The Ground-Plane function

This function fills unused areas of a layout with copper automatically. This accelerates the corroding process and saves corroding material. You may also use this function to create a screen for HF-boards. Please consider that the function creates an area that is NOT connected to any signal of the board. So you may have to connect the area to GND yourself, if necessary.

 

The function "Ground-Plane” is available for both sides of a board. To activate/deactivate the ground plane, click to the corresponding button on the bottom of the editor:

The function Ground-Plane is now activated and will be displayed in your layout.

You may turn on/off the ground plane whenever you like, without any loss of information.

 

You may adjust the distance between ground plane and existing tracks, pads and other elements. The distance is adjustable for each individual element of the layout with the input field on the right of the ground plane button (only visible if ground plane is activated). Therefore select some elements first.

 

Simply enter a new distance value and all selected elements change their distance from the ground plane. New elements use the current distance value.

 

A distance of 0 contacts the selected elements to the ground plane!

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Restricted areas

You can create restricted areas on your layout. These areas will not be filled by the ground-plane function.

To create a restricted area, please click on the hatched button below the edit-field for the distance. Now you can create one ore more restricted areas on your layout. The drawing of restricted areas is absolut identical with the drawing of normal zones. You can edit the restricted areas just like normal zones, by moving and editing the corners of the area.

Caution:

Depending on the distance between tracks and pads, the auto-generation of a ground plane may lead to narrow copper areas. In worst case the copper could detach from the basic material and cause shortcuts or narrow connections may not "survive” the corroding process.

Figure: Narrow copper area between tracks.

 

Please check your layout carefully when using the ground plane function. To avoid narrow copper areas move tracks to another position, change the distance to the ground plane or use restricted areas.