Component Similarity Calculator Skill

This skill provides guidance for working with component similarity calculators in the lib-electronic-components library.

For metadata-driven similarity architecture, see /similarity-metadata:

• SpecImportance levels (CRITICAL, HIGH, MEDIUM, LOW, OPTIONAL)
• ToleranceRule types (exactMatch, percentageTolerance, minimumRequired, etc.)
• SimilarityProfile contexts (DESIGNPHASE, REPLACEMENT, COSTOPTIMIZATION, etc.)
• Calculator integration patterns and gotchas

Overview

Similarity calculators determine how similar two electronic components are based on their MPNs (Manufacturer Part Numbers). They return a value between 0.0 (completely different) and 1.0 (identical or equivalent).

Core Interfaces

SimilarityCalculator (Simple)

public interface SimilarityCalculator {
    double calculateSimilarity(String normalizedMpn1, String normalizedMpn2);
}

Used for generic calculators that don't need component type context.

ComponentSimilarityCalculator (Type-Aware)

public interface ComponentSimilarityCalculator {
    boolean isApplicable(ComponentType type);
    double calculateSimilarity(String mpn1, String mpn2, PatternRegistry registry);
}

Used for component-specific calculators that need to check applicability.

Standard Similarity Thresholds

private static final double HIGH_SIMILARITY = 0.9;    // Equivalent/interchangeable
private static final double MEDIUM_SIMILARITY = 0.7;  // Similar, may work as substitute
private static final double LOW_SIMILARITY = 0.3;     // Same category but different specs

Available Calculators

Creating a New Similarity Calculator

1. Implement the Interface

public class NewComponentSimilarityCalculator implements ComponentSimilarityCalculator {
    private static final double HIGH_SIMILARITY = 0.9;
    private static final double MEDIUM_SIMILARITY = 0.7;
    private static final double LOW_SIMILARITY = 0.3;

    @Override
    public boolean isApplicable(ComponentType type) {
        if (type == null) return false;
        return type == ComponentType.NEW_COMPONENT ||
               type.name().startsWith("NEW_COMPONENT_");
    }

    @Override
    public double calculateSimilarity(String mpn1, String mpn2, PatternRegistry registry) {
        if (mpn1 == null || mpn2 == null) return 0.0;

        // Check if both are the component type we handle
        if (!isComponentType(mpn1) || !isComponentType(mpn2)) {
            return 0.0;
        }

        // Compare components
        // ...
        return similarity;
    }
}

2. Key Design Principles

1. Return 0.0 for null inputs - Always check for null MPNs and registry
2. Return 0.0 for non-matching types - If the MPN isn't your component type
3. Use equivalent groups - Define known equivalent parts (e.g., 2N2222 ≈ PN2222)
4. Consider package variants - Same part in different package should be high similarity
5. Ensure symmetry - sim(A,B) == sim(B,A)
6. Keep in [0.0, 1.0] - Never return values outside this range

3. Common Patterns

Equivalent Groups

private static final Map<String, Set<String>> EQUIVALENT_GROUPS = new HashMap<>();
static {
    EQUIVALENT_GROUPS.put("2N2222", Set.of("2N2222", "2N2222A", "PN2222", "PN2222A"));
}

private boolean areEquivalent(String mpn1, String mpn2) {
    for (Set<String> group : EQUIVALENT_GROUPS.values()) {
        if (group.contains(mpn1) && group.contains(mpn2)) {
            return true;
        }
    }
    return false;
}

Package Code Extraction

private String extractBasePart(String mpn) {
    // Remove common package suffixes
    return mpn.replaceAll("(?:CT|T|N|P|DG|PW|DR)$", "");
}

Polarity/Type Checking

private boolean areSamePolarity(String mpn1, String mpn2) {
    boolean isNPN1 = NPN_PATTERNS.stream().anyMatch(mpn1::matches);
    boolean isNPN2 = NPN_PATTERNS.stream().anyMatch(mpn2::matches);
    return isNPN1 == isNPN2;
}

Testing

Test Structure

@Nested
@DisplayName("isApplicable tests")
class IsApplicableTests { /* ... */ }

@Nested
@DisplayName("Equivalent groups tests")
class EquivalentGroupTests { /* ... */ }

@Nested
@DisplayName("Edge cases and null handling")
class EdgeCaseTests { /* ... */ }

