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Having been in the position of trying to identify a strip of mystery 0603 components I found on my floor, I thought a good general question to pose to this community might be what a recommended set of steps could be to identify similar unknown components. Mystery strip of 0603 components
I identified these by using package (0603) and color (black) and then thinking about where they might have come from, and how they might have ended up being on the floor. Luckily I didn't need to use any test equipment to work out they are a 4.7 \$\mu\$H inductor because I'm not sure how I would have proceeded to get to this end result without my extra clues; hence this question.

I'm looking for a reasonable set of steps and methodology to follow that would allow me to identify most small components (new or recovered) with no (or simple) markings. Presumably identifying package is the first step and the last steps would be using test equipment.

I searched and did find resources like this that mainly deal with through hole and traditional components but very little on these surface mount items many of which share similar packaging.

DanSut
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    You could write "4.7 uH" on the strip before you drop it on the floor. – The Photon Nov 05 '15 at 17:48
  • :) Hindsight is thankfully 20/20 – DanSut Nov 05 '15 at 17:49
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    This is what I use -> http://www.smarttweezers.us/ . – Oleg Mazurov Nov 05 '15 at 18:04
  • I agree with @ThePhoton - there's tons of room to put the part number on the white packaging around the components. This is what I do a lot of times. – Andy aka Nov 05 '15 at 18:13
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    What if the part was not in any packaging, arrived in a box of leftovers as a gift, had been stripped off a PCB? Good labeling and storage is always ideal but my question is not with regard to that situation. – DanSut Nov 05 '15 at 18:18
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    @DanSut, for serious work, you throw the parts away and buy new. Even if you have an LCR meter to work out the value of the parts, you won't know the voltage/current/power ratings, whether they're lead-free or not, ... – The Photon Nov 05 '15 at 18:59
  • For hobbyists, you can at least tell whether it's a resistor, capacitor, or inductor by color and maybe a multimeter test. To get an L or C value, you can either build a test circuit or invest in an LCR meter. – The Photon Nov 05 '15 at 19:00
  • [Tweezer type LCR meters](http://www.amazon.com/Smart-Tweezers-LCR-Reader-Multimeter-Inductance/dp/B00JKU9ZSO) are handy for the tiny stuff. – EM Fields Nov 05 '15 at 19:08
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    Or a component tester like this one: http://www.ebay.nl/itm/12864-LCD-Mega328-ESR-Meter-Transistor-Tester-Diode-Triode-Capacitance-MOS-PNP-/271658269573?hash=item3f40183b85:g:H1YAAOSw-jhUFt2r, it detects and displays automatically what component type it is and its value. And OH, about 8x cheaper than the tweezer type LCR meters and it can also test transistors, fets. Not so accurate but VERY usefull. – Bimpelrekkie Nov 05 '15 at 19:44
  • Extending on the photons answer. Include an oscilloscope and you will get more parameters and if you have a few you can sacrifice. overdrive them with volt/current/freq to get reasonable specs. – BenG Nov 05 '15 at 23:00
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    Going forward, you could [do something like this](http://electronics.stackexchange.com/a/53516/7036). – Nick Alexeev Nov 07 '15 at 23:02
  • @FakeMoustache hands on experience with one of those? – jippie Nov 08 '15 at 07:37
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    @jippie, yes I have one, I like it a lot. Highly recommended ! I mounted it on a PCB so that I can easily connect 4mm banana plugs and for example connect tweezers like these: http://www.ebay.nl/itm/New-SMD-Inductor-Test-Clip-Probe-Tweezers-for-Resistor-Multimeter-Capacitor-/251737120711?hash=item3a9cb39fc7:g:jnEAAOSw7ThUeb4f – Bimpelrekkie Nov 08 '15 at 12:14
  • @NickAlexeev I have books just like that, where the strip in question belonged. I usually label the strips as well but in this specific case the parts ended up on the floor while I was unpacking labeling and storing parts from a moderately large order. – DanSut Nov 13 '15 at 14:42
  • I don't have an LCR meter but do have tweezer meter capabilities. After following links in the comments above I will definitely put something with this type of capability on my shopping list now, thanks to commenters. – DanSut Nov 13 '15 at 14:48

1 Answers1

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I'm surprised noone mentioned the various SMD codebooks [for active components] one can find a google search, e.g. the largest seems this one. I've identified fairly obscure Ricoh chips [voltage regulators, low-voltage detectors] and run-of-the mill SMD transistors using that. Because the codes are not unique, it helps if there's more than one component from the same manufacturer on the board and also if you have some clue what they do in-circuit. For stuff found in a junk storm, it might be harder.

The best general document for identifying SMD passives I found is Wikipedia's SMD page and this IAEA one. I suppose you know SMD resistors have standardized codes. Alas no codes whatsoever for ceramic SMD caps, so you have to ultimately measure them. There is a rough relationship with color and size, but I was never able to find a certain one. Wikipedia proposes some ranges for each color (alas without any reference), but the ranges are pretty large and overlap. The tantalum SMD caps are marked though. Inductors are just as bad as ceramic SMD capacitors when it comes to marking (and the THT inductors, unlike THT, caps are just as bad.) Coilcraft uses a color code for theirs (above 0603 size), but I haven't seen it adopted by others. The thing you can be fairly certain of is that SMD inductors are likely to be black and the capacitors more likely to be light grey or beige/maroon, as you probably know already. Also inductors are usually magnetic.

And that's all I know, as the saying goes.

Fizz
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  • Also, some components aren't in any databases, e.g good luck finding [this 07 one](http://www.hawyang-semi.com/files/specification/syncpower/MOS/Dual%20%20P/SPP6507(30V,2.8A).pdf) or an IJ99G (which doesn't even have datasheet anywhere, but one can find it sold on taobao together similar "IJ" chips like ij9da, etc.) – Fizz Nov 08 '15 at 20:11
  • Since asking the question I have actually found and started using [ElectroDroid](http://electrodroid.it/) which appears to contain at least some of the info in the resources you link to with a semi-automated way of finding them. I was actually looking for more of a flowchart style answer such that the process of identifying could perhaps be coded and maybe even made into a service/app/website... the answers and comments here have given me great info that makes me think this still might be possible even if it would never be perfect. – DanSut Nov 13 '15 at 14:58