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I spent a week redesigning circuits because a mechanical engineer couldn't change an enclosure. The analog signals had to wrap around the entire board, doubling trace length, all because cables needed to exit specific sides of the box. That was traditional electronics. Structure first, circuits second. Structural electronics integration flips everything. The circuit becomes the structure. The structure becomes the circuit. This shift sets the...

When it comes to programmable analog electronics, there aren't a lot of compact options. Analog programmable electronics have always required some sort of digital host running firmware and accepting user commands. The circuitry that makes up the analog portion of the system is almost always built from discrete components, making compact form factors very difficult. For analog ASICs, reprogrammability typically comes through externally connected...

Welcome to part two of Octopart’s Expert Insights on Sourcing BOMs series! In this episode, Joel Austin and Zach Peterson dive into how you can efficiently source alternate parts using the Octopart BOM Tool. From identifying lifecycle risks to checking compliance and replacing discontinued components, this walkthrough shows how to make smarter sourcing decisions. Didn’t catch the first episode? Click here to see how to simplify component...

PCBA buyers looking to purchase assemblies should know the potential risks they face with different service levels from an assembly house. A buyer's job is to take the engineering specification and keep it inside, as well as the completed printed circuit boards, and consign these items to a PCB assembly house. Once the assembly process begins, buyers should be aware of all the factors that could increase cost or lead time, as well as watch for...

As PCB designers, we spend a lot of time focusing on the high-profile aspects of Ultra High Density Interconnect (UHDI) technology: tight trace widths, sub-50 micron spacing, stacked microvias, and advanced material sets. But there’s another layer that doesn’t get nearly enough attention and, in many cases, can make or break the manufacturability of your board: soldermask. In UHDI designs, where line-and-space geometries are pushing the lower...

In aerospace, the margin for error is razor-thin. A misaligned connector or overlooked clearance can mean millions in redesign costs, months of certification delay, or worse, a system failure in the field. Regulatory bodies like the FAA (DO-254) and defense standards such as MIL-STD-810 exist to minimize these risks, but compliance is only as strong as the design process itself. Increasingly, aerospace companies are embracing ECAD-MCAD co-design...

I’ve been prototyping and playing around with Arduinos since the first Arduino Uno came out. I was just starting college and I fell in love with the device from day one. Fast-forward a few years later, and I needed to rapidly put together a prototype for my senior design project. To move fast, the Arduino was the only platform out there at the time that came with lots of modules/shields, libraries out of the box, and a simple IDE to pull a...

There is a lot that can go wrong during PCB assembly. When procuring printed circuit boards and PCB assemblies, simple things like incorrect BOM line items and footprint mismatches can force an assembly to be delayed, reworked, or scrapped. Some of the features in a PCB layout can also increase the chances of defects which will require a fabricated PCB to be scrapped. PCB fabricators will put a design through a DFM review, but a DFM review is not...

When analog signals need to be monitored, the most common components used for this task are ADCs. There is nothing wrong with ADCs for many different functions, but they are best used when precise measurements of a voltage level are needed. When a simpler measurement is needed, such as when a signal exceeds a certain voltage level, the typical approach is to use a comparator or a window comparator. For example, one common application in power...