I have a quite dense small PCB, mixed TH and SMT. I need to fill with ground area.
I have done this procedure several other times with kicad 8, without problems.
Now with kicad9 i have this problem.
I draw a fill area, double layer, top and bottom.
I connect fill area to GND through right click / properties.
I fill all filling areas (right click, / filling areas / fill all areas)
Result: no filling area at all, I did try many ways, few components, empty board, small ground filled area placed over a single ground line, but nothing at all. No filling.
Any ideas? same schematic, in kicad 8 goes well. Once converted to 9, problems.
I have not tryed yet a complete redrawed schematic, but if this is the solution, it would be a bit annoying.
First image: beginning of manual routing. All parts there, cutting edges in white.
Second image: finished routing. I add fill area in bot sides. Setup is exactly the same used for many others in KiCad8.
Third image: the fill area is well closed. All the parts inside the cutting edge.
Fourth image: only the holes have been filled, with warning because insulated islands.
I am stacked at this point. With V8 I had the filling into the area included between rectangle and holes.
It seems that the rectangle has been ignoired at all, but it is there ang grouped with the holes.
But ungrouping gives same result.
If you can share it, don’t even ask, just share it. It never hurts as long as you more or less prune it from unnecessary files like backups and non-kicad related files.
EDIT: attach the zipped project, not just the board file. Non-relevant extra files, even not related to the issue and KiCad, don’t matter as long as they don’t blow up the size of the shared project.
Doesn’t solve the problem, but why do you route GNDPWR and then assign a fill area that is GNDPWR? Just make a filled area as GNDPWR and then route what is missing.
I am used to route every single line in order to have no net open. Then I add filled areas. Always done this way in the last 30 years, but if this is the problem i can change method.
I was used to do it that way because Protel 3 (I was using) spend long time filling zones if some GND vias were not connected with tracks. For one not connected via it could be a minute, but for 10 not connected you can wait half of hour to get zones filled.
When I moved to KiCad it was also said that you have to connect such vias by tracks but soon when V5 will be released you will not have to do it so I just waited for V5 to start using KiCad. I’m not doing connections with tracks that will be done by zone when filled.
To not be disturbed by connection lines during working I hide GND connection lines.
BTW with my PC and kicad8, using my way to do, the filling time is less than 1 second also for very wide areas.
If this new version 9 includes this behaviour (I do not want to say BUG yet, because so far nobody did tell me what I am doing wrong) I will go back to V8.
But I am sure that my way to draw is not wrong because it worked (and still works) fine from V5 to V8.
So, the best answer would be from someone from Kicad trying to explain to me what and why I am doing wrong.
Anyway personal opinions are always very wellcome.
I prefer to draw also the GND in order to prevent ground loops and to have a single ground node.
Basically, the ground is always my first lane drawn.
Why do you have circles as edge cuts?
I just removed them and draw a new edge cuts.
But maybe you have done it that way since 30 years and it is absolutely the better way. I don’t know, I’m using KiCad since abot 10 years.
Here it is!
Removed all GNDPWR traces and the 5V traces.
Assigned one plane to GNDPWR and the other one to 5V. Took only about 4 vias and about 5 connections.
I don’t know why you have used user1 and user2(?) I removed them and added a edgecuts. You’ll have to adjust that. Fill area problem 2.zip (437.9 KB)
That’s how my layout looks like.
Also, you should use tools-> cleanup tracks and viad (haven’t done it in my altered and uploaded version).
My suggestion can be improved. U1 shouldn’t have a via at pin 1, but have a trace to C2
I don’t route GND at all.
I always have one layer full GND so when routing I assume that I have GND everywhere one via from me.
I shown one my PCB here:
I haven’t used User1 and User2. In my original Kicad8 they are not used (double checked right now). All these weird things appeared after loaded in V9 and saved.
This could happen if you open a 9.0 project in 8.0 older than 8.0.9. Delete the .kicad_prl file, or turn on objects visibility in “Objects” tab of Appearance panel.
