Electrical Engineering Stack Exchange
Electrical Engineering Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [through-hole]

Through-hole technology refers to the mounting scheme used for electronic components that involves the use of leads on the components that are inserted into holes drilled in printed circuit boards (PCB) and soldered to pads on the opposite side.

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What pad hole (drill) size is appropriate for a given through-hole lead diameter?

I am making some new through-hole parts in Eagle for components that are not already in the various libraries. I've realized that the drill size needs to be a little larger than the lead diameter, but I'm not sure by how much. With some research, I…
JYelton
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How can I reverse engineer a simple through-hole board?

How can I reverse engineer a simple through-hole board? Trying to do it by eye gets confusing because it's easy to lose track of component orientation and location while flipping the board over. Maybe there's a computer assisted technique that would…
Vitim.us
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Round female pin header vs square female pin header

What are the main differences (except for the obvious, one is round one is square) between the round pin headers and the square ones? Or differently asked: Why would someone choose round pin headers over the square ones (or the other way…
Veda
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Do engineers still design for volume using discrete through-hole bipolar transistors?

As a hobbyist who likes plugging BJTs and discrete components into solderless breadboard for entertainment and education, I recognise that people like me are an insufficient market to make it worthwhile for manufacturers to continue production. I've…
RedGrittyBrick
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What are the 'knuckles' on through-hole LEDs and photodiodes for?

I am using an IR LED and a photo diode, and I have designed the PCB according to the specifications that I found on the datasheet - i.e. hole sizes for the pins being 0.6 mm. However, on these components there are 'knuckles' (see below image) and…
MrPhooky
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Plated Through Hole at home?

Is it possible to make PTH (Plated Thorugh Hole) at home? Can somebody explain the procedure?
Patrik
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Are surface mount or through hole connections more reliable for safety critical applications?

While obviously factors like safety certifications and margins of error are more important when it comes to safety critical applications, e.g. aerospace, I saw an article that said that one of the remaining areas for through-hole components, is…
Aidan Connelly
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Tips for optimizing through-hole soldering

I make and sell low voltage, mostly digital, retrocomputing expansion boards as a hobby/hustle. I use all through-hole components partly because of the retro aesthetic and partly because I find soldering through-hole relaxing and fun to do. I'm…
Sam Washburn
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Why are there no single logic gates in through-hole packages?

If I'm not mistaken, single logic gates (i.e. a single NOT, OR, NOR, AND, NAND, XOR, etc.) do not exist (anymore?) in through-hole packages. At least, on Digikey, when searching for active in-stock logic gates (all types) with through-hole mounting,…
Sandro
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Is there any pattern or standard to through-hole resistor sizes?

I've long been under the impression that a quarter-watt resistor has a standard package, and a half-watt resistor has a standard package, etc. But I've recently gotten through-hole resistors which are not in the expected package size. I've done an…
Stephen Collings
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Does the PCB have to be thinner than through-hole pin length?

If I have a part that has pins that are 1.2mm long. Can I use a PCB that is 1.2mm thick or does it need to be even thinner than that?
the five states
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How do surface mount components withstand heat of reflow while through hole components can not?

I have read some online tutorials about soldering through hole components which say that transistors and ICs are delicate components and can be easily damaged by heat. So they recommend to keep the soldering iron in contact with the leads not more…
Rupesh Routray
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Holding components without bending leads when soldering upside down?

I am gaining experience in soldering components onto PCBs. I'm working through some one sided through hole PCBs and one thing that I'm having trouble with is holding components once I flip the board. I generally tend to not like bending the leads…
midnightBlue
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How can I make a plated-through hole in Eagle?

I have mounting holes (0.125 in) at the corner of my PCB project in Eagle, made with the standard "hole" tool. However these are not electrically connected to anything. There doesn't appear to be a way to make these plated through by specifying a…
JYelton
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Which is better - components on both sides or components on one side of the PCB?

I am working on a PCB design. 50k PCBs will be produced. SMD components: 100 Through-hole components: 25 I need to minimize PCB size. There are no high-speed signals or sensitive signals in the design. I have two options: Components on single-side…
komto909
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