kicad-developers team mailing list archive

["jean-pierre.charras@..." <jean-pierre.charras@...>]

Dick Hollenbeck a écrit :
> Dick Hollenbeck wrote:
> >> One idea to put on the table is an actual layer stack up sequence, 
> which
> >> would be a modifiable data structure which defines the order of layers
> >> within a board. The current notion of layer mask would stay, it's just
> >> that a person could not assume that a layer with a mask of (1<<0) is
> >> next to a layer with a mask of (1<<1) unless the layer stackup 
> sequence
> >> says it is.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >
> > Jean-Pierre,
> >
> > I rarely settle on the first idea, so here is another one to put on the
> > table. We make the BACK layer mask dynamic, not fixed. Its value would
> > depend on the copper layer count. If the copper layer count is 2, then
> > the BACK mask would be (1<<1), and the FRONT mask would be (1<<0). For
> > a four layer board the back mask would be (1<<3), etc.
> >
> > Mask
> > Bit# Layer#
> > 0 0 Front
> > :
> > :
> > N N Back
> >
> >
> > Advantage: no dynamic stackup sequence, but does have the dynamic 
> single
> > BACK mask. The order of the bits in the mask set would be reversed. I
> > do not think this one is hard to implement, the drawing code would
> > simply walk the mask in reverse from what it is now, starting at
> > position GetCopperLayerCount ()-1. We could fix existing board files
> > at time of first load, once and for ever after.
> >
> > Eventually we can go to a 64 bit mask and expand the number of copper
> > layers quite easily, using a datatype of uint64_t.
> >
> > For a single layer board, the notion of back or front is moot, because
> > the user can name the layer anything he wants.
>
> Oops, I guess this is not a true statement since text is reversed, but
> maybe a 'side' flag in this case is needed, or we make this kind of
> boards simply have two sides, with one side being empty. All boards
> actually have two sides anyways if you think about it.
>
> > For a single layer board
> > the layer mask would always be (1<<0)
> >
> >
> > Dick
Well, i am very interested to see a board that has really just *one* side...

Here are some thoughts:

I am not sure the layers mask is a good idea (well, i am sure this is a 
stupid idea).
This is rather a legacy of the early times of pcbnew.

Layers mask is used mainly for pads.
Vias use an other way: there handle a layer pair: the first and the last 
layer number.
And all others items uses just a layer number
Pads could use the same way to handle the copper layers they use. (SMD 
pads will just use the same first and last layer)
The method IsOnLayer() could be used everywhere instead of the layer 
mask test.
Others cases that use layers masks are mainly plot and print functions 
to know what layers must be plotted.
In this case, this is easy to use an array of layers id to do this 
instead of a layer mask.

Removing the layer masks has some advantages:
- an unlimited number of copper layers
- no need to handle both layers masks and layers numbers (or layers id) 
(and no need to calculate layer mask from layer number and layer umbers 
from layers masks).
And of course, solves your problem (the first layer and the last layer 
in all vias and pads instances in board could be easy to update when the 
layer could is modified)

I believe this could need less work (and could create less bugs) than 
changing the layers masks handling.

Remember also in the footprints libraries, the number of layers is not 
know, and therefore using a layer mask that depends on layers number is 
a problem.

In fact, we just must think about the way to handle non copper layers 
used in pads (solder mask, solder paste...) (a non copper layer id array ?)
but i am pretty sure the work to code the layer pair handling in pads is 
less than changing layers mask handling, and remove bugs due to this 
change...

Having said this, I am thinking the best is to keep the current layer 
mask handling until the next stable release is done,
and remove the layers mask from the pcbnew and the gerbview code after 
this release (and to give an unlimited number of copper layers handling 
in pcbnew and gerbview).
(of course, this also involves changes in pcbnew files format).

What are you thinking about this ?




--
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 :
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