Wet and Dry PCB Etching Solutions: Which Process is the Right Solution? I have always been a very visually-oriented thinker. When I was much younger, I used to look up maps to video game levels online and put a sheet of tracing paper up against the screen to copy them down. The Zelda games specifically would always leave me with a notebook full of maps and, on the more challenging dungeons, color-coded warnings. If I sneezed once in my tracing process or the screen moved or I was called away mid-tracing, my map would Read Article Properties of Semiconductors: Electrodeposition, Gas Sensors, and PCB Devices I started working with gas sensors 10 years ago—my team had several ideas on how to improve the performance of our devices by integrating semiconductor nanomaterials into our PCB-based sensors. We were familiar with various electron, barrier heights, valence electrons, conduction band and the semiconductor interface. We were all masters of electrodeposition and masters of gas sensors in our own right, and we had the idea to integrate the two Read Article Sooner or Later, Your PCB Design Layout Will Need Rework I woke up last Saturday morning eager to get started on my latest backyard project. First, a trip to the hardware store for supplies, and then spend the rest of the day working on the project. Or at least I thought that I had it all planned out until my wife reminded me that I had promised to help her with some other chores. The proverbial rug of my weekend project was yanked out from under me by the classic “honey-do” block. Since I had, in fact Read Article Bill of Materials Management Strategies: Automation is Your Friend When I was a boy I really enjoyed reading the “Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators” mystery books. These books were a contemporary to “The Hardy Boys” mystery books and I filled a lot of my free time reading about “The Secret of Terror Castle”, “The Mystery of the Screaming Clock”, and many other frightful enigmas. A few years ago I ran across some of these books, and now I collect as many as I can find. Another avid fan I know said it Read Article Step Up Your Game: Multi-Board Versus Multilayer Designs Sometimes, a circuit board gets too cramped and has too many layers for its good. Highly cramped assemblies and higher layer counts generally increase costs, and you can't always enlarge a board just to fit everything into your mechanical constraints. Things like enclosures, connector placements, attached mechanical or electrical components, and the like all limit what you can do inside the space you are given. What's the difference between a Read Article Practice Makes Perfect: Testing and Verifying Electronic Component Assemblies during PCB Design When I was younger, well much younger, I had dreams of one day being a pro athlete. I wanted to be the guy who scored the winning touchdown, knocked in the winning run or hit the buzzer-beater. Although I never made to the professional level, I did have some success and I learned a lot. The most important thing was the results you achieved were strictly tied to your preparation. In other words, if I wanted to do well in the game I had to test Read Article Op-Amp Layout Guidelines for Noise Reduction in Your PCB I remember my younger self daisy chaining a stereo system and powered speakers to try and get that perfect sound. You quickly realize the power of amplifiers and the havoc that multistage amplifiers can wreak on your favorite music. I was specifically reminded of a fundamental component: operational amplifiers. Op-amps are particularly useful devices in a PCB design and they form the basis of many devices that make modern life possible. As op Read Article High Current Board Design and its Real World Applications With the rise of PCB applications stretching far and wide, designs are being created for applications that extend past simple signal integrity solutions. Advancements in material technology, PCB manufacturing capabilities, and the rising demand for PCB design is opening up the floor for many industries that otherwise have been dormant in the PCB world. Many limitations that were not present a handful of years ago are beginning to loosen. Of Read Article The Advantages and Disadvantages of Designing with Breadboards Breadcrumbs, breadboards, and breadwinners. One of which has electronic components. Two of which will provide you with a delicious and nutritious meal enough to feed a family. The first, will provide you with the foundational playground to which your printed circuit board board design will spawn from. I will save you time, effort, and many awkward encounters by telling you that if you go around trying to stick jumper leads into breadwinners Read Article PCB Manufacturing Ebook Printed circuit boards have a huge foothold in our lives. They are found in everything from our TVs and computers, to our washing machines and watches. As a PCB designer, you understand the blood, sweat, and tears that make every board and the devices they serve a reality. It's rare that any PCB project goes smoothly from start to finish. However, there are a number of steps you can take to increase the efficiency and reduce the number of hiccups Read Article Management Guide to Bill of Materials Ebook In the past, many PCB designers were confined to tools that dictated when the Bill of Materials could be produced. But we know from years of experience that the Bill of Materials, or BOM, can change throughout the design process. We believe the decision should be up to you, which is why we strive to offer tools that embrace flexible and agile options for PCB designers and other professionals involved in the decision process. Click the PDF above Read Article Learn PCB CAD Software Become an expert PCB CAD software user when you use Altium Designer. Of course, we could go on and on about how great Altium Designer is, but we think you've already heard enough from friends and colleagues in the industry. So we trust you will give it a try yourself. Want to know what comes with the software? Read on to find out what resources are available to solve your greatest problem. Because we know, benefits to the Unified Data Model Read Article How to Create a Bill of Materials That Meets Your Needs Sometimes when pressed to answer a question that I’m not prepared for like, “what do you want for your birthday”, I’ll respond flippantly; “small stacks of hundreds please!” I don’t even remember where I got this quote from, but I tend to use it a lot. It often kills the conversation and in the case of my wife, it earns me an immediate “annoyed wife glare” in response. Wouldn’t it be nice though if just for once someone actually honored my Read Article Circuit Board Sizes and Shapes, How to Make a PCB For many years my career took me to a lot of different locations as I traveled to conduct business. One of the wonderful things about travel is how it opens you up to new experiences and individuals. You only truly begin understanding how diverse our world is after witnessing the differences throughout various of it. I just wish I brought a dog with me on those trips, so I could name it “Toto,” because I sure wasn’t in Kansas anymore. Just as Read Article The Best PCB Design Tools Help You Grow From Design Kindergarten I used to work with middle-school aged kids, and one of the topics that I taught them was how to work together. I would separate them into four small groups and give each group a set of instructions on how to complete a section of a project. The intent was that after the four individual sections were completed, the kids would then come back together and use those sections to form one final project. The results though were usually pretty funny as Read Article Remove the Chance of PCB Manufacturing Delays by Using a Final Deliverable Checklist Several years ago I had knee surgery. Something had happened to the membrane that provided protection in the joint, and my knee was making all kinds of noise that a healthy knee shouldn’t be making. Before going into the surgery the doctor said that I should take a marker and carefully notate which knee required the surgery. Considering the circumstances, I hope he wasn’t pulling my leg before cutting into it. Using a checklist is always a good Read Article Which is Best: Mentor PADS PCB Design Software vs Altium PCB Design Software If you are tired of jumping back and forth between PCB design tools that use different data models, take a look at Altium Designer; a PCB design platform that has been designed to work the way you need it to. ALTIUM DESIGNER The most powerful, modern and easy-to-use PCB design tool for professional use. When you are creating a PCB design, you need design tools that can keep up with you. You need powerful tools that work smoothly together with Read Article Pagination First page « First Previous page ‹‹ Page153 Current page154 Page155 Page156 Page157 Page158 Next page ›› Last page Last » Load More