Page 1 of 1

Make a rectangular pad with a plated through slot.

Posted: 20 Jun 2017, 19:50
by grc
I need to make a approx. 0.2 x0.180 pad with a plated through .130 x .025 slot in the middle. Is it possible to do that.

Re: Make a rectangular pad with a plated through slot.

Posted: 20 Jun 2017, 23:01
by Tomg
Yes. Here's how...
1) In the Pattern Properties dialog window of the Pattern Editor, click on the [Pad Properties..] button.
2) In the Pad Properties dialog window select the appropriate template in the Template: drop-down list.
3) Enter the desired dimensions and click on OK. When you start placing pads, this will be the default.
See the example below...

p.s. If you only want to change one pad without changing your pad default settings...
1) Right-click on the desired pad and select Properties... in the pop-up menu.
2) In the Pad dialog window click on the [Type/Dimensions] tab, deselect (uncheck) the [ ]Use Pattern's Pad Properties option, make the necessary changes and select OK.

Re: Make a rectangular pad with a plated through slot.

Posted: 21 Jun 2017, 20:50
by grc
Thanks for the reply. That's simple. Ive tried that before and I did not get a plated through slot back on the board. When I look at it in 3d mode it does look like its plated but when I look at the board where I did that before it appears plated in the 3d mode but isn't plated when it comes from the board shop. Is there another way to check my output to see if the slot is plated. Im still on ver 2 software yet.

Thanks
Geoff

Re: Make a rectangular pad with a plated through slot.

Posted: 22 Jun 2017, 01:12
by Tomg
I think you need to email your board house and ask them why those slots aren't plated. From what I have read, plated through hole information is not included in gerber files and there are those that believe it is necessary to include an additional drill document outlining which holes are plated and which holes are not. But this might only apply to the original Gerber specification and not the later extended format. I'm not a Gerber file expert so I can't say with any certainty. However, I have noticed that a line containing "...TA.AperFunction,ComponentPad*" always seems to precede a plated-through hole command of any shape or size in an RS-274X (extended format) Gerber file. This same callout never seems to precede a non-plated-through mounting hole. Maybe a true Gerber file expert on this forum could chime in and explain what's happening here.

p.s. The PCB Layout editor's Design Information tool will tell you how many plated and non-plated holes there are, but it won't indicate which is which. I've submitted a feature request to add a "Plated" indicator to its "Holes by Size" dialog window to help users discern which holes are "plated". In the meantime, start a new (blank) PCB session, place just one of your slotted pads as the only object in the Design Area and see if the Design Information tool indicates the presence of a plated hole.

p.p.s. I just stumbled over another way to the check the hole type; use the Preview function in the Export NC Drill dialog window (File > Export > NC Drill...). Before hitting the Preview button, select the hole type you want to see: [X]Plated and/or [X]Non-plated.