Laying out a double sided SMT circuit board

I know the error was a simple DRC violation for component clearance. It recognizes the parts are top and bottom but still has a violation. It lists something to the effect "R1 (top layer) - R2 (bottom layer)".

I will need to generate the board again to get the error.

ADWSystems said:

I know the error was a simple DRC violation for component clearance. It recognizes the parts are top and bottom but still has a violation. It lists something to the effect "R1 (top layer) - R2 (bottom layer)".

I will need to generate the board again to get the error.

Click to expand...

Please do, and please take some screenshots

ADWSystems said:

I have made mirrored components outlines to be placed on the top but mounted on the bottom. I did this for the first few bottom mount connectors until I learned how to move/place the parts directly on the bottom layer. For this board due to the SMT parts, the parts must be placed on the bottom. As jpanhalt mentioned, as I change the layer the component is on, the pad colors change. But for some reason I am getting clearance violation between the parts on the top and the bottom.

Click to expand...

Those two underlined sentences make me wonder is the interference between a TH part and and SMD part? Are all SMD parts on the top and TH on the bottom, or is there a mix of each type on top and bottom?

Making some assumptions, are the TH parts causing problems symmetrical in reflection (e.g., like resistors)?

John

ADWSystems said:

I have made mirrored components outlines to be placed on the top but mounted on the bottom. I did this for the first few bottom mount connectors until I learned how to move/place the parts directly on the bottom layer.

Click to expand...

"I have" as in years and years ago until I learned how to do it the right way (ie., place parts directly on the bottom layer) . I was attempting to show here is that years ago I learned how to place parts on the bottom. But since the parts (at the time) were TH, there would not be an interference problem and the DRC would always come out clean.

ADWSystems said:

For this board due to the SMT parts, the parts must be placed on the bottom. As jpanhalt mentioned, as I change the layer the component is on, the pad colors change. But for some reason I am getting clearance violation between the parts on the top and the bottom.

Click to expand...

The parts in question, the ones I was having a problem with, were SMT components. This is the first time I tried to make a double sided board with SMT parts. This it was also the first time, I tired to/had to place parts on exact opposite sides of the board. This is the first time I have not been able to resolve the component clearance violation (techinically I can resolve it, but then the parts are not placed directly behind each other on opposite sides of the board.

That is odd, as I mentioned in my test, Eagle had no problem with its default settings and SMD components placed right over one another, but on opposite sides.

Have you tried a totally new "test" board and schematic, say with just two sets of a resistor and capacitor connected in parallel, then overlayed on opposite sides of the PCB to see if you still get the error?

John