A footprint is the set of pads or holes, soldermask and paste openings, silkscreen outline and courtyard that defines where and how a component sits on the board. Footprints are built from the component datasheet or from IPC-7351 land pattern rules, which give density levels for least, nominal and most material. A wrong footprint, a mirrored pinout or a misplaced pin 1 is one of the most common reasons a first board fails.
Footprint for the regulator has the pinout mirrored, we'll be dead-bugging that part on all ten boards.
Also heard as
- land pattern
- decal
- PCB footprint
Related terms
Pad
Exposed copper area on a board where a component lead or terminal is soldered.
Refdes
Reference designator: the label such as R12 or U3 that names one part on the schematic, board and BOM.
Fiducial
Small bare copper target on a board or panel that machine vision uses to locate it precisely.
Dead bug
Mounting an IC upside down with its legs in the air and wiring straight to the pins, like an insect on its back.