Workbench crate

A workbench crate is a storage container in the Fallout: New Vegas add-on Honest Hearts that is always located next to a Workbench. The random loot of this container is the only source of additional skill books in Honest Hearts.

Locations
The information in parantheses describes the fastest way of reaching a specific crate, optimizing the time between resetting and checking the content.





Contents
Entering a cave containing a workbench crate for the first time permanently sets its content, which is irreversible without loading a save game prior to entering the specific cave. To ensure you receive a skill book from each workbench crate, save directly in front of the entrances to the caves listed above. Reload your save game if you didn't get the desired skill book(s).

Each crate contains random loot created by two checks against a random loot table. Each check results in one of 25 different items or item sets, which mostly include Crafting ingredients and drained Energy Weapons ammunition, but also skill books. This sets the chance for any single item set to 1/25 = 4% (specific chances for any contained item coming soon).

Most importantly, each of the two checks has a 4% chance (c1) of creating a and a 4% chance (c2) of creating any two of: Otherwise, it has a 100%-2*4%=92% chance (c0) of anything else.
 * Big Book of Science (BB)
 * Big Book of Science
 * Chinese Army: Special Ops Training Manual
 * D.C. Journal of Internal Medicine
 * Dean's Electronics
 * Lying, Congressional Style
 * Tales of a Junktown Jerky Vendor
 * Tumblers Today

From this information (and BB standing for Big Book of Science, c0 for a check resulting in no skill books, c1 for a single skill book (which can only be a BB) and c2 for any two of the seven listed skill books) you can derive the chances for:
 * One or more skill books:
 * $$2*(4\% + 4\%) = 16\%$$
 * (c1 or c2) and anything OR anything and (c1 or c2)


 * Two or more skill books:
 * $$2*4\% + 4\%*4\% = 8.16\%$$
 * c2 and anything OR anything and c2 OR c1 and c1 (two BBs)


 * Four skill books:
 * $$4\%*4\% = 0.16\%$$
 * c2 and c2


 * Two or more copies of BB:
 * $$4\%*(4\% + \frac{4\%*2}{7}) + \frac{4\%*2}{7}*(4\% + \frac{4\%*2}{7}) + 92\%*\frac{4\%}{7*7} = 0.34\%$$
 * c1 and (c1 or c2 with at least one BB) OR c2 with at least one BB and (c1 or c2 with at least one BB) OR c0 and c2 with two BBs


 * Two or more copies of a specific skill book other than BB:
 * $$\frac{4\%*2}{7}*\frac{4\%*2}{7} + 92\%*\frac{4\%}{7*7} = 0.09\%$$
 * twice in a row c2 with one or two copies of the same book OR c0 and c2 with both checks creating the same book


 * Four specific skill books or copies:
 * $$\frac{4\%}{7*7}*\frac{4\%}{7*7} = 0.00001\%$$
 * twice in a row c2 with both checks creating the same book

Therefore, even though it is possible, it is not recommended to hope for two copies of a specific skill book to appear in a workbench crate. And unless you are a psychotic perfectionist, it may be very unhealthy to hope for a combination of four specific skill books or even four copies of the same book.