[sdiy] Eagle footprints

[rsdio at audiobanshee.com]

Thanks, Sarah.

Can you explain how to use device attributes to track part numbers? I've dabbled in attributes for simple things like the specific output voltage of a fixed regulator that's available in multiple values, or the memory sizes of a given processor variations, but haven't figured out how to access these attributes elsewhere. I do usually name the device after the part number, and if that's not possible then I set the "value" of the device to its part number, but obviously that's neither consistent nor does it work in every situation. With a bit of work, the "*" and "?" part of device names can be used to piece together the full part number for some families of devices, but again that doesn't work in all situations.

Do you have a link to the Octopart Excel add-in? Is it available for the Open Office spreadsheet? I don't use Microsoft Excel.

Brian

On Nov 22, 2015, at 5:12 PM, Sarah Thompson <plodger at gmail.com> wrote:
> One thing I have recently started to do in EAGLE is to religiously add attributes to every library object that specify Digikey/Mouser/manufacturer part numbers. This makes it really easy to generate an accurate BOM directly from Eagle, the import it directly to the Digikey web site to create a kit for a prototype build. This means that BOMs update with design changes, and you can create derivative designs by cutting and pasting schematics between projects and still create a kittable BOM just as quickly. It takes more time to set up first time around, but saves a ton of time over multiple spins whilst also reducing mistakes.
> 
> A second huge timesaver is the Octopart Excel add-in, which lets you create a BOM spreadsheet that can automatically check stock, availability and pricing. If you have to deal with a stupid procurement process that takes forever between approval and ordering, this can be a lifesaver by making it possible to check for out of stock situations really quickly across multiple suppliers just by reopening the spreadsheet.