The Biggest Ever Open Parts Library! Over 150,000 parts for Seeed Fusion PCBA
The long-awaited expansion is finally here! Yes, now over 150,000 local parts are available in the Open Parts Library (OPL), from essential passives to microcontrollers. With a greater selection of parts, the easier it is to slash the lead time for full turnkey Seeed Fusion assembly to just 7 working days
What is the Seeed PCBA Open Parts Library (OPL)?
The first Open Parts Library was announced over ten years ago around the same time as the PCB Assembly service. Back then it was a purchasable kit of 100 sample parts that were available to use with the assembly service. Things have moved on immensely since then, but the essential purpose of the OPL has remained the same. Cheaper, faster and more convenient PCBA.
Fundamentally, all the parts in the OPL are available locally on Seeed’s doorstep, in Shenzhen. The Seeed OPL contains tried and tested parts that Seeed uses in its products and keeps its own warehouse. Eagle and KiCad libraries are available for most of these parts and quality is guaranteed. However, there is only so much Seeed can keep in stock. The Shenzhen OPL remedies this and contains 200 times more parts from the biggest supplier of parts in the Silicon Valley of Hardware. Like parts in the Seeed OPL, these parts are available almost immediately and can be used together. With so much choice, it’s even easier to get expedited turnkey PCB assembly.
What are the advantages of using the OPL?
Faster: The most valuable advantage to using the OPL is the ability to slash PCBA turnaround times. Imported parts can take weeks to arrive at best and extend the lead time to a month or more. By using local parts, this time is cut to a mere few days. So once the bare PCBs come fresh off the production line, assembly can begin right away and you can get full turnkey PCB assembly in as little as 7 working days.
Cheaper: As everyone knows, most things are made in China. So, by sourcing parts closer to where they were made makes them cheaper. Use local brands to cut costs even more with compatible parts for a fraction of the cost.
Convenient: All parts are searchable on a single page complete with datasheets, and Eagle and KiCad libraries are available for Seeed OPL parts for peace of mind and accelerated design.
What parts are included in the Seeed OPL?
There are currently over 170,000 parts in the OPL, divided into over 50 different categories including thousands of capacitors and resistors, the most popular microcontrollers and ICs, cheaper compatible connectors, sensors, optoelectronics, crystals, switches and more from big brands such as Microchip, ST Electronics, Texas Instruments, ON Semiconductor, DIODES, TE Connectivity, Hirose and Molex and Asian favorites including JST, CJT, YAGEO and Everlight.
How can I take advantage of the OPL?
Just browse the categories via the Open Parts Library page or find parts search directly via the search box. Isolate your selection by searching within a category. Build your BOM file using the Seeed Fusion template and just fill in the manufacturer part numbers. The smart online quotation platform will automatically match the part and provide a full quotation in seconds. Get a quotation here.
Can’t source all parts from the OPL? You still combine them with imported parts and take advantage of the lower part cost.
The OPL is vital to making the most of the Seeed Fusion PCB Assembly service and everyone and anyone can use them.
Over the years, Seeed PCBA users have consistently reminded us of the biggest limitation of the OPL, the selection of parts. The coveted 7 days turnaround time hinges on whether all parts can be sourced from the OPL, meaning the selection of available parts is crucial. So, this new 8-fold increase from 20,000 to 160,000 parts represents the biggest milestone in the OPL’s expansion and we hope this results in an exponential increase in usage. Thank you all for your perseverance and we hope it was worth the wait.
But the story doesn’t end there – we are currently working on filling in the blanks and re-categorizing the parts and in the long term we intend to upgrade the OPL platform for better usability and implement live translations. Meanwhile, thank you so much for the ongoing support and please do let us know your thoughts. Check out the new OPL.
About Author
