KiCad Android 10.99ak

Route > Autoroute is now a full autorouting tool, with a second, much stronger router.

Two routers

• KiCadRoutingTools (new, the default): Andy Haas's grid router with rip-up and reroute, fan-out of fine-pitch parts, bus routing and plane connections. It runs on the tablet in a process of its own, with Python 3.14, numpy, scipy and shapely bundled.
• Freerouting, as before, now with pause and with routing or optimizing only the nets you choose.

On the RP2350A board (2 layers, 0.4 mm QFN-60), judged by KiCad's DRC with the board's own rules:

	Connections left	DRC errors added
Freerouting	86 of 162	11
KiCadRoutingTools, fan-out first	31 of 162	0
KiCadRoutingTools, 4 layers with GND/3V3 planes	20 of 168	0

The tool

• Route:
  • every unrouted net, or the nets you pick (a filterable list, or the board selection);
  • as a bus, side by side;
  • only between two or more parts (new: e.g. the GPIO lines between the MCU and the display, leaving the header for later);
  • on chosen layers;
  • pouring the planes and fanning out the parts first.
• Fan Out: escape tracks for dense parts. "Choose Fine-Pitch Parts" picks everything at 0.5 mm pitch or below.
• Planes: copper zones over the whole board (e.g. GND on In1.Cu, 3V3 on In2.Cu).
• Optimize: improve routed nets, hand-routed ones included, with either router.
• Settings:
  • how far below the net class sizes the router may go (exactly, board minimums, fab minimums);
  • routing grid, via cost, optimizer passes;
  • whether a run on chosen nets may move other nets' tracks (off by default).
• While it runs, the board is locked, so nothing gets drawn underneath the router. You see:
  • the steps;
  • the net being routed;
  • progress and the router's output;
  • Pause/Resume and Stop buttons.
• At the end it lists the nets still unrouted (tap one to zoom to it). The whole run is one undo step: Keep, Discard, or New Run on top of it.
• MCP: pcb_autoroute takes the same options. pcb_autoroute_status and pcb_autoroute_control (pause, resume, stop, keep, discard) follow and end the run, which shows on the tablet.

Notes

• The first run after installing unpacks the router (about 150 MB) and takes about a minute. The APK is about 60 MB bigger.
• A full route of a dense board takes minutes on the tablet (the RP2350A board: 11 minutes). Routing a few chosen nets takes seconds.
• Known issue: the run view is wide and covers part of the board.