Organizing Digi-Key and Mouser bags of components - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: shanekent
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 05, 2021, 02:33:21 am
content: Hi All -Over the years I've ended up with hundreds of individual component baggies from my various orders at Digi-Key and Mouser. Here is just a random picture I found online that shows the types of bags that I'm talking about:I've always struggled with an easily expandable and controllable system for organizing and controlling this stock of components. At the moment I just have a bin that I have all of the baggies lined up in with a very simple categorization: resistors, capacitors, ICs, diodes, so on and so forth... This works, but I still have to spend a fairly decent amount of time going through and looking for the components that I think I have when I need them. I don't have the space nor the interest in putting each of these baggies in draws of component shelfs, so that's off the table for me. I've also tried to implement a basic Excel spreadsheet for keeping track of quantities of each component that I have, but that grows to be a huge task to manage in it's own right.I'm interested to hear what the many bright minds on this forum have done to organize their personal (or professional) stocks of components. I don't have a ton of space, so I'm hopeful that others have found nice and compact solutions to this problem. In the same vein, has anyone found an inventory management system that is relatively high quality, free/low cost, and easy to implement? I'm hopeful that there is a solution above Excel, but below industry level solutions that have a decent user interface. It would be a major win if the solution were to run on my local machine as opposed to some cloud based solution, but that isn't hugely important. I used Bomist in the past, but I found it pretty clunky at the time...Anyways, sorry for the long winded post. Looking forward to hearing what everyone else has done to solve this problem!-Shane

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 05, 2021, 09:10:28 pm
content: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/best-toolbox-for-electronics/https://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/smd-component-storage/https://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/parts-organization/https://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/parts-bin-recommendation/https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/smd-passive-kits/https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/wentai-fake/https://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/how-do-you-storeorganise-smd-components-(or-small-components-in-general)/https://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/electronic-parts-management-software/https://www.eevblog.com/forum/manufacture/basic-software-for-keeping-track-of-component-inventory-levels/

author: shanekent
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 05, 2021, 09:55:10 pm
content: Thank you very much.Hopefully others will find this compiled list as useful as I do.-S

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 05, 2021, 11:18:20 pm
content: I store my resistors in cases, sorted by different values. I keep a stock of all of the E24 values from 10Ohm to 1M and E12 values from 1Ohm to 10Ohm and 1M to 10M. I also have a few other values <1Ohm and >10M.

author: shanekent
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 05, 2021, 11:59:09 pm
content: Those are nice little boxes! Where did you get those from?-S

author: SVFeingold
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2021, 01:53:55 am
content: These type of boxesare by far superior to the similar butsignificantly shitter SMD boxesthat despite leaking components everywhere and breaking often are far more popular for some reason. The former will hold 0402 parts no problem without leaking a bunch.In my early 20s when time was infinite and money was non-existent I spent lots of time painstakingly sorting my leftover components into boxes, labeling them, etc... With the benefit of 10 years of hindsight...it's not worth it. Passives are so cheap. Buy a few component kits once and enjoy all the time you saved. I might still go through the trouble for stuff like regulators, opamps, crystals, etc. in common SMT packages for which I also have breakout boards. Purely out of convenience.The rest of the time, it's pretty rare that I just need random SMT parts on a whim beyond caps and resistors used for tuning this and that. Usually I need them because I'm working on a project involving a custom PCB. And in that case I have plenty of time to wait for the exact parts I need to arrive while the PCB is built.

author: T3sl4co1l
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2021, 04:27:31 am
content: I stack them up like files in a filing cabinet. Either using cardboard boxes narrow enough to form a single column, or with dividers to keep them aligned in multiple columns. Or whatever drawers are handy.Tim

author: shanekent
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2021, 04:37:48 am
content: Quote from: SVFeingold on January 06, 2021, 01:53:55 amThese little component bins are pretty nice. I have two higher quality ones that I grabbed from the waste pile at work and I keep some very select, "premium" parts in them.Quote from: T3sl4co1l on January 06, 2021, 04:27:31 amI'm thinking of doing a very similar thing to this. I've been treating some plastic bins with my components in them in a similar way, but without any dividers. Do you happen to use any inventory management system for your parts?-S

author: SilverSolder
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2021, 05:18:36 pm
content: Quote from: SVFeingold on January 06, 2021, 01:53:55 amThe older I get, the more I realize it doesn't make sense to act as a storage facility for the component industry, apart from the most oft used stuff. I also order components on a case-by-case basis these days. Another benefit of doing that, is that you are not tempted to just design around parts you already have... you are now free to see if newer, better stuff is available that might be worth a try.

author: SVFeingold
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2021, 05:42:35 pm
content: Quote from: SilverSolder on January 06, 2021, 05:18:36 pmPrecisely. Am I really going to base a new design I spent weeks working on around some old random used opamp or driver I pulled out a bag 5 years ago, instead of just using the best available part? Hell no. There are definitely parts I reuse because I’ve already added them to Altium and made a footprint and whatnot, but other than that it’s a huge waste of time.

