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Working between the Electronic and Mechanical design domains brings unique challenges. ECAD and MCAD tools have different design objectives and have evolved down different paths, and so has the way they store and manage their design and project data.  Today's designs of small and complex product enclosures that house multiple, irregular-shaped printed circuit boards (PCB), demand that this challenge be solved. To successfully design these...

As much as we’d like, the power we supply to electronics isn’t always stable. Real power sources contain noise, they might exhibit power instability, or they drop out unexpectedly. Thankfully, we have power regulators to help prevent some of these problems. For low-power devices, two common types of power regulators are used: linear voltage regulators (or low dropout regulators, LDOs) and switching regulators. These can be combined at various...

Every so often, I get a question from a reader that piques my interest and ends up sparking a lively debate, research dive, or Q&A session. One recent question I received concerns PCB trace length, signaling standards, and component specifications. Here’s the paraphrased question: What is the typical length limit for a high-speed trace? This is always a fun question because it can be addressed from multiple angles. In this case, the component...

Listen to the Podcast: Download this episode (right click and save) Watch the video: Show Highlight - Pro Tips!  How do you build a new data management system?  Build templates and defaults (files) and remember to always do this FIRST - copy the Altium defaults and set them up from there. Please review all the parameters and learn how they flow. Then check in to Concord / Altium365. Review and organize your categorization system. Make...

Switching power supplies come in many forms, such as in a high-power benchtop lab power supply, or embedded onto a PCB with specialty ICs and passives. The goal in designing these systems is to ensure stable DC power delivery to the rest of your system with minimal noise. It’s also ideal to dampen the effects of any residual ripple from rectification or remove any noise on the input. Keeping the output noise-free and stable might require using an...

  OnTrack Newsletter April 2021 VOL. 4 No 7   Successful ECAD/MCAD Collaboration Practices In this article Dr. Zachariah Peterson, founder of Northwest Engineering Services, discusses how his company successfully collaborates with mechanical engineers outside of his firm. He shares...

Today’s design teams are less likely to be clustered in an office, and they need tools to help them easily share design data for current and past projects. Most designers I talk to have three methods for sharing their PCB projects, individual files, or groups of files: Long chains of emails between designers, customers, and a manufacturer Sharing platforms like Google Drive and Dropbox Chat platforms like Slack or Skype These tools are great...

Altium, a leading global developer of software for electronics design, and Würth Elektronik, one of the leading and best known PCB manufacturers, invite you to participate in a joint webinar "Standard PCB Stackups and Materials". Have you ever discussed the layer structure of your circuit board with your circuit board manufacturer or your purchasing department? Have you ever had to adjust your design due to a layer structure change even though...

PCB designs seldomly exist on their own; an enclosure usually accompanies them. Even in today’s MCAD-integrated tool landscape, many designers ensure proper fitment of an enclosure and their PCB using a basic, outdated approach consisting of simple file exchanges. Altium Designer uses a modern 3D rendering engine that allows users to directly bring their enclosures into their PCB workspace. Check for proper fitment between the board and enclosure...