Re: gEDA-user: Calculating component area verses available board area?

[David SMITH <dave.smith@xxxxxx>]

Can't help on the direct question, but...

On Tue, Dec 01, 2009 at 10:06:56AM -0500, Bob Paddock wrote:
> In PCB is there a way to get a sum of all of the component
> footprint/silk areas, so that the sum can be compared to the available
> board surface area?
> 
> Board surface needs to account for any keep-outs where components
> can not be place.  May or may not want to count both sides of the board.
> 
> Boss is telling me to put 230 parts on a board that I think
> I can put 175.  That is not even accounting for space for actual
> traces and vias.  I'm looking for object numbers to inflict on him.

Tell him that if he thinks he can do better, then he's welcome to
demonstrate how to do it... :-)

> This happens often enough that I want it to be an automated process.

I would worry that the utilisation (as we call it in the digital ASIC
industry) would be too blunt a measure, and that you'd potentially be
setting yourself up for future problems.

  "You did the last board at 80% utilisation, so why can't you do this
  one which is only 70%?"

-- 
David Smith            Work Email: Dave.Smith@xxxxxx
STMicroelectronics     Home Email: David.Smith@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Bristol, England          GPG Key: 0xF13192F2


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