Checking unconnected copper in PCB Design - Dashboard Guide

Dashboard Mode - Checking unconnected copper

Goal

Find and analyze unconnected copper areas on a PCB to improve design quality and reduce manufacturing issues.

Sample Data

Area ID	Layer	Size (mm²)	Connected	Net Name
1	Top	15	Yes	GND
2	Top	8	No	None
3	Bottom	20	Yes	VCC
4	Bottom	5	No	None
5	Inner1	12	No	None
6	Inner2	25	Yes	GND
7	Top	3	No	None

Dashboard Components

• KPI Card: Total Unconnected Copper Areas
  Formula: COUNTROWS(FILTER(Data, Data[Connected] = "No"))
  Result: 4
• KPI Card: Total Unconnected Copper Area Size (mm²)
  Formula: SUMX(FILTER(Data, Data[Connected] = "No"), Data["Size (mm²)"])
  Result: 28
• Bar Chart: Unconnected Copper Area Size by Layer
  Formula: SUM of Size (mm²) grouped by Layer where Connected = "No"
  Data:
  • Top: 11 mm² (8 + 3)
  • Bottom: 5 mm²
  • Inner1: 12 mm²
• Table: Details of Unconnected Copper Areas
  Columns: Area ID, Layer, Size (mm²)
  Filtered where Connected = "No"
  Rows:
  • 2, Top, 8
  • 4, Bottom, 5
  • 5, Inner1, 12
  • 7, Top, 3

Dashboard Layout

+----------------------+-----------------------+
| Total Unconnected    | Total Unconnected     |
| Copper Areas (KPI)   | Copper Area Size (KPI)|
|         [4]          |        [28 mm²]       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+
|          Bar Chart: Unconnected Copper Area Size by Layer          |
|                         (Grouped by Layer)                        |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                      Table: Unconnected Copper Areas              |
|          (Area ID, Layer, Size) with 4 rows shown                 |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+

Interactivity

A filter for Layer allows selecting one or multiple layers (e.g., Top, Bottom, Inner1, Inner2). When a layer is selected, all components update to show only unconnected copper areas on those layers. For example, selecting "Top" updates the KPIs, bar chart, and table to show only unconnected copper areas on the Top layer.

Self Check

If you add a filter for Layer = Top, which components update and what are their new values?

• Total Unconnected Copper Areas: Updates to 2 (Area IDs 2 and 7)
• Total Unconnected Copper Area Size: Updates to 11 mm² (8 + 3)
• Bar Chart: Shows only Top layer with 11 mm²
• Table: Shows only Area IDs 2 and 7 with sizes 8 and 3 mm²

Key Result

Dashboard shows unconnected copper areas on PCB layers with counts, sizes, and details to help identify design issues.