Design Rule Checker
Parent page: PCB Dialogs
Summary
This dialog displays the Report Options and Rules to Check folders.
Click the Report Options folder to display various options in the right pane of this dialog. Select from these options the types of violation information you want to include in the report output.
Click the Rules to Check folder to display all applicable rules in the right pane of this dialog. Select from these rules which ones you want to be observed during PCB editing (Online) and which to check only when running Batch checking on. Click the sub-folders to have only rules related to that category appear in the right pane.
Access
In PCB Editor, click Tools >> Design Rule Check to access this dialog.
Options/Controls
Report Options
DRC Report Options
- Create Report File - Enable this to create a report after running DRC.
- Create Violations - Enable this to highlight clearance, length and width errors on the PCB document.
Sub-Net Details - If you have an Un-Routed Net rule defined, enable this option to include Sub-Net Details in the DRC report.
- Verify Shorting Copper - Enable this option to verify the Net Tie components and to check whether there is unconnected copper in a component (for example a pad not shorting the other pad(s)).
- Report Drilled SMT Pads - Enable this option to include drilled SMT (surface mount technology) pads in the DRC Report.
Report Multilayer Pads with 0 size Hole- Enable this option to include invalid multi-layer pads that is those with a zero (0) hole size.
- Stop When 500 violations found - Stop DRC after a specified amount of violations have been found, the default value is 500.
Split Plane DRC Report Options
Report Broken Planes- Enable to have the design rule check look for and report broken planes. Broken planes occur when an area of the plane that has connectivity to the net becomes electrically disconnected from the rest of the plane. An example where this may occur is a connector that is placed across a split plane, but not connected to it. The voids around the pins join to completely cut through the plane copper, effectively breaking it into two parts.
Report Dead Copper larger than- Enable to have the design rule check look for and report dead copper regions larger than the specified area. Dead copper refers to sections of copper that have no connectivity to the net and which also become electrically disconnected from the original plane. An example where this may occur is a connector (not connected to the plane) with closely spaced pins, in which the voids around the pins join to isolate areas of plane copper from the rest of the plane.
When this option is enabled, you can specify the minimum area that the dead copper region must be for it to be considered a rule breach in the associated edit field.- Report Starved Thermals with less than 50% available copper- Enable to have the design rule check look for and report starved thermal connections larger than the specified percentage. Thermals are connections to the plane with thermal relief 'cutouts' around them to reduce heat conductivity to the plane copper. Thermals can become 'starved' when the surface area of the copper spokes connecting it to the plane is reduced by void areas.
This rule also checks the surface area for the thermal (not just the spokes) against any void areas that encroach into the thermal.
When this option is enabled, you can specify the minimum percentage of connecting copper that must remain before it is considered a rule breach in the associated edit field.
Rules to Check
There are two sections in this folder: Main Image List in the left, and Rules On Off List in the right. It lists the rules applicable to the chosen category (or all if the Rules to Check folder is clicked). Use the options in the Online and Batch columns to specify which rules you want to be observed during PCB editing (enable the Online option) and which to check only when manually running a complete design rules check (enable the Batch option).
- Run Design Rule Check - Click to run DRC.