PowerBoM: Simplify Your BOM Workflow with Live Pricing and Smart Validation

Managing a Bill of Materials (BOM) is often one of the most challenging and time-sensitive stages in PCB assembly. Duplicate entries, mismatched quantities, unavailable components, or uncertain pricing can delay your project and increase costs.

PowerBoM is PCB Power’s exclusive tool designed to make this process seamless. From uploading and validating your BOM to viewing live pricing estimates, editing, and tracking, PowerBoM gives you complete visibility at every step — helping you move from design to decision with clarity and speed.

This guide walks you through the entire end-to-end flow of PowerBoM, and explains how it adapts to different service types — Turnkey, Consigned, and Combo.

Key Highlights of PowerBoM:

Live Pricing (new): Pricing for identified parts is visible instantly, while calculations continue in the background for you to proceed with your requirements.
Real-Time Updates (new): Get email notifications once background price calculations are complete.
Quick Project Setup: Upload Gerber, Pick & Place, and BOM files in just a few clicks.
Smart Column Mapping: Instantly validate MPN, Quantity, and Reference Designator — duplicates, mismatches, or empty cells are flagged automatically.
Error-Free Review: View images, footprints, and usage per PCB to ensure clarity before proceeding.
Flexible Editing: Mark Do Not Populate (DNP), add remarks, and adjust descriptions or quantities (MPNs remain fixed for data integrity).
Alternative Management (new):

Suggest: Propose alternate MPNs yourself.
Find Alternative: Search by description/value and choose substitutes categorized as Generic (free stock), Power Stock (in-house), or Procured (external sourcing).

Service Flexibility (new): Works seamlessly across Turnkey, Consigned, or Combo orders — with a “Supplied By” column available in Combo.

End-to-End Flow of PowerBoM

Step 1: Log In and Start Your Project

Log in to the PCB Power portal.
Enter these mandatory details: PCB Name, Number of Components, and Number of PCBs and other technical specifications of your PCB.
Upload your Gerber and Pick & Place files.
Once uploaded, the PowerBoM option is activated.

Step 2: Upload Your BOM File

Upload your BOM file (.xls, .xlsx, or .csv).
The PowerBoM window opens automatically.

Step 3: Map Mandatory Columns

On the first screen, map the mandatory fields:

MPN (Manufacturer Part Number)
Quantity
Reference Designator

PowerBoM validates instantly:

Duplicate MPNs ? highlighted.
Quantity vs reference designator mismatches ? flagged.
Empty mandatory cells ? marked.

Non-mandatory columns are also submitted to our backend, even if not mapped.

Step 4: Review, Edit, and Finalize Your BOM

This is the most powerful step of the process, where you can refine and finalize your BOM:

Component Details

View images, footprints, and per-PCB usage with extra required and total quantities.

Validation Highlights

Duplicates, mismatches, or missing values remain highlighted for correction.

Edit Options

Mark components as DNP (Do Not Populate).
Edit descriptions, remarks, or quantities (MPNs remain locked for accuracy).
In Combo service, adjust the Supplied By column to assign responsibility for each component.

Alternatives’ Management (new)

Suggest: Add/suggest alternate MPNs yourself; these are recorded in the backend for review.
Find Alternative: Search by description/value to view categorized substitutes:

Generic – free stock components at PCB Power
Power Stock – alternates available in-house
On Demand– alternatives we can source.

Selecting one replaces the original MPN automatically.

Pricing and Status

Each component is shown as Identified or Unidentified, based on matches with PCB Power’s databases of trusted manufacturers like Mouser and Digi-Key.
Unidentified does not mean the MPN is wrong or the part is unavailable. It simply means no match was found in those databases. If you’re confident about your entry, leave it — our team will review unidentified parts at the backend and confirm or suggest alternatives.
Pricing appears for identified parts with a running total at the bottom.
You can submit without waiting — pricing continues calculating in the background, and you’ll get an email when final results are ready.

Step 5: Submit and Track

Click Submit to finalize your BOM.
For sourcing services, a component sourcing inquiry and offer is created.
For Consigned, your BOM is simply logged.
In your Customer Portal, you can track submission status, fabrication and assembly progress, and download invoices.
Email alerts notify you once background pricing is complete.

How PowerBoM Works by Service Type?

While the core flow is the same, the functionality changes slightly depending on the service you choose:

Turnkey Service — PCB Power Sources All Components

After mapping, click Calculate.
Components are validated against databases (PCB Power, Mouser, Digi-Key).
Pricing is displayed where available; calculations continue in the background.
Add to cart anytime — sourcing is logged as an inquiry until final pricing is confirmed.

Consigned Service — You Supply All Components

Calculate is disabled (pricing not required).
Components are still validated and can be marked DNP.
Submit directly — no sourcing inquiry is generated.

Combo Service — A Shared Approach

A Supplied By column is visible in the review screen (new feature).
Mark parts as supplied either by Customer or PCB Power.
Pricing is calculated only for PCB Power-supplied parts.
Other functions — DNP, edits, alternatives — remain the same as Turnkey.

Conclusion

PowerBoM is more than just a BOM upload tool — it’s a smart BOM management system. By combining automated validation, editable fields, flexible sourcing modes, and real-time pricing and updates, it helps you go from BOM upload to production-ready with confidence.

Whether you need a Turnkey solution, prefer Consigned orders, or want the flexibility of a Combo flow, PowerBoM adapts to your needs.

Try PowerBoM on PCB Power for your next project and experience a smoother, faster way to manage your BOM.