Via stitching for ground planes in PCB Design - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to define a via that connects ground planes.

PCB Design

via = Via(diameter=[1], drill=0.3, net='GND')

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A0.8

B0.6

C1.0

D0.4

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Choosing a via diameter smaller than the drill size

Using a via size too large for the design rules

The standard via diameter for stitching ground planes is often 0.8mm to ensure good connectivity and manufacturability.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to place vias in a grid pattern for stitching.

PCB Design

for x in range(0, board_width, [1]):
    for y in range(0, board_height, 10):
        place_via(x, y, net='GND')

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A10

B15

C5

D20

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using spacing too large causing poor grounding

Using spacing too small causing manufacturing issues

Using a 10mm spacing between vias is a common practice to ensure effective ground stitching without overcrowding.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the via stitching code to ensure all vias connect the ground planes.

PCB Design

via = Via(diameter=0.8, drill=0.3, net=[1])

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

ANC

BVCC

CSIGNAL

DGND

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Connecting vias to power or signal nets instead of ground

For ground plane stitching, the via must be connected to the ground net, which is 'GND'.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to define a function that places a grid of vias for stitching.

PCB Design

def stitch_vias(board_width, board_height, spacing):
    for x in range(0, board_width, [1]):
        for y in range(0, board_height, [2]):
            place_via(x, y, net='GND')

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Aspacing

B10

C5

Dboard_width

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using fixed values instead of the spacing parameter

Using board dimensions incorrectly in loops

Using the 'spacing' parameter for both x and y directions ensures a uniform grid of vias.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill the blanks to create a dictionary mapping via positions to their net for stitching.

PCB Design

via_map = { [1]: [2] for x in range(0, width, spacing) for y in range(0, height, spacing) if x != 0 and y != 0 }

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A(x, y)

B'GND'

Cnet

Dx

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using incorrect keys or values

Not using tuples for positions

The dictionary keys are coordinate tuples (x, y), and the value is the net name 'GND'.