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March 2007

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DesignerCouncil <[log in to unmask]>
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Date:
Tue, 20 Mar 2007 13:53:25 -0500
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"(Designers Council Forum)" <[log in to unmask]>, [log in to unmask]
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From:
Chris Ball <[log in to unmask]>
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Well... both pins are polarized. And as far as package indicators go, how 
about electrolytics with the negative pin marked on the can and tantalums 
with a bevel or stripe on the positive end? Seems wrong to mix pin 1 
between POS and NEG on a cap because of this.

In a perfect world we would all have done it exactly the same from day 
one.

In a great world we'd all try to do it exactly the same from now on.

In Murphy's world, if we change now to comply with a standard, someone 
will build our board wrong because it's different than how we did it last 
time.

As has been said, between data sheets and internal standards and librarian 
tricks and CAM interfaces and mixed libs and so forth, it's a complicated 
issue. Our best hope is that everyone is AWARE of what can go wrong and 
does what they can to identify and minimize the inevitable 
inconsistencies.

-Chris





Mario Irigoyen <[log in to unmask]> 
Sent by: DesignerCouncil <[log in to unmask]>
03/20/2007 12:48 PM
Please respond to
[log in to unmask]


To
[log in to unmask]
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Subject
Re: [DC] Footprint standards for Polarized components (Diodes)






My 2 cents worth,

I have always followed Bill's methodology, the polarized pin is ALWAYS
#1. I use Altium Designer as well and find the pin designator concept,
alpha, numeric or any combination the way to go. I guess that's the
difference between tools of the 80's/90's and modern tools like Altium
Designer.

By the way, Altium is conducting a seminar series around the country
beginning some time in April. Check it out.

Mario Irigoyen

-----Original Message-----
From: DesignerCouncil [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
Brooks,Bill
Sent: Tuesday, March 20, 2007 11:36 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [DC] Footprint standards for Polarized components (Diodes)

I think this discussion illustrates why standardization is so important.

For a moment, put yourself in the shoes of the assembly house... If each
one
of you designers were sending your boards to the same assembly house
with
your 'standard pin one assignments'... The assemblers could be very
confused
trying to interpret the differing methods used in your data. 

Not only that, but I imagine each of you as experienced designers has a
different method of graphically indicating the polarity of the parts on
your
boards. Some use a dot, or a fat line, a plus or minus symbol, a
schematic
symbol drawn in the legend, the numeral one, a small triangle or square,
a
pad shaped differently than the others in the part, etc.

While this may seem trivial to some from the designer's perspective, it
can
cause a great deal of trouble for the folks who are using your database
to
build from. Imagine trying to keep track of and interpret each person's
methods... One customer does it their way, another does it a different
way
and still another has some other way of doing it. 

In my case, for example, the Altium Designer program I use gives the
designer the option of not calling the pin out with a 'number' but
allows
using alphanumeric representation for the pins... so I can call the
Anode
'ANODE' and the Cathode 'CATHODE'... there are no numbers needed in the
database or netlist for that particular footprint. This works just as
well. 

Obviously, not all CAD programs let you do that... 

In the past when I have used programs that restrict you to the use of a
number, the Cathode has always been the 'polarized' end with the
polarized
mark on the body. The 'standard' I have always used is to put pin one on
the
polarized end of the part. In the case of the diode, that would be the
cathode end. That is true of capacitors, as well. The polarized pad
would
typically be called 'pin 1'.

This practice goes way back to the early 1970's when I first started
doing
board design. The Bishop graphics book, published back in the early
1980's
emphasized the importance of indicating the polarity of components and
when
we moved to CAD in the early 1980's the pin one for the cad footprint
and
schematic symbol was always on the polarized end of the part. 


Good discussion... :)


Best regards,

Bill Brooks 
PCB Design Engineer, C.I.D.+
Tel: (760)597-1500 Fax: (760)597-1510
Datron World Communications, Inc.
Vista, California


-----Original Message-----
From: Kevin L. Seaman [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent: Tuesday, March 20, 2007 6:14 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [DC] Footprint standards for Polarized components (Diodes)

Gary,

We use CAD tools that allow alphabetic pin "numbers".

So, we use A and C as pin "numbers" for both the schematic symbol
and the PCB footprint of all diodes.

For SOT23 diodes we use AA, AC, CC, and NC as required.

For transistors, we use E, B, C, G, S, and D.

This has eliminated all polarity problems with these parts.

Thank you,

Kevin L. Seaman
OrCAD CIS & Allegro PCB Library Liaison
Sr. Staff PCB Layout Engineer
Broadcom Corp. Irvine, CA
(949) 926-5656

========================= Original Message ==========================

From: DesignerCouncil [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Gary
Bremer
Sent: Monday, March 19, 2007 6:25 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [DC] Footprint standards for Polarized components (Diodes)

Hi,
I have been asked if there is a standard for creation of footprints 
espicially for diodes. One of the designers reversed the cathode and
anode 
causing all the diodes to be placed backwards. The rational was the pin
1 
was the anode for this device for other diodes pin 1 is the cathode.

Gary Bremer CID
Manufacturing Engineer

_________________________________________________________________
Exercise your brain! Try Flexicon. 
http://games.msn.com/en/flexicon/default.htm?icid=flexicon_hmemailtaglin
emar
ch07

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