When connecting two power studs on a PCB using external wiring, a heavy wire link, or a busbar, Altium Designer handles this using Pad-Level Jumper IDs or Assembled Jumper Links.
Option 1: Using Jumper IDs (Recommended for Busbars & Heavy Wiring)
If the connection is made externally (i.e., not via copper traces on the board layout), assign matching Jumper IDs directly to the pads of your power studs:
- Configure Footprint Pads
- In the power stud footprint (or directly on the PCB layout), select Stud Pad 1.
- In the Properties Panel, under Jumper ID, enter a non-zero integer (e.g.,
10). - Select Stud Pad 2 and set its Jumper ID to the matching number (
10).
- Set Net Assignment & DRC Rules
- Connect both power studs to the same Net name in your schematic (e.g.,
+24V_BUSorGND). - Because both pads share the same Jumper ID and Net name, Altium treats the connection as bridged externally.
- Result: Unrouted net flags and short-circuit Design Rule Check (DRC) errors will be suppressed between the two studs, even without a physical copper trace on the PCB.
Option 2: Component Type = Jumper (For 2-Pin Busbar / Wire Assembly)
If your external busbar or wire link is tracked as a physical Bill of Materials (BOM) item:
- Schematic Component Configuration
- Place a 2-pin component representing the busbar or wire link in your schematic.
- In the Properties Panel, set Type to
Jumper. - Assign footprint pads matching your physical power stud dimensions (e.g., M4 / M5 screw terminal pads).
- PCB Routing & Net Propagation
- Route power traces or copper pours up to Pad 1 and Pad 2 independently.
- Altium will treat the net as continuous across the busbar/wire link component without requiring an internal PCB trace between the two studs.
Verification Check
To verify the link is correctly established in Altium Designer, run a Design Rule Check (
Tools → Design Rule Check → Run Design Rule Check). Check the Un-Routed Net report to confirm no errors are flagged for the connection between the two studs.
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