SparkFun Forums

[madeinoz]

Hi Everyone,

I'm in the process of creating a BOM from an Eagle design and was wondering what everyone else does for best practices? Is there a better way for me to manager my BOM and better tie it to my design, i.e. so I don't have to update a spreadsheet with additional information if I re-generate the BOM.

Also I'd like to know what additional fields are good to have in the BOM. i.e. manufacture part#, distributor part#, footprint etc

Can this additional BOM meta data information be stored in the SCH or component somehow, so that it can all be be created with the BOM.

Regards,

Stephen...

[Shifted]

There is a BOM command in Eagle (a ULP I think) that automatically generates a BOM. All the metadata associated with a part is saved in the BOM. The BOM will identify what parts (R1, IC1, etc) that the part belongs to, and it can be generated at any time.

Hit the ULP button and look for a ULP file with the word BOM in it, it's something like MakeBOM or BOM.

[Philba]

I've used that command. It's only as good as the information in the libraries. Which means you have to do all your own library parts. Not a problem - one really shouldn't trust eagle parts.

[Andrew02E]

Good things to include in a BOM which save on headaches later:
Distributor part number
Manufacturer part number
Item quantity per build
Device package information (ie. is it a 1206 resistor or a 0603 resistor)
Voltage rating
Power rating
Silkscreen/legend/nomenclature indicators

Other nice things to include:
Brief part description
Part specific ratings (ie. ESR for capacitors)
Price per part