I’ve started a new project to replace my heavily-tweaked T962 oven (which is going to live at SplatSpace when they get their vent system going). The new oven project description is here.

Hi all,

I have been working on a parts inventory site for a few years now. It currently permits a single user to keep his/her inventory of parts. It is my intention to expand the code base so that it will permit multiple users to keep private inventories and allow groups of users to have an inventory for specific projects.

The application is written using the Python Django Web Framework. I build websites using this suite of tool professionally.

What I am asking this group to help with are ideas of what may be useful functionality, in other words what would you like as features if you wanted to use such an application. I’m in the gathering requirements stage of the design, so we are still a ways off from a working system.

Some of my current ideas are:

1. Multi-user
2. Collaboration between users and project areas
3. Search engine
4. Track manufactures
5. Track distributors
6. Parts cost
7. Parts categories
8. Part pick location

The specific details of the list above are not worked out as of yet. This is something that I could use some suggestion about. For example, how would different user need to interact? What are reasonable categories?

The current site only runs locally on my home computer. It has no security as of now, so I cannot put it on my public site as of yet.

I will eventually add images of what I have now to give people some ideas.

Carl

Some time ago I got one of the cheapo T-962 reflow ovens. It requires good ventilation. After running it in the garage, propped in a doorway and other kludge settings I implemented an effective ventilation system.  It actually came out a bit more “enthusiastic” than I intended.

I built a high performance, 8″ axial fan into the basement’s flue vent that had been used with a wood stove. The original goal was to tie this into a simple hood over the oven.

But I got a fantastic lead to an old but still active Craigslist item with a new low price (thanks, Steven Hausman of Splatspace!). I was able to buy a ductless fume hood with a huge carbon filter, squirrel cage fan and large adjustable enclosure for $100. Apart from the side with doors, two other sides are adjustable to create a “window” to suck air away from hand-soldering operations on a work bench.

The one small detail I hit when the hood  was sitting in the back of my beater pickup was that it would not fit through any door into the basement. I had to take it completely apart:

But it’s all together now and tied into the flue/fan system and working well.