Zone priority for overlapping fills in PCB Design - Dashboard Guide

Dashboard Mode - Zone priority for overlapping fills

Business Question

Which copper fill zones take priority when they overlap on a PCB design, and how does this affect the final copper coverage?

Sample Data: Copper Fill Zones

Zone ID	Net Name	Area (mm²)	Priority	Overlap With	Effective Area (mm²)
Z1	GND	150	1	Z2	130
Z2	VCC	120	2	Z1	20
Z3	Signal	80	3	None	80
Z4	GND	60	1	Z3	60
Z5	VCC	40	2	Z4	10

Dashboard Components

• KPI Card: Total Copper Area
  Formula: SUM of all Zone Areas = 150 + 120 + 80 + 60 + 40 = 450 mm²
• KPI Card: Total Effective Copper Area
  Formula: SUM of Effective Areas = 130 + 20 + 80 + 60 + 10 = 300 mm²
• Bar Chart: Zone Areas by Priority
  Shows total area per priority level:
  Priority 1: 150 + 60 = 210 mm²
  Priority 2: 120 + 40 = 160 mm²
  Priority 3: 80 mm²
• Stacked Bar Chart: Overlapping Areas by Zone
  Shows how much area is overlapped and effective:
  Z1: 150 total, 130 effective (overlap with Z2)
  Z2: 120 total, 20 effective (overlapped by Z1)
  Z4: 60 total, 60 effective (overlap with Z3)
  Z5: 40 total, 10 effective (overlapped by Z4)
• Table: Zone Details
  Shows all columns from sample data for detailed review.

Layout

+----------------------+-----------------------+
|  KPI: Total Copper   |  KPI: Total Effective  |
|       Area           |       Copper Area      |
|       450 mm²        |        300 mm²         |
+----------------------+-----------------------+
|       Bar Chart: Zone Areas by Priority          |
|                                                  |
+--------------------------------------------------+
| Stacked Bar Chart: Overlapping Areas by Zone     |
|                                                  |
+--------------------------------------------------+
|                   Table: Zone Details             |
|                                                  |
+--------------------------------------------------+
    

Interactivity

User can filter by Net Name (e.g., GND, VCC, Signal). Filtering updates all components to show only zones of the selected net.

Filtering by Priority updates the bar charts and KPIs to reflect only zones with that priority.

Hovering over bars in charts highlights corresponding rows in the Zone Details table for easy comparison.

Self Check

If you add a filter for Net Name = GND, which components update and what changes occur?

• KPIs update to sum only GND zones: Total Area = 150 + 60 = 210 mm²; Effective Area = 130 + 60 = 190 mm².
• Bar Chart shows only Priority 1 zones with areas 210 mm².
• Stacked Bar Chart shows overlapping details only for Z1 and Z4.
• Zone Details table filters to show only Z1 and Z4 rows.

Key Result

Dashboard shows copper fill zone areas, their overlapping priorities, and effective copper coverage on a PCB.

Practice

1. What does zone priority control in PCB design when fills overlap?

easy

A. Which copper fill appears on top

B. The thickness of the copper fill

C. The color of the copper fill

D. The shape of the copper fill

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand overlapping fills

   When two copper fills overlap, one must appear above the other to avoid confusion.

2. Step 2: Role of zone priority

   Zone priority sets which fill is drawn on top by assigning a higher priority number.

3. Final Answer:

   Which copper fill appears on top -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Zone priority controls top fill display [OK]

Hint: Higher priority number means fill appears on top [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing priority with fill thickness
• Thinking priority changes fill color
• Assuming priority affects fill shape

2. Which of the following is the correct way to assign a higher priority to a zone fill in a PCB design tool?

easy

A. Set the zone priority number to a lower value

B. Set the zone priority number to a higher value

C. Change the zone fill color to a brighter shade

D. Increase the zone fill thickness

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand priority numbering

   Higher numbers mean higher priority, so the fill with the bigger number appears on top.

2. Step 2: Assigning priority

   To make a zone appear above others, assign it a higher priority number.

3. Final Answer:

   Set the zone priority number to a higher value -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Higher number = higher priority [OK]

Hint: Use bigger numbers for top zones [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using lower numbers for higher priority
• Changing color instead of priority
• Adjusting thickness instead of priority

3. Given two overlapping zones: Zone A with priority 5 and Zone B with priority 8, which zone will appear on top in the PCB layout?

medium

A. Zone A will appear on top

B. Neither zone will appear

C. Both zones will merge and appear equally

D. Zone B will appear on top

Solution

1. Step 1: Compare priority values

   Zone A has priority 5, Zone B has priority 8; higher number means higher priority.

2. Step 2: Determine which zone appears on top

   Zone B's priority 8 is greater than Zone A's 5, so Zone B appears on top.

3. Final Answer:

   Zone B will appear on top -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Priority 8 > 5 means Zone B on top [OK]

Hint: Higher priority number wins overlap [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Choosing lower priority zone as top
• Assuming zones merge visually
• Ignoring priority numbers

4. You set two overlapping zones with the same priority number. What issue might occur in your PCB design?

medium

A. The zones will overlap without clear top fill, causing design errors

B. The zone with the larger area will automatically appear on top

C. The software will assign random priority to one zone

D. The zones will merge into a single fill automatically

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand equal priority effect

   When zones have the same priority, the software cannot decide which fill is on top clearly.

2. Step 2: Resulting issue

   This causes overlapping fills without clear layering, leading to design errors or confusion.

3. Final Answer:

   The zones will overlap without clear top fill, causing design errors -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Same priority causes unclear overlap [OK]

Hint: Avoid equal priorities for overlapping zones [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming larger area wins automatically
• Thinking software assigns random priority
• Believing zones merge automatically

5. You have three overlapping zones with priorities 3, 7, and 5. You want the zone with priority 3 to appear on top without changing the other zones' priorities. What is the best approach?

hard

A. Set the zone with priority 3 to a negative number

B. Decrease the priority of the zone with 7 to below 3

C. Increase the priority of the zone with 3 to a number higher than 7

D. Change the fill color of the zone with priority 3 to make it appear on top

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand priority rules

   Zones with higher priority numbers appear on top of lower ones.

2. Step 2: Achieve desired top zone

   To make the zone with priority 3 appear on top, increase its priority above 7.

3. Step 3: Avoid changing other zones

   Since other zones' priorities cannot be changed, only increase the target zone's priority.

4. Final Answer:

   Increase the priority of the zone with 3 to a number higher than 7 -> Option C

5. Quick Check:

   Higher priority number = top zone [OK]

Hint: Raise target zone priority above others [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Trying to set negative priority
• Changing color instead of priority
• Lowering other zones' priorities when not allowed