Handy tip for that can be helpful with some aurorouters: Rroute your power / grounds / bypass caps / critical signals and save the board before turning the autorouter loose. Better AR's will have a strategy to setup the routing directions per layer, cost per via, etc.
A better tip: Don't route power at all, use internal power/ground planes and only do a fan-out on smd parts. Through-holes are automatically connected to the planes. 4-layer boards are dirt cheap today and you get immensely increased signal integrity by having a reference plane.
I tried the auto router in DIPtrace then imported the results into KiCAD for final cleanup a few times. Without fail, it took me as long to clean up the resulting messy traces and multiple DRC errors as it would have to do it by hand. THE first step to a successful board layout is proper component placement.
The automatic routing finish tools and routing of signal groups in the new kicad version are nice additions. Select a footprint and hit shift-f to route all remaining traces from it. Or just f to auto-finish routing the trace you're currently routing
I used to autoroute PCBs every time and then optimise by hand, saved a load of time because the autorouters were fairly OK in in early PCB packages like EasyPCB but as component density got higher they never really seemed to keep up, these days I route almost everything manually
I'm pretty sure there is a plugin that will round off the corners after a trace has been routed. Push and pull routing is already pretty complicated. Doing it with rounded corners taking up so much space would be even worse.
there are some libraries in the tree that settle the name "debate", one of them is called kiway ("key way", "key face", used elsewhere), other names contradict the other interpretation like KIID. there's actually a bunch of puns based on keys and stuff too
Can you also please do a video with KiCad explaining the impedance traces, let's say you want to have two traces that should be 50Ohms and he should figure out making them same length. Like those multiple S shapes you see near Memory chips for example.
Aren't the multiple S shapes a way to get the lengths of traces all the same so the timing is the same for all the timing critical signals (for example the bits all arrive at the same time at a memory chip)? I don't think those shapes have anything to do with impedance. Impedance should be controlled by trace width and adjacency (distance) to the ground plane(s) unless I am mistaken. Best regards.
I use EasyEDA which also has a built-in "auto" router - it technically gets the job done but I end-up with many extra vias and the aesthetic is...well...non-existent :)
Obviously it depends on the board. High density logic with six signal layers? I'd take the auto-router. Two signal layers and lower density? If I have the time I'd route manually. Either way, I would always route power and critical traces manually first, before otionally mopping up the remainder with the auto-router. Some auto-routers have very good optimisation capability, even making a good job of tidying up manual routing.
@@MatsEngstrom For me, it looks like this auto router tries to avoid placing traces over other on long paths.I would sometimes use AR only in early part placement phase - mixed signal boards. Just observation which must not be universally true.
The lack of reasonable auto router why I haven't switched to KICAD from Diptrace. Once you set the rules up on the Diptrace autorouter it does a reasonable good job. That being said one does not just kick it off and order the boars when done. In my process, once placement is done I kick off the router just to get an idea of where I got problems, make placement adjustments and try again. After several rounds of this I unroute everytingg do my grounds, power, copper pours, clocks and critical traces by hand routing. After saving a backup copy, the auto router is run again, to see what it looks like. Likely I will not be happy and do more hand routing. Eventually the auo-router will do all the remaining traces good enough but there will always be traces that need adjusting by hand. I just another tool the process. And forget about autorouting analog. This is only possible because Diptrace has a good and fast autoroter allowing fast iterations. You also need to do some tuning of the routing parameters.
I enjoy optimizing PCB routing without auto!! As long as it's not an FPGA or RAM I/O block - Always enjoy your videos 🙂
Handy tip for that can be helpful with some aurorouters: Rroute your power / grounds / bypass caps / critical signals and save the board before turning the autorouter loose. Better AR's will have a strategy to setup the routing directions per layer, cost per via, etc.
A better tip:
Don't route power at all, use internal power/ground planes and only do a fan-out on smd parts. Through-holes are automatically connected to the planes. 4-layer boards are dirt cheap today and you get immensely increased signal integrity by having a reference plane.
I have had access to autorouters costing thousands of dollars and still hand routed the submitted design. Quality matters.
Very nicely put....cheers.
Glad i haven't tried to use the KiCad 6 auto router for an RF board 😂
I tried the auto router in DIPtrace then imported the results into KiCAD for final cleanup a few times. Without fail, it took me as long to clean up the resulting messy traces and multiple DRC errors as it would have to do it by hand. THE first step to a successful board layout is proper component placement.
