Hello. I’m relatively new to the world of manufacturing my own PCBs. So far, I’ve enjoy the process, but am seeking some particular advice to improve my understanding and skill level.
I draw my schematics and lay out my board in CadSoft EAGLE (verson 5.2.0), and haven’t yet added a ground plane to my boards.
I’m curious what the best way to add a ground plane. Specifically: (1) what is the fastest or best way to add the ground plane? (does it have to be done by hand, or is there any kind of “automatic” features), (2) how do I connect the plane to my ground pins? (right now I just connect all ground pins using the “net” tool.
Any advice will be appreciated. If anyone knows about good tutorials about adding ground planes, I’d appreciate if you’d provide the link.
draw a rectangle around the entire board (don’t worry if it’s too big)
make sure to close it.
select the name tool, click on an edge of the polygon, name it GND (or what ever you are calling ground).
hit ratsnest
that’s it. pretty simple. All your ground connections will automatically connect to it. I generally put one on both the top and bottom of a board. It good for reducing noise but it also makes routing a lot easier.
draw a rectangle around the entire board (don’t worry if it’s too big)
make sure to close it.
select the name tool, click on an edge of the polygon, name it GND (or what ever you are calling ground).
hit ratsnest
that’s it. pretty simple. All your ground connections will automatically connect to it. I generally put one on both the top and bottom of a board. It good for reducing noise but it also makes routing a lot easier.