SAN DIEGO -- The inventors of a software program for quickly determining component footprints have now turned their attention to an even bigger prize: a global, unified parts library.

Tom Hausherr and Nick Ban, the partners behind PCB Libraries and PCB Matrix, are working on a new database that includes integrated symbols, 3D models and land patterns for every CAD tool format.

Moreover, the partners want to make the database available at an "affordable price" to designers worldwide. Now called PCB Pod, they are working in cooperation with IPC on a global PCB library for the purpose of eradicating duplication of effort in PCB library creation and automation of electronic product development, Hausherr told PCD&F.

Hausherr revealed some of his plans last week during PCB West, the annual Silicon Valley based trade show for printed circuit designers, fabricators and assemblers.

Library development and maintenance is a huge -- not to mention redundant -- expense for OEMs and EMS companies. Building a database from scratch is prohibitively expense and time-consuming, yet few companies are willing to pay the cost for commercial library tools, and most such attempts fizzle out shortly after launch. Hausherr believes he has a model that would overcome this, however. He plans to enlist designers to provide the data themselves in exchange for a lifetime royalty. "The project is dependent on the PCB designer community joining forces with the PCBpod.com project to upload PCB libraries that were built using the upcoming IPC-7351C standard in return for profit-sharing on all PCB library purchases," he told PCD&F.

The concept is not altogether different than one conceived last year by Dino Ditta and called WikiComponents. That project appears stalled however, and Ditta is now an account manager with a custom software developer.

If it can be pulled off, Hausherr seems like the person who can do it. He has a 30-year career in printed circuit board design, and has launched three companies (CADPro, PCB Libraries and PCB Matrix). The latter was acquired by Valor in 2010, which was in turn snapped up by Mentor Graphics. Hausherr left Mentor in July of this year.

Although Hausherr acknowledges IPC will have a role in the project, he has not disclosed its precise nature. The two groups will meet at IPC at the end of October, after which time he expects to be able to make a "definitive statement" regarding the relationship and PCBpod.com's goals.

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