The automatic routing finish tools and routing of signal groups in the new kicad version are nice additions. Select a footprint and hit shift-f to route all remaining traces from it. Or just f to auto-finish routing the trace you're currently routing
McAfee has its hooks in your computer!? Damn thing
I used to autoroute PCBs every time and then optimise by hand, saved a load of time because the autorouters were fairly OK in in early PCB packages like EasyPCB but as component density got higher they never really seemed to keep up, these days I route almost everything manually
The KiCAD people even sell the 'never trust the autorouter' T-shirt.
It should create the shortest path of least resistance with round edges 😊, kind of Art. Let's hope it gets better maybe with the help of AI 😊
I'm pretty sure there is a plugin that will round off the corners after a trace has been routed. Push and pull routing is already pretty complicated. Doing it with rounded corners taking up so much space would be even worse.
there are some libraries in the tree that settle the name "debate", one of them is called kiway ("key way", "key face", used elsewhere), other names contradict the other interpretation like KIID. there's actually a bunch of puns based on keys and stuff too
I'll call it 'kick-a-dee'
Can you also please do a video with KiCad explaining the impedance traces, let's say you want to have two traces that should be 50Ohms and he should figure out making them same length. Like those multiple S shapes you see near Memory chips for example.
Aren't the multiple S shapes a way to get the lengths of traces all the same so the timing is the same for all the timing critical signals (for example the bits all arrive at the same time at a memory chip)? I don't think those shapes have anything to do with impedance. Impedance should be controlled by trace width and adjacency (distance) to the ground plane(s) unless I am mistaken. Best regards.
I use EasyEDA which also has a built-in "auto" router - it technically gets the job done but I end-up with many extra vias and the aesthetic is...well...non-existent :)
with modern digital chips and very fast rising edges on the digital signal, I think as a general rule "Don't use autoroute"
Why would anyone use an autorouter? Imho, the routing process is the most relaxing process in the entire board design.
yep :)
Obviously it depends on the board. High density logic with six signal layers? I'd take the auto-router. Two signal layers and lower density? If I have the time I'd route manually. Either way, I would always route power and critical traces manually first, before otionally mopping up the remainder with the auto-router. Some auto-routers have very good optimisation capability, even making a good job of tidying up manual routing.
Speed up the process, I dont like doing repetitive tedious routing although I never used auto router myself
45° is good for limiting inter trace capacitive coupling
The reason being? Other than the traces gets slightly shorter?
@@MatsEngstrom For me, it looks like this auto router tries to avoid placing traces over other on long paths.I would sometimes use AR only in early part placement phase - mixed signal boards. Just observation which must not be universally true.
If a trace must pass over another it is better for crosstalk if the two traces are perpendicular.@@MatsEngstrom
Eh.... What has that to do with 45 degrees angles?@@andymouse
Oh yeah, I think I was drinking LOL ! I knew what I meant ! yep that would be 90 degrees sorry :)@@MatsEngstrom
It might be flawed, but it didn’t create any acute angles 😁
ouch 😯
cant understand the whole vlog only some part of it sir need more ram or faster processor or fast hard drive
The lack of reasonable auto router why I haven't switched to KICAD from Diptrace. Once you set the rules up on the Diptrace autorouter it does a reasonable good job. That being said one does not just kick it off and order the boars when done. In my process, once placement is done I kick off the router just to get an idea of where I got problems, make placement adjustments and try again. After several rounds of this I unroute everytingg do my grounds, power, copper pours, clocks and critical traces by hand routing. After saving a backup copy, the auto router is run again, to see what it looks like. Likely I will not be happy and do more hand routing. Eventually the auo-router will do all the remaining traces good enough but there will always be traces that need adjusting by hand. I just another tool the process. And forget about autorouting analog. This is only possible because Diptrace has a good and fast autoroter allowing fast iterations. You also need to do some tuning of the routing parameters.
Very slow. Or are you using a 386? ;-)
KiCad is a top notch PCB package which can match the best in the industry. But the autorouter is less than ideal.
Freerouting is bad tool. Or just for easy esay layout
if it is bad, don't use it
if it is easy, why use it