Software Project: Component Inventory Manager - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: harnon
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 29, 2012, 05:58:55 pm
content: Hi guys,Not wanting to step on the toes of brizleciderarmy or Dr Geoff (in this thread), I'm currently working on a component inventory system. Its by no means complete/secure/robust yet, or even ready for prime time but I have a demo up and you can see the kind of shape its starting to take. Its based on Codeigniter (PHP)/ and GAS ORM (MySQL), under BSD license so FOSS.Features so far are:Keep a list of componentsStore different packages/manufacturers etc of a component (SKUs)Generate order lines for SKUsGroup lines into orders where you can receive into stockI'm working onFilters and searching of components/skus/ordersMin/max stock levels with reports so you can see what you need to orderAssemblies - build a list of parts/SKUs and allocate stock to them. When they are built track stock of finished assembliesExport libraries to txt, csvmulti-user i.e. login for your own library on the server in case you don't want to self hostFeel free to have a look, I've got a bit of a descriptionon my websiteand there is a working demohere. As I say its pretty early days still and looks far less polished than Dr Geoff's, but may be useful to some. Let me know if you have a look and if there are any features that you would like to see in something like this. Also if you have an idea for a funky name...

author: DavidJRobertson
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 29, 2012, 09:31:57 pm
content: I'm also working on something like this, but it'll be available to use as a hosted web application named PartSorter.It's nowhere near finished yet, but I'm working on it.You can head over tohttp://partsorter.com/and enter your email address and I'll let you know when I'm ready for launch.

author: harnon
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 29, 2012, 11:28:39 pm
content: Quote from: DavidJRobertson on January 29, 2012, 09:31:57 pmLots of interest in managing our components all of a suddenAre you planning open/closed source, paid / free?

author: McMonster
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 29, 2012, 11:47:24 pm
content: I was thinking of writing one myself, but written in Java/C++ and with some sort of light database, NoSQL perhaps. Not everyone has a spare server or hosting solution and/or wants to bother with managing a full LAMP for the sole purpose of keeping track of the parts he has.

author: amspire
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 29, 2012, 11:58:57 pm
content: Databases are not for everyone, as you are either totally meticulous, or they tend to get so inaccurate that you stop using it. Then there are all the hassles of backup, restore, repairing corrupted databases and migrating to new PC's as you upgrade your hardware.I have this image of immediately needing another 10K resistor on the test bench and so I send to myself a request to withdraw a 10K resistor, and then in my role as database administrator, I refuse as it is way too much work, especially as I am so preoccupied right now on the test bench. Perhaps I can just steal a resistor when I am not looking.Bureaucrats!

author: harnon
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 30, 2012, 12:02:25 am
content: Quote from: McMonster on January 29, 2012, 11:47:24 pmQuote from: harnon on January 29, 2012, 05:58:55 pmYeah hence this line from the first post above... I'm running the dev server at electron.orchestra.io because it has good GIT integration (automatic deploys etc). Eventually it will run hosted on my own server, or you can download and install on a LAMP/WAMP yourself.Basically I was writing this thing for own use, and thought given the interest in the other topics people might have a use for it! I noticed a few people made some parts etc earlier tonight when it was a bit buggy, but I've made quite a few changes since then.Since the first post I've addedMin/Max levels for partsReports (min/max, stock on hand)Cleaned up bugs and made a few of the UI functions a bit more obviousI'm currently doing a bit of a rejig on the data structure to streamline it, then on to assemblies!Plus, I have a Dolph Lundgren on TV movie to keep me motivated.

author: harnon
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 30, 2012, 12:06:24 am
content: Quote from: amspire on January 29, 2012, 11:58:57 pmYeah, that sounds kind of confusingI imagine myself using it more for larger components, or things that I buy thinking I'll use them later and then file them somewhere...

author: DavidJRobertson
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 30, 2012, 10:20:07 am
content: Quote from: harnon on January 29, 2012, 11:28:39 pmIt will be free for a limited version (although I haven't quite figured out how I'm going to limit it), possibly with ads, but there will be a paid unlimited version, sans advertisments.I intend to open source it, once the code becomes suitably stable and complete.

author: DavidJRobertson
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 30, 2012, 10:22:21 am
content: Quote from: amspire on January 29, 2012, 11:58:57 pmThat's one of the reasons my software is going to be a hosted, software-as-a-service solution. I take care of all of that, you get to use it from anywhere with an internet connection.

author: amspire
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 30, 2012, 01:12:39 pm
content: Quote from: DavidJRobertson on January 30, 2012, 10:22:21 amThat makes sense.I assume you are targeting companies, as I cannot see you making much money from hobbyists.It could be an idea to allow a special category of parts such as "publicSurplus" for each user that makes them searcheable by other clients, so that people have the option of selling or trading their surplus components to someone else who need it.Just as an example, I have a tube of old Actel A1020A programmable gate array chips that I cannot program and I will never need. But someone else may need them for servicing old designs, and the few that are available can have prices over $200. If there is a safe, anonymous way for companies to mine the excess stock of other companies, it could be useful.Richard.

author: DavidJRobertson
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 30, 2012, 05:01:26 pm
content: Quote from: amspire on January 30, 2012, 01:12:39 pmMy goal isn't really to make money, I just wanted something to spend free time on. Although, I certainly wouldn't mind making a little moneyQuote from: amspire on January 30, 2012, 01:12:39 pmHmm, I'm not sure about this but I'll certainly consider it. And I'm not really sure how it could easily be made anonymous.David.

author: harnon
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 30, 2012, 06:02:16 pm
content: The level of interest certainly doesn't seem to be mind blowing... and as amspire suggested its certainly not something that I would pay money for! This application is (as per the first post) hosted or self hosted - you can still see the live dev server athttp://electron.orchestra.io. I'm happy to keep posting updates if there is interest, but rather than talking to myself, if nobody is going to find it useful then I'll probably cut my losses and keep it all for myselfIn the meantime... up next:improved form validationuser inventoriesassembliesDavid, good luck to you can I suggest you start a separate topic for your product?Will

author: Felicitus
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2012, 03:27:42 am
content: You might also want to have a look atPartKeepr- that project is already pretty advanced. Maybe helping that project out is more wise than implementing a new system.

author: elmohandis
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2012, 01:10:15 pm
content: I agree, Partkeepr (http://partkeepr.org/) looks pretty developed and should be enough for many businesses as well.Regards

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2012, 02:46:54 pm
content: It would be nice if they integrate this with Geda or other low-end schematic capture systems. I have been using Orcad Capture CIS together with an Access database for almost 15 years now. This has several major advantages:- a part always has the right footprint- the order number and partnumber are always right- creating a BOM is a matter of a mouse click. No more tedious editing!- Finding out which components which are not in store is a matter of substracting the number of parts in store and the number of parts in required.