Library Philosophy: The Foundation of Design

At Nine Dot Connects, we understand that libraries are the cornerstone of all designs. Every project we touch requires us to review - and often modify - library components. We understand that a library is the essential foundation of a PCB design, yet, quite frankly, it remains the bane of every designer's existence, and is more often than not, woefully neglected.

Before we explore our services, we want to share our philosophy regarding libraries, which we view through two primary lenses: Framework and Components.

I. Framework Philosophies

The framework is the structure of your library. While there are many ways to build it, many are inefficient or unnecessary. A structure may seem like an "optimal" solution on paper, but if the path to maintaining it is painful, it will eventually fail.

• The Myth of the "Complete" Library: According to Silicon Expert, there are over two billion components and 15,000 suppliers on the market. Aside from textual databases like Silicon Expert and IHS, there is no such thing as a "complete" library with symbols and footprints.
  

• The Maintenance Burden: Even a massive library requires constant automation or a dedicated team to track obsolescence and new releases. Without active maintenance, a library deteriorates like an untended garden.
  

• Quality Over Quantity: A library of 3 million components (which Altium used to brag about) represents only 0.2% of available parts - and 99% of those likely don't apply to your specific designs.
  

• Do It Right the First Time: Building a library is like building a dam; it must be done correctly from the start. Subsequent repairs are difficult, expensive, time-consuming, and typically "patch jobs."
  

• Database vs. Symbol-Centric: While symbol-centric libraries are the legacy standard, database libraries are the most efficient. They allow for symbol and footprint reuse and make duplicating formats significantly easier.
  

• The Unified Database: The ideal method is a single database serving both Engineering (designers) and Business (purchasing). A separate library creates an information lag that leads to procurement errors. We understand that having separate databases is a "necessary evil" and we aim to help you mitigate the consequences of it.
  

PLM Approach

Database Approach

II. Component Philosophies

Structure is meaningless without the components themselves. While assembling a component seems simple, the implications for your Bill of Materials (BOM) and assembly are massive.

• The Consistency Challenge: Collecting components from various colleagues to form a central library may bring all the components together, but it will lack any consistency. Without consistency, navigating and sorting through the library becomes a mess, and discerning the validation of the component nearly impossible.
  

• The "New Part" Reality: Almost every new design requires at least one new component. Whether it's a new connector or a high-speed upgrade, your library must be organized to introduce new component with ease.
  

• The Discrete Majority: Generally, 75% or more of your BOM will consist of discrete components - primarily resistors and capacitors. Success lies in how you introduce and maintain consistency in the symbols and footprints that are commonly reused in creating these parts.
  

• Avoiding Complexity: The features in most EDA tools are like spools of rope - there's plenty of length available to hang oneself. We focus on using the right features, not all of them.
  

Library Services