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Parts

The parts view is the dedicated workspace for finding, comparing, and applying real RF parts across a chain. It is broader than the block-level Link Part flow: instead of working on one block at a time, Parts View helps you evaluate candidate parts in context of the full signal chain.

What Parts View is for​

Use Parts View when you want to:

  • review the chain block by block in signal-flow order
  • see how much of the chain already has linked parts
  • search the parts database for candidates that match the selected block
  • compare multiple candidates side by side
  • apply a candidate and immediately see the effect on the chain
  • inspect the currently linked part, frequency coverage
  • upload a datasheet and sync it to a block
  • get ranked candidates automatically, from constraints derived from the chain, in Part Finder

Layout​

Parts View is organized into three working areas:

  • Block Detail — shows the selected block's component, label, linked part, current parameters, frequency coverage, and datasheet actions
  • Search & Results — lets you search for matching parts and review candidate results
  • Compare Candidates — lets you pin up to three parts and compare them before applying one

At the top of the view, SigChain also shows:

  • BOM coverage for the chain
  • live metrics such as total gain, cascaded NF, cascaded IIP3, and estimated output power
  • a chain strip so you can move between eligible blocks quickly

Parts View follows signal-flow order. Select a block from the chain strip to work on it.

The view excludes some components that are not part-selection targets in this workflow, such as LO, DAC, and output blocks.

On desktop layouts, the three columns are resizable.

Searching for parts​

Search is not limited to a simple keyword match. The selected block helps drive the search:

  • the block component is used as the default part component when you have not specified one explicitly
  • the system frequency band can be applied automatically when you have not entered a frequency filter yourself
  • free text is parsed into structured filters when possible

Examples of supported search intent:

  • component or category terms such as PA, LNA, mixer, attenuator, bandpass
  • manufacturer names
  • part-number text
  • parameter filters such as 2-3 GHz, NF <= 1.2 dB, gain 15-20 dB

Active filters appear as buttons below the search bar. You can remove that button to broaden the search without rewriting the whole query.

Reviewing search results​

  • each row shows key summary fields such as MPN, category, subcategory, NF, gain, and frequency range
  • rows can be expanded to inspect more parameter detail
  • clicking the MPN opens a part detail drawer with full specs; a DS badge marks parts that also have datasheet-derived performance curves (for example gain or NF vs. frequency) available in that drawer
  • a datasheet button is available when a datasheet reference exists
  • the currently linked part is marked in the table

Comparing candidates​

You can pin up to three candidate parts from the search results and compare them in the compare panel.

The compare area includes:

  • pinned candidate cards with quick actions
  • direct Apply action from the compare panel
  • a parameter comparison table across the pinned parts

Comparison values are color-coded:

  • green for the best value in metrics where higher or lower is better
  • red for the worst value
  • gray for neutral or missing values

This is useful when several parts all technically match the search, but differ in NF, gain, linearity, compression, or frequency coverage.

Applying a part​

Applying a part links that database component to the selected block and attempts to populate supported block parameters from the component data.

Important behavior:

  • only supported block parameters are auto-populated
  • some non-block fields, such as price, may be shown in the UI without being written into block parameters
  • if a block already has user-set values that disagree with the datasheet values, those conflicts are not silently overwritten

When conflicts exist, SigChain opens a review step so you can:

  • keep your current values
  • apply selected datasheet values
  • apply all datasheet values for the conflicting fields

Part Finder​

Part Finder is a separate tab in this view, alongside the manual search-and-compare workspace described above. Use it when you want SigChain to derive search constraints from the chain itself and rank candidates for you, instead of building search filters and comparing candidates by hand.

Part Finder currently supports LNA, amplifier, driver, PA, and VGA blocks. Selecting another block type shows a message that the block isn't supported yet.

Deriving constraints and preferences​

Selecting a supported block loads a "What your chain needs" panel with constraints SigChain derived from the chain context — for example the target frequency band and the gain/NF/linearity budget available at that block.

Each constraint shows where it came from (system spec, cascade budget, linearity, or a value you entered) and can be expanded with How derived? to see the reasoning behind it. You can edit any derived value before searching, and add free-text preferences — such as a preferred manufacturer or "lowest cost" — in the box below.

Click Find matching parts to start the search.

Reviewing and selecting Part Finder candidates​

A progress stepper tracks the search across three stages — validating the design context, searching frequency-matched parts, and ranking candidates — with live counts as each stage completes.

Results are a ranked list:

  • the top-ranked part is shown as a Top recommendation card with its reasoning, key specs, and frequency coverage
  • the rest appear below in a comparison table, in rank order
  • a second table shows the system impact of swapping in each candidate — the change in cascaded NF, gain, and P1dB versus the chain's current state at that block, color-coded by whether it improves or worsens the metric
  • Why these N parts? expands to show the reasoning behind every ranked candidate
  • Sourcing & lifecycle expands to show lifecycle status (Active/NRND/EOL), lead time, second sources, eval boards, and errata notes

Specs measured away from the design frequency, or measured across a band rather than at a point, stay visible but are marked (amber * for far-frequency, cyan ~ for band) with a tooltip explaining the actual measurement.

Click a part number or Details to open the part detail drawer — full specs and, where datasheet-derived observations exist, performance curve plots.

Click Select on any candidate to apply it to the block directly — there is no separate pin-and-apply step like the manual workspace's Compare Candidates panel. Applying a candidate goes through the same conflict-review behavior described above in Applying a part: if the block already has user-set values that disagree with the new part's data, SigChain opens the same review step before overwriting anything.

Inspecting the selected block​

The Block Detail panel is the working context for the selected block.

It shows:

  • the block component
  • the editable block label
  • the currently linked part, if one exists
  • current component-supported parameters on the block
  • out-of-component parameters, if present
  • unit price display when available for the linked part

This panel is useful for checking whether a linked part introduced parameters outside the component template, or whether important values are still missing.

Frequency coverage​

Parts View includes a frequency coverage visualization for the selected block.

It compares:

  • the linked part's frequency range
  • the system spec frequency range

The status is shown as:

  • Full coverage
  • Partial overlap
  • No overlap

This helps catch parts that look good on NF or gain but do not actually cover the required operating band.

Datasheet actions​

The selected block also exposes datasheet-related actions:

  • View Datasheet when a linked part has a datasheet reference
  • Upload PDF to attach a datasheet file for parsing
  • Parse with AI to send the selected PDF into the datasheet parsing workflow

Use this when the library entry is incomplete or when you need to extract additional parameters from a datasheet PDF.

We currently do not support storing of uploaded datasheet PDFs. They are only used to parse with AI.

Unlinking a part​

If you unlink the currently linked part from Parts View, the block is disconnected from that component entry.

In the current Parts View workflow, unlinking also clears datasheet-sourced parameters from the block.