Why should I use the GND from the power library and not my own GND

Hello everyone,

On a project I have created a little library of mine with my own GND. However, when i use my own GND symbol, the different GND of my circuit do not belong to the same net. I know that I can fix this problem using the GND of the power lib, but why it doesn’t work with my own GND ?

Thanks !

Open up the offcial GND symbol properties and edit it to see the hidden GND pin of type Power Input.

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Hello,

Thanks, I just found out by myself and was going to edit the post in this way !!

Since ‘always’ in KiCad net defined by power symbols is not defined by symbol name but by hidden Power Input pin name. It comes probably from for example TTL symbols with hidden power pins and GND symbol is defined the same way but having only this one pin.
But I have read that in KiCad V8 it is different and symbol name decides. But I am still in V7 so can’t check it.

You are really asking the wrong question.
My counter question is:
Why are you designing your own GND symbol when KiCad already has them in their default libraries?

This has changed in KiCad V8.

I also verified this in one of my own projects. In the screenshot below, I changed the GND text of one symbol to GND1234 and used highlighting to verify it is now no longer connected to the other GND symbols.

Interesting ! I’ll remember this.
And to answer the counter question, it was just a matter of curiosity I guess, and now if I want to create a net of + 3.123 V and having them connected together I know how !

Before v8 a trap I too fell into was to make a new power symbol, e.g. 2v5 by renaming a 5V symbol. But you also have to edit the power pin inside too or it will still be a 5V symbol. Fortunately I checked my nets before producing any smoke. Now in v8 you only have to change one name.

@cartonpiou Perhaps it would be helpful to change the category from Layout to Schematic.
The question and answer are about the naming of nets and symbols in the schematic editor.
This discussion will help other people; they will discover it more easily when it is labelled with the most appropriate category.

1 Like

Done. Authors of threads can also edit the title and category.

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