X-Authentication-Warning: delorie.com: mail set sender to geda-user-bounces using -f
Date: Thu, 6 Mar 2014 15:56:39 -0500
Message-Id: <201403062056.s26Kudar025124@envy.delorie.com>
From: DJ Delorie <dj AT delorie DOT com>
To: geda-user AT delorie DOT com
In-reply-to:
	<CALSZ9go7F8rsz-jY2EKeO4mhgtpDD45hYzpkxYYgxOzB_eK64Q AT mail DOT gmail DOT com>
	(message from Rob Butts on Thu, 6 Mar 2014 15:49:03 -0500)
Subject: Re: [geda-user] Connecting pins to planes
References: <CALSZ9go7F8rsz-jY2EKeO4mhgtpDD45hYzpkxYYgxOzB_eK64Q AT mail DOT gmail DOT com>
Reply-To: geda-user AT delorie DOT com


The point of a thermal (technically, "thermal relief") is to break the
thermal connection between the pin and the copper.  Technically, there
are three states for "a thermal" in pcb: No connection (pin is
electrically isolated from the copper), a solid connection (no thermal
relief at all), or one of the many types of thermal reliefs.

You can rotate between the thermal options by shift-clicking with the
thermal tool.

Thermal reliefs are typically needed when a part will be
hand-soldered, as soldering irons typically have a hard time dealing
with the big heatsink you're trying to solder to :-)

For reflow soldering, it really doesn't matter if you have a thermal
or not, as long as the reflow profile accomodates the design.

http://www.delorie.com/pcb/docs/gs/gs.html#thermal