Product Change Notifications (PCNs)
Have you ever seen notices released by manufacturers about products? These are typically referred to as “product change notifications.” These are documents explaining some significant change for the product or the product’s packaging. There are even notices of parts being marked as obsolete or “not recommended for new design.” These are status type notifications.
Datasheet/Drawing Revisions
There is a different kind of revision that can take place though. Documentation for parts such as drawings or datasheets often have some kind of revision number/letter written on them. A majority of the time, it is a fair assumption that a product change often follows with a datasheet change. This doesn’t always coincide though. Datasheets are often written from the perspective of a series, for example. A minor change to one product won’t typically impact the rest of the series. There are other situations where a datasheet may be edited, but the part might not get affected at all too.
Example Part Number
Belden 83025 009100 (DigiKey part number BEL3632-100-ND) is a 22 AWG hook up wire with 7/30 stranding made out of TFE. There are several parts from the same manufacturer that contain the following note in the datasheet: “Update and Revision: Revision Number: 0.455 Revision Date: 09-07-2025.” This is specifically calling out a datasheet revision in this instance. There is no effect on the actual part. Typically, if a datasheet detail affects a part, a corresponding PCN is usually issued with it. It is typically a fair assumption if a revision is mentioned in the datasheet, it is most likely referring to a revision of the datasheet only.