Time to order PCBs and components.

I started by running a BOM in PCBnew.  This lists all the components used on the design.  I imported this into LibraOffice Calc. I then deleted items that don’t have an actual part associated with them. This included mounting holes, the battery, the pushbutton switch, Reset, and the test header. I then sorted on the Reference designators.  I then looked at the old BOM to see what I had already ordered, since I had only used one set of them already.

I ended up with eleven components that I do not already have for the next build. I went to Digikey and added them to my cart for another build of boards.  This will mean I have a mismatch of quantities in the future builds.  I find this acceptable because I may use the leftover parts on another prototype.  I ordered the parts from Digikey. That left the CH340G USB to Serial bridge and the PCBs.

I ordered ten pieces of the CH340G off of Ebay for US $3.68 and I ordered ten PCBs from DFRobot for US$26.95. To order the PCBs i had to plot the gerber files and put them in a zip file and email it to DFRobot’s manufacturing service.

This is not the most fun part of a project but necessary.  As the project progresses, I’ll have to start tracking my inventory as well.