@Nested
@DisplayName("Symmetry and property tests")
class PropertyTests { /* ... */ }

Run Tests

# All similarity calculator tests
mvn test -Dtest="*SimilarityCalculatorTest,PassiveComponentCalculatorTest"

# Specific calculator
mvn test -Dtest=TransistorSimilarityCalculatorTest

Related Skills

• /similarity-resistor - Resistor similarity details
• /similarity-transistor - Transistor equivalent groups and polarity
• /similarity-mosfet - MOSFET N/P channel comparison
• /similarity-opamp - Op-amp families and equivalents
• /similarity-memory - Memory IC equivalents (I2C/SPI EEPROM, Flash)
• /similarity-sensor - Sensor family comparison
• /similarity-led - LED bins and color temperature
• /similarity-regulator - Voltage regulator comparison (78xx, LM317)
• /similarity-logic - Logic IC function groups (74xx, CD4000)

Metadata-Driven Architecture (January 2026)

The similarity system now uses a metadata-driven architecture for configurable, type-specific similarity rules.

Conversion Status: 12 of 17 calculators converted (71% complete)

Core Metadata Classes

Retrieving Metadata

ComponentTypeMetadataRegistry registry = ComponentTypeMetadataRegistry.getInstance();

// Get metadata for a component type
Optional<ComponentTypeMetadata> metadata = registry.getMetadata(ComponentType.RESISTOR);

// Query specs
if (metadata.isPresent()) {
    ComponentTypeMetadata meta = metadata.get();

    // Check if spec is critical
    boolean critical = meta.isCritical("resistance"); // true

    // Get tolerance rule for a spec
    SpecConfig config = meta.getSpecConfig("resistance");
    if (config != null) {
        ToleranceRule rule = config.getToleranceRule();
        SpecImportance importance = config.getImportance();
    }

    // Get all configured specs
    Set<String> allSpecs = meta.getAllSpecs();
}

Pre-Registered Types (10)

RESISTOR, CAPACITOR, MOSFET, TRANSISTOR, DIODE, OPAMP, MICROCONTROLLER, MEMORY, LED, CONNECTOR

Each type has:

• Critical specs (must match for similarity)
• High/Medium/Low importance specs (contribute to score)
• Tolerance rules (how to compare values)
• Default similarity profile

Context-Aware Profiles

Adjust importance multipliers based on use case:

// Check if similarity meets threshold for a profile
SimilarityProfile profile = SimilarityProfile.REPLACEMENT;
double similarity = 0.78;
boolean passes = profile.meetsThreshold(similarity); // true

// Get effective weight for a spec
double effectiveWeight = profile.getEffectiveWeight(SpecImportance.HIGH); // 0.7 × 0.7 = 0.49

Converted Calculator Implementation Pattern

Calculators converted to metadata-driven approach follow this pattern:

@Override
public double calculateSimilarity(String mpn1, String mpn2, PatternRegistry registry) {
    if (mpn1 == null || mpn2 == null) return 0.0;

    // Try metadata-driven approach first
    Optional<ComponentTypeMetadata> metadataOpt = metadataRegistry.getMetadata(ComponentType.OPAMP);
    if (metadataOpt.isPresent()) {
        logger.trace("Using metadata-driven similarity calculation");
        return calculateMetadataDrivenSimilarity(mpn1, mpn2, metadataOpt.get());
    }

    // Fallback to legacy pattern-based approach
    logger.trace("No metadata found, using legacy approach");
    return calculateLegacySimilarity(mpn1, mpn2);
}

private double calculateMetadataDrivenSimilarity(String mpn1, String mpn2, ComponentTypeMetadata metadata) {
    SimilarityProfile profile = metadata.getDefaultProfile();

    // Extract specs from MPNs
    String config1 = extractConfiguration(mpn1);  // e.g., "dual", "quad"
    String config2 = extractConfiguration(mpn2);
    // ... extract other specs

    // Short-circuit check for CRITICAL incompatibility
    if (!config1.isEmpty() && !config2.isEmpty() && !config1.equals(config2)) {
        return LOW_SIMILARITY;
    }

    double totalScore = 0.0;
    double maxPossibleScore = 0.0;

