How BenchBOM works

Everything on one bench — parts, orders, and projects kept in sync so you always know what you can build and what you still need to order. Here's how each piece fits together.

Getting started

Create a free account with an email and password. Your inventory, orders, and projects are private to you from the first click. To explore quickly, open the Projects or Parts tab and choose Load sample data — it drops in a demo project (Blinky Board), a few parts, and orders so you can see how everything links. Remove it any time with Remove sample data on the Projects page; it only clears the demo, never your own records.

Parts inventory

The Parts tab is your stock room. Each part tracks:

• Part numbers — Mouser, LCSC, and manufacturer part #, plus manufacturer and a description.
• Quantity on hand and a minimum / reorder point — parts show In stock, Low, or Out at a glance.
• Category, bin / location, unit price, datasheet link, and a supplier tag so you know where each reel came from.

Add parts by hand, receive them from an order, or scan them with your phone (below).

AI part scan

Tap Scan on the Parts tab, point your phone at a reel or bag label, and AI reads the part number. BenchBOM then:

• Looks the part up on LCSC and Mouser to fill in a clean, spec-first description (e.g. “10 kΩ ±1% 1/10 W 0603 thick-film resistor”), datasheet, and category.
• Shows a price comparison (LCSC vs Mouser) and records which supplier your stock is from.
• Picks the unit price that matches the quantity you have.
• Opens a review screen — nothing is saved until you confirm. If you already have that part, it offers to add to the existing stock instead of making a duplicate, and fills in any missing details.

Orders

Log every Mouser or LCSC order with its line items and cost. When an order arrives, mark it received and the quantities flow straight into your inventory — no double entry. Received orders keep a record of what you paid and when.

Projects & BOMs

A project holds a bill of materials: each line has reference designators (like R1, R2, C1-C4), a quantity per board, and the inventory part that fills it. BenchBOM then computes build readiness against your on-hand stock:

• See how many complete boards you can build right now, and which part is the limiting factor.
• Each line shows coverage — in stock, partial, or short.
• Track how many bare PCBs you have; a build deducts both the parts and one PCB.

EasyEDA import & ownership matching

Export an interactive BOM from EasyEDA (or any CSV BOM) and import it into a project. BenchBOM parses it, then matches each line against your inventory by Mouser → LCSC → manufacturer number — showing at import time what you already own versus what you'll need to buy, and building the project BOM for you.

Builds, revisions & files

Snapshot each build revision to keep a history of what you made and when. You can attach the openable build file to a revision and reopen or download it later. Running a build deducts that revision's parts (and a bare PCB) from stock in one click.

Shopping lists

Tell BenchBOM how many boards you want to build and it works out exactly what's short across the BOM, then exports a shopping list as CSV ready to order. Parts you already have are subtracted automatically.

Backup & your data

Every record is scoped to your login by database security rules — nobody else can read your inventory. You're never locked in: from the Backup panel you can download a full JSON export any time, and restore or merge it just as easily.

Plans & limits

BenchBOM is free to start. The free plan includes unlimited parts & orders, up to 5 projects, 20 AI scans per month, EasyEDA import, and 10 MB of build-file storage. Pro ($15/mo) lifts those limits — far more AI scans, unlimited projects, more storage — and Pro members can suggest features with priority. See pricing for details, and manage or cancel your plan any time from inside the app.

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