Creating Pads to Mount Electronic Components to PCBs

This instruction is a guideline as to the design of pads, the actual pads that you decide to use/design are up to you. The litmus test is to print out your final design on the printer to see which are too small and which are too large. If you create symbols when you make a pad you have the advantage of using the symbol on any other drawing and the advantage of editing all of the same pad at the same time. If you make pads too big then the chances of short circuit are higher and soldering may be difficult, if too small then the drilling operation may eliminate the pad, there may not be enough copper to solder to, and open circuit may be a problem. With more care and experience it is possible to have more complexity and a smaller size for all layouts.

Pad
Use
Dimensions
Notes
Photos
Integrated Circuit

(DIP - dual inline package)
8,10,12,14,16,18,20,24,28,40 pin integrated circuits
0.1"(2.54 mm) between pins x 0.3"(7.62 mm) wide but also can find pads for 0.6" (15.14 mm wide in this list)
These pads can be found in the in the Resources Pallet; menu Pallets==> Resources...In the Vectorworks 9 folder select Object Libraries Folder then scroll down to EE PC Board.mcd. There are a plethora of symbols. There are a number of symbols which are specifically made for IC's. They vary in size of pad and diameter of circle. The ones which have been shown to be the most suitable for our system are numbered as XXH04x1S, where XX is the number of pins. For example if you are looking for the pad for an 8 pin IC, use 8H04x1S.
Single Component Pad
Standard

resistors, capacitors, diodes or many other components

with centres 0.2" (5.08 mm) separation or greater
method 1

The recommendation is to create a 1.6 mm x 2.5 mm oval filled black. On top create a 0.8 mm diameter circle filled white (with white lines). The circle should be centred on a snap grid point (and the oval as well).

You may wish to modify the size. This can be done using the object info pallet. (Pallets==>Object info)
To make a symbol

Select both components and create a symbol by; menu Organize==>Create Symbol...name it whatever you want and select Next Mouse Click, OK. Click the mouse on a snap grid point. You may wish to make similar pads with the white circle off centre. Normally you would use the pads on the snap grids with the appropriate spacing for the component. If you are using a polarized component, often the positive is indicated with a +.

(not to scale)
method 2
The other method to get a good single pad is to 'dissect' a symbol. For example if you get the DIP symbol above then, Organize=> Convert to Group, then Organize==> Ungroup, you are left with the elements which made up that symbol.
Close Standard

resistors, capacitors, diodes or many other components

with centres 0.1" (2.54 mm)
If the spacing of the wire leads are 0.1" (2.54 mm) apart then the above pads will short circuit. Try moving only the black part of the pad but leave the white dots where they are.
Three Terminal Semiconductor Pads

(TO92, TO220)
transistors, voltage regulators, SCRs, Mosfet transistors, etc
Just make these out of three standard pads (above)

or three close standard pads
Switch
not complete
Component Receptical
Spade Connectors
Screw Terminals - 3 terminal shown
Square Pins
Pigtails