Part Selection & Sourcing#
Where design meets supply chain.
Selecting the right components is a design activity, not a purchasing activity. Every part choice involves tradeoffs between performance, availability, cost, package, and long-term supply. A beautiful circuit design is worthless if the key part is out of stock, obsolete, or only available with a 52-week lead time.
The supply chain disruptions of the early 2020s made every electronics designer painfully aware that part selection is a strategic decision. This subsection covers the practical realities of choosing components that exist, can be sourced, and will continue to be available for the life of the product.
What This Section Covers#
- Availability vs Ideal Specs β Starting with what is actually available, not what looks perfect on paper.
- Lifecycle Status: Active, NRND & EOL β Understanding where a component sits in its lifecycle and what that means for the design.
- Second-Source Strategies β Reducing supply chain risk by designing in alternatives from the start.
- Parametric Search Pitfalls β Navigating distributor search tools without being misled by incomplete or simplified data.
- Distributor Realities β Understanding the practical landscape of authorized distributors, brokers, and sourcing channels.
- Designing for Substitution β Building flexibility into the circuit and layout so parts can be changed without a board respin.