I’ve yet to find a way to join a pair of through-holes with a track on both top and bottom side (for better current handling). One hole is a header pin, the other a via. Each time I swap layer and run a track the track on the other side is deleted. I tried locking the tracks and I tried turning off automatic routing but still they get deleted.
What if you make custom footprints and specify separate pads for each pin. One top and one bottom. I think I’ve read this is allowed. The software won’t know if it is a plated through hole on the actual board.
Just disable “Auto delete old track” on the left toolbar.
Hmm. I should have checked further. From the way it was worded I merged this in my mind with an older thread, maybe not even on this forum, of someone else with the same problem where that solution had been given. Clicking on the OP’s profile I see I was wrong. Opps.
Another option is to use zones. Has the additional bonus of using up all the available space which increases the current capacity even further.
Also be aware that if you disable auto delete old tracks you can never run pcb cleanup for this board because it would delete everything that the auto delete tool deletes.
Thank you all for the ideas. Instinctively I was looking for a way to route on top and bottom layers simultaneously to get a meandering trace on both sides but I can see that such a facility would be problematic with the semi auto routing facilities. This time I will use 1.21Gigawatts suggestion and try to remember the caveat about cleanup! Zones would be the way I’d go for this kind of thing if it was a power plane but it would be awkward for a non-trivial route.
This warning often accompanies any advise to disable the “Auto Delete Old Tracks” tool but it is incorrect. The “Cleanup Tracks and Vias” tool has three options.
- Delete redundant vias
- Merge overlapping segments
- Delete unconnected tracks
It should not and, after testing, does not delete redundant tracks.
Having said that, the cleanup tool is way too aggressive often deleting tracks that are sufficiently “connected” to satisfy DRC. Especially if you’ve ever deleted any of the little runt tracks that get left behind. Use it at your own risk!
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Hi,
I was trying to do the same …later upon scrolling I got the solution.
goto Route > interactive router setting > the uncheck the Remove Redundant tracks.
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Thanks for adding the solution to this old thread. I’m not sure that option was already available 5 and a half years ago…
I’ll close it now because dragging up old threads is usually not recommended because KiCad development is going quite fast. And I also consider this thread “complete” now.