Screw terminal block

Hello everyone:
I am making a simple design with terminal block. As everyone know this come in size of 2 or 3 ways and are stackable at side (have a slider to grow like lego to the requested ways).
So if you need 9 connection you can purchase 3 terminal block of 3 ways and assemble to get 9 connections.

But when i place 2 or more terminal block one at side of another into a PCB i fail the DRC with message:
Error: Courtyards overlap
Footprint J8
Footprint J9
Fooptrint of both:
TerminalBlock_Phoenix:TerminalBlock_Phoenix_MKDS-1,5-2-5.08_1x02_P5.08mm_Horizontal

Maybe we need make something to allow place it. In the attached image is possible see that the step is right 5.08, and dozens of warnings.
Best Regards
Christian

I hereby certify that I am not simply asking someone else to design a footprint for me.

This is an auto-generated message that is in place on the “footprints” section of the KiCad.info forum. If I remove it and ask for a footprint to be designed anyway, I understand that I will be subject to forum members telling me to go design my own footprint or referring me to a 3rd party footprint site.

Yup, I’ve had the same issue and considered modifying the courtyards and silk to better represent reality . . . but I don’t have the spare time so I live with the issue, if you have the time you could modify the footprint and get rid of the “errors”.

The Board Setup lets you change the severity of the various DRC errors, including overlapping courtyards.

Dear Raptor:
Of course, i can do that to contribute to the kicad project.
Here is important remark a grey point. there are a zone where we can place another terminal block, but we cant place another components like resistor, etc.

Dear Robk:
I dont think that the solution be override the rule for the entire board, because the project has a lot of components that must be considered. The right solution is change the courtyard into the library.

1 Like

I turned them off entirely. I do the same with screw terminals as you.

It is really hard to accidently screw up an entire design with overlapping footprints imo.

Regards
:coffee:
Bas

Here is the terminal block modified and tested on 2 ways
TerminalBlock_Phoenix_MKDS-1,5-2-5.08_1x02_P5.08mm_Horizontal.kicad_mod (7.1 KB)

All my footprints (except side edges in terminal blocks :slight_smile: ) have courtyard in 0.1mm grid and working with 0.1mm grid I place them touching each other (to have each block as small as possible). So when KiCad started to complain on it (V6?) I switched this complain off.
It also complains because I have values and references at courtyard (didn’t found other layer pair to use for it, and till now there is no user layer pairs). So with one switch off I have solved both complaining problems :slight_smile: .

Courtyard should allow some space around each component. When placing a single screw block you definately want his courtyard all around the component to make sure everything can be assembled later on.

Stackable Screw blocks however have special design sometimes small mortise / tenon joints for interlocking. Here the standard couryards overlap.

I would propose to manually exclude this DRC after you have checked the positioning (pitch) is correct.
According to Jeff Young there is a new feature that allows you to even add a comment that this DRC error has been checked and should be ignored see here

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