Ask HN: How do you keep track of hardware prototypes?

2 pointsroland352 comments

At a previous job we had a large spreadsheet filled with information and comments about various prototypes we were working on. I thought this was clunky and built an internal web app to replace it.

What have other hardware teams used to manage devices? It can be tough to keep track of who has what and what modifications have been done to individual prototypes!

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Other features my web app had was keeping track of individual parts, because our ERP system was focused mainly on manufacturing and design, not management. Parts could be assembled into assemblies so we could track what revisions were on what machines.

The web app I made is still up and running 5 years later (I left the job 4 years ago), although I don't think it is being actively used anymore! That is one huge advantage of using a service like Heroku...

All hardware can be broken down into bits. Store these bits in Github or DVC. Make sure you have all the bits and don't lose any.

Now, if you change a bit, then Github or DVC will track that change for you.

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