Adding Power Planes to KiCad Boards

Sign up to get $100 off your first order over $200 at https://www.flashpcb.com/newsletter See our blog post at https://www.flashpcb.com/blog/power-p... Power planes, copper pours, or filled zones, in KiCad terminology, are often used to route power and ground connections by filling the entire area between traces with copper. How to add filled zones in KiCad: 1. Select which net will be placed on which layer. For two layer boards I typically look for the net with the most connections for the top layer, but this selection may be defined by the need to place a ground plane to dissipate heat on the other side of your components with thermal paths. On a four layer board the second layer is typically a ground pane and the third layer is typically a power plane. 2. Click the add filled zone tool. 3. Select the appropriate copper layer. 4. Draw a rectangle around the entire area board. 5. Repeat for each desired plane. 6. Adjust “Copper to edge clearance” in File ... Board Setup ... Design Rules ... Constraints. 7. Press “b” to refill zones.