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I am looking at the mechanical drawing for the JAE WP7B-P050VA1 connector, and it has the following drawing suggesting a PCB footprint:

PCB footprint

My question pertains to the "no exposed metal in this area" note: does this mean that I am not allowed to run any traces through this area, or is doing so fine as long as it is covered by solder mask?

user381521
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1 Answers1

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Solder masks are not meant to be used as insulators, their purpose is to keep the solder contained within the pads. Solder masks are thin and are easily pierced. So, no traces in the indicated area.

Mattman944
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  • Would solder mask covered metal be considered "exposed metal"? – user381521 May 05 '20 at 05:23
  • Where I worked, we never allowed metal to touch the board where there were traces, even if there was a solder mask. When we once accidentally had this happen, we fixed it at great expense. The risk is very low, but you need to consider the consequences if a short occurs. Will someone die? Will your companies reputation be ruined? – Mattman944 May 05 '20 at 08:10
  • Fair enough, thank you. I'm just a little bit perplexed as to why a connector would have a long piece of metal running across its length, but that's anyone's guess. – user381521 May 11 '20 at 05:13