Electronic Parts

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Electronic Parts at Noisebridge

We have a lot of donated parts, but they are currently badly to not organized. Until they are, this page describes the project to organize them.

Organization Project

The organization effort are divided into several phases. The goal is to have a system that allows us to have various people work independently whenever their schedule permits.

Phases Overview

  1. Numbering. We number all filled drawers as they are now in the cabinets. The number helps us associate these with the components they contain to enter in the database. Status: good chunk done (Douglas did the bulk of it).
  2. Entering in Database
    1. Take pictures of interesting components. Many pictures have already been taken and associated with the number on the drawer.
    2. Identify parts and enter them in the database (work in progress).
  3. Coalesce duplicate items in database (not started yet; requires Phase 2 to be complete)
  4. Big physical drawer re-org: Database suggests which drawers with duplicate items to put together in one bin (result of phase 3). Print labels with barcodes and put on drawers. Database suggests grouping of items but allows the manual work in meat space to do work independently for fast progress. No tedious entering of new physical locations in the system needed.
  5. We take picture of the final cabinets. Barcodes are identified in the image and system remembers position of each item. Good thing: this can be re-done whenever some other manual org has been done in meat space.
  6. A galvo-like system is built that points a laser to a component searched.
  7. Profit.

Phase 1 Numbering

TBD describe

Phase 2 ID parts

Enter parts in database

(TBD describe more detailed.)

Process in general: When on the Noisebridge network, look at http://pegasus:3000/status which numbers have not been entered yet. Decide which you want to work on and go to the electronics area and grab bunch of drawers with the numbers. Go to your computer, open http://pegasus:3000/, type in the drawer-number in the big field in top and press return.

Identify these parts: choose a category (or enter a new category in the 'other' field), enter part values, description and possibly datasheet. Once you submit this form, you are automatically placed to the next number, which makes entering quick.

For resistors, just write the raw value+decimal suffix. So '100' for 100 Ohm or 5.6k for 5600 Ohm. For Capacitors, write the value, with 'u' being used for 'micro'. So 2200uF or 100nF. Look around in other parts that are already described.

If you don't know a part, please add '?' in the 'notes' section and don't fill the rest of the fields. Then someone else come back later and help correctly identify the part.

Return the drawers back to where they came from and take the next batch. Repeat until tired :)

Take pictures

Henner has some set-up which he uses to take pictures right now, but this is one-off for now. We plan to have a dedicated photo-box (maybe using the book-scanners) to do so.

Phase 3 and following

Will be interesting after Phase 2 completes