Eagle- How do I put a hole in my PCB?

Stephen Mann wrote:

Thanks, Lorenz.  I'll try hole 0.125 in on my next board.

but without the blank between value and unit

--

Lorenz

On 1/15/20 15:56, Chuck Huber wrote:

True, at least to an American.  I immediately recognized that "4-40"

was a SAE screw size.

Not "SAE".  Freidrich pointed out correctly that it's "UNC".

Enjoy,

    - Chuck

On 1/14/20 15:03, Stephen Mann wrote:

So, yes, my question was quite precise, even if our Country's measurements aren't.

True, at least to an American.  I immediately recognized that "4-40" was

a SAE screw size.  However, one must also consider the audience.  In

this case, it's pretty much world wide, with emphasis on Europe and

North America.  I've seen posts from other countries, to be sure.

The built-in help does not tell me that the unit is my grid units,

Well, to be precise, the /default/ unit is whatever your grid units

are.  Linear units assume the grid units unless specified otherwise.

or that I can put the units in my hole command.

Any command that accepts a linear dimension also accepts a unit. 

Furthermore, coordinates can be in mixed units:

hole 0.125"   (1.0" 25.4mm);

I'll leave it to you to find the hole.

But, I really do appreciate the prompt suggestions.

Glad to help out.

    - Chuck

Am 15.01.2020 um 15:55 schrieb Stephen Mann:

Really?  The About page says Eagle by Autodesk, and to open Eagle, I log on to an Autodesk account.  Autodesk is based in San Rafael, California.

 

Long, long time ago

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EAGLE_(program)

Freundliche Grüße / Kind regards

Friedrich

-

... use NNTP://news.cadsoft.de and a

functional news reader like Thunderbird!

Am 15.01.2020 um 15:55 schrieb Stephen Mann:

  wrote:

 

That's a bit of a translation problem in the documentation (remember

EAGLE is a German product).

Markus

 

Really?  The About page says Eagle by Autodesk, and to open Eagle, I log on to an Autodesk account.  Autodesk is based in San Rafael, California.

 

But, growing up in this moronic Imperial system of inches and pounds, a 4-40 screw is remarkably normal and generally needs no further definition. To be honest, I still don't know how to describe an American Standard 4-40 screw any other way.  (In hindsight, I should have gotten my calipers and measured the hole size I want in proper units and this hole (sic) thread would be much shorter.

 

--

To view any images and attachments in this post, visit:

https://www.element14.com/community/message/287184

 

4-40 is not the full name for the screw thread.

It should be UNC 4-40.

The UNC thread (Unified Coarse Thread Series) is the American

coarse thread. It has a flank angle of 60 ° and is measured in

inches. ... The corresponding fine thread is known as a UNF

thread (Unified National Fine Thread Series).

Freundliche Grüße / Kind regards

Friedrich

-

... use NNTP://news.cadsoft.de and a

functional news reader like Thunderbird!

autodeskguest  wrote:

 

That's a bit of a translation problem in the documentation (remember

EAGLE is a German product).

Markus

 

Really?  The About page says Eagle by Autodesk, and to open Eagle, I log on to an Autodesk account.  Autodesk is based in San Rafael, California.

But, growing up in this moronic Imperial system of inches and pounds, a 4-40 screw is remarkably normal and generally needs no further definition. To be honest, I still don't know how to describe an American Standard 4-40 screw any other way.  (In hindsight, I should have gotten my calipers and measured the hole size I want in proper units and this hole (sic) thread would be much shorter.

autodeskguest  wrote:

 

Don't worry if you don't find the answer in the "Help". The eagle

community is always willing to help.

 

Joern Paschedag

 

That's the best answer of all.

Am 14.01.2020 um 21:03 schrieb Stephen Mann:

If the actual unit is "inch", the hole will have a diameter of 0.20 inch. "

Until this thread, I did not know that the "actual unit" was the grid size.

That's a bit of a translation problem in the documentation (remember

EAGLE is a German product).

In the German version of the manual this sentence is

'Falls die eingestellte Maßeinheit "Inch" ist, hat das Hole einen

Durchmesser von 0.20 Zoll.'

which I would translate to

'If the unit is currently set to "inch", the hole will have a diameter

of 0.20 inch.'

In German there is a word "aktuell", which sounds similar to "actual",

but most of the times translates to "current"/"currently" (false friend).

HTH

Markus

Am 14.01.2020 um 21:03 schrieb Stephen Mann:

OP here.

Back in the 70's I was installing brain scanners in hospitals around the US. The company was all metric which I really learned to love. (Metric, not the company).

 

While I would love to be all metric here, American 4-40 screws are a fraction of the price for 3mm screws.  In our common home improvement stores a package of ten 3mmx10mm machine screws cost as much as fifty #4-40 screws.  If I go to a hardware store, the differential is even larger.  I did buy some metric hardware online, but the shipping cost wiped out any savings. Worse, 3mm is the smallest they stock.

 

So, yes, my question was quite precise, even if our Country's measurements aren't.

 

In my eyes it was not. If  there is no description it is just a number

of nothing (even if it is well known in a special job).

A similar thing (in articles and forums i.e.) is the use of

abbreviations without explaining what is meant.

In some earlier days it said:"Massachusetts Institute of Technology"

with the abbreviation (MIT) .

During the article the abbreviation was used but everybody knew what was

meant.

Nowadays some just write the abbreviation alone  but check out for what

MIT alone may stand also.

Here are your own words:

"Remember, what is obvious to you may be someone else's mystery".

And in reply to the anonymous poster who said: "The built-in help is quite good on most of this, as is the PDF manual."

There are no anonymous posters. The problem is the element14 interface

with the newsreader. Appendages and other things  are not transmitted.

Remember, what is obvious to you may be someone else's mystery.

 

The built-in help does not tell me that the unit is my grid units, or that I can put the units in my hole command.

The only example is ambiguous: "

HOLE 0.20 •

If the actual unit is "inch", the hole will have a diameter of 0.20 inch. "

Until this thread, I did not know that the "actual unit" was the grid size. I am still learning.

The PDF manual has a single line to explain the hole command: "Define a mounting hole (not plated-through).", but no examples that I could find.

 

But, I really do appreciate the prompt suggestions.

 

Steve

 

--

To view any images and attachments in this post, visit:

https://www.element14.com/community/message/287201

 

Don't worry if you don't find the answer in the "Help". The eagle

community is always willing to help.

--

Mit freundlichen Grüßen / With best regards

Joern Paschedag

OP here.

Back in the 70's I was installing brain scanners in hospitals around the US. The company was all metric which I really learned to love. (Metric, not the company).

While I would love to be all metric here, American 4-40 screws are a fraction of the price for 3mm screws.  In our common home improvement stores a package of ten 3mmx10mm machine screws cost as much as fifty #4-40 screws.  If I go to a hardware store, the differential is even larger.  I did buy some metric hardware online, but the shipping cost wiped out any savings. Worse, 3mm is the smallest they stock.

So, yes, my question was quite precise, even if our Country's measurements aren't.

And in reply to the anonymous poster who said: "The built-in help is quite good on most of this, as is the PDF manual."

Remember, what is obvious to you may be someone else's mystery.

The built-in help does not tell me that the unit is my grid units, or that I can put the units in my hole command.

The only example is ambiguous: "

HOLE 0.20 •

If the actual unit is "inch", the hole will have a diameter of 0.20 inch. "

Until this thread, I did not know that the "actual unit" was the grid size. I am still learning.

The PDF manual has a single line to explain the hole command: "Define a mounting hole (not plated-through).", but no examples that I could find.

But, I really do appreciate the prompt suggestions.

Steve