[mental note: when sending messages to the PICLIST, send them from the email 
address that's actually /subscribed/ to the list...]

Hi,
   OK then, this is probably a bit of a weird subject for a [EE] post, but 
hear me out...

   I, probably like most people on this list, have a fairly large stock of 
electronic components. Most of these are stuffed into Raaco storage boxes of 
various sizes, in a very haphazard fashion. Sure, all the resistors are in one 
box, capacitors in another, but it's a total toss-up which box, say, the 
LM324s are in. How many of a given part I actually have at a specified time is 
a question best left to the omnipotent.

   So I reckon there has to be a better way to do this. Spreadsheets just 
don't seem to be the right tool for me, and I've heard of (expensive) software 
that can handle this. But I'm wondering - for your normal every-day lab stock, 
what do you guys use?

   I'm about half-way through developing a little PHP-based database to answer 
the questions "What do I have?", "Where did I put component XYZ123?", "How 
many XYZ123s do I have?", and "Where did I buy the XYZ123s from?", but I'm 
curious as to how everyone else is managing this (I assume) common problem.

   At the moment I've got something that I can add manufacturer, supplier and 
part data to, edit said data, delete it, and add stock, and I'm working on 
adding 'data grabbing' support (e.g. "I just bought 100x 123-1234s from 
Farnell and put them in box QAZPLM/A/1, add that to the database"; all the 
data is grabbed from the distributor websites in realtime) and BOM support 
("project XYZ needs these parts, allocate them and tell me what I need to 
order, if anything, to complete the project"). Datasheet storage is also on 
the drawing board, as is some form of "how many XYZs can I build from what I 
have in stock, and what is the limiting factor" script for the BOM side.

   Am I over-engineering this thing to the hilt? Anything else I should think 
about?

   I can throw the code I have now into a tarball if anyone *really* wants to 
take a look, but at the moment it isn't pretty, and it's based on the code 
that runs the admin side of my website (read: relies on HTTP authentication 
and is as ugly as sin). Everything's plugin based though, so if you want to 
add something you just create a new plugin for it. Kinda nifty, but also kinda 
OTT...

   Answers on a postcard to the usual address...

Thanks.
-- 
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piclist@philpem.me.uk         | (='.'=) into your signature to help him gain
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