kicad-developers team mailing list archive

[Andy Peters <devel@xxxxxxxxx>]

> On Sep 3, 2015, at 11:06 AM, nnn <nnn4000@xxxxx> wrote:
> 
> Some time ago after short discussion on librarians mailing list it was decided to change default reference and value fields of footprints and move values to F.Fab layer.
> I think it was bad decision. I'm asking here to get more opinions.

For the value fields, putting them on the Fab layer is fine. As Chris notes, pretty much nobody prints the values on the board but having them on an assembly or fab drawing helps the human who’s stuffing the board.

I think having the reference designators on any non-silkscreen layer is a mistake.  If the ref-des is on the F.Fab layer, your generated Gerbers won’t have them on the F.SilkS (or B.Silks) layer, but rather on the Fab layer — and the PCB fab guys will probably bounce your design back because they won’t know how to make a silkscreen out of stuff on the F.Fab layer, especially when a silkscreen layer already exists in the package!

And to make matters worse, if you had older parts in your library or a design which had the ref-deses all on the F.SilkS layer, and you add new footprints which have the ref-des on the F.Fab layer, your Gerbers will be all confused, since some parts will show a ref-des on the silkscreen and some won’t.

I think it’s a matter of expectations: EVERYONE expects the reference designators to be on a silkscreen layer.

-a