Electronic Resistor Organizer

It's essential to organize your electronic parts collection. Doing so will de-clutter your workbench and simplify any project's assembly. What follows is a description of how I organized my resistor collection. I use the same system to organize my capacitors, diodes, trim pots, voltage regulators and LEDs.

Sterilite 6-quart plastic latch box #1751

4-mil plastic zip bags (4" x 6") - OR - #5-1/2 paper coin envelopes (3-1/8" x 5-1/2")

Double-sided cellophane tape

Forceps or tweezers

ULINE poly bag sealer (optional)

Choosing your box is an important step. Try to get boxes that will be available in the future so you can expand your collection. Remember that the size box you pick determines the component bag size and shape you can use. I used two boxes, one box for resistors <10k Ohms and one box for resistors ≥10k Ohms. Having a latched lid keeps the box securely closed as I move my collection of parts between work areas.

You can use any bag you like so long as it fits your box and the parts stored in them. I chose plastic zip bags, but you can use paper envelopes, if you prefer. The shortcoming of paper is that you can't see what's inside. One complication I encountered was my box could hold 4" x 6" bags. The 4" x 6" bags I ordered were longer because the dimensions referred to the space in the bag, not including the zip seal. To correct this I used a ULINE poly bag sealer to shorten the length by an inch.

I included an Excel spreadsheet, print it, cut across the hyphens and you'll have the labels for each bag. The labels have the color codes and resistances shown in the decimal and non-decimal formats. I applied a small piece of double-sided cellophane tape to the back of each label and positioned them in the far corner of the inside of the bag with forceps. That's a location unlikely to be disturbed, none have come loose after a few years of use.