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Preferences File Source

Printed From: PCB Libraries Forum
Category: PCB Footprint Expert
Forum Name: Questions & Answers
Forum Description: issues and technical support
URL: https://www.PCBLibraries.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2464
Printed Date: 07 Oct 2024 at 3:20am


Topic: Preferences File Source
Posted By: ransonjd
Subject: Preferences File Source
Date Posted: 05 Apr 2019 at 10:31am
I'm upgrading to 2019.02. I have a preferences file that I think I first made in 2017 or 2016. I want to start with a clean file based on the current default preferences. I have a few questions:

Is the IPC-7351C defaults file reasonable?

Since the draft is in sub-committee hell, what is this preferences file based on?

Is the file updated frequently, and will I have to work to keep my preferences in sync with the defaults?

Thanks!


Replies:
Posted By: Tom H
Date Posted: 05 Apr 2019 at 10:43am
It is advisable to create a new Preference file because lots of new features have been added. 

The new features have been given to us by Honeywell, Intel, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Freedom CAD and many other customers and presented to the IPC 1-13 Land Pattern committee. 

These are solid, proven Preferences that are being used by over 100,000 companies in 103 different countries. There have been millions of library parts created worldwide and 100's of thousands of PC boards fabricated and assembled with very high quality results. 

The main key to the V2019 Preferences is that they are more in line with IPC-J-STD-001 Assembly acceptance rules and secondarily the unknown release date of IPC-7351C. 

I've been on the 1-13 Land Pattern committee since 1999 and I am the major contributor to that standard. I've attended every meeting for the past 20 years except recently the sub-committee is reviewing material that I provided. 



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Posted By: ransonjd
Date Posted: 05 Apr 2019 at 11:32am
It looks like courtyards are no longer made by default. Is this due to built in checks in layout tools?

Posted By: ransonjd
Date Posted: 05 Apr 2019 at 11:38am
It also seems like pads are back to being plain rectangles rather than rounded rectangles. What's the rationale?

Posted By: Tom H
Date Posted: 05 Apr 2019 at 1:04pm
The pad shapes and contour courtyard controls are defined in Preferences.

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Posted By: ransonjd
Date Posted: 05 Apr 2019 at 2:03pm
Hi Tom,

I know that the pad shapes are defined in the preferences. I'm just seeing that the IPC7351B default preferences use rounded rectangles, but the IPC7351C default preferences use regular rectangles. Is there a rationale for this change?

Posted By: Tom H
Date Posted: 05 Apr 2019 at 3:30pm
The 2010 IPC-7351B is 9 years old and Rounded Rectangle is not 9 years old for most CAD tools. 

Rounded Rectangle pad shape was introduced in 2012 for many CAD tools. 



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Posted By: ransonjd
Date Posted: 05 Apr 2019 at 3:53pm
Hi Tom,

I think you've reversed what I'm saying. There are two files, IPC-7351B_DefaultPreferences.dat and IPC-7351C_DefaultPreferences.dat

IPC-7351C_DefaultPreferences.dat (newer) uses rectangles for most pads

IPC-7351B_DefaultPreferences.dat (older) uses rounded rectangles for most pads

This is the exact opposite of what I would expect given what you're saying.

Best regards,

John

Posted By: Tom H
Date Posted: 05 Apr 2019 at 4:23pm
I now see what you are saying. 

The IPC-7351C_DefaultPreferences.dat file is wrong and should not have been in the installer. 

To get or create a IPC-7351C_DefaultPreferences.dat all you do is select the "NEW" button (the Yellow Folder with the Star) in Preferences and save to to IPC-7351C_DefaultPreferences.dat 

The NEW button is 7351C. 

But for all practical terms, we should not be discussing 7351C as IPC is slow walking it through the sub-committee and there is no release date in sight. 

IPC does not want anyone talking about 7351C because it doesn't exist. Also, IPC does not really understand PCB designers or our technology and it seems that their main focus is on Fabrication and Assembly now. 



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