Ground plane for Circle PCB

[VE_Mohamed]

Hello,

I used Board shape > Outline Circle to create a circle PCB.

Now I need to have a Ground plane. With a rectangular PCB, I can right click the outline and select Convert to Polygon, then pour that polygon. In a circular outline, I can't find convert to polygon option, so how can I do it? 

Thanks

Mohamed

[jorge_garcia · Accepted solution]

Hi @VE_Mohamed,

I hope you're doing well. So the issue here is that the circle doesn't support the Convert to Polygon command. The recommended work around is to use 2 arcs to draw the circle. Then you'll be able to use the Conver to Poly command.

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

Best Regards,

[VE_Mohamed]

Thanks Jorge, that solved the problem.

Another quick question, when doing the pour, how to make it fill the whole outline without leaving this guard area at the edge?

Thanks.

Mohamed

[VE_Mohamed]

[jorge_garcia · Accepted solution]

Hi @VE_Mohamed,

I hope this message finds you well. Go into the DRC > Distances Tab> Copper/Dimension and lower the value.

If you make it zero it will fill to the edge of the board. Keep in mind that this is generally not recommended because when the boards gets separated that copper on the edge can be exposed. If you use the board in a metal enclosure where the board can come in contact with the enclosure you can get a short. All that to say, it's always a good idea to have some guard area.

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

Best Regards,

[VE_Mohamed]

Thanks again Jorge. Last one I hope 😅

In the Soldermask, I can see only the SMC copper pads are exposed, while the through hole connector pads are all masked. Why like this?

[jorge_garcia]

Hi @VE_Mohamed ,

I hope you're doing well. What you need to do is draw circles on the TopStopmask and BottomStopmask layers to expose the pads. Anything the Stopmask layers cover will be exposed copper.

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

Best Regards, 

[VE_Mohamed]

Hi Jorge,

In layer 29tStop, you can see circles already there, which is something I already expected, as component footprint is already defined. Why this is not effective in the 3D PCB?

[jorge_garcia · Accepted solution]

Hi @VE_Mohamed,

It might just be that you have changed the colors but what layer are those pads or vias on? Normally I would expect them to be green, so if you didnt change the layer colors then something is off.

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

Best Regards,