Copper Pour Board Edge Clearance

Making PCB Layouts, Manual routing, Auto-routing, Copper pouring, Updating from Schematic, Manufacturing Output
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guitardenver
Posts: 10
Joined: 14 Feb 2018, 04:10

Copper Pour Board Edge Clearance

#1 Post by guitardenver » 28 Jul 2022, 04:58

All,

I would like to make a copper pour that does not take up the entire PCB. So using the "Depending on Board" setting will not work. But I also would like the copper pour to maintain a certain clearance from the PCB edge. I can't seem to find a setting that allows you to have a Boarder Clearance on a custom copper pour shape. I would really not like to manually draw the pour along the complex PCB boarder shape. I would like the software to take care of that for me like when you use "Depending on Board".

I can't change the "Clearance", as that does not seem to affect the board edge clearance, just everything else.

Is there a way to do this?

Tomg
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Posts: 2028
Joined: 20 Jun 2015, 07:39

Re: Copper Pour Board Edge Clearance

#2 Post by Tomg » 28 Jul 2022, 08:37

Is there a way to do this?
I don't think an easy and practical way exists at the moment. (Could be wrong, of course.) Try the following tedious workaround...

1) Under the [Border] tab of the Copper Pour Properties dialog window enable the [x]Depending on Board option, specify the desired Border Clearance value and click on OK. Obviously, this will paint the entire board (don't panic).
2) Manually trim the copper pour outline to keep it out of the "forbidden zone" by adding/deleting/moving its border points. Be careful not to re-enable the pour's [ ]Depending on Board option or you will have to trim it again.
3) Update all copper pours. This should repaint the copper pour while keeping it out of the "forbidden zone".

It probably won't help you feel any better, but here is a link to a related feature request submitted over 2 years ago for something that I think may have provided an easy solution to this problem - viewtopic.php?f=8&t=13472&p=28701
Tom

guitardenver
Posts: 10
Joined: 14 Feb 2018, 04:10

Re: Copper Pour Board Edge Clearance

#3 Post by guitardenver » 28 Jul 2022, 17:32

Thanks Tomg. That sounds like a better way than manually going along the board edge. I'll give it try!

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