Net class issues

[straubm]

Is there no way to assign net classes to nets in Eeschema? I assume not, as there is a wishlist entry in the bug list. It has a heat of 6 (10 including me, does nobody use net classes?) and is #1481769, status “new, unassigned”. Currently we have #1676793, so forget it.

Eeschema help and tutorial do not even acknowledge there is something like a net class. Is there some hidden magic, like attaching a label with a certain prefix/suffix?

It is extremly tedious to do that in the Designe Rules dialog in Pcbnew. More so, as I found no way to see the net name in the schematic (or did I miss something?). I found no way to assign net classes to tracks even in Pcbnew, so all that remains is this dialog.

I also noticed that zones belonging to a net that HAS a net class assigned (Design Rules again) DO NOT inhert the clearance. Interesting feature.

So, how is the recommended workflow in Kicad-Land?

Sifting through the netlist in the Design Rules dialog with the schematic printout in hand identifying the components by reference? But even that does not help at times, as pin numbers are not shown for resistors, capacitors, and others. And it might well be that one side of a resistor has a different net class than the other side.

What are the thoughs about net class handling here in this community?

[straubm]

@Andy_P

You are correct about the “no way to see the net name in the schematic,” but you should get into the habit of labeling all of your nets. This way, when they are listed in the pcbnew Net Classes Editor dialog, they have meaningful names instead of Net-(C63-Pad1). (Note that the default names for nets without labels are at least somewhat helpful.)

That’s true. But then: take a HV switched mode power supply as an example. There are inductors, FETs, sense resistors, a whole bunch in the HV chain, with connections between them. So the name will be “170V_Ind_Side_A”, “170V_Ind_Side_B”, you get the idea. I am aware of the importance of naming nets, but I for sure do not name every intermediate node. Might be a bad habit (ever tried to change a habit after successful decades?, literally), but anyways…

[straubm]

… and how about the fact that zones do not inhert the net class properties when a net name is assigned to a zone?