Creating a ground plane

"Harry H. Arends" <info@time-tech.eu> wrote in message

news:hj9ail$3p3$1@cheetah.cadsoft.de...

I have finished creating the board layout except all the GND wires.

What I want is that all the free place on the board will be part of the

GND ground plane.

How should I do that?

Draw a polygon around the edges of the board. Then name it "gnd". Press

ratsnest to fill it.

"Morten Leikvoll" <mleikvol@yahoo.nospam> schreef in bericht

news:hj9b64$6ef$1@cheetah.cadsoft.de...

"Harry H. Arends" <info@time-tech.eu> wrote in message

news:hj9ail$3p3$1@cheetah.cadsoft.de...

I have finished creating the board layout except all the GND wires.

What I want is that all the free place on the board will be part of the

GND ground plane.

How should I do that?

 

Draw a polygon around the edges of the board. Then name it "gnd". Press

ratsnest to fill it.

 

That works, but where do I determinate the distance between the polygon and

its surrounding tracks and pads.

If I draw a polygon around text will it leave that area not filled?

"Harry H. Arends" <info@time-tech.eu> wrote in message

news:hj9dsa$hon$1@cheetah.cadsoft.de...

That works, but where do I determinate the distance between the polygon

and its surrounding tracks and pads.

If I draw a polygon around text will it leave that area not filled?

Global settings is in the DRC window (clearance tab, wire-via/ wire-wire

number (Polygon is a wire-fill)). Rerun ratsnest after changing DRC

settings.

If you need a bigger clearance for a single polygon, look in the polygon

properties. Here you can select isolate, but it has to be greater than DRC

clearance setting, orelse DRC settings will be used.

Read help/manual a bit on polygons. There are other issues you need to know

about if you have overlapping polygons, and wire width of polygons also

matter in how it is filled.

"Morten Leikvoll" <mleikvol@yahoo.nospam> schreef in bericht

news:hj9ial$81r$1@cheetah.cadsoft.de...

 

"Harry H. Arends" <info@time-tech.eu> wrote in message

news:hj9dsa$hon$1@cheetah.cadsoft.de...

That works, but where do I determinate the distance between the polygon

and its surrounding tracks and pads.

If I draw a polygon around text will it leave that area not filled?

 

Global settings is in the DRC window (clearance tab, wire-via/ wire-wire

number (Polygon is a wire-fill)). Rerun ratsnest after changing DRC

settings.

If you need a bigger clearance for a single polygon, look in the polygon

properties. Here you can select isolate, but it has to be greater than DRC

clearance setting, orelse DRC settings will be used.

Read help/manual a bit on polygons. There are other issues you need to

know about if you have overlapping polygons, and wire width of polygons

also matter in how it is filled.

 

Next problem, I have text on the bottom where the ground plane should come.

How can I create a clear rectangle around that text. If I create a poly

around the board the text is still there but completely enclosed.

Harry H. Arends wrote:

"Morten Leikvoll" <mleikvol@yahoo.nospam> schreef in bericht

news:hj9ial$81r$1@cheetah.cadsoft.de...

 

"Harry H. Arends" <info@time-tech.eu> wrote in message

news:hj9dsa$hon$1@cheetah.cadsoft.de...

That works, but where do I determinate the distance between the

polygon and its surrounding tracks and pads.

If I draw a polygon around text will it leave that area not filled?

 

Global settings is in the DRC window (clearance tab, wire-via/

wire-wire number (Polygon is a wire-fill)). Rerun ratsnest after

changing DRC settings.

If you need a bigger clearance for a single polygon, look in the

polygon properties. Here you can select isolate, but it has to be

greater than DRC clearance setting, orelse DRC settings will be used.

Read help/manual a bit on polygons. There are other issues you need to

know about if you have overlapping polygons, and wire width of

polygons also matter in how it is filled.

 

Next problem, I have text on the bottom where the ground plane should come.

How can I create a clear rectangle around that text. If I create a poly

around the board the text is still there but completely enclosed.

It depends on what layer you put the text in and how your CAM job

outputs.    If the layer that the text is in is output as part of the

bottom silkscreen then it will not interfere w/ the pour since the

silkscreen will be printed on top of the metalization.

If you are trying to put text into the same layer as the ground pour

then the letters in the text will automatically be isolated from the

plane just like vias, pads, etc.

On 01/21/2010 10:39 AM, Jim Littlefield wrote:

Harry H. Arends wrote:

"Morten Leikvoll" <mleikvol@yahoo.nospam> schreef in bericht

news:hj9ial$81r$1@cheetah.cadsoft.de...

Next problem, I have text on the bottom where the ground plane should

come.

How can I create a clear rectangle around that text. If I create a

poly around the board the text is still there but completely enclosed.

 

It depends on what layer you put the text in and how your CAM job

outputs.    If the layer that the text is in is output as part of the

bottom silkscreen then it will not interfere w/ the pour since the

silkscreen will be printed on top of the metalization.

 

If you are trying to put text into the same layer as the ground pour

then the letters in the text will automatically be isolated from the

plane just like vias, pads, etc.

If you want a nice rectangle around the text, you can draw draw a

rectangle on the bRestrict layer that encloses the area occupied by the

text to prevent the copper pour from filling that area.  This will

produce DRC errors since the text itself is within the bRestrict area.

Once these errors are marked as approved DRC will not bother you again.

Enjoy,

    - Chuck

or you can put the letters (vector font) into the bRestrict layer and

they will be copper free in the poly.

"Harry H. Arends" <info@time-tech.eu> wrote in message

news:hj9s3i$s5g$1@cheetah.cadsoft.de...

Next problem, I have text on the bottom where the ground plane should

come.

How can I create a clear rectangle around that text. If I create a poly

around the board the text is still there but completely enclosed.

This is a bit different from porpotional fonts and vector fonts.

Propotional fonts seem to make a nice square window, but that only shows up

if you print (not plot) the layer.

Vector fonts does add spacing around the text, but not in a window. You can

draw a square (using wires) in the restrict layer close around the text. You

may get fills inside it if the window is much bigger than the text and

orhphans=on on the polygon. Play with it a bit and do ratsnest each time to

change something.

"Morten Leikvoll" <mleikvol@yahoo.nospam> schreef in bericht

news:hjc7bi$baa$1@cheetah.cadsoft.de...

"Harry H. Arends" <info@time-tech.eu> wrote in message

news:hj9s3i$s5g$1@cheetah.cadsoft.de...

Next problem, I have text on the bottom where the ground plane should

come.

How can I create a clear rectangle around that text. If I create a poly

around the board the text is still there but completely enclosed.

 

This is a bit different from porpotional fonts and vector fonts.

Propotional fonts seem to make a nice square window, but that only shows

up if you print (not plot) the layer.

Vector fonts does add spacing around the text, but not in a window. You

can draw a square (using wires) in the restrict layer close around the

text. You may get fills inside it if the window is much bigger than the

text and orhphans=on on the polygon. Play with it a bit and do ratsnest

each time to change something.

 

Solved the problem by placing a restrict on the text that is slightly

smaller.

After a ratnest it places a nice square around the text.