Data sheets

[Auggie]

Hello everyone, I have a question about data sheets. When looking up a data sheet for a PCB board for example what should you be looking for? There are all kinds of numbers and serial numbers. How do you know which ones are part numbers and which are numbers for other things?

[DJPhil]

I'm not sure what you mean by pcb board.
Do you mean, say, looking for drivers for an old PC card?
Were you perhaps instead speaking of parts themselves, like looking up chips or transistors?

I've done a lot of both salvaging stuff, and both are trial and error. It's something experience helps with, you start to remember particular combinations of letters and numbers.

Could you give a few examples of what you mean, or maybe if you've got something specific in mind?

[desolatordan]

Sometimes it's impossible to identify parts just by the house markings on the IC package.

Finding a logo on it to identify the company, then start searching for any alphanumeric code on the IC.

And if you're trying to find info on an actual PCB based on a serial number printed on it, good luck...

[Simon]

if you need a datasheet for a part just google the part number followed by "datasheet" invariably you will be taken to a datasheet search service that will have many versions of it. if you have a board and need to know that it does you have less of a chance but again google is your friend as someone else may have put up information about the board if they used it for something