Moving component adds new point to trace. How to stop this?

Making PCB Layouts, Manual routing, Auto-routing, Copper pouring, Updating from Schematic, Manufacturing Output
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bird
Posts: 70
Joined: 01 Feb 2016, 14:26
Location: TN, USA

Moving component adds new point to trace. How to stop this?

#1 Post by bird » 04 Feb 2023, 11:15

While tracing manually , moving a component adds a new point to it's trace whence adding a new segment to the trace, seemingly to preserve the original trace segment from changing. So every time after moving components I have to delete those added points to maintain a direct trace between the pads. Adds lots of time to the tracing process. Can this "feature" be stopped? Is it possible to move components while direct pad-to-pad traces stay as a single direct segment?

Tomg
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Joined: 20 Jun 2015, 07:39

Re: Moving component adds new point to trace. How to stop this?

#2 Post by Tomg » 04 Feb 2023, 16:41

Are you using the "Free Line" mode to route a straight trace between two components and wondering why it does not behave like a rubber band when the destination component is moved up/down?
Tom

bird
Posts: 70
Joined: 01 Feb 2016, 14:26
Location: TN, USA

Re: Moving component adds new point to trace. How to stop this?

#3 Post by bird » 04 Feb 2023, 18:16

Tom, please explain where do we get a "rubber band" for manual routing ? I don't see it anywhere. When I start manual routing , left panel always shows "free line"... that's how it was for all my years living with DT ...

Tomg
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Joined: 20 Jun 2015, 07:39

Re: Moving component adds new point to trace. How to stop this?

#4 Post by Tomg » 05 Feb 2023, 03:03

There is no "rubber band" mode as far as I know (DipTrace v4.3.0.4). Reading your initial post gave me the impression you want that behavior when moving components.

When launching the manual router a "Routing" panel will appear on the left side of the screen. The "Routing" panel will allow you to select the desired mode group that will determine which modes can be cycled through during the routing process. Enabling the [x]All Segments option will make all modes available. Enabling the [x]My Routing Mode option allows the user to set up a group of preferred routing modes as shown in the following example...
rm1.png
rm1.png (20.49 KiB) Viewed 598 times
To cycle through the selected routing modes the user must be in the middle of routing a trace, then the [Space] bar can be used to cycle through them.

Generally, 45/90 angles are the accepted norm for most routing situations and I presume that is the reason DipTrace behaves the way it does.
rm3.png
rm3.png (13.68 KiB) Viewed 570 times
As you may have already discovered, to eliminate unwanted segments after moving a component you need to enable the "Free Trace Editing" mode, then delete any unwanted nodes (right-click on the node > Delete Node). Deleting an unwanted node (the junction point between two segments) will straighten out the trace to give it the direct path you seek.

Naturally, all of this assumes that I correctly understood your questions.

p.s. Curiously, after completing a straight (Free Line) trace, moving the destination component (C2 in the example above) will generate new segments. However, moving the originating component (C1 in the example above) will maintain the straight (Free Line) trace without generating new segments - most of the time.
Tom

bird
Posts: 70
Joined: 01 Feb 2016, 14:26
Location: TN, USA

Re: Moving component adds new point to trace. How to stop this?

#5 Post by bird » 05 Feb 2023, 14:11

Thank you Tom. Indeed this was my question. I intuitively expected the "rubber band" behavior had to be somewhere but I just didn't find it , whence used "free line" and then deleting the newly popped up nodes... kind of annoying and time consuming. I guess I don't have a choice in this...
I confirm that I also noticed that sometimes new nodes pop up, sometimes don't and I could not find the consistent logic in the different behavior.
In 90/45 mode though seems moving the components does not create new nodes.
Thanks again.
Vlad

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