> -----Original Message----- > From: Laurie Biddulph [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Monday, October 27, 2003 6:20 AM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: [PEDA] Joining nets > > > We have a pcb that has both analog and digital circuits and > consequently we have assigned a ground to each type (AGND and > DGND). I need to join both of these to a common point on the > pcb which is the power supply circuit common (GND). How do I > join these three nets without using a wire link or other > connecting component - ie I would like to tie all three nets > together on the schematic and pcb.
I have attached some messages from the archives below including some links to yahoo groups that have some files there which will help you. As a point of interest, DXP supports this as a standard feature called 'net ties' If it is a feature high on your wish list then DXP may benefit you and it would be worth downloading the DXP user manual have a read at your leisure. Best Regards John A. Ross RSD Communications ltd Email [EMAIL PROTECTED] WWW http://www.rsd.tv ================================== > -----Original Message----- > From: Abd ul-Rahman Lomax [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Monday, July 16, 2001 1:38 AM > To: Protel EDA Forum > Subject: [PEDA] Connecting grounds / virtual short > > > Because the question frequently arises of how to connect two or more > grounds while maintain DRC and the separation of the grounds > except at a > single point, and because the instructions as to how to do > this can be > misinterpreted, I have uploaded to the protel-user filespace > a PCB file > with two virtual short footprints in it, two grounds which > are shorted by > the footprints, and a Design Rule which allows the close > proximity which is > the key to this method. The gap is 2 microinches and the > design rule allows > 1 microinch for that footprint. > > The file is in the filespace at > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/protel-users/files/ and the direct URL for file download is http://groups.yahoo.com/group/protel-users/files/virtual_short.zip [EMAIL PROTECTED] Abdulrahman Lomax P.O. Box 690 El Verano, CA 95433 > -----Original Message----- > From: Abd ul-Rahman Lomax [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Friday, 22 February 2002 5:08 AM > To: Protel EDA Forum > Subject: Re: [PEDA] Tie compoents(Ex: RF footprints) > > > At 01:10 PM 2/21/2002 +1100, Ian Wilson wrote: > >There are a few workarounds. The one that I think is most > >documentable but sometimes subject to Gerbering issues is the Lomax > >Virtual Short. > > Note that Lomax himself now considers as at least equally satisfactory > the use of mech layer shorts merged in the gerbers through CAM Manager > definitions (which can be named, helping with documentation for future > generations), the shorts being part of a special jumper > component, just as > with the virtual short. > > Note that Schematic control of the short is a very important part of > any solution. Schemes which do not automatically create and separate > nets except at one point, the visible and controllable short between > nets, do not satisfy this criterion; specifically this would be an > argument against the modification of split planes as some have used. > > >Basic method: make a really small gap between two small pads (0.1 > >mil), give each pad a name and then create a special clearance design > >rule to allow such a small gap between these pads. Issues to watch > >for > are gerber > >rounding and aperture matching. So set a tight apt matching > tolerance and > >set gerber to include more than the standard 3 decimal figures. > > It is best if the pads in question are part of a jumper which appears > on the schematic; the whole process becomes automatic at that point. > Want a single-point ground? Put a single-point ground jumper on the > schematic. With the virtual short you will need to set a design rule > allowing the pads of that component to be so close to each other; with > the mech layer solution, you still need to set up a special gerber > definition and, preferably, to name the mech layer or layers used > appropriately. > > The gap should be smaller than 0.1 mil in my opinion. I've used 0.002 > or 0.004 mil. Protel can get a little flaky in the sub-mil region, so > one may need to experiment (examples have been given in the past of > sizes and definitions known to work). > > PCAD has tienet polygons. I consider that solution, as far as I > understand it, as inferior to either of the workarounds we have at > present. > > I've described in the past various alternatives, I think, as to how > Protel could make this a directly accessible feature, instead of > merely a workaround. Instead of going down that road again, I'll just > state what I consider desireable. > > I want to place a symbol on a schematic; it may have any number of > pins, and these pins will be kept separate for netlist generation. > However, the footprint which is associated with this symbol may have > pads which are shorted together without creating any DRC error. > > This, I think, would actually be quite simple to implement, it is > really only a little jiggering with the DRC routines. Perhaps the > routines would recognize something about the name of the symbol, in > the type field perhaps, since that is fixed to be generated from the > symbol name, which allows shorts between the nets of the pads to take > place within the pad areas, whether by the pads themselves shorting or > by track connected to the pads (provided that they only short within > the pad area, not anywhere else). No special rule should be needed, > because it is extra work to create > such a rule and errors may take place during that. More than one name > should be possible for this symbol, so perhaps the name would have a > controlled prefix, such as