Eagle component library question

Other Hardware General Electronics
1

Not sure if this is the correct forum for this question -- apologies to the mods if it isn't.

I'm using Eagle, and I was looking for a 2.5mm PCB mount barrel jack component, as is used on Arduino boards (at least I think that's what's used on Arduino boards!)

The closest thing I can find in the Eagle libraries is under "con-jack", and it shows the following properties:

Device : JACK-PLUG1 (JACK-PLUG)
Package : SPC4078
Library : con-jack

DC POWER JACK
Power Jack, DC, Right Angle, Through Hole, Rated 5A at 16VDC, PC Terminals
Distributor: Farnell (www.Farnell.de)
Drawing: 84N1161.pdf / 84N1162.pdf
Manufacturer: SPC Technology (www.spctechnology.com)
Type: SPC4077 / SPC 4078

In the info library when browsing the library itself, it shows:

Package: SPC4078
DC POWER JACK 2.5mm Right Angle, Through Hole, Rated 5A at 16VDC, PC Terminals
Source: www.spctechnology.com .. 84N1162.pdf
Distributor: Farnell (www.Farnell.de)
Created by Robert Siegler

This is one of the four packages on offer under "con-jack". I notice it's got oval shaped pads, rather than the circular pads the Arduino boards have -- but that shouldn't matter. Apart from that, any differences? It looks like this component diagram will result in slots being cut to accept the "tag" connectors on the barrel jacks used on the Arduinos, but that's not 100% clear to me either. Could someone confirm?

Anyway, if someone can tell me if I'e got the right component, or there is somewhere else I should be looking, I'd appreciate it! Thanks in advance.

2

I use the one from the Sparkfun libraries, which you can download. Adafruit might that also.
https://www.sparkfun.com/search/results?term=eagle+library

I don't know how to find it at adafruit with their recent website change up.

3

Bear in mind...

4

"slots" will normally require special arrangements with your board fab, and may not be available from low-cost services (Itead, Seeed, OSHPark) or even from not-low-cost prototyping services. A lot of the part definitions that substitute holes have very large holes and not very careful placement, and I think there is a fairly large variation is actual parts, depending on whether you buy a brand-name component from a real distributor, or something "similar" from a hobbyist supplier. It's worth spending some time adjusting the library footprint to exactly the connector you expect to use (by holding real parts next to 1:1 printouts and such.)

5

westfw:
It's worth spending some time adjusting the library footprint to exactly the connector you expect to use (by holding real parts next to 1:1 printouts and such.)

  • 1
6

+1
My general experience with premade libraries is they often aren't exactly what you expect, and you should always always double check them against a real part when possible, and carefully check it against the datasheet if not. Also, a pair of calipers to check the diameter of pins helps a lot too. I'm having to respin a board because I didn't do this.

Oh, and Newark has Eagle libraries for many of their parts since they partnered up with/bought Eagle.

7

I'd recommend finding some of the eagle tutorials about making libraries and parts,
it will be useful now and in the future.

8

Sparkfun has good tutorial series on using Eagle. Not sure if they've updated it for latest Eagle rev (I'm at 6.5, Eagle was 5.1 I think when I started using it in Jan 2011.) but the basics are still good, and their tips on making good boards still apply.

9

Wow, didn't realize this would be anything but a simple question, LOL.

I DL'ed the Sparkfun library, and I believe the component package "POWER_JACK_PTH" is the generic one with the big round holes rather than the slots. I've used a gerber file viewer to verify that the "SPC4078" package I was originally looking at did define slots for the tabs. The round holes for the "POWER_JACK_PTH" package had the same diameter as those slots, so I suppose that's consistent.

Coding Badly, I saw your comment about the Adafruit library component having "holes that are way too big". Were these even bigger than the package outlines used by the Arduino boards? The Sparkfun "POWER_JACK_PTH" package looks like its holes are the same as those used on the Arduino boards (e.g., Uno, Leonardo). Which, now that you mention it, do look way big, but I suppose that's so they will adapt to fit most variants out there. Looking closely, there's a lot of solder filling those holes!

I may have to go this "generic" route anyway since I haven't even got the parts yet -- still on order. And I'd like to use an adaptable package outline so I didn't have to go back to the same supplier everytime to get more components, and hope they haven't changed supplier!

10

bluesmoke328:
Coding Badly, I saw your comment about the Adafruit library component having "holes that are way too big". Were these even bigger than the package outlines used by the Arduino boards?

Yes. Significantly larger. The Adafruit Library footprint looks like it was made for a 220 volt connector (i.e. "huge").

The footprint is supposed to be for this part...

I believe it is similar (identical?) to the jack used on the Uno. The footprint in the Adafruit Library is more than twice the size of the actual part. It is still possible to solder the jack to a board but certainly not easy.

This is my attempt to correct the footprint...
http://forum.arduino.cc/index.php?topic=135596.msg1268085#msg1268085

Looking closely, there's a lot of solder filling those holes!

That probably indicates the footprint is wrong. The holes in the board should be slightly larger than the pins on the connecter. Obviously, more solder is required than, say, LED leads but it should not be necessary to "fill those holes".