so i’m doing a 2-layer board with a large VCC pour on the top and a large GND pour on the bottom. I have to run some long traces along the bottom layer. Would it be a good idea to “jump” these long traces or does it not matter?
This is what i mean:
This is really about the ground return currents for other signals on the PCB, since the ground return path for the track shown would still be quite close to the signal line.
It is normally best to keep the bottom layer on a 2-layer PCB as a groundplane, and break it as little as possible. I would suggest moving the track in question to the top layer as much as possible, even if you need to use more vias to jump over other tracks.
If you really can’t do this, your suggestion of a “jump” track would be much better than nothing, and such “jump” tracks should ideally be located near any tracks on the top layer that have to pass over the break in the groundplane.
MichaelN:
This is really about the ground return currents for other signals on the PCB
yeah, that’s why i asked. My ground plane is mostly unbroken. I managed to get most of it on the top layer but there are a few places where i just didn’t have a choice. thanks 