[sdiy] Size guidelines for PCB pads, holes, traces?

[Adam Schabtach]

Can someone offer some measurements appropriate for laying out PC boards for
synthesizer modules? I am new to PCB design and I am unsure how to choose
appropriate sizes for the traces, pads, and holes.

I just received the second set of PC boards fabricated from my design. The
first set I did with expresspcb.com using their software; the second set I
did with pcbfabexpress.com and DipTrace. I'm happy with the results from
both fabricators, but I switched to DipTrace because in the long run it's
clear that expresspcb.com is not as cost-effective as other services.

I have been choosing the default sizes offered by the software when laying
out the PCBs on the assumption that the software creators know much more
about PCB design than I do. When I compare my PCBs to those made by
SynthTech, Blacet, or CGS, I see that the traces and pads on my boards are
smaller. I suspect that the default sizes in the software packages are
appropriate for high-density, low-voltage digital boards, and perhaps less
so for analog synthesizer modules. I don't think that the difference will
have an actual electrical effect but it would be nice if I could make more
educated choices about pad and trace sizes when I lay out my next boards.
Then perhaps my boards will look a little bit more like those made by the
pros, and I won't have to squint quite so much when soldering them. :-)

--Adam