Equipment for A Perfect General Lab?

wdhowellsr asks: "I am currently setting up a lab that will need to provide me with the ability to test equipment for electronic systems from low voltage DC to super high voltage AC. I'm currently getting a Fluke 43b meter to be the primary testing equipment and will be wiring the entire lab to every possible variation of AC and DC voltage. I've tried to find resources on the web that would give me information regarding this but have been unable to find anything. What equipment would you consider for the 'perfect' lab, not just for electronics but for computers, chemistry, and biology?"

Safety

[2.7182]

Protective eyeware. Believe me, from personal experience.

Yes, a Jacobs ladder, but also a Marx generator...

[thomasdz]

Note: this is assuming that you want to have some fun in your lab also...
Jacobs ladders are fun (make sure you demonstrate the danger by putting something non-conductive in the path of the rising spark ... and have water standing by to put out the fire), but Marx generators are the better way to learn about high voltages. You can make a "small one" with parts from your local electronics hobbiest store
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marx_generator [wikipedia.org] and http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/marxgen.htm [electricstuff.co.uk]
You can also learn about the problems with scaling... once you get the small one working with 100,000 volts, you WILL get the urge to scale up and try for half a million but you will also learn how off-the-shelf parts can fail when pushed to the limit.
Also, I echo the first poster's comment: get some good safety glasses
when fooling around with high voltages, things explode.

Does anyone know where to get good quality ANALOG meters anymore? Everyone seems to have gone digital and I don't like 'em.

You'll shoot your eye out!

[Temkin]

I'm currently getting a Fluke 43b meter to be the primary testing equipment and will be wiring the entire lab to every possible variation of AC and DC voltage.

A knowlegeable person in the field would likely not have said this. This sentance implies to me that you're not old enough and mature enough to work with dangerous voltage & currents. Knowlege in electronics is a noble persuit. Be aware that it can be lethal.

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re:Various things....

[plopez]

a refrigerator. Good for lunch and bacterial cultures.

Ummmm, no. Get 2 fridges, one with a lock for the lab for chemicals and/or cultures.

Keep the fridge for the food in a seperate area. Don't mix them up. You don't want to poison yourself, do you?