<via />

Overview

A via is a plated hole that connects different layers of a PCB. Vias are commonly used to route traces between layers and for thermal management.

Vias do not have a schematic representation.

You generally do not need to manually create vias, they will be handled automatically by the autorouter.

export default () => (
  <via
    fromLayer="top"
    toLayer="bottom"
    outerDiameter="0.8mm"
    holeDiameter="0.4mm"
    pcbX={10}
    pcbY={10}
  />
)

Properties

Property	Type	Default	Description
fromLayer	string	"top"	Starting layer for the via
toLayer	string	"bottom"	Ending layer for the via
holeDiameter	number | string	"0.4mm"	Diameter of the plated hole
outerDiameter	number | string	"0.8mm"	Outer diameter of the copper annular ring
pcbX	number	0	PCB X position of the via
pcbY	number	0	PCB Y position of the via
netIsAssignable	boolean	false	Marks the via as prefabricated so autorouters like laser_prefab can claim it for any compatible net

Prefabricated vias for laser routing

The laser_prefab autorouter pairs with prefabricated ("biscuit") via templates used in laser ablation workflows. Setting netIsAssignable on a via marks it as reusable so the autorouter can repurpose the hole for whichever net needs to switch layers during routing.

export default () => (
  <board width="10mm" height="10mm" autorouter="laser_prefab">
    <testpoint name="TP_TOP" footprintVariant="pad" pcbX={0} pcbY={4} layer="top" />
    <testpoint name="TP_BOTTOM" footprintVariant="pad" pcbX={0} pcbY={-4} layer="bottom" />
    <via
      name="V_ASSIGNABLE"
      pcbX={0}
      pcbY={0}
      fromLayer="top"
      toLayer="bottom"
      holeDiameter="0.3mm"
      outerDiameter="0.6mm"
      netIsAssignable
    />
    <trace from="TP_TOP.pin1" to="V_ASSIGNABLE.top" />
    <trace from="V_ASSIGNABLE.bottom" to="TP_BOTTOM.pin1" />
  </board>
)

Unused assignable vias keep their original net, while claimed vias are updated to match the completed connection. For a full walkthrough, see the Biscuit Board Laser Ablation guide.