The BOM tools can be used to generate a BOMs according to the required format. Currently, the SpecLib has the scripts shown in the table below. These scripts can be used by going to 'Tools > Generate Legacy Bill of Materials' in the schematic editor. You can add a script by clicking on the '+' icon and giving it a nice name. By clicking on the script name and then on 'Generate', you create the BOM file. All files are in CSV format.

Script name	Function	Status
spectrum_bom_general.py	Generates a general BOM that can be used as an overview. Contains order numbers for all suppliers.	Done
spectrum_bom_general_prices.py	Generates a general BOM that can be used as an overview. Contains order numbers for all suppliers with their current price. Generating this BOM file may take several minutes due to the speed of the APIs of the suppliers.	Only supports Mouser at the moment
spectrum_bom_digikey.py	Generates a Digikey specific BOM.	Done
spectrum_bom_farnell.py	Generates a Farnell specific BOM.	Done
spectrum_bom_jlcpcb.py	Generates a JLCPCB specific BOM. Can be used for the assembly feature of JLCPCB.	Done
spectrum_bom_mouser.py	Generates a Mouser specific BOM.	Done

Note: you need an .env file for the script with prices to work. For this, download the .env file in the Google Drive. Place this file in the same folder as the scripts.

Symbols and footprints

To add components to the SpecLib, start with adding the footprint. If the footprint is already available in the standard library of KiCAD, it does not need to be added. After adding the footprint, you can make the schematic symbol and enter the component parameters.

Adding footprints

Follow the normal process of adding footprints to KiCAD. Name the file as the footprint name. If there is no generalized name for the footprint, name it as the MPN of the corresponding component.

The SpecLib has several categories for footprints:

Antennas
Capacitors
Connectors
Ferrite Beads (FB)
Fuses
ICs
Inductors
Mechanical
Other
Resistors
Semiconductors
Switches
Microcontrollers (uCs)

Save the footprint to the corresponding category (if footprints can be put in two categories, choose the category based on the corresponding component you are adding). It is recommended to add a 3D model to the footprint and to save it to the 3D models folder.

Adding symbols

When making a symbol, add it to one of the categories of the SpecLib:

Antennas
Capacitors
Connectors
Ferrite Beads (FB)
Fuses
ICs
Inductors
Mechanical
Other
Resistors
Semiconductors
Switches
Microcontrollers (uCs)

Make the symbol like normal, but after finishing the symbol, some additional parameters need to be entered. In File > Symbol Properties, the following fields should be present:

Value
Footprint
Datasheet
Description
MPN
Manufacturer
Farnell
Mouser
Digikey
LCSC

To make sure a standardized manner of entering these values is used, use the Google Excel Document. This has an overview of all the fields that are necesary and some formulas to simplify the process. An explanation of its use is provided in the document itself. If one of the fields is not applicable (some components may not be available at some suppliers for example), add the field and leave it empty. Always specify the value, footprint and MPN. The MPN should be a specific component, not a series.

Schematic templates

Schematic templates contains all templates for schematics. Currently, it only contains one template: 'SpectrumTemplateBasic'. To add this template to your current project, double click anywhere on the schematic outline or in the legend. This will open a pop-up. You can then add the template by entering the filepath to the 'file' field. Use the 'Comment1' field to enter the author name and 'Comment2' field to enter the reviewer.