JLCPCBA - Painful parts browser  - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: microvia
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 02, 2025, 04:23:38 pm
content: Hi,I have been working with PCBWay for several years and wanted to try getting lower prices at JLCPCBAfter uploading my gerber and pick'n'place files, the parts selector appears to be a real waste of time.With a low number of lines per page, and without elementary filter options (parts type, package, value, etc.), the browser lists a high number of mixed parts over many pages, which rarely allows making a good choice.Is there an alternative method to select the parts, like a KiCAD plugin with a clever browser a la Mouser to choose within JLCPCB stocked parts and add their references in the schematic ?

author: langwadt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 02, 2025, 05:18:00 pm
content: for standard/preferred parts (those that don't cost extra)https://github.com/CDFER/JLCPCB-Kicad-Libraryfor the rest use jlcpcb/lcsc website to find the Cxxxxx number and add to the part properties as LCSCand use the "fabrication tool kit" plugin to generate gerber/bom/cpl files

author: microvia
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 02, 2025, 05:22:30 pm
content: Thanks a lot, will check all that.

author: Simmed
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 02, 2025, 06:16:09 pm
content: they kind of have 3 different inventory "list"1 JLCPCB2 LCSC3 the chinese versionhttps://www.szlcsc.comthe cxxxxx serials appear to be common to all 3 afaikthe chinese site appears to have the master list (most parts)

author: langwadt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 02, 2025, 08:36:32 pm
content: Quote from: Simmed on August 02, 2025, 06:16:09 pmyep, and for assembly only the jlcpcb amounts in stock matters

author: jduncan
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 02, 2025, 10:37:05 pm
content: Not true, if it's in stock at LCSC you can "preorder" it for PCBA at JLC.

author: sleemanj
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 02, 2025, 11:01:13 pm
content: https://yaqwsx.github.io/jlcparts/Actually this is a more updated fork of the above which is a lot faster:https://dougy83.github.io/jlcparts/#/

author: Whales
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 02, 2025, 11:02:43 pm
content: Yes it's a PITA.The during-checkout part selector is garbage. It often works for small passives. For anything else it's a nightmare. Even pasting in Cxxxx part number is is slow. There is an alternative entry scheme if you click on something on the right of each row, but then it only lets you change part numbers for one row at a time (not a whole set of the same rows).Another alternative I sometimes use:https://yaqwsx.github.io/jlcparts/#/

author: fourfathom
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 03, 2025, 03:28:58 am
content: Yes, The JLCPCB parts browser is almost useless. When working on a JLC assembly I keep the LCSC catalog open in one window to help find the available part numbers. Sometimes LCSC has a large quantity of a particular part, but JLC has zero available. But usually if LCSC has lots so does JLC and these are often the "preferred" parts.When it comes to getting non-stocked parts, I've had good luck with JLC. I do some RF designs and the SMT inductors are often not reliably in stock, so I do tend to keep a private JLC inventory of those. However one design used a MOSFET that was in the LCSC catalog but JLC couldn't find it. I asked, and JLC added it the next day as an available part.

author: matherp
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 03, 2025, 10:39:43 am
content: Biggest issue I find with the JLC browser is identifying "Basic" parts to minimise build costs. I eventually got bored and screen scraped all their pages and created a spreadsheet of all the basic parts.Attached if anyone finds it useful

author: microvia
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 03, 2025, 03:04:46 pm
content: Thanks for all your hints and links ! I'll surely save a lot of time using the Git utilities.The last problem is really the extended parts fees which limitate quite a lot prototyping if you want to test 5 pcbs before going into production. PCBWay doesn't do this, but they take their extra on each part, which I think is more or less equivalent at the end.

author: bson
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 16, 2025, 12:58:37 am
content: If you use KiCad 9 there's a plugin that provides JLCPCB libraries to choose from when placing components. They're footprint specific. I haven't tried using it in anger yet though. But the parts have the Cxxx part number, price, and min qty, attrition qty, and whether is a Basic part ("class" they call it), so as long as their (also crappy) BOM importer doesn't generate "not found" errors for parts clearly in the catalog and in stock it should be fine.I would imagine the "stock" is only correct as of whenever the library was updated prior to placing the part.To add, go to the project browser window -> Plugin and Content Manager -> Find the JLCPCB Library plugin and install it.

author: Aspartame
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 30, 2025, 01:57:12 pm
content: Fastest way to create your order is to add all parts to your parts library first, the system prioritizes your library parts.Otherwise you will be bombarded with all irrelevant parts.Their new system has multiple glitches, it does not show the right part even if you specify the exact part number in BOM.

author: sleemanj
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 01, 2025, 03:33:51 am
content: Quote from: bson on August 16, 2025, 12:58:37 amWorth noting here, don't know if Kicad differentiates, but JLC has 3 classes of parts,* Basic* Preferred* Extendedfrom the customer perspective, there is no difference between Basic and Preferred, neither have a loading fee.