Reverse Footprint for Arduino Mega

I assume the PCB is plated through-hole?  Put the footprint on the reverse of the PCB but actually solder the MEGA (or headers) onto the front of the board.  That would work wouldn’t it?

Thanks for the response. Your suggestion was my original thought. The Mega mounts on the backside of the PCB. Not a solution I have used before therefore it seemed strange. First time using a Mega in a project also.

Yes, that would work too!  Which side to solder the Mega too might get dictated by any encasement?  Specifically, how thick the case would be and access to the USB and Power ports once soldered; I was assuming you wanted to keep all parts on one side.

I stumbled on a work around to this question. The answer appears to the application. I took some screen shots of the Mega footprint while placing the component. I will attempt to explain my understanding.

The image far left is taken from Arduino webpage. The board has a few more pins than the Mega footprint in Fritzing but it will do for a visual representation of the Mega board.

Image A is the Mega footprint found in Fritzing. The pin layout reflects the Arduino image shown. The image was imported while the View menu (second from left in red box), was set to View from Above.

Image B is the Mega footprint with the View Menu was changed to View from Below.

Both Image A and B are incorrect orientation for the Mega footprint. This is the reason I made this post.

Image C is the Mega footprint imported while the View Menu is set to View from Below. If you were to look at a PCB from the below, the Mega would be on the other side of the PBB. This footprint orientation is correct. The pin asssignment labels would be correct if view from the bottom.

Image D is the Mega footprint when View Menu is changed to View from Above. The orientation of the Mega is correct but the pin assignment labels are now incorrect.

I plan to use Image C to layout a PCB. My plan is to send the board out to be made. I'm not confident the silk screening will be accurate.

Moved to Arduino group.

In PCB mode, click on the footprint and then change "pcb layer" to bottom.

Sorry for being tardy in my response. I've spent the last hour responding to messages regarding the successes I have had interacting with this site and let your message slip.

Wait a minute? Your not standing at my desk. How would you know how long it has taken me to respond. I really have to get out more. This COVID isolation is making social media feel like human interaction. A little dig for cstanton:)

Thank you for the share. I was not familiar with the selection option. Unfortunately, the silk screen number reversal thing, still happens, as I indicated in Image D above. I'm haven't mastered how to load additional footprints. Maybe the image errors are corrected in a more resent update.

colporteur said:

Unfortunately, the silk screen number reversal thing, still happens, as I indicated in Image D above. 

To resolve you would need to clone an Arduino Mega part and then modify that part (would need to use something like Inkscape) so that the silk screen is on the reverse.

PS. The file you need to modify is called Arduino_ADK_MEGA_2560-Rev3_pcb.svg

WOW, An answer I actually understand, with references I am familiar with and application tools I use. A trifecta 

That deserves a Member in Good Standing badge for you!

Never thought someone would do stuff with your suggestion?

I'm not seeing any silk screen. Do I have to change an option in Inkscape?