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Date: Sun, 13 Aug 2017 04:11:43 +0200 (CEST)
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To: "Rob Butts (r DOT butts2 AT gmail DOT com) [via geda-user AT delorie DOT com]" <geda-user AT delorie DOT com>
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Subject: Re: [geda-user] pcb slotted holes for relay
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On Sat, 12 Aug 2017, Rob Butts (r DOT butts2 AT gmail DOT com) [via geda-user AT delorie DOT com] wrote:

>This is a thought but could I define smt pads to surround the slots then
>define a pad for the slot with its flag being "hole"?

At the end, in your export, you want a line on the outline layer. AFAIK 
that's the only way to automatically get the fab to do the slot. At the 
moment no object is generated on the outline layer from elements, no 
matter what flags you set.

Then there are details not handled even by this method:

- I recently learned some fab needed a separate file for slots; so one 
file for the router path for the outline/contour of the board, and another 
file for the slots; neither pcb nor pcb-rnd would do that today

- at the moment even with manual drawn slots there's no way to indicate if 
it is plated; normally plated/unplated is communicated through the drill 
files, but drill files won't have slots; you will need to tell your fab 
what you wanted to do with the slots

And that's the key: partly because pcb's limitations, partly because the 
limitations of the industry standards, there seem to be no widespread, 
reliable, easy, out-of-the-box way to communicate plated slots to random 
fabs without some manual drawing/commenting (or relying on smart 
postprocessing at the fab).

A cheat people often use is just drilling multiple, sligtly 
overlapping holes. If the overlap is not too large and the drill bit is 
big, the fab won't mind. The resulting geometry is far from the slot, but 
at least you can easily get this plated. Sort of works with manual 
soldering, but would be a big no-no for mass production.

Regards,

Igor2