When I view PTH drill file, it shows no Mounting holes.
The NPTH file is empty, and when viewed, will show nothing.
All holes will show on Plane layers.
I have the previous version of the board (I did not create it; an inherited prj) and it is exactly the same. However the physical board does have all the holes drilled correctly.
Where do I view them?
I put mounting holes on the schematic, usually off in a corner, so I can assign them a foot print. Some people just add them at the end to the PCB. The problem is when the PCB syncs to the schematic they can get lost. I’m not sure if this is your problem but it is kind of common. At least it was in past versions of Kicad. I really haven’t had time to play with V6 much.
No, it is not likely a problem because I see the holes on plane layers where the planes surround them. So they are there.
I also do the same thing (making a MTHOLE part in the sch with a part+footprint in PCB) when working in PADS (where I do everything) for exact same reason. Even fiducials.
But this is an inherited project and I try to not touch what’s aint broken. And since I see the holes on plane layers (all of them on GND layer) I know they are there, but I want to make sure they also are in DRL command file.
This sounds quite mysterious to me.
Was this project originally a KiCad project, or was it converted from some other program at some time?
Are the mounting holes standard KiCad footprints, or are they from some other source?
This also does not sound right:
In the gerber files, holes are not present at all on copper layers, but only in the drill files. If the holes were also present on the copper layers, then it would cause problems because of tolerances during production.
But what does that comment actually mean? KiCad has no “plane layers” and I do not like to guess what your interpretation of a “plane layer” is. KiCad treats all copper layers as equal, and copper zones and tracks can be mixed on any copper layer.
It’s also possible that the holes are not in the drill files, but drawn as objects in the Edge.Cuts layer. If you see the mounting holes on a copper layer (in a gerber file), then it’s quite likely these holes are on Edge.Cuts too. (Copper zones keep a clearance form Edge.Cuts).
It may help if you create a little test project, zip it and upload it here. Such a test project would have the holes, and preferably a THT footprint, so it’s easier to verify and compare holes to each other.
I was a little confused by some of the terms. The title leads me to believe the OP has used different gerber viewers but the post goes in another direction.
Do they show up in the 3D view?
I was thinking about the same: it just might be that the holes are part of the board outline and not the drill type.
As I said, the prj is not mine; I never worked, nor do I intend to work in KiCad. It was created in KiCad originally. I need to clean up the board that was left to me at a working prototype stage.
I will be able to confirm that the holes are outline and not drill tomorrow.
PS. I come from Mentor environment. I have not asked a single question from a tech support in 20 years, no need.
PPS. I will have to start working in Altium soon. Pity me.
So what is it?
If you don’t care, then why start this thread in the first place?
If you do care and want to know, then it’s easy to check whether there are contours on the Edge.Cuts layer, or post a test project here so we can have a look at it.
The choice is yours.
Please note if your drill file is not using decimal values to represent the hole coordinates. Then that drill file itself is vague and you need to tell gerbview about this thru setting the Excellon Options.
Paul
Because I have to clean up the board, and I do not want to re-do it in another CAD from scratch. I need to know the answer to proceed. That simple. The person who made the board was not a regular board-making person, he was an integrator mostly. So he chose to do it in an easy-to-learn CAD, which was not a CAD that the rest of the company used at the time.
Let’s not make a moral issue out of it. For me it’ a quick thing, a fix of someone else’s unfinished job, and this will be it between me and this tool. Which is a decent tool, I have no problems with it. Jus not the one I will be proceeding with.
I’m a little baffled by why this is dragging on. If you are unsure, you say they don’t show up in the gerbers, then delete what is there and add mounting holes from the Kicad library and then redo the drill file.
EDIT: Is it possible this person added the mounting holes after the fact and then did not redo the drill file?
I don’t want to make a “moral issue” out of it either. but we are mostly guessing what is going on about those holes that do not show up in gerber files. We simply do not have enough information about the project you are working on.
You don’t give us a (simplified) PCB with one of your holes, you don’t respond to hermit’s question if the holes show up in KiCad’s 3D viewer (PCB Editor / View / 3D Viewer Alt + 3) and this results in:
I am not baffled by this though. It’s just a logical outcome from us guessing and you not giving much response. We are willing to help here, but to do so we need more information about your project.
Or you take hermits suggestion, just delete the offending parts from unknown origin, and replace them with standard holes from KiCad’s libraries.
It’s also possible that it’s just a simple user error from someone unknown with KiCad. For example by outputting the gerber files into a directory, but then loading an older version of the gerber files (without those holes) from the project directory (Assuming those had been made at some time in the past)
Well, it is on the board edge cut level. I would never guess. I never do it that way; always make a part with one T-hole pad.
Thanks Paul!
Drills are in the Excellon format file, I think. Not in a gerber format file.
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