Re: [kicad-users] PCBnew - Howto connect vias to zone
Hi, Le Lundi 19 Avril 2010 10:36:48, Mirko Scholz a écrit : Hi, I am currently working on a double layer PCB where vias are used to connect all grounds together. All components are mounted on the top side. The grounds of the components are connected by using vias to zones on the bottom side of the PCB. When I ask to fill the zones I have always a cutout around the vias. I get the same problem as you. The vias you placed have no net name, so can't connect its to a zone which have a net name. A workaround is to place the vias AFTER filling the zone and don't modify the board any more. The same happens with the vias of the SMA connectors on the same board. A such SMA connector: http://fr.farnell.com/johnson-emerson/142-0701-801/jack-sma-ci- launcher/dp/1608592?Ntt=160-8592 Did you add a net name to the pins of the connector? Also in the GERBER plots the cutouts are still there. What do I do wrong? When I define the zone parameters PCBnew gives the error message that I did choose the no connected option and this would create copper island. If you want to create a zone as a ground plane, you HAVE to choose a net name for the zone. Maybe for additional explanation: I created the board without making a schematic in KiCAD. This isn't a good idea, this is a good way to make many mistakes. Regards, Alain -- La version française des pages de manuel Linux http://manpagesfr.free.fr
Re: [kicad-users] PCBnew - Howto connect vias to zone
Hi Alain, thanks for the ideas. Is there a way to define nets also in PCBnew? I already checked the manual of KiCAD but did not find any way to define nets after creating a board. Thanks, Mirko On Mon, Apr 19, 2010 at 12:58 PM, Alain Portal alain.por...@univ-montp2.frwrote: Hi, Le Lundi 19 Avril 2010 10:36:48, Mirko Scholz a écrit : Hi, I am currently working on a double layer PCB where vias are used to connect all grounds together. All components are mounted on the top side. The grounds of the components are connected by using vias to zones on the bottom side of the PCB. When I ask to fill the zones I have always a cutout around the vias. I get the same problem as you. The vias you placed have no net name, so can't connect its to a zone which have a net name. A workaround is to place the vias AFTER filling the zone and don't modify the board any more. The same happens with the vias of the SMA connectors on the same board. A such SMA connector: http://fr.farnell.com/johnson-emerson/142-0701-801/jack-sma-ci- launcher/dp/1608592?Ntt=160-8592 Did you add a net name to the pins of the connector? Also in the GERBER plots the cutouts are still there. What do I do wrong? When I define the zone parameters PCBnew gives the error message that I did choose the no connected option and this would create copper island. If you want to create a zone as a ground plane, you HAVE to choose a net name for the zone. Maybe for additional explanation: I created the board without making a schematic in KiCAD. This isn't a good idea, this is a good way to make many mistakes. Regards, Alain -- La version française des pages de manuel Linux http://manpagesfr.free.fr -- Mirko Scholz Groefstraat 27 Bus 1.01 3000 Leuven - Belgium
Re: [kicad-users] PCBnew - Howto connect vias to zone
Le Lundi 19 Avril 2010 13:13:18, Mirko Scholz a écrit : Hi Alain, thanks for the ideas. Is there a way to define nets also in PCBnew? I don't know, but probably not. Regards, Alain -- La version française des pages de manuel Linux http://manpagesfr.free.fr
RE: [kicad-users] PCBnew - Howto connect vias to zone
Hi Mirko, I don't know how (why even) to create a layout without a schematic so my workaround may not work if you do it that way. If you had a schematic, nets would have names and you would connect the zone (in properties) to the GND net (or whatever you called it), same as the pin of the componnent you want to connect to it. Without a schematic you can try to fill zone, place via, then do EDIT/Cleanup Tracks and Vias/ Unselect all but Merge Segments (maybe connect to pads?)/Clean PCB. Good luck, Cat To: kicad-users@yahoogroups.com From: mirko.sch...@gmail.com Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2010 10:36:48 +0200 Subject: [kicad-users] PCBnew - Howto connect vias to zone Hi, I am currently working on a double layer PCB where vias are used to connect all grounds together. All components are mounted on the top side. The grounds of the components are connected by using vias to zones on the bottom side of the PCB. When I ask to fill the zones I have always a cutout around the vias. The same happens with the vias of the SMA connectors on the same board. Also in the GERBER plots the cutouts are still there. What do I do wrong? When I define the zone parameters PCBnew gives the error message that I did choose the no connected option and this would create copper island. Maybe for additional explanation: I created the board without making a schematic in KiCAD. Thanks for your help, Mirko
Re: [kicad-users] PCBnew - Howto connect vias to zone
Well, the reason why I did not created a schematic before is quite simple: my board is operating at high frequencies and therefore I designed it heavily in simulation tools. Unfortunately these tools do not provide any outport format which would allow me to go directly into KiCAD. That's why I did a on-thefly PCB design without using a schematic before. Anyway I will try the work around of placing the via after creating the zones. Thanks, Mirko On Mon, Apr 19, 2010 at 4:21 PM, Cat C catalin_c...@hotmail.com wrote: Hi Mirko, I don't know how (why even) to create a layout without a schematic so my workaround may not work if you do it that way. If you had a schematic, nets would have names and you would connect the zone (in properties) to the GND net (or whatever you called it), same as the pin of the componnent you want to connect to it. Without a schematic you can try to fill zone, place via, then do EDIT/Cleanup Tracks and Vias/ Unselect all but Merge Segments (maybe connect to pads?)/Clean PCB. Good luck, Cat -- To: kicad-users@yahoogroups.com From: mirko.sch...@gmail.com Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2010 10:36:48 +0200 Subject: [kicad-users] PCBnew - Howto connect vias to zone Hi, I am currently working on a double layer PCB where vias are used to connect all grounds together. All components are mounted on the top side. The grounds of the components are connected by using vias to zones on the bottom side of the PCB. When I ask to fill the zones I have always a cutout around the vias. The same happens with the vias of the SMA connectors on the same board. Also in the GERBER plots the cutouts are still there. What do I do wrong? When I define the zone parameters PCBnew gives the error message that I did choose the no connected option and this would create copper island. Maybe for additional explanation: I created the board without making a schematic in KiCAD. Thanks for your help, Mirko -- Mirko Scholz Groefstraat 27 Bus 1.01 3000 Leuven - Belgium
