Building an inventory

[watchmaker]

This is a suggestion for those like me who are starting out but in a quandary about getting basic parts.

It sounds like a brag, but this is not.  I genuinely want to help others in the same boat.

I am ignoring basic carbon resistors, they are cheap enough.

While many advocate buying parts as you need them, I am of the ilk that avoids paying retail for name brand individual parts.

Provided below are lots of name brand NOS parts (in their retail packages) I purchased on eBay.  Bourne 20 turn trimmers, Cemert 28 turns, philmore trimmers, NTE ceramic capacitors, and unused inventory of electrolytic and trimmers from a manufacturer or distributor.

 I KNOW I have more parts than I will ever use, but in several cases the use of 3 parts will more than pay for the whole lot they came from.  Plus they are here.

My goal was not to compete with Digikey, but to have parts on hand that were top quality at very low cost.  This beats AliExpress.

I also standardized on ECG for my actives. This is because this is one of the longest-running inventory systems still in use and the documentation is readily available in print form.

I also opened an account at TI using my website. Whether I order ICs from them or Digikey, I always order at least 5.  Shipping is the same, and if I use one, I likely will use another.

Also for those who are unaware, many(most?) of the Chinese products sold on Amazon are available on AliExpress at up to 1/2 the price.  Connectors, project boxes, Proskit SS-331, whatever.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/225986549977

https://www.ebay.com/itm/116129614856

https://www.ebay.com/itm/225986556764

https://www.ebay.com/itm/225506261633

https://www.ebay.com/itm/225600075394

https://www.ebay.com/itm/226026069310

https://www.ebay.com/itm/226026072290

https://www.ebay.com/itm/116111947766

https://www.ebay.com/itm/116117707225

[xvr]

Agreed. Another suggestion is to buy electronic kits (such as from Amazon). If you need a resistor, you can buy one (10/20/30 pcs) or just buy a resistor kit (1500 pcs) for about the same price.
BOJACK sells very nice kits (on Amazon)

[shapirus]

My advice would be to install and begin using Inventree or other inventory management software before acquiring any meaningful amount of parts (of different part numbers). Don't be like me, don't postpone it until you no longer remember clearly what you have and the number of parts you have will make entering all the data a nightmare.

[ppTRN]

My advice would be to install and begin using Inventree or other inventory management software before acquiring any meaningful amount of parts (of different part numbers). Don't be like me, don't postpone it until you no longer remember clearly what you have and the number of parts you have will make entering all the data a nightmare.

Do you have a specific software to suggest? I am interested

[shapirus]

Do you have a specific software to suggest? I am interested

I'm using Inventree. Actually it hasn't been long since I started using it, but I'm already seeing that it's a quite powerful software, and, what's very important, it is in active development. It's not without some rough corners, but hey it works, and it's not too difficult to get started from the UI perspective. It's a web application, as opposed to a desktop one, so setting up the server-side part may be difficult for those who don't have experience with all the technology involved, but there are some decent guides on that.

There's a demo, too: https://inventree.org/demo.html

[cosmicray]

Provided below are lots of name brand NOS parts (in their retail packages) I purchased on eBay.  Bourne 20 turn trimmers, Cemert 28 turns, philmore trimmers, NTE ceramic capacitors, and unused inventory of electrolytic and trimmers from a manufacturer or distributor.

When you received the packages (from an eBay seller in China), did you notice the customs form (CN22) was marked as having originated from an obscure 3rd party country ? The last couple of orders I did like this, that was the case.

[hans]

My advice would be to install and begin using Inventree or other inventory management software before acquiring any meaningful amount of parts (of different part numbers). Don't be like me, don't postpone it until you no longer remember clearly what you have and the number of parts you have will make entering all the data a nightmare.

+1 The difference between hoarding and collecting is purely in organization. For a proper inventory I find this as a must.. start early, as its then less work to catch up.  I did this in Covid time, on a rainy weekend, and it was the best thing to have.

"haven't i used such a part before?" Look it up.. get exact storage bin location, now I can continue building!

It saves so much time.. (and money on double orders, as I have like several tapes of same value resistors, caps, etc. all bought in the expensive <50qty tier at Mouser)
Just don't forget to also have a system for putting stuff back where it belongs..

[Wallace Gasiewicz]

I use clear plastic shoe boxes with cards as dividers for parts   
Also 3x5 file boxes with cards, you can tape parts to cards   
For surface mount I use loose leaf binders with partitioned see thru plastic sheet protectors that I have made different size pockets in.  You can buy these things but I prefer to make them

[watchmaker]

I agree organization from the start, is the key.  My actives are mostly in the ECG boxes by number (4 trays worth).  Some transistors are in my lab vials/racks by number.  Resistors and zeners are in order (except ECG zeners which are in the ECG section).  Capacitors are in divider boxes by style. 

My biggest headache was sorting Zeners that were a mishmash.  That is when I made my setup for quickly sorting zeners.  But I have not bought that kind of "grab bag" since.

When my bulk buys came in, I immediately spent the time to sort the parts by type and size.

I never used an inventory program in my watch restoration business. I am visual and I stored my material in sections that made sense to me. Mainsprings on one shelf, jewels on another, chronometer material in this cabinet, aircraft clock material in this closet, etc.  Of course, sizes were sorted and labeled.

This is how I am doing the inventory in my new endeavor. Right now, several IC series are in tubes or grouped in divider boxes.  Same with Op amps.  LEDs and trimmer pots are in labeled drawers.

Works for me likely because I am not doing this as a business.  But, when I need a part, I know where to look. I am not sorting thru boxes of unsorted stuff.  That way lies insanity.  And for crying out loud, do not use a tackle box!

[shapirus]

But, when I need a part, I know where to look.

Physical sorting may become somewhat problematic when you need to categorize parts by more than one parameter.

Take e.g. logic ICs:

- boolean function
- family (meaning voltage, speed, etc.)
- schmitt trigger on inputs or not
- number of gates per chip

That's where software comes in handy: it can do parameterized search.

[watchmaker]

Provided below are lots of name brand NOS parts (in their retail packages) I purchased on eBay.  Bourne 20 turn trimmers, Cemert 28 turns, philmore trimmers, NTE ceramic capacitors, and unused inventory of electrolytic and trimmers from a manufacturer or distributor.

When you received the packages (from an eBay seller in China), did you notice the customs form (CN22) was marked as having originated from an obscure 3rd party country ? The last couple of orders I did like this, that was the case.

No,  I have not noticed that.  What I think the Chinese are doing is shipping orders in bulk containers to a center where it then gets sorted and sent USPS.  SOme comes DHL, but a lot of the "free" shipping seems to come repackaged for USPS.