Strange deep cuts on power plane (Altium Designer)

Strange deep thick cuts on power plane (Altium Designer)

Hello,

I would like to ask about a problem in Altium Designer.



I got strange cut on power planes which are shown in the attached picture. These black deep cuts go through all the power planes and I don’t know where they come from. When I examine in the 3D view, I found all places on power plane where these black tracks lie are without copper.

The split planes (power plane cuts) separated by these black cuts however are belongs to same net(s), which indicate that these black cuts are in no means ordinary power plane lines.

I don’t know how to remove them. Could anyone help me on this?


Bob

Re: Strange deep thick cuts on power plane (Altium Designer)

can you attach the pcb file?

Re: Strange deep thick cuts on power plane (Altium Designer)

First, are you sure something is really wrong? I would generate and examine Gerber files before I was convinced there was no copper there. Altium's 3D view (with the Power layer selected in Single Layer Mode) should give you a good view, but I have seen cases (on Soldermask, also a negative layer) where Altium's display did not match the Gerber files.

In my configuration, the Power layer color is brown, and power plane objects show as brown. The Power and Ground layers are negative layers, any objects on them represent "no copper".

FYI you can view the list of all objects in the PCB (View -> Workspace Panels -> PCB -> PCB List), then sort by layer, and go to the Power layer to see what's there. Power planes are negative layers, so any objects listed represent "no copper". There shouldn't be much there, and you can zoom to anything that is there.

Other thoughts: On the power plane, Can you select the black "tracks"? Could any footprints somehow have power layer objects defined? Could you somehow have a rule defined which is causing problems? If viewing a Power layer in Single-Layer mode, it looks like "Black" represents areas of "no copper" which were created by rules (i.e. via clearance).

Good luck, Kevin

Re: Strange deep thick cuts on power plane (Altium Designer)

Dear kak,

Sorry, I cannot do that.

Bob

---------- Post added at 19:55 ---------- Previous post was at 19:41 ----------

Dear Kevin,

In Altium Designer's 3D view, I can see that there is no copper on power/GND planes at those "cuts".

In PCB list I can select some tracks that belongs to "No net", and of width 40mil, which is the same as board outlines. However, when I click tracks corresponding to real board outlines, they are highlighted; but when clicking the aforementioned 40mil-width tracks in the PCB list, they are not highlighted or displayed at all. I checked the length of these non-displayed tracks and found they are all of considerable length, perhaps it is they that contribute to the no-copper area.

However, I have no idea of how they are generated. Are you familiar with them?

Bob

Re: Strange deep thick cuts on power plane (Altium Designer)

I'm not sure what's going on, but you should generate Gerber files and look at them to be sure there is really a problem.

If you find suspect entries on the power and ground planes in the PCB list, you should be able to click on them to select, then click on the title bar of the main Altium Designer window to make it active, then hit the "Del" key to delete. Just make sure you don't delete the tracks on the PCB edge, they are "no-copper" areas to prevent shorts at the edge of the PCB.

If you haven's split your power/ground planes, there shouldn't be any tracks on them except the ones at the PCB edges, it should be OK to delete anything else.

check by highlighting each used layer (one by one) if you can see some track at the cutouts.