Hi,
I’ve been using Kicad from couple of years and I found UI is very user friendly. But recently, I found a technical challenge that I want to implement in one of my projects. This isn’t a must done feature, but need to implement just for my curiosity.
Layout challenge:
I need to make a custom zone (Eg. star shape inside PCB). Make a cutout of that shape (Can be done by edge cut layer). Make the shape PTH. Create an outer ring of 1mm on F.Cu and no copper ring on B.Cu layer for that custom shape.
If anyone figure out how to make such things, please revert back.
Thanks…
Better check first that your PCB fabricator can actually make that shape hole.
The shape will probably be OK, bearing in mind there cannot be a sharp internal corner due to the cutter radius. But . . . I suspect they won’t like through hole plating to no no copper ring. For example, JLCPCB specify >= 0.2mm annular ring
As your “hole” is not round it’s not really a “Plated Through Hole”. Instead it’s a cutout with sideplating. Sideplating is currently not natively supported by kicad. Additionally the pcb-manufacturers handle this request differently.
So the first task: look at your manufacturers website/requirements (or ask them with a email) how to submit a pcb with sideplated cutout to them. (see both answers above).
example from one of my pcb-manufacturers (multi-pcb, very comprehensive description on the website):
- sideplating is defined as copper overlapping the board edge by 500um
- copper on top + bottom required
- not-connected copper must stay away 800um from sideplating
- so for a kicad-cutout:
- draw the cutout on edge.cuts, draw it as polygone (or use later the option "Create from selection–>create polygone). set line-width to 0.01mm
- copy the polygone 2 times to the same position, set both polygone width to 1mm, set one to top, other bottom
- if necessary to connect these polygones: with kicad v8 you could assign a netname to a graphic shape (polygone)
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