Master Artwork Specification.

All student artworks handed in for the purposes of manufacture shall comply with the specification
as detailed here under.
(This checklist applies mainly to Tango PCB II+ generated artwork masters.)
The suggestions and information contained in this article apply to students and others who wish to
have printed circuit boards fabricated by the Cape Technikon. Abiding by the recommendations
detailed hereafter will guarantee you successful fabrication of your design. It will also make the
drilling and assembly of your circuits more user friendly .
[1] Have you used sensibly sized pads for dual in line (DIL) integrated circuits?
Round rectangular pads of 64 mils by 80 mils with 28 mil hole centers are the minimum allowable
sizes. Use a similar sized square rectangular pad to denote the location of Pin #1. These pad sizes
will allow you to route one 12 mil wide track between two IC pads and still not violate a spacing
minimum of 12 mils between either edge of the track and the adjacent pads. If you are not routing
tracks between IC pins then a rectangular pad size of 80 mils by 80 mils again with a 28 mil hole will
be an excellent choice.
[2] Have you used sensibly sized pads for discrete component leads?
(e.g. Resistors, Capacitors, Transistors)
A standard rectangular pad size of 76 mils by 76 mils again with a 28 mil hole center should be your
default size. If your design is a double sided board and you have to employ vias to obtain
connectivity between the two pattern layers, a via pad size of 68 mils with a 26 mil hole in either
rectangular or round format is the minimum limit.
The default via and pad size configurations of the Tango pcb package are optimised for computer
controlled drilling machines where hole centers location accuracy is a foregone conclusion. At the
present time all hole drilling operations are carried out manually either by the student concerned or
the technician in charge of production. The pad/via holes option in the output menu should be
enabled as these areas or holes in the centers of all pads will be removed during the production
process and act as center pop marks to help guide the drill bits to the middle of the copper pad
areas during drilling.
Setting the pad hole size to 28 mils (0,7mm) serves drilling operations ably.
[3] Have you allocated separate pads or holes for every individual connecting wire?
Input or output connecting wires or leads should each be provided with their own individual
connection points. Rectangular pads sized of 120 mils by 120 mils with 28 mil centers will be
adequate for wires up to 1,5 mm cross-sectional area.
[4] Have all signal track widths been checked?
Signal tracks should preferably be a minimum of 20 mils wide. The absolute minimum acceptable
track width is 12 mils and this only when routing tracks between IC pins. Generally speaking the
thicker the tracks the better!
[5] Are the power carrying conductors or tracks of a sufficient width?
Power tracks should be between 30 mils and 50 mils wide or wider if space permits. Again if you
have the space for thicker tracks USE IT!
[6] Is your spacing between ALL separate conductive areas according to specification?
The absolute minimum spacing between any adjacent conductive areas that are not meant to be
interconnected may not be less than 12 mils. You should aim for 20 mils as a default spacing
between conductive areas.
This is the standard recommended conductor spacing for 0 to 150 Volt DC or AC (Peak) voltages
from sea level to 10000 feet ( 3048 meters). If any doubt exists, run the DRC (Design Rule Check)
check on your design. If not in doubt run the DRC check anyway! It is an excellent habit to cultivate.
[7] Do all tracks that change direction have 45 degree bends or corners?
[8] Is there a border around your layout?
There must be a 20 mil wide unbroken track or border around the complete layout. This border must
not be used as a conductive path of your pattern design and should not be within 100 mils of any
track, pad or other conductive area.
[9] How will you mount or support your printed circuit board?
Mounting holes using 276 mils diameter round pads with 30 mil holes centers should be provided,
preferably at each of the four corners of your board. These mounting holes must not interfere with
any pad, track or conductive area of your layout nor overhang the border or board outline.
[10] Has the orientation of your board been clearly indicated?
The board should have been designed from the top side, hence all text or writing on the bottom
layer should be mirror imaged and as such your layout should be referred to as the Top Layer View.
