Hello,
I have an application that requires a 60A current stuff with it now Id like to design the traces using the shown below Technics with vias and sharp exposed copper traces for soldering.
another thing when dealing with thick traces they usually end up rounded and over hanged at the end of the footprint instead of square with it how is it possible to overcome this problem?As well as to make some traces behave as foot print and not having a mask on it?
Thanks for your time
Try zones. If you select the solder mask layer and then the zone tool, you can draw a zone polygon with square edges in the soldermask.
The same for very thick traces, you should use zones (copper pours) for that
Thank you very quite useful thanks you could of saved me alot off time if you only told me it 15mins ago but NVM I’ll do your proper way. But what about the vias?
For drawing the vias:
While drawing a trace (use ‘x’ in PcbNew) every time you press ‘v’ you switch to the other side of the board, and if yo do that during drawing a via is automatically added.
Draw a bunch of vias in a grid like this:
If both sides have a polygon then your vias and the traces will automatically be a part of it.
Another very quick way for drawing lots of vias is by right clicking on a via and select “create an array [Ctrl +N]”
In PcbNew there is an option to clean the pcb a bit with:
PcbNew -> Edit -> Cleanup Tracks & Vias.
This function might remove a lot of your via efforts but it might be worth experimenting a bit with how it works and could be usefull for you.
Thank you again for the fast response I can’t manage to see “Create an array” option after right clicking the Via
I think the term you are looking for is via stitching. With luck there will be direct support for this in kicad v5 but until then you need to use a workaround. The best workaround ist to use one pad footprints. More details:
You are probably drawing on the increasingly obsolete default canvas.
You can switch to opengl by:
PcbNew -> View -> Switch canvas to OpenGL [F11].
This also activates the “interactive router” and much more.
Sir I think you’ve just changed the way I look at kicad for good! but the colors annoy me… is there something to do about it or I’ll have to get used to it?(too dark)
[quote=“Mike_Lemon, post:8, topic:7359”]
but the colors annoy me[/quote]
Small Idea:
As you are creating a footprint for via stitching and you want to draw the via’s in some repetitive patern (as in your photo’s). Then you can of course draw a bunch of those via’s in the same footprint.
How’d you do that??!!?
Do what?
Change color? -> Follow the link.
Make Footprint? -> Follow the other link.
When you get stuck, ask a more specific question.
Links don’t work
and I’ve been using the foot print but I don’t know how to use is properly…
Still struggeling with the vias thing when I try to do it manually beacuse it snaps to the component pad when doing it or after the F11 view thing the vias just loos relativity and disconnect from the fill zones
now like I said I did try to make foot prints for it but I don’t know how to use them properly…
because when I import them as foot prints externally their net is not connected to anything and that makes all sort of problems
Have you read the tutorial i linked?
If you don’t like to read, here a video that explains it:
Can’t see the link but I’ll take a look at the video shortly thank you
Post number 6 should look like my screenshot. I Highlighted the link.
If not could you make a screenshot of what you see and give details about your browser?
Aי NVM my brain being stupid saw that as a replay instead of a fancy link attachment…
Well great temporary solution that made me with KiCad had a parametric driven design ability and a history time line like in Fusion 360 to correct array mistakes but what even I believe that over time this will get fixed because every hole in a boat has to get fixed when it arrived at the dock.
Another issue when I try to change the foot prints’s net name to the net I want to connect to it says name doesn’t exist and something like that
the net input was: “C_Output”
open the pad properties of one of the pads that is already connected to the correct net. Copy the netname from there. (Not the full netname is shown within the normal view. There is at least a ‘/’ that is missing.)
