Checking unconnected copper in PCB Design - Real Business Scenario

Scenario Mode

👤 Your Role: You are a PCB design engineer

📋 Request: Your manager wants you to identify and report any unconnected copper areas on the PCB layout to prevent manufacturing defects.

📊 Data: You have the PCB layout data showing copper traces, pads, vias, and component placements with their connectivity information.

🎯 Deliverable: A report and dashboard highlighting unconnected copper areas by layer and their sizes, so the design team can fix them before production.

Sample Data

Layer	Area_ID	Area_Size_mm2	Connected
Top	A1	12.5	Yes
Top	A2	3.2	No
Bottom	B1	8.0	Yes
Bottom	B2	1.5	No
Inner1	I1	5.0	No
Inner1	I2	7.3	Yes
Inner2	J1	2.0	No
Inner2	J2	9.1	Yes

1

Step 1: Filter the PCB layout data to show only copper areas where 'Connected' is 'No'.

Filter rows where Connected = 'No'

Expected Result

Rows with Area_IDs A2, B2, I1, J1

2

Step 2: Group the filtered unconnected copper areas by 'Layer' and calculate the total unconnected copper area per layer.

Group by Layer; Sum Area_Size_mm2 where Connected = 'No'

Expected Result

Top: 3.2 mm², Bottom: 1.5 mm², Inner1: 5.0 mm², Inner2: 2.0 mm²

3

Step 3: Create a bar chart visualization showing layers on the X-axis and total unconnected copper area on the Y-axis.

Bar chart: X=Layer, Y=Sum of unconnected Area_Size_mm2

Expected Result

Bar chart with bars for Top=3.2, Bottom=1.5, Inner1=5.0, Inner2=2.0

4

Step 4: Highlight the largest unconnected copper area by sorting the filtered data descending by Area_Size_mm2.

Sort filtered data by Area_Size_mm2 descending

Expected Result

Largest unconnected area is I1 on Inner1 layer with 5.0 mm²

5

Step 5: Prepare a summary report listing each unconnected copper area with its Layer, Area_ID, and size, emphasizing the largest area.

Create table report with columns: Layer, Area_ID, Area_Size_mm2; highlight largest area

Expected Result

Report listing A2 (Top, 3.2), B2 (Bottom, 1.5), I1 (Inner1, 5.0 - largest), J1 (Inner2, 2.0)

Final Result

Unconnected Copper Area by Layer

Layer   | Area (mm²)
--------|------------
Inner1  | ██████████ 5.0
Top     | ████       3.2
Inner2  | ██         2.0
Bottom  | █          1.5

Largest unconnected copper area: I1 on Inner1 layer (5.0 mm²)

✓There are four unconnected copper areas across different layers.

✓The Inner1 layer has the largest unconnected copper area of 5.0 mm² (Area_ID I1).

✓Top layer has a moderate unconnected area of 3.2 mm² (Area_ID A2).

✓Bottom and Inner2 layers have smaller unconnected areas (1.5 mm² and 2.0 mm² respectively).

✓These unconnected copper areas should be reviewed and fixed to avoid manufacturing issues.

Bonus Challenge

Create a heatmap visualization of the PCB layers showing unconnected copper area intensity and add a filter to view by specific layers.

Show Hint

Use color gradients to represent area size and add interactive filter controls for layers.