label: pcb layout,circuit board,pcb board
By default, most PCB layout programs use 0.056-inch diameter pads around the common 0.029-inch diameter holes. This works well for DIP chips and other closely spaced holes as there is still enough room to pass a trace between the two holes without contacting the pads. However, in many circuit boards, most of the holes of pcb board don’t have traces passing very closely -- at least not on the side of the board that the hole will be soldered. For those holes with free space around them, I always add a wider circular pad around the hole to provide a larger contact area during soldering.
In the above example, you can see the wide shiny area around the hole to ensure good solder contact between the part pin and the circuit board trace. Soldering goes faster as well, since it is easier to target the larger pad with the soldering iron tip.
