UW Orbital
Parts Selection Tracker

Formerly the Electrical Source Compare Sheet. Re-organized to be standardized for parts selection on 04/23/22. Parts selected before this may not adhere to the standard.

Consult the Part Selection Workflow before using this sheet.

This spreadsheet is meant to be a centralized source for parts selection tracking for subteams. It holds metrics about top choices being considered for a part so that teams can understand why a part was chosen,

and if necessary, pick a convenient alternate part without having to redo sourcing entirely. All subteams must use this sheet whenever selecting between choices for a component, whether it be electrical or hardware.

Software selection is not covered under this sheet.

When selecting a component, follow the procedure below:

1. Create a copy of the Part Selection Guide Template and place it within a special folder in your subteam’s wiki for parts selection guides.

2. Fill out the selection guide sections for "Function of Component", "Key Parameters", and determine your "Selection Criteria". Read more within the Part Selection Workflow

3. Once the Selection Criteria is ready, make a copy of the TEMPLATE sheet table and paste it into either a new sheet for the board you're building, or use the board's existing sheet.

This is important - make sure you're making different sheets for different boards, not different parts. Use the same sheet for different parts on a single board - just make a copy of the tables in the TEMPLATES sheet.

For mechanical items, it may make sense to make a different sheet for a different structure (e.g. chassis vs PC/104 stack).

Some tabs are hidden. Check the tab list (4 lines on bottom left) before making a new one.

Rename the copy of the sheet and use the following colour codes to indicate which subteam it's for (right click on the sheet name and press "Change Colour").

4. Link the Part Selection Guide to the sheet that you've created.

5. Add headings for each major selection criteria you're considering for the part within your selection sheet, including units and conditional formatting if useful.

6. Begin adding parts, filling out as much information on all the headings as you can. If a particular important spec for a part cannot be found and it is a leading candidate for final selection, make

sure to try to contact the manufacturer or supplier for that information. Add parameterized searches from sites like Digikey and Mouser to the searches table.

7. Make your final selection by highlighting the row with the part green and/or changing the "ranking" label. Go back to your Part Selection Guide and explain your reasoning for picking the top choice.

8. If the board parts selection is complete, hide the sheet by right clicking the sheet name and clicking "Hide Sheet". These sheets can be accessed again by clicking the four bars on the bottom left.