author: Doctorandus_P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 07, 2021, 06:37:47 am
content: It was already mentioned to put them in boxes, drawers, whatever, in a way such that you have individual access to the bags. Then number your storage units and give each individual bags also a serial number, and maintain a dictionary with part numbers, descriptions and the locations of the parts in your PC.I've written a simple C program to maintain my parts and it also has links to datasheets.My C program is quite simplistic. I do not want to put too much effort in writing it, and have no experience with real databases. A good side of this simplicity is that it is very flexible.It's just some arrays with data and a few lines of code that dresses it up with some html to generate a web page, and I use a browser to link to the pdf datasheets. If I had to redo it, I would put a more thorough description of the locations of the parts in it.Source code attached, I'm curious to know if anybody finds this useful.

author: rcbuck
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 08, 2021, 10:10:54 pm
content: I have 5 of those 40 drawer cabinets similar to what Harbor Freight sells. I bought them back in the 80s so their frames are metal. They are sitting on a shelf in my closet. Each cabinet is somewhat categorized. For example, one holds the most common value resistors and capacitors. I sometimes use the dividers to put 2 values in a single drawer. The drawers hold through hole parts and SMD parts. For example, if I order 100 SMD 100 nF caps from Mouser I take them out of the bag, cut them into strips of 20, and put them in the drawer with the 100 nF through hole parts. Another cabinet holds the most common semiconductors. I put SMD parts in the same drawer as through hold parts, ex: 2N3904 and MMBT3904 are in the same drawer.For the less common parts I have twelve 10 x 8 x 6 cardboard boxes that I put the Mouser and DK bags in. Again, they are somewhat categorized, resistors in one box, caps in another, semiconductors another, etc. Everything in the cardboard boxes is in Excel spreadsheets. The boxes are subdivided with large bags. As an example, through hole caps are in one large bag in numerical order and SMD caps are in a different large bag. The spreadsheet location column tells where the parts are. Through hole caps are in 2-1 and SMD caps are in 2-2. The first digit is the box number and the second digit is the bag number. Since I have so many parts, some items like semiconductors are in 2 boxes as 1 box will not hold them all.There are 9 separate spreadsheets, resistors, caps, semiconductors, inductors, etc. When I order parts it is because I am either low on stock or need them for a current project. When they come in if they are for low stock, they immediately go into either the cabinets or boxes. If they are put in the boxes, I update the spreadsheet with the new quantity. If they are for a current project, they remain in the shipping box until the project is finished. They are then put in either the cabinets or boxes.The cabinet parts are not in the spreadsheet as those drawers have remained pretty consistent over the last 40 years. I have more or less memorized in which cabinet those ~250 parts are in. If a current project uses common value parts I always check the cabinets to see how many I currently have. If more are needed I just add them to the current project order.I did not keep spreadsheets for my inventory until about 20 years ago. I found I was frequently ordering parts that I already had on hand in the boxes. After that happened a few dozen times I implemented the spreadsheets. They are all in one folder on my computer and I am diligent about keeping them up to date. The spreadsheet shows all relevant data, i.e. Vendor part number, Manufacturer part number (especially important for DK orders), Description, Size (package), Wattage, Quantity, Location, Purchase Date, etc. Obviously different parts require different column headings.This system has worked well for all these many years. I have told my wife if something happens to me, who to call to come get everything. She also knows that they need the spreadsheets to help identify where everything is.Sorry this is so long but I wanted to explain it in detail.

author: msr
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 10, 2021, 07:29:02 pm
content: Shane, you might want to give BOMIST another look as it was recently rewritten from scratch:https://bomist.comIn case you find it useful, support for barcodes (printing and reading) is coming later this month / earlier next one.(Mário here, BOMIST's developer)

author: whalphen
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 18, 2021, 06:28:10 pm
content: Most are stored in stackable plastic bins which can each hold a single row of 6"X4" plastic zipper bags. An index card is inserted into each bag as a label and to maintain the shape of the bag. The bags are kept in the bins like files in a filing cabinet. Each bin is labeled: through hole resistors, transistors, etc. When I receive a bag of parts from Digi-Key, I trim the Digi-Key bag to fit in the storage bag and put it right into the storage bag -- along with its Digi-Key label. All are logged into PartsBox web based (free) inventory management software -- which is excellent and easy to use. SMD caps, SMD resistors, SMD inductors, etc. are kept on a shelf in 'sample books' from AliExpress. Larger parts, such as connectors, switches, etc. are kept in Stanley small parts organizers that come with removable trays. These are slid into homemade wooden racks that stack them like a chest of drawers. Odd sized parts, enclosures, etc. are kept in labeled cardboard boxes on shelves. I also have a 'receiving box' and will sometimes temporarily log parts into it until I have time to store them in their permanent locations. The real key is to label all the bins and log them into the PartsBox software which then can be used to find the correct bin/ box for any part. I maintain an electronic parts inventory of tens of thousands of components this way and it works well. Did I mention that the PartsBox software is excellent? It really is. I've been using it for years. It's all online so you can check your inventory from anywhere -- even on your phone. No database system software to manage. It's very easy to use. It's regularly improved. It does what you need for tracking your inventory. And it's free. I highly recommend it.

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 16, 2021, 07:13:17 pm
content: Quote from: shanekent on January 05, 2021, 11:59:09 pmThey were going to be thrown out, where I use to work, along with a load of components, including many resistors. There was too much to keep so I kept a selection to fill up the compartments, plus some extra of the more common values.