Lesson · Problem 3
Route Your First PCB
A ratsnest is a guide. Copper is the connection.
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A pad is the copper a pin lands on. A ratsnest is dashed and is not copper. A via is a plated hole between the front and the back.
The dashed line is a ratsnest: a guide that says these pads belong together. There is no copper between them yet.
Why it works
Pads that belong together still need a piece of copper between them. The dashed line only shows that the connection is missing. A trace is copper on one layer. A via is the plated hole that continues that copper onto the other layer.
Key takeaway
A dashed ratsnest is only a guide. A trace is copper. A via carries that copper onto the other layer.
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