Re: gEDA-user: PCB: ground network common practice newbie question

[sdb@xxxxxxxxxx (Stuart Brorson)]

> 
> Hi, list,
>   For two sided boards, Is it common practice not to draw any ground
> lines, but to rely on the polygons to connect all grounds as the final
> stage of pcb drawing?

For simple boards, I just draw one big rectangle as a GND plane.
Don't forget to draw a single track inside the GND plane if you want a
positive plane layer when you create the Gerbers.

I am less certain how PCB treats multiple connected polys when you are
trying to define a GND region.  In any event, make sure you carefully
inspect your Gerbers with a separate Gerber viewer  after layout.  I
have been bitten by PCB doing funny things with GND planes.
Inspecting your GND planes using two different Gerber viewers
(e.g. gerbv and GCPrevue) is not a bad idea.

>   Another quesion. If you draw big polygons to fill any empty space
> with ground copper on the the board, how do you deal with the pieces
> of copper that are not connected (debris?)? For example, those in
> between lines.

It depends upon what you want to do.  If they are large areas, why not
stick a few vias in them and connect them to GND?  Otherwise, just
delete them.  (Are you saying PCB won't delete the fragments without
deleting the whole poly?  If so, that's kind of a bug. . . . . .)

Stuart