I have a few separate GND zones on a multilayer board (e.g. DGND, AGND, XGND etc.), and these zones should be connecting in a star point, but I want the several connecting pads titled as their own GND version. I’ve created a 2-pin part (schema + footprint) where pins are connected with copper. The problems: this ZONEJOIN part can’t be placed on internal layers (where GND layer probably is), and must be quite big to avoid DRC errors (two pads must not be too close, but footprint takes a lot of space in that case).
Any idea for a more elegant solution?
Isn’t what you describe called a Net Tie and already exists in the libraries?
Thanks, I was not aware, but the problem still exists: it’s a footprint that can’t be placed on inner layers, and consumes some space. The best solution until now is to connect the two zones with a track and make a DRC exclusion for that.
I think there was some discussion about netties in inner layers and may have been submitted as an issue but I wasn’t paying attention so search the forum.
you can manually edit footprints (they are just text files!) to put content on inner layers, you just have to be careful to use the same stack up in footprint and pcb editors.
Manual editing is not working. On a 6-layer design I edited a part from “F.Cu” to “In3.Cu” layer:
and it is placed to F.Cu without warning.
On the other hand if I edit something wrong “F.Cu” → “Pooh” I get
It seems the code at first checks if the layer name is valid, then checks if it is top or bottom for footprints…if not, then they are transported to Front layer.
Change the layer of pads, not footprint.
This is a zip of my net ties folder.
Four of them are on internal layers.
Bobs_Net_Ties.pretty.zip (7.1 KB)
It looks to me like you are text editing the pcb to make this change. I have edited footprints. I have used these and confirmed that they work, at least in versions 7.X and probably 8.X.