Arduino header components - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: TheUnnamedNewbie
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 17, 2023, 07:58:00 am
content: For a design I have an arduino footprint and schematic symbol which I use to route. However, for the manufacturing, this needs to be 'replaced' by a series of two headers so I can export my BOM and P&P files. How would you handle this best in Altium? Do I just place both components overlapping?

author: Shonky
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 17, 2023, 09:17:40 am
content: I don't understand the problem here.You have 1 component in your schematic that's the whole Arduino board. It appears in your BOM as one line. It then has a single PCB footprint? Just like an IC or any other component really.Oh if you mean the headers as sockets for the Arduino then put the two headers on the schematic as BOM line items and have a schematic element for the Arduino that doesnt have any PCB footprint or is simply a silkscreen.I wouldn't stack two PCB footprints.

author: TheUnnamedNewbie
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 17, 2023, 09:21:43 am
content: The problem is that in reality, two components actually have to be soldered on my PCB: Two female headers for the arduino nano to actually plug into. Since this is two headers, not a single arduino, it needs two lines in the P&P files, and two components to be placed instead of one.For now, since I'm just doing prototype volumes, I will manually solder them, but for future reference I would like to know if there is a proper way to handle this.

author: T3sl4co1l
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 17, 2023, 05:03:15 pm
content: You even have three components, if you want the Arduino board to be part of the assembly (obviously added after soldering).I often do this,where the block/header parts are the fuse holder/clips, and the fuse element itself has a footprint as well, just the 3D model, with some reference points to align the clips to. All three are Union'd together and used as a single component otherwise.Likewise, I use a generic mechanical placeholder part, on the schematic, when I need something that's either not electrical in nature (hardware, brackets, etc.), or a supporting BOM item for something else but that otherwise doesn't really matter (maybe it doesn't have a mechanical model / footprint then).Placing a footprint isn't a bad idea, as that gives PnP coordinates, so it's not just some random part floating around the BOM and the assembler is left to guess what's the deal. And gives less chance of misreading or missing the description, assembly drawing, or other instructions.Tim

author: Doctorandus_P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 17, 2023, 10:17:52 pm
content: I use KiCad myself, and a method that works probably just as easily in altium is to first draw the pcb with the "arduino shield", by using it as a template to draw tracks to. After that you can either delete the "shield" and then place other connectors by snapping them to the end of the exising PCB tracks, or stack footprints on top of each other and mark some of them as DNP, or exclude them from the BOM.

author: TheUnnamedNewbie
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 18, 2023, 01:54:34 pm
content: Tim, thanks for the advice!I will try to do it that way with the two headers, so I preserve the ERC and pin name functionality of the arduino component, and tie the header to it.