Switching between netclasses while routing

Layout
1

I have just figured out, that you can add multiple netclasses to one net.
They are prioritized based on their rank in the schematic netclass table.

My question is now, can I switch between netclasses while routing the PCB?

Example:
I have a 5V Net. It powers an array of LEDs which draw like 10A (made up number), but also an IC with around 300mA current draw.
I would than assign the low and high current netclass to the 5V net.
While routing I would switch to the high current class for the LEDs and for the IC to the low current class.

Is there maybe be a hotkey for it?

Thanx in advance for the answer.

2

I’m afraid that you can’t switch netclasses in that way. For nets with multiple netclasses assigned, the effective netclass takes the relevant value (such as track width) from the highest priority assigned netclass that has that property set. This is called the effective netclass (see the docs for the full info: PCB Editor | 9.0 | English | Documentation | KiCad ). There’s no way to change this behaviour to switch between, for example, different track widths from the various assigned netclasses.

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3

Possible solutions for what you want:

  • Use a custom DRC rule to confgure track geometries based on some other criteria (such as layer, if you will route the high-current traces on a separate layer, for example) - the router will resolve this during interactive routing.
  • Use a net tie to create two nets (say 5V_High and 5V_Low)
  • Manually set the track widths
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