Archive of the former Yahoo!Groups mailing list: Homebrew PCBs

It makes a world of difference in critical analog circuitry and in
digital circuit to reduce EMC issues. With the ground plane, you
reduce the inductance of the traces, and if you run the numbers, you
and create a controlled impedance trace which is critical for high
speed or RF circuits.

Another reason is to reduce the amount of copper in the waste stream.
I found lots of dead copper in consumer gear years ago in addition to
ground plance, and found out it was a way of reducing cleanup costs.
Important for the homebrewer who treats the waste himself, as well as
the high volume consumer places trying to save microcents.
Ron