mcubin

A desktop inventory system for electronic parts, built around one goal: rapidly cataloguing a large collection of parts using a barcode scanner. Scan the MPN and supplier PN off the bag, hit enter, and the part is looked up via Mouser/DigiKey API and saved — no typing required.

Note: This project was built with Claude Code to fit my personal needs. It is experimental, hasn't been well tested or reviewed, and is shared as-is. Use at your own risk. Tested on Linux only.

Features

• Barcode scanner workflow — scan MPN → Supplier PN → Quantity, Enter advances between fields, screen stays open for the next part
• Camera bag scanning — point a webcam at a Mouser, DigiKey, or LCSC bag; 2D barcode is decoded automatically, supplier auto-selected, and form fields filled in
• Mouser and DigiKey lookup — fetches description, price breaks, datasheet, image automatically
• SQLite-backed storage with automatic Alembic migrations
• WYSIWYG label designer with ZPL output for Zebra label printers
• Sortable, resizable parts table with search
• Part detail panel with image support
• Multiple qt-material themes

Requirements

• Python 3.11+
• Linux (only tested platform)

Setup

python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -e .

Or install dependencies manually:

pip install PySide6 SQLAlchemy alembic qt-material requests Pillow python-barcode zplgrf zxing-cpp opencv-python-headless

Run

PYTHONPATH=. .venv/bin/python main.py

The database is stored at ~/.mcubin/inventory.db and migrations run automatically on launch.

Supplier API Setup

Mouser

1. Go to mouser.ca/api-search and click Sign Up for Search API
2. In mcubin: Suppliers → Add supplier → select Mouser → enter your API key

DigiKey

1. Go to developer.digikey.com and create a production app (not sandbox)
2. Subscribe to both Product Information V4 and Barcode APIs
3. In mcubin: Suppliers → Add supplier → select DigiKey → enter Client ID and Client Secret

Camera Bag Scanning

The Scan Bag button (Add Part screen) opens a live camera feed. Hold a supplier bag up to the camera — the 2D barcode is decoded automatically, the correct supplier is selected, and MPN/quantity are filled in. Supported formats:

Supplier	Format	Fields decoded
Mouser	DataMatrix	MPN, Qty
DigiKey	DataMatrix	MPN, Qty
LCSC	QR Code	LCSC PN, MPN (partial)

Setup

1. Install system dependencies:

   sudo apt install libzbar0
   sudo usermod -aG video $USER   # log out and back in after

2. In mcubin: Settings → Camera → select your webcam

Label Printing

The label designer (Labels tab) renders to ZPL and sends output to a USB-connected Zebra printer (tested with ZP 450). The printer device path defaults to /dev/usb/lp0 and can be changed under Settings → Label Printing.

Linux: printer permissions

Add your user to the lp group to allow writing to /dev/usb/lp0 without sudo:

sudo usermod -aG lp $USER

Log out and back in for the change to take effect.

Data Location

File	Path
Database	~/.mcubin/inventory.db
Config	~/.mcubin/config.json
Label templates	~/.mcubin/templates/
Part images	~/.mcubin/images/

License

GPL v3. See LICENSE.

Schema Changes (for contributors)

# After editing mcubin/models.py:
PYTHONPATH=. .venv/bin/alembic revision --autogenerate -m "describe change"
PYTHONPATH=. .venv/bin/alembic upgrade head