Re: gEDA-user: Connect vias to ground plane with no thermal

[Xtian Xultz <xultz@ig.com.br>]

On Wed, 14 Apr 2004 21:50:56 -0500
Darrell Harmon <mail@dlharmon.com> wrote:

> I am currently in the process of designing a single board computer using 
> gschem and pcb.  The board will be  4 layer with  ground and power 
> planes inside and signals outside.  Since it contains mostly surface 
> mount parts with a short trace to the via, I would like to be able to 
> directly connect a via to the ground plane.  Does anyone know if this is 
> possible?  I have found how to turn off thermals for the entire ground 
> plane, but this shorts it to other vias like 3.3V.  I could do this with 
> the commercial package I had been using before (Cadsoft  Eagle).
> 
> When I get done I plan on putting all of the files on my website under 
> the GPL so anyone can build one.  It is based on the Atmel AT91RM9200 
> and has 32MB SDRAM, a compact flash socket, 10/100 ethernet, USB, serial 
> ports and a FPGA.
> 
> Thanks to everyone involved it the gEDA and pcb projects.  This project 
> would not have been possible without them.  There is very little I have 
> found gEDA and pcb could not do.  Better support for buses in gschem 
> would be nice, but that is all I can think of.
> 
When I want to put a via or pin direct in contact with a poligon, I do as follow:
1- Place the via where I want
2- Draw the rectangle if it is not drawed
3- Draw a little line, with, for example, 50 mils of lenght
4- Increase the line, with S key until it becomes bigger than the via. For example, 
if the via have a dimension of 50 mils (the diameter of the copper circle) I made
the via with at least 54 mils thick
5- Move the line over the via, making the via to be in the center of the line.
6- Join the line to the rectangle with the J key.
It is!!!! The via is joined with the rectangle.