Find the part
Type or paste the part number from the reel label. Known parts open their program card. Unknown TI and ADI parts get their package decoded from the part number.
Enter the drawing numbers
From the package drawing near the end of the datasheet. Type them as printed: 0.18 0.25 0.30 or 0.18-0.30. The app uses the nominal value.
3Program these numbers
Datasheet letter cheat sheet
- D, E
- Body size. On QFN the leads end flush with the body edge, so this is also the outside size.
- A / A1 / A3
- A = total height. A1 = standoff (tiny, ~0.02). A3 = lead-frame thickness, marked REF. Program A.
- e (BSC)
- Pitch. BSC means "basic": an exact number with no tolerance.
- b, L
- Lead width and lead length. Use the nominal (middle) number.
- K
- Gap from lead tip to center pad. Some makers list K instead of D2.
- D2, E2
- Exposed center pad. The size varies the most between manufacturers, so always read it off this exact part's drawing.
- REF / TYP
- Reference only. Don't program from REF values when a min/nom/max exists.
- Gull-wing parts (SOIC, QFP)
- Watch out: E is often lead tip to lead tip, and E1 is the body. Some makers swap them.
Package library
Typical JEDEC/EIA sizes for common packages, so you can sanity-check a part in seconds. Ranges are min–max. Check the real datasheet before the first production run; center pads (EP) on QFNs differ the most between makers.
Moisture-sensitive parts (MSL)
QFNs, BGAs and most plastic ICs soak up moisture once the dry bag is opened. Too long on the floor and they can crack or "popcorn" in reflow. Log each bag when you open it and the timer tells you when it has to be baked or resealed.
Open bags
Floor life (J-STD-033)
Out of the bag at ≤30 °C / 60% RH.
| MSL | Floor life | Typical parts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Unlimited (≤30 °C / 85% RH) | Most passives, many SOT/SOIC |
| 2 | 1 year | |
| 2a | 4 weeks | |
| 3 | 168 h (7 days) | Most QFNs, QFPs, BGAs |
| 4 | 72 h | Some large BGAs |
| 5 | 48 h | |
| 5a | 24 h | |
| 6 | Time on label; bake first |
Bake time lookup
From the J-STD-033 bake table. MSL 2 isn't in this table; check the manufacturer. Your company's process or the part's label overrides this.
Job setup checklist
Tap through before every new job or changeover. Most bad first boards come from one of these.
Changeover
Pin 1 on the tape
Most makers put pin 1 on the sprocket-hole side of the tape, but it's not universal. Before running a polarized part (diodes, ICs, tantalum caps, LEDs), check the tape drawing in the datasheet or look at the first few pockets. The Rotation helper works out the angle.
Look-alikes that get swapped
- Chip resistors vs capacitorsCaps have no marking. Keep reels labeled and never leave a loose reel without its label.
- Different values, same sizeTwo 0402 caps look identical. Check the reel label against the feeder list, not the part.
- SOIC-8 narrow vs 208 milFlash memory often uses the wider 5.3 mm body. Same pin count, different package.
- QFN from a second sourceSame pinout, but the center pad or height can differ. Recheck the package when the maker changes.
Scan with the camera
Take a picture of a reel label, a parts web page, a setup sheet or the dimension table on a datasheet drawing. The app reads it, fills in the form and highlights where each value came from. Check it, fix anything it got wrong, then save it for the team.
From a website, no photo needed
On the DigiKey, Mouser or TI product page: copy the link from the address bar, or select all the page text (Ctrl+A, Ctrl+C), and paste it here. Pasted text is the most accurate.
Photo
Tap a box to put its text in the selected fieldWhat it found
Recent scans
Scanner not working?
"Test the scanner" reads a sample label on this phone. If it passes, the phone is fine and the photo was the problem. If it fails, copy the report and send it.
Kitting list from a BOM
Paste the BOM straight from Excel (select the columns, copy, paste) or open the CSV. You get one line per reel with the quantity to pull, tape width, MSL level and anything that needs extra care. Give each line a feeder slot, save the job, then use Load check at the machine.
Job size and spares
Spares cover mispicks, vision rejects and the parts lost at the start of each tape. Small passives drop more often, so they get more. Use your shop's numbers if you have them.
Load check
Before running, check every reel against the job. Scan the reel label with the camera, use a USB or Bluetooth barcode scanner, or type the part number. A wrong reel in a feeder is the most expensive mistake on the line.
Progress
Reels on this job
Enter the count on the reel label to get run-out warningsMispick and reject log
Log each time a feeder drops, mispicks or gets rejected by vision. One bad feeder usually shows up here long before it's obvious.
Worst feeders
Log
Shift handoff
Leave the next shift a clear picture. Open MSL bags, problem feeders and the checklist fill in by themselves. Copy it into a text or email, or keep it here.
Preview
Earlier handoffs
Machine setup sheet
Your shop's answer to "which tool and which feeder for this package?" Fill it in once from your own setup sheets and the whole team stops guessing. The kitting list shows these next to each part.
| Package | Tape | Notes |
|---|
Package names match the kitting list: 0402, SOT-23-6, QFN 3x3, SOIC-8 and so on. Saved on this device and included in the team file.
