4 ms·

I find "SMD Sample Books" to be a more effective storage/retrieval system for SMD passives than the lidded parts enclosures. I've got some of the latter, but st

I find "SMD Sample Books" to be a more effective storage/retrieval system for SMD passives than the lidded parts enclosures. I've got some of the latter, but stopped using them for passives (and repurposed them for small 3-6 pin commonly used parts). But I have to admit that that setup is far cleaner and more organized overall than my disaster of a workbench...

mwbajor 4y ago
Its a pain to restock the books though and they store alot less. Buying SMD box kits that are already populated is worth the cost. Like this. https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/analog-technologies,-inc./R08E96-100/16365911?utm_adgroup=Resistor%20Kits&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Shopping_Product_Kits&utm_term=&utm_content=Resistor%20Kits&gclid=Cj0KCQjwpPKiBhDvARIsACn-gzAOVDHX5GcHo_i675lAmULvWnLiIr_MQLl7enMglF5bvyDppeV8ELIaApSYEALw_wcB https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/analog-technologi...
- OJFord 4y ago
  $625?! I'm not saying it's not worth that, for the ... 510 values, 100 of each, but who's this advice for? To a newcomer, just get some common values, and perhaps not even 100 of them. Then you find out which ones you use most, or a slightly less common value you're missing but use/want, and restock those. To anyone else, you know what you do, what you use, get that - I'm not sure there's any point in generic advice.
  - mwbajor 4y ago
    Get one of the cheaper ones. $625 is for 510 values, you don't need that.
farkanoid 4y ago
For prototype/repair/rework parts, we use cheap folders with business card or CD/DVD inserts at work - Cheap and effective! The labels reflect the location of the item in the folder (Folder x Page y) and also the shelf in Storage (Rack-Bay-Shelf-Place), if it's a part we use also in production. https://i.imgur.com/awt8HMw.jpg https://i.imgur.com/awt8HMw.jpg https://i.imgur.com/xVguVGn.jpg https://i.imgur.com/xVguVGn.jpg
- timms 4y ago
  What tool generates your inventory labels?
  - farkanoid 3y ago
    Hi, Sorry about the delay, HN doesn't seem to notify me about comment replies. I wrote a simple PHP script that generates the labels. It just pulls a bunch of data from our parts database and positions the text/graphical elements on a PDF page using fpdf. The Datamatrix/barcode is generated using Zint. Once the PDF file is generated, the script passes it to /usr/bin/lp for instant printing to a Dymo LabelWriter, or sent with an attachment disposition for downloading and printing locally. Hope this helps, please let me know if I may be of further assistance
- sokoloff 4y ago
  That's pretty brilliant. The imgur links were very important to understanding, so thanks for including them!

mwbajor 4y ago

Its a pain to restock the books though and they store alot less. Buying SMD box kits that are already populated is worth the cost. Like this. https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/analog-technologies,-inc./R08E96-100/16365911?utm_adgroup=Resistor%20Kits&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Shopping_Product_Kits&utm_term=&utm_content=Resistor%20Kits&gclid=Cj0KCQjwpPKiBhDvARIsACn-gzAOVDHX5GcHo_i675lAmULvWnLiIr_MQLl7enMglF5bvyDppeV8ELIaApSYEALw_wcB https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/analog-technologi...

OJFord 4y ago
$625?! I'm not saying it's not worth that, for the ... 510 values, 100 of each, but who's this advice for? To a newcomer, just get some common values, and perhaps not even 100 of them. Then you find out which ones you use most, or a slightly less common value you're missing but use/want, and restock those. To anyone else, you know what you do, what you use, get that - I'm not sure there's any point in generic advice.
- mwbajor 4y ago
  Get one of the cheaper ones. $625 is for 510 values, you don't need that.

farkanoid 4y ago

For prototype/repair/rework parts, we use cheap folders with business card or CD/DVD inserts at work - Cheap and effective! The labels reflect the location of the item in the folder (Folder x Page y) and also the shelf in Storage (Rack-Bay-Shelf-Place), if it's a part we use also in production. https://i.imgur.com/awt8HMw.jpg https://i.imgur.com/awt8HMw.jpg https://i.imgur.com/xVguVGn.jpg https://i.imgur.com/xVguVGn.jpg

timms 4y ago
What tool generates your inventory labels?
- farkanoid 3y ago
  Hi, Sorry about the delay, HN doesn't seem to notify me about comment replies. I wrote a simple PHP script that generates the labels. It just pulls a bunch of data from our parts database and positions the text/graphical elements on a PDF page using fpdf. The Datamatrix/barcode is generated using Zint. Once the PDF file is generated, the script passes it to /usr/bin/lp for instant printing to a Dymo LabelWriter, or sent with an attachment disposition for downloading and printing locally. Hope this helps, please let me know if I may be of further assistance
sokoloff 4y ago
That's pretty brilliant. The imgur links were very important to understanding, so thanks for including them!