Eagle pcb is not showing separated ground planes as unrouted ! - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: nour
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 13, 2016, 02:07:29 pm
content: I am not sure if the title is describing my problem but here what I have on my hands.I have just mastered the basic functionality in Eagle 7.4 and I am working on a design for TB6600 bipolar stepper motor driver.When I applied ground plane on the working area, the result was isolated areas from the ground and eagle is not showing them as unrouted!!!Here in the attached image, The light blue areas supposed to be the ground plane but there is some planes that are totally isolated and Eagle doesn't show them as unrouted!Why is this happening and how to force eagle to avoid this or to force it to show them as unrouted?

author: Monkeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 13, 2016, 02:29:16 pm
content: And how do you expect the copper to get there?

author: nour
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 13, 2016, 02:31:35 pm
content: HI,I am not expecting it to reach there, I just want the software to declare it as unroutedI have tried to use auto routing but after finished, the result is still the same !!

author: Monkeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 13, 2016, 02:33:56 pm
content: There's nothing there to route to, that's the point.You're asking it to fill the area of the polygon with copper connected to a net. There are no pads or vias connected to that net in those areas, and the clearances disallow copper squeezing through gaps to get there, therefore there can be no copper there connected to the net. Nothing is unrouted, you have not performed a routing operation.If you really, truly want a load of floating copper on your board to give you hell, feel free to tick 'Orphans'. You don't want that, though.

author: nour
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 13, 2016, 02:45:15 pm
content: I don't understand, why it is not telling me there is still some places that are not connected to the ground , I don't want it to squeeze anything, I just want to know how to make it aware that those point is not connected to the ground !!!

author: Monkeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 13, 2016, 02:48:40 pm
content: Oh, I see what you're talking about, you have islands already.Do you have orphans turned on? Because there's nothing at all to cause that right hand pour otherwise.Plan your grounds, don't just rely on a polygon connecting everything and the tool telling you it's fine.

author: nour
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 13, 2016, 03:03:46 pm
content: I have orphans turned off, I don't want copper on the pcb that is not connecting to anything!!Quote from: Monkeh on September 13, 2016, 02:48:40 pmWhat do you mean? if the tool is not telling me it is not connected even it is on the schematic, wouldn't that considered as a bug in the software.I am sure there is something that I miss in the rules of the design, after all this is my first time using eagle, I haven't designed any pcb in years!

author: Monkeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 13, 2016, 03:07:20 pm
content: Quote from: nour on September 13, 2016, 03:03:46 pmSo how is it getting to those right pours? It is not showing any connection to any pads.QuoteWhat is there for it to connect to?All I can see is a bunch of random pads with no context, and no indication any of them are meant to be connected to that pour.It will only pour a net connected polygon with orphans off if there is a point for it to connect to. I cannot see that point.. nor can I see any silkscreen, board edges, top layer, or anything else to give clues.

author: nour
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 13, 2016, 03:45:58 pm
content: Eagle files in the attachmentsthanks

author: Monkeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 13, 2016, 03:52:18 pm
content: ..For starters you have ground airwires hidden. Type 'RAT *' to unhide all airwires.Just to make it more fun, you haven't actually connected half of your 'ground' to the ground net..And on top of all that,yesyoudohave orphans turned on.

author: nour
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 13, 2016, 04:00:29 pm
content: ok, now we are talking,First of all I don't have the orphans turned on (there is no check mark in the orphans checkbox)What is airwires ?I don't know anything about it, after executing the command "RAT *" it showed up all the unrouted grounds !!! so that's very nice but I need to know what is airwires

author: Monkeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 13, 2016, 04:03:56 pm
content: Quote from: nour on September 13, 2016, 04:00:29 pmOpen the properties dialogue on your polygon and tell me that again. In the files you just uploaded, you most certainly do.Quote.. airwires are what you are looking at. 'unrouted'. You hid them. Again, see the properties dialogue for your polygon..

author: nour
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 13, 2016, 04:21:34 pm
content: I have opened the attached files and guess whatit is checked, I really don't know why, my current working copy is not checkedEven the original image in the very first post on this topic shows that the orphans are not there, right?oh by the way I just have noticed, there is a separate sub forum here that is just for CAD software

author: Monkeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 13, 2016, 04:26:43 pm
content: Quote from: nour on September 13, 2016, 04:21:34 pmNow I can see pads, I can see there are some inside the pour. With what the image shows, you can't tell that.

author: 2N3055
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 13, 2016, 04:36:14 pm
content: Problem is that that all the schematic has all pins that are supposed to be connected to ground connected to Net $23, not the GND net...Only thing connected to the GND is copper pour..

author: nour
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 13, 2016, 04:45:04 pm
content: Quote from: 2N3055 on September 13, 2016, 04:36:14 pmHow did you figure that out?What is the procedure that you have taken to inspect the schematic and get this result?

author: 2N3055
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 13, 2016, 04:54:18 pm
content: The info function, upper left of the toolbar... click on unconnected pads and it will show you details..You have to merge $23 and GND and it should be ok...