How to class active componant ?

[schneiderj]

Hello,

I have truble to find a good way to order in bow the aop, transitor, etc... ?

Can you tell me how did you proceed yourself ?

Thanks for your help
Jean-Marie

NB : I try to find similar topic in the forum without success... probably a probleme wih my knowledge of English !

 

[flat5]

Can you please try to explain what you want another way?

 

[schneiderj]

OK... it seams that I am not clear. Thanks for your question.

I begin that have a lot of active electronic part like :

• aop with a single chanel, with two chanels, some are rail to rail, other are low noise
• MAX 232
• NE555
• multiplexer
• various transitors

For resistance I have a smal box for each value (5%). Same for capacitor. And I would like tyo make the same for active componants. I am tinking to have a box for those having an extension number between 0 to 100, 101 to 200... But I am quite surch that will not work properly.
Using the type of the componant is perhaps the good way, but then how to subclassify them ?

I am expecting to be more understandeble .

Jean-Marie

 

[RadioRon]

OK... it seams that I am not clear. Thanks for your question.

I begin that have a lot of active electronic part like :

• aop with a single chanel, with two chanels, some are rail to rail, other are low noise
• MAX 232
• NE555
• multiplexer
• various transitors

For resistance I have a smal box for each value (5%). Same for capacitor. And I would like tyo make the same for active componants. I am tinking to have a box for those having an extension number between 0 to 100, 101 to 200... But I am quite surch that will not work properly.
Using the type of the componant is perhaps the good way, but then how to subclassify them ?

I am expecting to be more understandeble .

Jean-Marie

I use four systems for storing parts. Examples follow these descriptions.

1) Those wll known generic parts that are useful in almost any project and for experimentation are sorted into small drawers of a storage cabinet.
2) When i do a project I save all the leftover parts that were purchased for that project in a box labelled with that project name. So each box might have printed circuit boards, housings, ICs, resistors, capacitors in them in case I might want to build some more in the future.
3) The third category is sorted surplus goods. I start with an empty box and as I go through my surplus goods, i put things into the box that seem useful, but I don't sort them. Then, for each box I list all of the part numbers in that box and tape that list to the front of the box. Usually each box contains no more than 40 part numbers. This works well as many surplus items come in reels or large bags, sometimes with documentation, and such things don't fit into storage cabinet drawers.
4) Surface mount RLC. This includes mostly sample and evaluation kits from various manufacturers including resistors, capacitors and inductors. These kits are housed in different forms, like binders, custom boxes, and looseleaf pages, so they end up having their own bookshelf where they are stored, one shelf for resistors, one for capacitors and one for inductors.

Examples:
1) In the first category I have individual drawers for leaded parts (not SMT):

Logic: small scale combinational logic including all ICs such as 74HCxxx etc.
Memory and uP: PICs and memory chips
Linear: simple functions like op amps, comparators, 555, 232interface
Voltage Regulators: 7805, and all other basic types
RF active IC: mmic, mixers
RF filter: crystal filter, ceramic, duplexers, bandpass filters
GP transistors bipolar: PNP, NPN
FET transistors
RF transistors: all types for RF applications, small signal
RF power transistors
Crystals and ceramic resonators
4-40 nuts and bolts
6-32 nuts and bolts
Washers
BNC Coaxial adapters
N type adapters and attenuators
SMA adapters and functional blocks
All values leaded resistors (this is a dump when I don't want to re-sort)
all values leaded capacitors (dump for unsorted parts)
Prestripped jumper wires for plugboards
Short heatshrink
Switches, buttons, potentiometers
Small heatsinks
Opto LEDs and display digits
Leaded resistors, sorted 4 values per drawer, 10% steps
Leaded capacitors, sorted 4 values per drawer
RF chokes
UHF inductors
and many more

2) the second category is a group of small cardboard boxes on my storage shelves in the 'stockroom'. Each labelled with the project name.

3) the third category is also small cardboard boxes with part lists taped to the front and then placed on storage shelves in the 'stockroom'.

There is always a practical limit to how much sorting and organizing you want to do with your parts. For example, I started out with resistors sorted into drawers, but find it faster and easier to use a single "all resistors" drawer where all leaded quarter-watt resistors go after using them in experiments. When I need one I find it not hard to sort through and find something close enough just by scanning for the right colour code. When I need a specific non-generic (like not 10K or 2.2K or 100K which I use a lot) value, then I might refer to a Digikey resistor kit of 1% values that I bought. Eventually, when this kit becomes depleted, I might buy another instead of re-sorting resistors myself.

 

[flat5]

RadioRon, may I have your address, the hours nobody is home and where you store the extra keys? Thank you.

