Improved BOM Management

Every electronics project requires a BOM (Bill of Materials). Several new BOM management features have been added to PartsBox:

Importing BOMs

The custom import format is now available in all plans, including Hobbyist/Maker plans. You can adjust import options and save them as a preset for quick access during future imports.

There is a new 'Guess' button which will use heuristics to make a best-effort guess at column mappings, but please always review the results carefully.

You can now import BOM data from CSV files into existing projects, not just when creating new projects.

Matching BOM Entries to Parts Using ID Anything™ and CAD Keys

When importing a BOM, you can now select two additional columns for automatic part matching:

• Part ID Anything™ code: Matches BOM entries to parts using their unique ID Anything™ codes
• Part CAD Key: Matches BOM entries to parts using CAD keys

After importing a BOM, each line must be matched to a specific part in your database. The system cannot automatically create new parts during import due to potential ambiguity and the risk of costly mistakes (many parts can share similar names).

The matching process follows this sequence:

1. ID Anything™ match: If you imported the Part ID Anything™ column containing valid codes that correspond to parts in your database, these entries will be automatically matched.
2. CAD key match: If you imported the 'Part CAD key' column and there's a match between the CAD key in the BOM and a CAD key assigned to a part in your database, these entries will be matched.
3. Part name match: If the 'Part' column exactly matches either the local name or the MPN of a single part in your database, the entry will be matched.

For efficient and accurate matching, we recommend storing either ID Anything™ codes or CAD keys in your CAD part database and including these in your exported BOMs.

If needed, you can reset and retry the matching process by selecting entries in the BOM and using the 'Selected | Match entries' menu option. This will reapply the matching logic to all selected entries.

Merging and Expanding BOM Entries

Merging Multiple Entries

When multiple entries in your BOM match the same part, you can combine them into a single entry to simplify your BOM. The system will automatically adjust the quantity and consolidate the designators. To merge entries:

1. Select multiple entries that refer to the same part
2. Use the 'Selected | Merge entries' option
3. The entries will be combined into a single BOM entry

Expanding Entries

You can also split a single BOM entry with multiple quantities into separate entries. For example, a BOM entry with:

• Quantity: 2
• Designators: C1, C2

Can be expanded into two separate entries:

• Entry 1: Quantity: 1, Designator: C1
• Entry 2: Quantity: 1, Designator: C2

This is useful when you need to:

• Edit individual entries separately
• Exclude specific designators from builds
• Apply different settings to components with the same part number

To expand a BOM entry:

1. Open the BOM line you want to expand
2. Click the 'Expand entry' button (only visible for entries with quantity > 1)

You can also select multiple BOM entries and use "Selected | Expand entries...".

Example of Expansion

A BOM entry with:

• Part: RC0805FR-0710KL
• Quantity: 3
• Designators: R1,R2,R3

Will expand into three separate entries:

• Entry 1: RC0805FR-0710KL, Quantity: 1, Designator: R1
• Entry 2: RC0805FR-0710KL, Quantity: 1, Designator: R2
• Entry 3: RC0805FR-0710KL, Quantity: 1, Designator: R3

Remember that you can always reverse this operation by selecting the expanded entries and using the 'Selected | Merge entries...' menu option to recombine them.