[SOLVED] Interpretting measurement diagrams to create a footprint

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I’m busy create a footprint for a SMD Rotary Swtch for one of my projects. One thing that’s always confused me is how to interpret the manufacturers measurement diagams.

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I know it’s best to wait for the part to arrive so I can check against the sample as diagrams can be incorrect but thought I’d get a head start while waiting for delivery.

On the diagram there is a measurement like 5-1.3 and 2-5.0
The 5 in the 5-1.3 is 5mm (I think) , but what is the -1.3 referring to?

Actually the 5-1.3 can’t be 5mm, as the pad for 2-5.0 is a lot bigger so can’t be 2mm?

I think that the first digit in “5-1.3” and “2-5.0” refers to the quantity of these values:

  • “5-1.3” and “5-2.0” are the dimensions on the small pads, and I count 5 of these small pads. So I think the meaning is “5 pads with 1.3 x 2.0mm dimension”
  • similar for “2-5.0” and “2-3.0”, these are the dimensions on the two big pads. So I think the meaning is “2 big pads with 5.0 x 3.0mm dimension”
3 Likes

I understand it the same way also.

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Thanks all. I think you’ve hit the nail on the head. That makes a lot more sense now.

In general the newer standards prefer 2x5.0 and 5x1.3 to avoid confusion. Some older documents may even specify test TYP, which means everything that looks to be same without text is same. So if you ever make your own diagrams like this don’t copy this convention

This is typical (old?) US notation. Not common in European drawings.

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