PCBSHORT. > > Protel support is distinct from Protel engineering. While we would > wish that support personnel would read and be familiar with this list, > I don't think that they are at this time. I might be wrong about that, > at least with regard to some. I've many times said that it is > completely natural and to be expected that this list can provide > better support than Protel; I would suggest, in fact, that Protel > abandon much of its direct support and > direct the funds freed up by this to software maintenance and > development. > Basically, issues that were not resolved quickly on this list > would then be > referred to support personnel, who would be very closely connected to > engineering. > > This list generally answers questions more quickly than Protel support > could possibly manage unless they were to throw a *lot* of money into > the effort. And that would be silly. > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Abdulrahman Lomax > Easthampton, Massachusetts USA > -----Original Message----- > From: Abd ul-Rahman Lomax [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Monday, December 16, 2002 7:03 PM > To: Protel EDA Forum > Subject: Re: [PEDA] Virtual Short > > > Mr. Wilson has ably answered the questions, I have a little to add. > > At 08:26 PM 12/15/2002, you wrote: > >On 08:44 PM 15/12/2002 -0400, Tim Fifield said: > >>Can anyone explain the Lomax virtual short used for a GND > neck and how > >>it would be used on an internal layer with 2 polygon > planes? Can this > >>be used to result in no DRC violations? Also how do I keep > the planes > >>say 10 or 20 mil apart if allow for them to be much closer in the > >>design rules for the virtual short? > > > >Consider making the shorting neck a component. Then you can > apply the > >tiny clearance rule to just this component. > > I *highly* recommmend making the short a component, because > then short > becomes schematic-controlled and self-documenting. You or a > future designer > can't forget about it without deleting the component from the > schematic. > (There is a device for keeping the component from appearing > on the BOM, as > I recall one simply leaves the TYPE field empty. The same > device is used > for grounded mounting holes, for example.) > > >Or you could position two rectangular pads close together, > giving them > >suitable names. Then you can restrict the micro-clearance > to just these > >named pads. Then track your neck in and out of these pads > as you wish. > > This would work, but I see no good reason to avoid using a netlisted > component. It is "set and forget." > > >The general poly clearance is then preserved. > > Either way. It is simplest, however, to set up a component > scope clearance > rule. Note that pad sizes and shapes should be such that the > connecting > tracks do not create a clearance violation in themselves. > > >>Should the board house be made aware of the virtual short > so they do > >>not remove the neck? > > > >Yes. > > The one known problem with the so-called Lomax virtual short > is that gerber > generation under some conditions can break through the > multiple defenses > against open copper, which, when combined with an eager > fabricator's desire > to "fix" problems without consulting, can cause an open. So, > yes, if you > are going to use this technique, telling the fabricator can't > hurt. "the > two pads of JP27 are to be shorted together, not isolated." > > Or one can use a different technique which I have myself come > to favor: > > Create an n-pin shorting component and place it on the > schematic. (n is the > number of nets to be shorted together at a single location, > as with a star > ground). The footprint for this component has n pads with > normal clearance. > On a dedicated mechanical layer, add track to the footprint > which shorts > the pads. Name this layer "shorting_jumpers". So when the > footprint is > called up it will automatically carry with it the shorts; but > the shorts > will not be seen by DRC as being copper. > > Then remove one of the copper layers from the regular gerber plot > definitions and create a special plot definition for that > layer; merge plot > the shorting_jumpers layer with that copper layer. I > recommend using an > outer layer (Top or Bottom) because it becomes possible to > cut the short > for test purposes. The pads for the same reason should be > through-hole pads > if possible; I'd use Berg pins/shorts for the flexibility of > being able to > add a regular shorting jumper during development. > > One of the beauties of Protel 99SE was the provision of > multiple gerber > set-ups, all of which can be generated simultaneously with a single > command. This is also useful, for example, with making > assembly drawings or > other drawings with format, where different mechanical layers > are merged > than one might use for, say, the fabrication films, where > full drawing > format is an expensive and useless addition. > > The "virtual short" was invented before we were given the special > plot-setup facilities.... > > PCAD has a device called a tie polygon, which is a polygon > with multiple > net assignments. However, this is an inferior solution, in my > view, to > either of the above, unless perhaps the tie polygon can be > made part of a > footprint and thus provides the same kind of automatic > schematic-driven > control as these two techniques. > * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * To post a message: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] * * To leave this list visit: * http://www.techservinc.com/protelusers/leave.html * * Contact the list manager: * mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] * * Forum Guidelines Rules: * http://www.techservinc.com/protelusers/forumrules.html * * Browse or Search previous postings: * http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
