I was design a RFID/NFC card ( for some cool stuff ) , after using STMicroelectronics antenna design tools to verify the equivalent inductance is correct, I generate the antenna shape
Then, I using that shape counter draw the antenna ( .kicad_mod files ).
But, when I was layout the board, and wiring the trace, it keeps show error massage " Cannot start routing inside a keep out area or board outline ". No matter I change to pad on the antenna into connector or through hole, it keep showing same error massage.
The pcb file of your project is empty so we can not really check whats going on.
My guess is that there is either some keepout area defined, something on edge cute somewhere or a bug in kicad. (there was a bug in an early version 5 release where circles on edge cut are troublesome so doulbe check that you are really on version 5.1.6)
You can edit the keepout area and (temporarily?) set it’s properties to allow tracks.
For antenna’s it would be useful to allow a single net in a keepout area, but as far as I know this is not supported (Yet) by KiCad. I had a little look at gitlab for keepout area’s, and it seems this has not been mentioned before.
As a workaround: Antenna’s tend to be on the side of a PCB. Instead of a keepout area, you can make a “fence” around it from some PCB tracks and lock them.
Also, something weird is that if I just trans antenna shape image from F.Mask layer into F.Cu layer, then adding connector pad or SMD pad, it works. However those antenna won’t work properly due to the right angle edge and less symmetry out trace
KiCad Application stats
Version: (5.1.6)-1, release build
Platform:
Windows 8 (build 9200), 64-bit edition, 64 bit, Little endian, wxMSW
Build Info:
wxWidgets: 3.0.4 (wchar_t,wx containers,compatible with 2.8)
But, I think the main problem ( or issue? ) is the KiCad DRC rule system think that PCB antenna is some kinds of trace, not component, so not only antenna trace, but also connector pad has keep out zone protect, like the orange ring highlight.
And sadly, I have no idea how to disable/ignore keep out zone on that connector pad. But I found a " Alternative Solution" to deal with it.
Create a line which match the trace you want at F.Silk, then trans it into F.Cu layer. Although the DRC will warning you if you running DRC, but the trace looks fine after plot the Gerber file
If you have graphical lines on copper maybe combine them with the pad into a complex pad. That way DRC knows that it should be connected to the same net.
