How to include alternative components in single BOM - Altium Designer - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: electronx
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 03, 2025, 09:54:01 am
content: Hi everyone,I have a design question regarding BOM management in Altium Designer.I want to have these components on hand too.**Situation:**- I have a 10A fuse (F) in my schematic/PCB design- After manufacturing, we might need to populate it with a 15A fuse instead (I have to check peak currents)- Both fuses share the same footprint 1206 IMP- I want BOTH components to appear in a SINGLE BOM list (not separate variants)Has anyone dealt with this scenario?

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 03, 2025, 10:10:01 am
content: One way to solve this issue, although it doesn't satisfy your last requirement, is to use an internal component part number in the BOM for commonly swapped items like passives, and have a separate document that matches up internal component part numbers to manufacturer part numbers, or to multiple ones. This makes it easy to swap/in/out passives without having to update all the individual product BOMs. You only have to change and sign off one document. And with simple passives there isn't really any risk that needs them tested on every product to conform compatibility as long as the specs the the same. It also allows you to specify an internal component part number as an alternative item for another one. eg allowing 1% resistors to be used as alt part for the internal part number of a 5% resistor, assuming all other alternatives are unavailable.However, if you want it all listed in the Altium BOM you can do it. But you need to implement it yourself.The way I have seen it done is to create a new parameter in the components called 'Manufacturer Part Number Alternative1" and "Manufacturer Part Number Alternative2" etc. or whatever you want to call them and as many as you want.You keep the existing "Manufacturer Part Number" parameter, these new ones just become alternatives if needed.Then you can add these new parameters to the BOM as another column.I cant recall if you have to do this to every component or only ones where you want to specify an alt part. Pretty sure it will just be blank if it cant find the field in a component. But you might want to check that.

author: ajb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 03, 2025, 02:14:14 pm
content: I think if you create the alternate fuse as a "Mechanical" part in the Sch lib ([ur=https://www.altium.com/documentation/altium-designer/schematic-part-properties?version=21&help-data=InteractiveProperties.Dlg.Altium_Designer_InteractiveProperties_Views_View_MainView.SchComponentl]see docs) it will show up on the schematic and BOM but not necessarily on the PCB.

author: Pseudobyte
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 06, 2025, 03:22:36 pm
content: Along the lines of what Psi recommends you can further improve that by adding a macro to your template BOM that populates an empty alternate parts column from that external document/database of parts.

author: electronx
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 06, 2025, 07:32:31 pm
content: The alternative part number does not make sense, because the alternative part number comes to mind as an alternative product with the same features,

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 07, 2025, 03:35:17 am
content: Quote from: electronx on June 06, 2025, 07:32:31 pmDo you mean the "alternative part number" concept does not make sense to you, or just calling the field "alternative part number"?You can call the column anything you want.