On Wed, 5 Jan 2011 10:00:24 -0800 Colin D Bennett <co...@gibibit.com> wrote:
> [...] > > Actually, I am impressed with the flexibility of your footgen.py > script. It looks like you've created many different types of > footprints using it. I think we miss-understood each other. Or let me say I wasn't clear enough. footgen.py was written by Darrell Harmon. I'm just a user, who provided patches. http://dlharmon.com/geda/footgen.html > However, unfortunately for me at least, I cannot use it for "the > majority" of my footprints. Most of my custom footprints require > individualized design. For instance: > > - SMT LED footprints with special oversized pads as specified by > manufacturer for thermal dissipation. A good point. Please share your footprints if you can! > - FFC/FPC connector, proprietary 1.25 mm SMT header, etc. with special > extra pads for mechanical support, and silk screen indication of > reference pin (e.g., arrow for pin 1). > > - SMT aluminum electrolytic capacitors, two-pin polarized devices that > should have special silk screen including a beveled corner and "+" > symbol by one pad. Well.. I became too lazy to do that. I put a "+" mark by hand to the layout, when someone else solders the PCB. I, and the pick and place machine know the polarity. :-) > - Illuminated push-button, 5 pin through hole with non-standard pin > arrangement. > > My point is not to take away from the usefulness of your script, but > to show that many footprints (I would even say "most") require manual > design for the best results. The tool, pcb, should make this easier > and faster for users. Yes. For example, I did footprints for the Tag-connector. http://www.tag-connect.com/website_html/what_is_it.html It was made by hand. > For me, the most difficult part of drawing a footprint in pcb is > getting various dimensions from part specifications into the pcb > drawing as I create a footprint. If pcb had a dimensioning tool that > could place dimension measurements on the drawing as one is working > on it, then that would make my job much faster. As it is, I always > sketch the footprint by pencil on graph paper and figure out > dimensions from there based on part specifications, then transfer > these into pcb as I draw, making heavy use of the Ctrl-M measurement > tool. Yes. I too miss some GUI features, like "put this 2cm away", "copy that 10x with 100mil spacing", etc. > I will say that I am getting much more confident and much faster at > creating footprints in pcb as I gain experience with it, and I'm no > longer scared when I face a new part with an odd footprint. :-) Yes! YES! That is the way! I am happy to hear that! :-) -- Levente Kovacs http://levente.logonex.eu _______________________________________________ geda-user mailing list geda-user@moria.seul.org http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user