Archive of the former Yahoo!Groups mailing list: Homebrew PCBs

----- Original Message -----
From: "Harvey White" <madyn@...>
To: <Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com>

>>> For mounting pads, try polygons.
>>>
>>> Harvey
>>
>>Not exactly sure what you meant by that tip, Harvey
>>Do you mean mounting pads for connecting SMT parts?
>
> Yes, or anything else you want to solder to the foil directly. I also
> use polygons for large ground planes.

If you have special needs, sure, you could do that. For almost everthing
else, though, just place the part in the schematic, connect it up, and the
pads for the selected part show up on the board. If you selected, for
example, a transistor 2N2222 in a TO92 case, the footprint for the TO92 is
placed on the board. If it was an SOT23 package, the SMD for that would be
on the board. You'll almost always find it easier to design special pads as
an SMD's in the library editor than as polygons on the board. Ground and
power planes, of course, are exceptions.