Eagle advertises 6 signal layers in standard version.  How do I define non-signal board layer?

Anyone willing to answer?

Hi Bruce,

In the display command you can click the ADD button to add non-signal
layers.

It can also be done from the command line with the LAYER command.

Let me know if there's anything else I can do for you.

Best Regards,
Jorge Garcia

Thank you Jorge. Posted here from official Eagle site.

On 30/04/15 20:25, Bruce Mellen wrote:

It appears Cadsoft has promulgated the concept of Ground and constant

voltages as signals just because it is entered into a field called

Signal Name.

No, they haven't, it's a universally accepted industry norm. You're the

one who's being disingenuous for nefarious purposes.

Bruce Mellen wrote on Thu, 30 April 2015 12:25

It appears Cadsoft has promulgated the concept of Ground and constant

voltages as signals just because it is entered into a field called Signal

Name.  That does not make anything on a dedicated ground plane, a

signal.

You poor kid, you've put a lot of effort into something that didn't turn

out the way you had hoped.  I feel bad for you...

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Web access to CadSoft support forums at www.eaglecentral.ca.  Where the CadSoft EAGLE community meets.

Whomever you are as a Cadsoft Guest, don't accuse me of either.  It is untrue.  You need to be polite.

I disagree it (a ground layer or even another supply layer) is considered a signal by the industry in that it does not carry information.

If Cadsoft wants to be as specific as saying 6 signal layers, and I understand they used to separately offer supply layers, then there should be some accommodation to continue to handle supply layers - which is what I'm asking for.

Signal (electrical engineering)

Hi,

I think two, four and 6-layer PCB layout bundles are pretty standard. In electronic engineering the word 'signal' has a meaning, but in the PCB layout engineering world it is already (for decades?) very clear that software is offered typically licensed in two, four, six and unlimited number of copper layers. Where they are licensed in such a manner (as opposed to pin count for example) I don't think unlimited power planes are available for the 2, 4 and 6 layer offerings. I could be wrong.

Here is a Cadstar page which offers the same number of layers, as does EasyPC for their routing product. These are just two random examples.

Thank you for the further perspective.

I have only been in the PCB Layout engineering world for a couple years and now getting into more than a couple board layers and BGA. 

I obtained the "6 signal layer" license with the expectation of additional "supply layer"s that I saw referenced, since it used the term signal layer rather than copper or board layers.

Bruce Mellen wrote on Thu, 30 April 2015 17:43

I obtained the "6 signal layer" license with the expectation of

additional "supply layer"s that I saw referenced, since it used the term

signal layer rather than copper or board layers.

In all your pedantry, I think you're forgetting one thing.  Just because

you know whether there is a signal on a copper layer doesn't mean that

any CAD software "knows" whether there is a signal or not.  You can add a

signal to something labeled "ground" as well as something labeled "+5V" if

you want.  I don't see how you came up with the assumption that you could

have as many copper layers as you wished as long as you knew there was no

signal on them...

My personal interpretation  of the literature is that CADSOFT provides 6

signal layers as opposed to x number of graphic layers or dimension layers,

etc.  IANAL

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Web access to CadSoft support forums at www.eaglecentral.ca.  Where the CadSoft EAGLE community meets.

Reason: because supply layers have been described out here in addition to the signal layers.  Supply layers, which I understood would accept polygons but not traces.  I apparently misinterpreted, but Eagle could have been (or be) implemented as such:  Not allowing routing of signals on layers other than 6 chosen would effectively limit the software to 6 signal layers and additional desired supply layers (poured power and ground planes) that one can afford to have manufactured.

Bruce Mellen wrote on Thu, 30 April 2015 18:45

I apparently misinterpreted, but Eagle could have been (or be)

implemented as such:  Not allowing routing of signals on layers other

than 6 chosen would effectively limit the software to 6 signal layers and

additional desired supply layers (poured power and ground planes) that

one can afford to have manufactured.

So, if you can afford to have these kinds of multi-layer boards

manufactured, it would seem to me you could afford the ~$800 to upgrade to

the Professional version of EAGLE...

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Web access to CadSoft support forums at www.eaglecentral.ca.  Where the CadSoft EAGLE community meets.

Sadly not.  Perhaps someday with more experience and time, but it is just my very part time semi-retirement hobby that I'm getting into at this point, and a further upgrade is substantially beyond my budget.  I need what funds I have to prototype my experiments.  My experiments/prototypes will now have to experience the consequences of a lack of a pair of ground planes that would have been coupled to high speed routing layers and the power plane in the originally proposed question stackup.  From my reading, an 8 layer board is the first one that can do high speed routing and coupling correctly, while limiting EMI.

Bruce Mellen prodded the keyboard with:

From my reading, an 8 layer board is the

first one that can do high speed routing and coupling correctly,

while limiting EMI.

Prior to retirement, I used to happily use three and four layer boards

at 10 Ghz.

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Best Regards:

                      Baron.

Bruce Mellen prodded the keyboard with:

From my reading, an 8 layer board is the

first one that can do high speed routing and coupling correctly,

while limiting EMI.

Prior to retirement, I used to happily use three and four layer boards

at 10 Ghz.

--

Best Regards:

                      Baron.

My present ambitious goal involves a 1mm pitch 484 ball BGA, ddr3, and some high speed connectors to other  2/4 layer boards that do other things.  I feel the need to minimize all noise possible, given connectors to other things.

Are you still doing anything related - just for fun?

Feel free to contact me directly if more curious.

Bruce Mellen prodded the keyboard with:

My present ambitious goal involves a 1mm pitch 484 ball BGA, ddr3,

and some high speed connectors to other  2/4 layer boards that do

other things.  I feel the need to minimize all noise possible, given

connectors to other things.

With those sort of high density bga you might struggle with 6 layers.

Crosstalk could also be an issue.

Are you still doing anything related - just for fun?

Feel free to contact me directly if more curious.

No. I'm much happier not having to think about circuit design

nowadays.  Wandering around europe is far nicer

Thanks for the invite anyway.

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Best Regards:

                      Baron.