 

[schneiderj]

Wouaf Radioron !! Very interresting explannation... how large is your collection ? Is that personnal or professional ?

Your point 3 is very attractive in my point of view :

3) The third category is sorted surplus goods. I start with an empty box and as I go through my surplus goods, i put things into the box that seem useful, but I don't sort them. Then, for each box I list all of the part numbers in that box and tape that list to the front of the box. Usually each box contains no more than 40 part numbers.

I think I will use it with asmal adaptation : using Access for the listing. For me it will be easier to retriev part by this way !

Thanks a lot,
Jean-Marie

 

[RadioRon]

RadioRon, may I have your address, the hours nobody is home and where you store the extra keys? Thank you.

I lived once at 4 leeuwendaallaan, Rijswijk. Have a look there, perhaps I left some parts behind!

 

[SMUGangsta]

Hi Ron,

My system is similar, but I was fortunate to obtain a large quantity of parts drawers, so i have lined the walls of my 'workshop' with them and have a seperate drawer for most things, each with a sticky label on the front (from one of they little 'brother' label machines)

I use the large drawer (full width) that occupies the bottom slot of most of the parts cabinet for 'returns', as you say when your finished a circuit or just testing something all the resistors in one, caps in another and everything else in another. Every once in a while myself and my son go through these drawers replacing the parts to where they should be.

The cabinets are grouped roughly according to function, eg resistors, diodes, caps, npn's, pnp's, logic, pics, etc

I also have some larger bins which hold the surplus that I have bought - like the 5Kg of 10uF electrolytics, or the 900 or so 10K sliding pots.

I have just recently started an access database of my parts, it has the partnumber, a picture (this bit takes up the time), functional description, pinout (this is normally what im looking for - and its quicker than looking up the datasheet), a few notes and a link to the datasheet (which i store locally) - i thought about adding a quantity field, but when youve bought surplus stock.... im not counting 10,000,000+ components. no way, no how.

I found quite a few bits tonight that I will need help identifying, but thats a job for tomorrow when the batteries for the camera are charged!!

OP: if your creating a database for your parts, one thing mines doesnt have, that I want to add is a box for function equivilants - for those times when your brain isTnt working. eg. you need a 555, but the drawer is empty - but on your screen it says 556 is equivelant (may be wasted pins - but just to get something working its fine)

Thats probably not the best example but you get the idea - general purpose transistors is another area where this would be handy.

 

[Willbe]

OK... it seams that I am not clear. Thanks for your question.

I begin that have a lot of active electronic part like :

• aop with a single chanel, with two chanels, some are rail to rail, other are low noise
• MAX 232
• NE555
• multiplexer
• various transitors

For resistance I have a smal box for each value (5%). Same for capacitor. And I would like tyo make the same for active componants. I am tinking to have a box for those having an extension number between 0 to 100, 101 to 200... But I am quite surch that will not work properly.
Using the type of the componant is perhaps the good way, but then how to subclassify them ?

I am expecting to be more understandeble .

Jean-Marie

Those that amplify
those that switch
those that oscillate
those that count
those that rectify
those that regulate
those that display
those that. . .?

 

[MrAl]

Hi there,


You need to make an inventory list to start with, listing every part,
and it's location. Then you dont have to worry so much about
where it actually is, as long as your list is organized.

If you REALLY want to do this perfectly, you need virtual directories,
or you can call them virtual folders if you like. The reason for this
is as follows...

Say you class a certain amplifier chip as Amplifier, and a certain
analog switch chip as AnalogSwitch. No problem so far. But then
you buy a new part which has both an amplifier AND an analog
switch built it. What drawer do you put this in, or if you use the
list what folder do you put it under?
The best answer i think is to put it under BOTH, and the only
way you can do this is by using virtual folders.

Note that if you list things like this it helps too:

Amplifiers
  LM123456 (2)  Box 001
  LM234567 (4)  Box 001

Transistors
  2N4403 (34) Box 006
  2N3055 (2) Box 007

You can also split up the folders this way:

Transistors
  NPN
    2N2222
  PNP
    2N1234

Or split it up even more:

Transistors
 [FONT=Courier New] NPN
   Power
     2N3055 (2)  Box 007
   Small signal
     2N2222A (23) Box 006[/FONT]

Of course you can include the price and any other info you think
should ride with the part number like:

2N2222A TO92 (23) Box 006 10/1.00USD

This is basically just an inventory list but it also must tell where the
part is actually located in your collection.

BTW, you label all the boxes (drawers, cabinets, etc.) with the numbers
like 001, 002, etc.

Just some ideas.