BOM: alternative parts of one reference

[dramos]

Hi to all

I newbie with Altium and there is something that it is a big pain for me when I am completing the documentation of a pcb.

The subject is the Bill Of Materials and the alternatives of one reference.

After watching the lesson 3 of Sch¬Pcb Design and the following two I realized that to have a good library is the germ of a good design. To have a complete library helps a lot when we have to generate the documentation of the project.

We learned how to add diferent suppliers to the parameters of one component but how to connect two references of a same component?
I mean, an smd resistor 0603 1% could be bought in Yageo and Panasonic , how to connect them ?

When you send a BOM to mount not allways can be found all references and ask you for others.

Thanks in advance to all for your help.
dramos

[mairomaster]

I don't quite understand what do you mean by references?

If you have 0603 made by 2 different manufacturers, you need to have 2 different components. It's like that for any parameters that are different. It could be just 2 different tolerances - 1% and 5% for example, again you need different components.

[dramos]

Hi mairomaster

My problem is that I need to have, at least, two homologated references for the same component from diferent manufactures.

For example:
Cap Ceramic 2.2uF 10V X5R 10% Pad SMD 0603 85°C T/R MURATA GRM188R61A225KE34D KEMET C0603C225K8PACTU

I have a component for Murata's capacitor and another for Kemet´s but how to make to appear both in the BOM?

I thought to make a component and in the parameters of it to put both manufacturers and references but then I have the problem that I will need a data base for mantaining this relations.

I hope that I have clarified something to you about my question

Regards
david

[robertferanec]

dramos, you can add more suppliers to one symbol and list them in separate columns in your BOM. To do so, open the component in your schematic symbol library, go to the left SCH Library panel, find the supplier box and click on Add.

PS: I do not really use it much as it is not intelligent - it will not automatically list cheaper supplier in the BOM, nor it will not automatically use the supplier with components in stock. Basically, everything what it does is, that you can add another supplier column in your BOM - but this may be what you are looking for. In our case, purchase department handles alternative components by themselves (they are able to find the correct, cheapest and in stock components by themselves).

[dramos]

Hi Robert,

Many thanks for your advice, I will check it.

But what happend it s that the purchasing department many time is engineering.

We have subcontractors for our pcbs, we do not buy electronic components directly to suppliers as Arrow, Future, WE, ..... but we have to add alternate references to our boms because not always is posible to find the first reference of our lists of materials.

It means that from engineering we have to find alternate components (some time purchasing dept. or our subcontractors suggest some) and we have to analize the datasheet and test them. After the homologation producedure is OK we add this reference to our BOM.

Regards
dramos

[robertferanec]

In this case, this could work work you oki.

[dramos]

we will see...... because this is a terrible headache when we are generating the documentation for the specification of the product.

I cross my fingers......

I will tell you my advances on this subject.

Regards
dramos

[robertferanec]

Thank you

[dramos]

Hi to all

Carry on with the subject of the components and how to manage the libraries for an automatic BOM with its alternatives, a colleague has told me to try with an *,DBLIB

Which is your opinión about *,dblib?

To manage the libraries using a data base is it like taking a sledgehammer to crack a nut?

Regards
dramos

PS: Robert I continue with the idea to check your recommendation but I need some time and we are full but I hope to do it this weekend.

[robertferanec]

When I was starting my company, I wanted to implement a proper database, but when I started thinking about it and looking for a solution, it would make the whole process too complicated and expensive for a small company - so I just stayed with a simple library and purchasing is deciding what specific components they will buy. We do not even create the "components", we only create symbols and footprints. I found it much faster.

However, if you are a bigger company, you may want to use database (but I know, even some big companies do not use database and only create symbols and footprints). It's because once you start building a database, you really may want to build it the way that it will connect to your stock and purchasing databases - and that may be quite a complex system. That is my opinion.

[dramos]

Hi Robert,

Many thanks for your advices !!!

Reading the comments I realized that I am doing the same questions that someone did, I feel that I am on the way!

Due to this, this forum is really important because We can exchange our experiences.

I will check the different options and tell you may advances.

Regards
dramos

[dramos]

Hi to all,

Many many months without you

We have made some progress. We are creating a .dblib. The components should be made according to IPC-7351. The project goes slowly because we are working on different projects at the same time and you know.... this kind of projects never have the priority they should have.

We are creating the components using Library Expert. It helps a lot because one of the requirements was to be IPC-7351 compliant.

We are still designing the the .dblib but we are on the way.

I will tell you my advances next time.
Regards,
dramos

[robertferanec]

Thank you very much dramos for sharing.