> OK, let's start with the low hanging fruit and move up. We certainly don't > want things to be difficult for you while checking, so leave the thermals on > for your check and then change them when you are done. The best of both > worlds right? As you said, it's only a mouse click. It's much more than just a mouse click. It's also remembering to do that mouse click at the right time. Can you put that mouse click in the script/whatever that makes your gerbers? If you have to do it by hand, do you have a checklist? (and somebody watching over your shoulder when you run through it) Otherwise, you are likely to forget when you are in a rush to get a revised board out with just a quick/simple fix... --------- > I was just wondering if there were ever signal integrity problems with > spokes How close together can you get vias? If your wheels are too close together, there won't be room enough for the rims of the wheels to get between them. The tool will trim out any chunks of copper that don't meet the minimum line widths. Do that enough and you get a hole in your plane. It should be obvious if you visually inspect the gerbers. (But if it's a big board, you may not look carefully enough.) As somebody else suggested, check under BGAs. (and around connectors) BGAs have a regular pattern. The router may drop in vias on a different pattern that doesn't work well in dense areas. Many years ago, back before I even recognized the term SI, I remember a widely distributed memo from a senior engineer. He had just tracked down a SI problem. The memo was simple, but strongly worded, good material for BSing about over lunch. This was back in the days of DIPs but edge rates were getting interesting. If you used conservative design rules, ones the board factory liked, the clearance holes on a row of DIP pins would overlap and turn into a slit in your planes. The above event involved a signal crossing one of those slits. I think everybody got the message. I still remember it after 25 years. -- These are my opinions, not necessarily my employer's. I hate spam. ------------------------------------------------------------------ To unsubscribe from si-list: si-list-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field or to administer your membership from a web page, go to: //www.freelists.org/webpage/si-list For help: si-list-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'help' in the Subject field List technical documents are available at: http://www.si-list.net List archives are viewable at: //www.freelists.org/archives/si-list Old (prior to June 6, 2001) list archives are viewable at: http://www.qsl.net/wb6tpu