Can Elecrow do oval (plated) holes? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: 0xdeadbeef
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 04, 2015, 08:52:24 am
content: It's not that I didn't ask them, I just didn't get a 100% satisfying reply.I want to use a mini-USB connector with a typical oval mounting/case hole.In the NC/Drill file it look like this (whole file is attached). Created with DipTrace btw.snip ->M48METRIC,0000.00...T02C0.7...T02X-003254Y+000159X-003374Y+000079X-003254Y-000001X-003374Y-000081X-003254Y-000161X-003699Y-000366G85X-003819Y-000366X-003699Y+000364G85X-003819Y+000364<- snipIn gerber viewers, this looks more like a pad than hole though and while I sent the gerbers to elecrow as requested to get a precise information I didn't get a reply to that and don't want to ask the same question again with the same expected result.So any experience with this?

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 04, 2015, 09:19:33 am
content: I asked about this a few months ago, they said no issue with plated slots. Recently I ordered such PCBs, they accepted gerbers without asking anything. Boards should arrive soon, then I'll see if everything is as expected.

author: Royce
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 06, 2015, 03:41:02 pm
content: I made an oval hole using just the "Oval" shape setting in Diptrace and sent that to Elecrow. The boards came back just fine.

author: Dagon
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 07, 2015, 12:46:35 pm
content: Yeah, I've done plated slots with them with no issues.

author: 0xdeadbeef
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 07, 2015, 12:48:23 pm
content: In the meantime, I also got the confirmation from them that the oval holes in my gerbers will be alright.Anyway, thanks for the additional affirmation.

author: free_electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 07, 2015, 01:32:38 pm
content: that's not an oval.... not by the mathematical definition.in PCB land this is called either a 'slot' or an 'oblong' (technically an oval is an oblong. oblong means a body longer than it is wide, but in pcb land this indicates basically a hole that is longer than wide... )lost in translation ... if you use the word 'oval' they may translate that wrong and get confused.

author: rs20
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 07, 2015, 01:35:02 pm
content: Quote from: free_electron on July 07, 2015, 01:32:38 pmYeah, I've seen KiCad refer to it as "oval" too, hence maybe why the OP and others use that terminology. But you're absolutely right, an oval == an ellipse != a slot.

author: 0xdeadbeef
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 07, 2015, 01:44:51 pm
content: Quote from: free_electron on July 07, 2015, 01:32:38 pmWell, a slot is usually not plated and oblong isn't really a precise mathematical definitions either, is it?I guess "oval" as DipTrace, KiCAD and probably other PCB programs name it is short for "elongated oval".Anyway, the Elecrow tech support understood "oval hole" immediately and I'm not so sure if the same would have been the case for oblong.

author: rs20
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 07, 2015, 01:53:23 pm
content: A plated slot is generally plated :-)

author: free_electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 07, 2015, 03:56:11 pm
content: the point i am making is that ,when dealing with chinese companies your request typically goes through google translate ... oval may get translated to 'real oval' and the guy at the other may go ? wtf this guy want true oval holes ? we can't do that ( that would require a complex milling path ).sometimes the right terminology does matter. Nobody uses the name 'oval' for such a hole as at simply is NOT and oval. it is a rectangle with the short sides being 180 degree arcs. this is called an oblong in PCB-speak. or simply a plated slot.that stuff will get milled if larger than a certain width , or drilled with a special drill that can act as a mill for short things like these retaining tabs on usb (and several other) connectors

author: 0xdeadbeef
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 07, 2015, 06:05:55 pm
content: Well, several PCB programs call this shape oval, so claiming this term was completely uncommon is simply not true.Google for "oval hole pcb" and "oblong pcb" (even worse "oblong hole pcb") and you will see that obviously the term oval hole is more common.It's sometimes futile to insist on mathematical correctness and using the less common term surely doesn't help with non native speakers.Anyway, the matter was already clarified. This whole oval/oblong discussion isn't really helping anyone and it's not going anywhere anyway.