Spring cleaning, 2024

All the Dimage X50 stuff was in these two drawers in the bedroom I use as an electronics lab. I also had several REX 6000 PDAs in the drawers. On the right you can see the two Sony boxes, and a lot less stuff. I kept the cases for the REX 6000s since they make a perfect wallet, complete with steel plate for stiffness.
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Now, tossing things out became contagious. The drawers below the top two got cleaned out too. The binders went to the room with the computer the binder is about. The Dell lithium battery went to recycling. I did keep my dad's Silver Star case and medal.
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The CardScan reader won't even work on Win7. It got trashed along with the serial SpaceMouse. I kept the transformer, but I might pitch that in Round Two.

International Man of Mystery, Martin Delateur sold me this USB SSD reader. It works, but I have a USB 3 one that is way better. I not only tossed it, I tossed the wall wart as well.
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There were piles of D-size drawings from consulting jobs I had. I tossed them all. I found some original vellums I drew, and those I just took a picture of before trashing them.
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Then there was this drawer. It had many pounds of paper manual and other crap. I used to go manual by manual, looking them up to see if they were on the internet. They always were. So this batch I just tossed in the trash.

Way deep in the drawer were old Insurance and Medicare booklets. I also know these are on the internet, so they got tossed.
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When I got done, the drawer was almost empty. All that was left is a photodiode sample and datasheet I got years ago for a project I want to work on.

There were some Bob Pease articles. I will check to see if they are on the internet. If not, I will scan them and post them on this site. There was a manual for my Tascam recorder, I put that in the music room where I use the recorder. There is a chunk of plastic that a buddy and I used in a color organ (the 1970s!).

Jumping to the other side of the desk, I found this drawer full of oddball glasses, and two calculators. One was a big-button one my mom used. She had macular degeneration in her eyes, so this calculator has some sentimental value.
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All that remains are the two calculators and two pairs of reading glasses that still seem to work with my present eyesight.
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 A drawer of legal stuff and documents.

That drawer got cleaned out too. I kept my mom's death certificate, and my IDs.
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The hell drawer. Dozens of Ethernet CAT-5 cables, and dozens of USB cables.
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I dragged the stuff out on the floor. I found an ammo box full of DVDs, software mostly. Also a 16-port Ethernet switch. I hung the princess phone on the wall, and coiled up the wires.

I am pretty sure all these cables will get tossed in Round Two. For now, every thing fits pretty well.

Now I dig into the cardboard moving boxes from 2019. I had these spotlights and a candy box that I admired the blow-molding job..

I tossed the spotlights, then, relapsing, I dug them out of the garbage and set them up on the tool box. I used to have them on my bed headboard to read by.

Here is the other spotlight on the toolbox. They shine on the workbenches next to the box, and work pretty well.
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The trash bags fill up. This is a bunch of medical stuff, old drugs I don't need anymore..

The money shot. The desk is way more empty, and I got the old Dell computer hooked up and working. I used this laptop for travel and for zoom meeting in the pandemic. No need now.

I had six Cree LED lamps that failed . Oh, how I was going to complain to them. Oh how I was going to take them apart and determine the failure modes. Oh how good it felt to toss 'em.

I found a box with parts for my 1992 Honda. I sold it in 2019. Three power steering pumps and it still squeaked. That is why I sold it.

The empty boxes started stacking up nicely.

A trash bag with a junk jewelry welder, and a stitch-welder I can't use. The bed heater for my 3D printer, replaced with a full-bed heater.
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Stuff I thought about giving away. I kept the junk drill for the lab, tossed everything else.
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I had a defecting carafe (no vacuum seal) and some crappy shoes I was going to issue Cheeze Alerts on.I trashed 'em.

I broken Buck knife they will fix for free, a Leatherman that was rusted shut, and a broken Snap-On awl. I tossed them all.

The toilet valve that broke, blew the cover off the tank, and started to flood the room.

A defective gas valve from the heater in my shop circa 1995. It was a loose rivet. I wanted to do a write-up about little things breaking systems. Maybe another day. Now, it just felt so good to add it to the trash bag.

A fancy pepper grinder I bought that doesn't work very well. No article, sorry, don't buy one.

Dozens of AMA (American Motorcycle Association) letters. I dropped out when they stopped road service. I hate spam.

A whole bunch of clear bottles I bought on eBay for some reason that must have been good at the time, but dang if I can remember what they were for. Nice to have some light stuff to fill out the trash bag..

I filled four trash bags with stuff, this one was very satisfying.
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This total piece of junk halogen work light was crap from the day I bought it. No need to write an article, just buy LED lights from now on.

My Makita lawn tools had this giant heavy bag. It got tossed, and thank heaven that Brandon Florida picks up trash twice a week. My huge bin is almost full.

The box and pouch for my brad nailer. It is safe and sound in the toolbox, so I tossed this.

The closet was full, and now is almost manageable. Some boxes are just peanut foam for eBay shipping. The crates are a dc motor from my electric car project. Craigslist.

Round Two will take on this hodgepodge of test equipment that I don't use. I might just send these to friends. It is very hard to throw away test equipment or tools.

I was storing wood and materials in the back of the closet. These will eventually get moved to the garage, or get sawn up and tossed.
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I kept the socket organizers, and I could not toss the Harley parts, so I will eBay those.

I still have a large cabinet in the lab to clear out. It has odd-ball stuff. There is shrink-wrap for electronics, and taken-apart things I did tear-downs on for EDN and Electronic Design magazines. All that will hit the trash.

I have a buddy that is getting into minimal living with less and less stuff. I don't think I will ever get to his level, but it is nice to get a little closer. He advises that if I have not used it in a year, to toss it. Heck, I hardly used this lab in three years. But it was great to organize it, get it neat, and remind myself what I own. Still a few days' work left, but so far so good.