How to: Component with multi pad alternatives?

Question

Hi folks,

I would like to create some library parts that produce PCB footprints having pads for multiple alternative components. For example, a resistor footprint that can be populated with either a through-hole component or an SMD component.

If I would naively create the package with two through-hole pads, and two SMD pads, then the package's 4 pins won't correspond to the symbol's 2 pins, and I assume that will cause a problem at some point.

Alternatively I could draw in the SMD pads as a graphic, but then I lose the benefit of having Eagle figure out the solder mask and so on. (And in other instances, the two footprints are both through-hole, so even more laborious to draw manually.)

Is there a nice way to do what I'm trying to do?

-- Graham

kikoun · Accepted Answer

Hi You can have a symbol with 2 pins, but a part with more than 2 pads, since you can connect several package pads to 1 single symbol pin. Have a look in the documentation. Guillaume.