    // Compare each spec with weighted scoring
    ComponentTypeMetadata.SpecConfig configSpec = metadata.getSpecConfig("configuration");
    if (configSpec != null && !config1.isEmpty() && !config2.isEmpty()) {
        ToleranceRule rule = configSpec.getToleranceRule();
        SpecValue<String> orig = new SpecValue<>(config1, SpecUnit.NONE);
        SpecValue<String> cand = new SpecValue<>(config2, SpecUnit.NONE);

        double specScore = rule.compare(orig, cand);
        double specWeight = profile.getEffectiveWeight(configSpec.getImportance());

        totalScore += specScore * specWeight;
        maxPossibleScore += specWeight;
    }

    // Repeat for other specs (family, package, etc.)
    // ...

    double similarity = maxPossibleScore > 0 ? totalScore / maxPossibleScore : 0.0;

    // Apply boosts for equivalent groups
    if (areEquivalentParts(mpn1, mpn2)) {
        similarity = Math.max(similarity, HIGH_SIMILARITY);
    }

    return similarity;
}

Key Features of Converted Calculators:

1. Dual-path approach - Try metadata first, fall back to legacy
2. Short-circuit checks - Early return for CRITICAL spec mismatches
3. Weighted scoring - totalScore / maxPossibleScore formula
4. Spec extraction - Component-specific methods to extract values from MPNs
5. Equivalent boost - Apply known equivalence rules after scoring
6. Profile support - Use getEffectiveWeight() for context-aware weights

Converted Calculator Specs

Migration Path

For converting existing calculators:

1. Add imports: SimilarityProfile, ToleranceRule, SpecUnit, SpecValue
2. Modify calculateSimilarity() to check for metadata first
3. Implement calculateMetadataDrivenSimilarity() method
4. Add spec extraction helper methods
5. Update tests to use threshold assertions (>= HIGH_SIMILARITY)
6. Run full test suite to verify backward compatibility

For new calculators:

1. Start with metadata-driven approach from the beginning
2. Define specs in ComponentTypeMetadataRegistry
3. Implement spec extraction methods
4. Use SpecValue wrapper for type-safe comparison
5. Apply context-aware profiles with SimilarityProfile

See CLAUDE.md § "Metadata-Driven Similarity Framework" for complete architecture details.

Learnings & Quirks

General Patterns

• Always normalize MPNs to uppercase before comparison
• Package suffixes vary by manufacturer - don't assume consistency
• Some calculators return HIGH_SIMILARITY (0.9) for identical parts, not 1.0

Edge Cases

• Parts starting with digits (e.g., "2N2222") need special regex handling - ^[A-Za-z]+ won't match
• Some MPNs have significant hyphens (Molex) vs decorative hyphens (TI)
• Reel/tape suffixes (-RL, -T, -TR) should generally be ignored

Metadata System Gotchas (January 2026)

SpecValue Instantiation:

// NO static factory - use constructor
SpecValue<Double> v = new SpecValue<>(100.0, SpecUnit.FARAD); // ✓
SpecValue<Double> v = SpecValue.of(100.0); // ✗ Does not exist

API Return Types:

// Registry returns Optional, metadata methods return direct values
Optional<ComponentTypeMetadata> meta = registry.getMetadata(type); // Optional
SpecConfig config = metadata.getSpecConfig("resistance"); // Can be null
boolean critical = metadata.isCritical("resistance"); // false if not found

Singleton Side Effects:

• Registry is shared across all tests
• Custom registrations persist
• Use unregistered types (CRYSTAL, FUSE) for tests, not RESISTOR/CAPACITOR

Profile Multiplier Values:

• COST_OPTIMIZATION maintains CRITICAL=1.0 (safety specs never compromised)
• EMERGENCY_SOURCING relaxes CRITICAL to 0.8 (only for urgent scenarios)

Builder Validation:

ComponentTypeMetadata.builder(null).build(); // IllegalArgumentException
ComponentTypeMetadata.builder(ComponentType.IC).build(); // IllegalStateException (no specs)

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See Also

Advanced Skills

• /similarity-calculator-architecture - Calculator registration, ordering, and the OpAmp IC interception bug
• /metadata-driven-similarity-conversion - Converting calculators to metadata-driven approach
• /component-spec-extraction - How to extract specs from MPNs for comparison
• /equivalent-group-identification - Hardcoded equivalent groups across calculators