The Best Tools for Multi-Board PCB Systems Design They say that time flies when you’re having fun. Maybe that’s why I feel like time slows to a crawl when I’m constructing a multi-board PCB device. Designing even one board can be an agonizing task, what with trying to avoid EMI , ground everything properly , mitigate static discharge , and optimize your routing . Creating a system of PCBs that all fit together physically and electrically sometimes tests the limits of tedium. Lucky for us there Read Article PCB Design Process: The EDA Design Approach The electronic design automation (EDA) approach, which is also referred to as the electronic computer-aided design (ECAD) approach, is composed of a series of software tools that are used to execute and complete the electronic system design process. These systems can include printed boards (PCBs) as well as integrated circuits (ICs). When considering product development for printed circuit boards, a toolchain with a wide array of dissimilar tools Read Article Advantages of Hierarchical Block Diagrams and Schematic Designs for PCB Schematic Layouts Hierarchical schematic designs, or block design, can help you better organize PCB schematic layouts by reducing workload for identical blocks of circuitry and enabling design reuse. Read Article How to Use a Random Number Generator to Create Uncertainty in PCB Design My high school peers knew me as a predictable person—always the first one to show up anywhere—on time, every time. Since they didn’t seem as concerned with keeping their schedules and promises, sometimes I waited hours for my friends. That uncertainty would mess up my schedule, but engineering was a place where I found uncertainty was rarely a problem. Unsurprisingly, I developed a deep interest in physics and engineering, where the results are Read Article How to Become a PCB Designer in Today’s World For the engineer that likes to solve puzzles, create something physical, and appreciates electronics, PCB design as a career might be right for you. Even if you're not a PCB designer or layout engineer, and instead you want to work as an electrical engineer, there is still room for you to work with PCB designers. Today's teams are multifunctional and they need to collaborate across disciplines. It's better to think of electronics development Read Article Printed Circuit Board Design and Fabrication Tips to Prevent Open Circuits During PCB Manufacturing For a couple years, I lived in a town with a chocolate and candy factory. It was an amazing and terrible time, because you could go to the factory and buy “seconds,” or messed up candies, for about 75% off the normal price. Usually, the mistake was cosmetic, like the chocolate cracking over the caramel, and everything tasted totally fine. When a PCB manufacturer makes a mistake, sometimes it’s cosmetic, and the board will still function Read Article How to Create A Component in CircuitStudio This video will cover to create a real, purchasable component with schematic symbol, PCB footprint and 3D model for your PCB design. Read Article Asset Performance Management: Blazing A Better Path to Operational Excellence Read Article How to Activate Your License in CircuitStudio This video covers how to download, install and activate their license for CircuitStudio. Read Article How to Do Pours and Internal Planes in CircuitStudio This video cover how to use, create and control via rules polygon pours and internal planes. Read Article ESD Protection For PCB Design From computers and televisions, to automobiles and kitchen appliances, PCBs are found in nearly every aspect of our lives-- many of our devices would not be possible without them. They are the brains of our electronics, and as such, it is of the utmost importance to do everything in our power to ensure our designs are protected from potentially catastrophic threats. Proper routing and schematics, component placement, and special attention to Read Article How to Create a 3D Donut and Other Unusual Shapes in Your PCB Design It is generally very simple to create realistic 3D mechanical shapes in Altium Designer® using the included Extruded, Cylinder, and Sphere shape types in the PCB Library editor. However, some shapes can be tricky. A board outline can be extremely helpful and can even produce shapes like the polygon (polygon pour). A 3D donut, however, is what we will be focusing on today. Although a hole cannot be cut out of any of the Altium-created shapes, a Read Article Thermal Management Part 2: Sizing a Component Heatsink and Datasheets In this episode, Chris Carlson shows how to properly size a heatsink for a component. An expert in PCB design, Chris is a wealth of information for the novice and experts in PCB design. Get the most effective information on PCB design and Electronic Design Automation. Links to the Datasheets: Voltage Regulator Datasheet Thermal interface (sil Pad) by Berrgquist Heatsink Datasheet If you find this video interesting, please like and share with your Watch Video PCB CAD Design for Manufacturing Guidelines: How Trace Routing Can Affect Solder Joints A couple of weeks ago I attended a concert that was a tribute to the big band leader Stan Kenton. I love big band jazz for many reasons, one of which is the configuration of musicians and instruments in the band. There are usually around 15 to 20 musicians on different instruments, and everyone plays a different part. If just one person makes a mistake, it can ruin the balance of the number that was so carefully arranged by the composer. The Read Article PCB Technology Trends: The Benefits of Internet of Things Security Gateways Do you ever like to take a break from social situations for a few days and spend some quality time with your television? I do that maybe a little more often than I should, and last week I spent that time binge-watching the new season of Stranger Things. If you haven’t seen the show, it’s about a girl with psychic powers who opens a portal to another dimension (the Upside Down) filled with creatures. The gateway to that world lets monsters loose Read Article Introduction to High Speed PCB Designing: Techniques for Avoiding Crosstalk Wondering how to reduce crosstalk? Crosstalk is the unintentional electromagnetic coupling between traces on a PCB. Let’s take a look at what crosstalk is and how to reduce crosstalk in high-speed PCB design. Read Article The Best Easily Available PCB CAD Design Software Training Resources Congratulations! You’re about to start working on a new CAD system, and you are chomping at the bit to design something. Like a 10-year old waking up on the morning of their birthday, you can hardly wait to rip the wrapping off the box and get started. Once you’re seated in front of your new software though, you begin to worry. How do you open up a part to work on it, and is it even called a “part” in this system? How do you create a simple Read Article Pagination First page « First Previous page ‹‹ Page156 Current page157 Page158 Page159 Page160 Page161 Next page ›› Last page Last » Load More