Having been in the position of trying to identify a strip of mystery 0603 components I found on my floor, I thought a good general question to pose to this community might be what a recommended set of steps could be to identify similar unknown components.
I identified these by using package (0603) and color (black) and then thinking about where they might have come from, and how they might have ended up being on the floor. Luckily I didn't need to use any test equipment to work out they are a 4.7 \$\mu\$H inductor because I'm not sure how I would have proceeded to get to this end result without my extra clues; hence this question.
I'm looking for a reasonable set of steps and methodology to follow that would allow me to identify most small components (new or recovered) with no (or simple) markings. Presumably identifying package is the first step and the last steps would be using test equipment.
I searched and did find resources like this that mainly deal with through hole and traditional components but very little on these surface mount items many of which share similar packaging.
Best Answer
I'm surprised noone mentioned the various SMD codebooks [for active components] one can find a google search, e.g. the largest seems this one. I've identified fairly obscure Ricoh chips [voltage regulators, low-voltage detectors] and run-of-the mill SMD transistors using that. Because the codes are not unique, it helps if there's more than one component from the same manufacturer on the board and also if you have some clue what they do in-circuit. For stuff found in a junk storm, it might be harder.
The best general document for identifying SMD passives I found is Wikipedia's SMD page and this IAEA one. I suppose you know SMD resistors have standardized codes. Alas no codes whatsoever for ceramic SMD caps, so you have to ultimately measure them. There is a rough relationship with color and size, but I was never able to find a certain one. Wikipedia proposes some ranges for each color (alas without any reference), but the ranges are pretty large and overlap. The tantalum SMD caps are marked though. Inductors are just as bad as ceramic SMD capacitors when it comes to marking (and the THT inductors, unlike THT, caps are just as bad.) Coilcraft uses a color code for theirs (above 0603 size), but I haven't seen it adopted by others. The thing you can be fairly certain of is that SMD inductors are likely to be black and the capacitors more likely to be light grey or beige/maroon, as you probably know already. Also inductors are usually magnetic.
And that's all I know, as the saying goes.