kicad-developers team mailing list archive

["viking632" <univind-kicad@...>]

--- In kicad-devel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, jean-pierre charras - INPG <jean-pierre.charras@...> wrote:
>
> Unfortunately, grid size cannot be handled in decimils.
> In pcbnew grid is handled as double.
> This is because for many grids values in mm, using a value rounded in 
> decimils creates a cummulative error that can be important
> (some mm for a 300 mm board)
> 
> So grid sizes must be given
> - always in inches or decimils but using a floating point value, for non 
> integer values as needed for metric grids
> - or as an integer in decimils or um units and give the used unit (um ou 
> decimil) as parameter
> -- 
> Jean-Pierre CHARRAS
> Maître de conférences
> Directeur d'études 2ieme année.
> Génie Electrique et Informatique Industrielle 2
> Institut Universitaire de Technologie 1 de Grenoble
> BP 67, 38402 St Martin d'Heres Cedex
> 
> Recherche :
> Grenoble Image Parole Signal Automatique (GIPSA - INPG)
> Grenoble France

Actually, the best internal unit to use in pcbnew would be nanometers (1nm = 0.001um = 0.000001mm), because then both grid size and all coordinates, both metric and imperial, could be expressed with 100% accuracy with integers.

And we don't even need 64bit integers either - a 32bit signed integer wouldbe able to hold coords (and grids) ranging up to +/-2.15 meters or +/-84.5inches, which I think is enough for kicad :-)

If 4.6 m^2 (49.6 foot^2) of board space isn't enough, use 10nm (centimicrons or decananometers :-) to get a 21.5m/845" coord range (460 m^2 or 273 yard^2), which surely must be enough for everyone ?-)

1 mm = 393.700787401... dmil (ugly and inaccurate)
1 inch = 25.4 mm = 25400 um = 25400000 nm
1 mm = 1000 um = 1000000 nm
1 mil = 0.0254 mm = 25.4 um = 25400 nm
1 dmil = 0.00254 mm = 2.54 um = 2540 nm

The first conversion is the one that requires floats, and it will never ever be 100% accurate.
All the others are simple and 100% accurate integer conversions:

mm2nm(x) = 1000000*x
dmil2nm(x) = 2540*x

So, any metric value, down to 1nm (or 10nm) of precision, and any imperial value with dmil precision can be converted to nm (or 10nm == 1cu ==1danm (*1)) without _any_ loss of accuracy.

(*1) The use of multiple SI prefixes isn't actually allowed, but let's justbend the rules a little :-)

Øyvind.

******************************************
Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum viditur.