Share with the team
Everything you save here lives on this phone or PC. To get everyone on the same page, pass a team file around: one person exports, the others import. Imports merge, so nobody loses their own entries.
What goes in the team file
Send the file by email, Teams, a shared drive, or a USB stick on the line PC.
Bring in a team file
Live sync Checking…
With live sync, phones on the same team code see each other's parts, setup sheet, bag timers, mispicks and handoffs. It needs the site's small sync service, which only runs when the site is deployed from Git or the Netlify CLI (drag-and-drop uploads can't run it).
Use a code that's hard to guess. Anyone with the code can see and change the team's data.
Converters
Datasheets mix millimeters, mils and inches. Type in any box and the rest update.
Length
1 mil = 0.001 in = 0.0254 mm. 1 mm ≈ 39.37 mil.
Min / Max → Nominal
Three numbers: the middle one is used. Two numbers: the average. Program the nominal unless your lead says otherwise.
Common pitches
| mm | mil | Seen on |
|---|
Chip size codes: imperial vs metric
| Imperial | Metric | Length × width (mm) | (mil) | Tape |
|---|
Tape, feeders & ordering
Figure out how many parts to order, what packaging to pick on DigiKey, and how many parts are on a strip of tape.
How many to order
Spare % values are common starting points, not a rule. Track your real losses and adjust.
DigiKey packaging decoder
| Code | Means | Feeder? |
|---|---|---|
| TR | Full factory reel | Yes |
| DKR | Digi-Reel: your qty on a reel with leader + trailer, small fee per line | Yes |
| CT | Cut tape, no leader. May come in several pieces | Needs a leader spliced on |
| ND | Tube or tray (no CT/TR/DKR code) | Stick or tray magazine |
Parts on a tape strip
Pocket pitch is printed on most reel labels, or measure: count sprocket holes (always 4 mm apart) between two parts.
Rotation helper
Works out how far the part has to turn from the way it sits in the tape to the way it's drawn at 0° in CAD. Tap where pin 1 (or the cathode / + side) is in each picture.
1 · In the tape
Look at the tape from the top, sprocket holes along the top edge, the way the datasheet's tape drawing shows it.
2 · In CAD at 0°
How the footprint is drawn with no rotation. IPC-7351 libraries put pin 1 top-left on ICs and the cathode on the left on diodes. Older libraries may differ.
3 · Result
Tips from the floor
Habits that make job changeovers faster and first boards come out right.
Programming a new package
- Go straight to the drawing.Skip the electrical pages. The mechanical drawing and the recommended land pattern are the only pages you need.
- Program nominal, not max.Use the middle number. If only min and max are given, use the average. Height is often max-only; that's fine to use.
- Check which view you're looking at.QFN drawings usually show the bottom. Pin 1 is mirrored compared to the top view. Find the pin-1 notch or chamfer on the center pad.
- Measure one real part.Calipers on the body take ten seconds and catch the wrong-datasheet mistake every time.
- Name packages the same way every time.QFN24_4x4_P0.50_EP2.60 tells everyone what it is. Search before you make a new one.
- Have a second person check new packages before the first production run.
Changeovers and feeders
- Kit the next job while this one runs.If your machine lets you swap feeders, trolleys or magazines while it runs, load the next job's feeders ahead of time.
- Order Digi-Reel (DKR), not cut tape, for anything going on a feeder. The leader means no lost parts at loading.
- Cut tape with no leader?Splice on blank carrier tape. Some cover-tape extender products only work with certain feeders, so check yours before you buy.
- Check imperial vs metric on every chip part. "0603" is the most common mix-up.
- Run one board, inspect, then run the batch.A first-article check under magnification saves a whole tray of rework.
Growing this app
- Start with real pain.Have operators write down the part number every time a package slows them down. Those become the next features and library entries.
- Share one library."My Parts" saves on this device only. The next step is a shared team library so a package checked once is ready for everyone.
- Keep the machine as the source of truth.This app helps you get the numbers right before you type them into . It doesn't talk to the machine, so nothing here can break a running job.
- Put it on a tablet at the line.The buttons are sized for that.
- Add one thing at a time and let operators try it for a week before adding the next.
Which machine do you run?
The app sets its wording and your setup sheet for that machine. You can change it any time from the machine button at the top.
PnP Toolkit is independent software. It isn't made by or affiliated with any machine maker. Brand names belong to their owners.
Values in the library are typical industry (JEDEC / EIA-481) sizes and may differ from a specific manufacturer's part. Always confirm against the datasheet for the exact part number you're placing. Spare percentages are starting points. Field names in your machine software may differ from the datasheet letters used here.
PnP Toolkit · Designed by M.J. Proctor · About this app
App created by Absolute First Media LLC · Websites, SEO & Custom Data Apps · (636) 359-1153
Not affiliated with any machine maker. PnP Toolkit is independent third-party software made to help operators work faster and with fewer mistakes. It is not made, endorsed, sponsored or supported by ASM, FUJI, Yamaha, Panasonic, Juki, Europlacer, Hanwha, Universal Instruments, Mycronic or any other equipment or parts maker, and it makes no claims otherwise. All product names and trademarks belong to their owners and are used only to say which machines the toolkit can be set up for.