When handing in artworks for double sided boards, it is extremely important that you
unambiguously indicate which layer is the Top Layer pattern and which is the Bottom Layer pattern
bearing in mind that both should be the Top Layer views of these patterns.
Do not mirror image any final plots or printouts!
Should such an operation be deemed necessary, your lecturer or the technician in charge of
production will consult with you.
[11] Does any text in your layout touch or interfere with any conductive area?
Ensure that any and all text placed in the pattern area does not interfere with any track , pad or
signal conductive area and thus possibly cause unwanted short circuits.
Note: A minimum text size of 70 mils by 10 mils will be adequate for production purposes.
[12] Has the scale of your Artwork master been clearly indicated?
The dumped artwork master scale must be clearly indicated outside of the pattern area. A scaled up
size of 2:1 is standard and preferred although a 1,5:1 scale will be accepted. Any other envisaged
scale must first be discussed with your lecturer or the technician in charge of the printed circuit
board production line.
[13] Is your master artwork pattern print out or plot clearly defined?
The scaled up artwork master dumped print out or plot must be a clearly defined and high contrast
image. Dark or filled in areas must be uniformly dark or dense with sharp well defined pattern edges
and no smudging. White spots or lines showing in the dark conductive areas will respectively
translate into pin holes and breaks in the copper patterns during production.
Under no circumstances will check plots, light or gray images, or print outs that have been
touched up with Koki pens or Tippex be accepted. Do not even attempt to hand in any photo
copy whether made from your own original plot or borrowed out of a magazine.
[14] Are the dimensions of your Artwork print out or plot correct?
The dimensions of your layout should be checked on screen and these dimensions must be
compared with your print out, bearing in mind the print out will in all probability be a scaled up
drawing. The reason for this check is because some printers have an aspect ratio output error which
may be either a hardware or a software configuration malfunction. A series of measurement
comparison checks is the only reliable method of pin pointing this irregularity should it exist.
These dimensional checks become vital if your board design is of the double sided type. Not only
should each layer be checked, it is imperative that the two images be superimposed over each other
(preferably while being held up to a light source) and the hole to hole and border outline registration
carefully verified!
When printing a double sided layout to any laser printer it is recommended that you print the two
images immediately after each other.
I.e. There should be no time delay between the printouts.
The accuracy of the printouts is dependent upon the heated transfer roller in the printer over which
the paper passes. Any delay between the printing of the artworks could mean this roller temperature
is different for each printout and you will experience layer registration problems!
[15] Do you have more than one layout on your artwork master?
If multiple PCB patterns have been printed or plotted on a single page the spacing between these
images or individual boards should be 50 mils. 10 mil tracks should then be placed in the centers of
these dividing spaces to serve as cutting lines.
With regard to multiple numbers of the same design!
If you wish to have more than one board of one particular design manufactured and you can fit two
or more identical plots of this single design on a one page, please do so. This applies to small single
or double sided designs.
[16] Is your artwork master of the No Name Brand variety?
Which ever of the following is applicable to you must appear somewhere on your artwork outside of
the actual board layout pattern area and border.
If you are unable to fit this information on the same page as your printout, it may be printed on a
separate sheet to be handed in with your artwork/s.
Initials and Surname I.A.M.A. Student
Lecturers Name Mr. T.H.E. Lecturer
Student Number 64034655
Class Identifier What subject is this design for?
Scale of Artwork 2 X Scale Printout
Board Type Single Sided or Double Sided
Layer Identifier Bottom or Top Layer (Top View)
Number of Boards Required One (1) of this printout
This information must be right reading text and must not be hand scrawled.



We reserve the right to reject any artwork should it not adhere to the above guiding principles.
If you have a query concerning this specification or any matter which does not fall within the scope
of the above, please do not hesitate to contact the technician in charge of the PCB manufacturing
section.
The technician can be contacted on extension 3099 or consulted in Room 4.48 in the electrical
engineering department.
This page for download purposes compiled on 1
st
February 2002 by Jimmy Human.