21, a PIC microcontroller, programming in assembler, C++, Basic, and Visual Basic. I've learned a lot of things. I have been an electronics lover for about 40 years. I am using THD and SMD, also 0603 manually soldered. 
 
A panel conversion project
What are you working on these days?
Now I'm working on a CNC conversion box to connect the PC to the CNC. I am also repairing a Commodore C=64 and a Sinclair ZX81. (Oh yeah, it works!)
 
Tell us about your dream project.
A small robot that can fill the sand in the small spaces between self-locking stones in the park of my house. It is tedious work and I hate it. I would use a sand tank, an air pump, an inflate probe, a camera to follow the lines of the stones. The air will make the sand like a liquid to fill the empty spaces between the stones. Water instead of air doesn’t work well. A low air pressure mixed with sand is more "liquid" than water mixed with sand.
 
Have any advice or encouragement for another digital enthusiast or maker who is thinking of putting together a workspace?
Use the "top-to-bottom" approach. Compose your idea in elementary unit. Ask yourself: what do you need to make every single small part of your idea work? Evaluate what you must make and what you must buy. Please think about your free time and time you need to complete a project.
 

Enjoy learning about where other designers work on electronics projects? Take a look at these interesting electronics workspaces.
 

Hey, Digital Enthusiast. Show Us Your Workspace!

Want to share details about your electronics workspace with Elektor's global community of engineers and makers? Fill out this form so we can follow up with you!