What is the proper zero orientation for a SMT LED?

According to IPC-7351, the cathode should be on the left for a molded diode. However, when I use component wizard of my suppliers to create a diode, it places the cathode (K) on the right. Does it depend on the manufacturer? How does the assembly house know which way is correct?

We prefer cathode on the left, as per the standard, but typically rely on silkscreen or customer input to determine the proper orientation.

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Oliver Smith

Oliver is an experienced electronics engineer skilled in PCB design, analog circuits, embedded systems, and prototyping. His deep knowledge spans schematic capture, firmware coding, simulation, layout, testing, and troubleshooting. Oliver excels at taking projects from concept to mass production using his electrical design talents and mechanical aptitude.
Picture of Oliver Smith

Oliver Smith

Oliver is an experienced electronics engineer skilled in PCB design, analog circuits, embedded systems, and prototyping. His deep knowledge spans schematic capture, firmware coding, simulation, layout, testing, and troubleshooting. Oliver excels at taking projects from concept to mass production using his electrical design talents and mechanical aptitude.

What Others Are Asking

How can I escape 0.5mm ball grid array pins if the trace spacing and via hole size is not allowed to reduce?

I have a small hobby project in which I want to include the Kingston EMMC04G-M657 eMMC chip. This chip comes in BGA packaging with 0.5mm pitch between balls. I want my board to be cheap, so I’m laying it out for a 4-layer PCB using rigid board design rules of my supplier. I’ve put these rules into KiCAD and it seems to me that there are a few pins that I can neither escape from the BGA with a trace nor disappear with a via. How can I move on?

How much larger should a plated-through hole be than lead diameter to get good solder wetting?

I’m designing a new PCB where I have a whack of connectors that have to line up with the metalwork. There are some problematic connectors. All 4 pins are round. I want to have the holes as small as possible while allowing for good solder adhesion over the full length of the pin. I’m looking for guidance on how much clearance around the component lead I should have in order to get good solder wetting and adhesion.

What are good softwares for PCB designing?

I usually work for PCB designing and know some useful design software. I want to know what design software you are using. Is there any high recommendation?

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