Hello, Welcome to the Altium Learning Hub

Every electronic product requires a bill of materials (BOM) before manufacturing. The BOM includes information about the parts used in fabrication and assembly. While initially from your EDA software, a BOM becomes a critical living document connecting design, procurement, and manufacturing throughout the product lifecycle. It guides part selection, procurement, and supply chain management from design through production. Many types and formats...

Key Takeaways Edge systems deliver lower latency, reduce dependence on centralized infrastructure, and maintain local control by processing data closer to where it’s generated. Edge computing is fundamentally changing how designers, engineers, and procurement specialists approach hardware selection. Components for edge solutions need to sustain high performance in real-world environments with tight power budgets, unpredictable connectivity, and...

Key Takeaways Edge computing is reshaping how hardware is designed, built, and deployed. By processing data locally, edge devices deliver faster insights, reduce cloud dependence, and strengthen data privacy. To meet these demands, modern components now integrate AI acceleration, extreme energy efficiency, secure (and sometimes redundant) connectivity, and extended lifecycle support. The following list highlights ten proven parts that embody...

When I talk with designers working on new product development, especially in wearables, aerospace, or compact industrial devices, one topic almost always comes up: "Should we just go with a flex circuit and connectors? Or is this a good candidate for rigid-flex?" It's a great question, and there's no one-size-fits-all answer. In fact, the answer often depends on how early you start thinking about it. Rigid-flex design requires a bit more...

Component shortages can destroy months of planning in a matter of days. Production schedules collapse, budgets explode, and customer trust evaporates as delivery promises become impossible to keep. Yet not every team faces this fate. Successful procurement teams avoid reactive measures and are three steps ahead with proactive sourcing strategies. The difference isn't luck. It's having the right intelligence at the right time. The key to managing...

Despite the growth of serial buses which use both source-synchronous and embedded clocks, system clocks and component-specific clocks are still widely used and will remain a core part of many types of designs. System or subsystem clocks can be used as reference timers for a range of components, providing precise timing at specific frequencies. There are also custom oscillator circuits and RF oscillator components which provide stable reference...

Modern automobiles are essentially sophisticated electronic systems on wheels. A luxury car today can host over a hundred electronic control units (ECUs) networked throughout the vehicle, and the wiring harnesses connecting them often stretch for several kilometers in total length. All these electronics must seamlessly integrate with the vehicle’s mechanical structure and constraints.  However, design teams responsible for the electronics (ECAD)...

Let’s face it, when it comes to via structures in printed circuit board design, it’s easy to get lost in the jargon. Stacked vias, staggered vias, filled vias, via-in-pad, blind vias, buried vias... The list goes on. With all the focus on miniaturization and high-density designs, it’s tempting to default to the smallest, most compact option. But here’s the reality: if your via structure isn’t chosen with reliability and manufacturability in mind...

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...