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Parts management

D

db

Jan 1, 1970
0
As I am doing more electronics projects and acquiring more parts I am
starting to
run into a parts management problem. This is particularly a problem
with smds. Up to now it has been sufficient keep parts in ziploc bags.
With parts from digikey , I put the extra label on the bag I am
storing in. Still this method is becoming inadequate.

I was just wondering how others maintain their parts so they can find
them when they need them or know if they have what they need on hand.
SMDs are particularly annoying because the space to store the part is
many times larger than the part itself.
 
I

Ian Stirling

Jan 1, 1970
0
db said:
As I am doing more electronics projects and acquiring more parts I am
starting to
run into a parts management problem. This is particularly a problem
with smds. Up to now it has been sufficient keep parts in ziploc bags.
With parts from digikey , I put the extra label on the bag I am
storing in. Still this method is becoming inadequate.

Why?
Order a thousand of the same size of bags (preferrably antistatic).
Then chop up some card with a guillotine, so that the bags stay upright.
If you don't have a label, write on the card.
Now, simply arrange a divider in a drawer, so that the bags can flip back
and forth.
 
R

Rene Tschaggelar

Jan 1, 1970
0
db said:
As I am doing more electronics projects and acquiring more parts I am
starting to
run into a parts management problem. This is particularly a problem
with smds. Up to now it has been sufficient keep parts in ziploc bags.
With parts from digikey , I put the extra label on the bag I am
storing in. Still this method is becoming inadequate.

I was just wondering how others maintain their parts so they can find
them when they need them or know if they have what they need on hand.
SMDs are particularly annoying because the space to store the part is
many times larger than the part itself.

I have a two dimensional array of plastic containers with lid.

For example http://www.distrelec.com search for 300700,
manufacturer unknown.

Rene
 
J

John Fields

Jan 1, 1970
0
As I am doing more electronics projects and acquiring more parts I am
starting to
run into a parts management problem. This is particularly a problem
with smds. Up to now it has been sufficient keep parts in ziploc bags.
With parts from digikey , I put the extra label on the bag I am
storing in. Still this method is becoming inadequate.

I was just wondering how others maintain their parts so they can find
them when they need them or know if they have what they need on hand.
SMDs are particularly annoying because the space to store the part is
many times larger than the part itself.

---
Get yourself some parts cabinets

[email protected]

and label the drawers using Cartesian coordinates as if they were in the
upper right hand quadrant. That is, the drawer at the bottom left corner
would be 0,0, the one immediately above it 0,1, the one to its
immediate right 1,0, etc. (That way you can grow vertically and
horizontally and easily keep track of the drawer "addresses") Then make
a spreadsheet with the drawer numbers and their contents, and you'll be
able to find anything you have by searching for contents and then
reading off the drawer's address.
 
R

Robert C Monsen

Jan 1, 1970
0
John Fields said:
---
Get yourself some parts cabinets

[email protected]

and label the drawers using Cartesian coordinates as if they were in the
upper right hand quadrant. That is, the drawer at the bottom left corner
would be 0,0, the one immediately above it 0,1, the one to its
immediate right 1,0, etc. (That way you can grow vertically and
horizontally and easily keep track of the drawer "addresses") Then make
a spreadsheet with the drawer numbers and their contents, and you'll be
able to find anything you have by searching for contents and then
reading off the drawer's address.

This reminds me of an old Isaac Asimov story about a civilization grinding
to a halt because they lost the 'index' to their database. What was that
story called? I can't remember, but I believe it was in an anthology called
"Asimov's Mysteries" which, ironically, I can't find a table of contents for
on the web...
 
G

Guy Macon

Jan 1, 1970
0
John Fields said:
and label the drawers using Cartesian coordinates as if they were in the
upper right hand quadrant. That is, the drawer at the bottom left corner
would be 0,0, the one immediately above it 0,1, the one to its
immediate right 1,0, etc. (That way you can grow vertically and
horizontally and easily keep track of the drawer "addresses") Then make
a spreadsheet with the drawer numbers and their contents, and you'll be
able to find anything you have by searching for contents and then
reading off the drawer's address.

Use four variables (0,0,0,1 etc.) from the start with the first two
alway 0 and it scales to an entire warehouse.
 
Put the parts in small anti-stat bags. I think Digi-Key ships them that
way already. Then put the bags into a hanging file folder. You can
further sub-divide into individual manila folders. Just write the part
names / values on the folder tabs.

For a small project with less than 100 part types this will work OK.
The folders can be re-ordered a lot easier than part drawers.

Buckworth
 
J

John Woodgate

Jan 1, 1970
0
I read in sci.electronics.design that Robert C Monsen
This reminds me of an old Isaac Asimov story about a civilization
grinding to a halt because they lost the 'index' to their database. What
was that story called? I can't remember, but I believe it was in an
anthology called "Asimov's Mysteries" which, ironically, I can't find a
table of contents for on the web...

I can't find it in 'Asimov's Mysteries'.
 
R

Roger Gt

Jan 1, 1970
0
: I read in sci.electronics.design that Robert C Monsen
<9qSXb.40511$yE5.150586@attbi_s54>)
: about 'Parts management', on Sun, 15 Feb 2004:
: >This reminds me of an old Isaac Asimov story about a
civilization
: >grinding to a halt because they lost the 'index' to their
database. What
: >was that story called? I can't remember, but I believe it was
in an
: >anthology called "Asimov's Mysteries" which, ironically, I
can't find a
: >table of contents for on the web...
:
: I can't find it in 'Asimov's Mysteries'.
: --
: Regards, John Woodgate, OOO - Own Opinions Only.

I remember the tale, but not where I read it!
 
T

Terry Pinnell

Jan 1, 1970
0
Roger Gt said:
: I read in sci.electronics.design that Robert C Monsen
<9qSXb.40511$yE5.150586@attbi_s54>)
: about 'Parts management', on Sun, 15 Feb 2004:
: >This reminds me of an old Isaac Asimov story about a
civilization
: >grinding to a halt because they lost the 'index' to their
database. What
: >was that story called? I can't remember, but I believe it was
in an
: >anthology called "Asimov's Mysteries" which, ironically, I
can't find a
: >table of contents for on the web...
:
: I can't find it in 'Asimov's Mysteries'.
: --
: Regards, John Woodgate, OOO - Own Opinions Only.

I remember the tale, but not where I read it!


Googling eventually turned up this, which appears to show it wasn't by
Asimov but based on his Foundation charcters. Here's the similar
enquiry and its reply:
-------
Lori Lathrop wrote...
Another technical writer sent me an e-mail message and mentioned that she
remembers reading a science fiction short story that used indexing as
part of the story line. She thinks she may have read it in Fantasy &
Science Fiction magazine, but she can't find it in any of her back
issues. Her note to me says:
The story itself used Asimov's Foundation characters. The main
character's wife was an indexer in the library. The indexers
had one whole floor of the library, and it was kind of like a
holodeck (Star Trek), and every day, the offices that the
indexers worked in changed, to give them new insights into
how the information they were indexing was related to other
information. If you or anyone you know knows of this story,
or how I could find it again, I'd really appreciate it.!

The story your friend is looking for is called "The Originist" by
Orson Scott Card. I read it in a volume called "Foundation's Friends"
edited by Martin H. Greenberg published by

Tom Doherty Associates, inc.
49 West 24 Street
New York, NY 10010

A very entertaining and thought provoking story.... and homage to Dr.
Asimov.

Mike Riley
Sr. Systems Analyst
Preservation Resources
[email protected]
[email protected]
 
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