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DesignSpark PCB – How do I Place Pads Equally on a Valve Base?

Occasionally we all stumble across a roadblock in our DSPCB design process, sometimes the answer can be found in one of the tutorials we have in the Zendesk area, but when you can’t find the answer, why not ask the community? One of our users couldn’t quite figure out how to place pads on the periphery of a valve base at the correct angle. Let’s see if they found an answer…

Creating a new circular component like a valve base…

Valve_hoard_130ea1c38288ccc2eb42189c33fd3c8f75a6adbe.jpg

Kevin

I need to create a new component, similar to a valve. My problem is how to place the pads at equal angles around the outline. In this case, 34 degrees. I am OK creating a component, it’s the placing of pads on a circle at an angle that puzzles me. Any pointers, please?

Boss

Hi Kevin, good question. There is no direct command I am aware of but I'm always willing to learn :)

My method is to create a template on the documentation layer.

Place the relative origin and draw a circle of the required radius for the pads from this. You can customise the circle after selecting from the tools, right click and select define from the centre, you can also enter the radius. Change the layer to documentation (or silk screen) as you can delete the template when complete.

Now draw some horizontal lines greater than the radius of the circle on the documentation layer using the open shape from tools. If you right click on a selected line there is an option to rotate by an angle, then place the line from the relative origin and complete the template.

Valva_base_1_e9250259797e7ea47ec6d04634a5a19b9d53456b.jpg

Now place the pads on the intersections, set the grid to say 1/40th and zoom in to place.

valve_base_2_aef68253801568a35815a73a9f5e7814dce61fad.jpg

I did something like this for the mounting holes on a PCB, but the above images are from the footprint editor.

Hope this helps.

There is a Valve library available from a user here (but note you said 'similar to a valve'), but may be useful to others:
https://www.rs-online.com/designspark/does-design-spark-support-amplifier-rf-class-a-or-ab-pushpull-circuits

 

Kevin

Thank you. Problem solved and the component designed. The actual component was a vacuum fluorescent display type IV-12 in my design for a digital clock.

 

Click here to view the article in Zendesk where you can join in the conversation.

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