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Building Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers to control various instruments can be tricky. With MCP turned on, the LLM in your IDE can call functions directly from your driver instead of just suggesting code and hoping you run it. Not all instruments behave the same, respond to the same command scheme, or contain the same setup. Luckily, there are industry standards for test equipment such as Standard Commands for Programmable Instruments (SCPI...

Margins in consumer electronics are tight. To stay competitive, procurement teams need more than quick quotes. They need a plan to stay cost-competitive. This guide shows how to prioritize vendors for cost while guarding schedule and quality. You’ll learn how to apply a cost-first scorecard, see how Altium Agile Teams delivers up-to-date market data through integrated supply chain insights, and follow a workflow from BOM to purchase order. A...

Smooth Transition from Autodesk Eagle PCB to Altium Designer Develop For the purpose of this migration guide we are going to focus on importing Eagle PCB Designs, if you require other files migrated, please refer to their specific guide. Legacy Translation Before You Start to Import This guide will show you how to import data from your legacy system into Altium Designer Develop. What it will not ask is “why do you want to do it?” Customers...

Making a Smooth Transition from OrCAD Capture to Altium Designer Develop In this guide, we’ll focus on importing OrCAD Capture designs. Please refer to specific guides if you need to migrate other files. Legacy Translation Before You Begin This guide will show you how to import data from your legacy system into Altium Designer Develop. Before importing all of your legacy data, it’s important to ask yourself, “why do I need to import my legacy...

Over the past decade, many applications have moved some or all of their capabilities and services into the cloud, and the same is true for PCB design software. Cloud PCB design platforms can be very convenient for hobbyists or students who do not work on complex products. So it's no surprise that new designers tend to gravitate towards these tools to gain early design experience. As designs get more complex, the cloud only offers a limited set...

One of the most common reasons for delays in PCB assembly, as well as extra costs, is errors in parts information in a BOM. There are plenty of reasons errors can arise in a BOM, ranging from a simple part number mistake to missing environmental compliance data or marking parts as DNP. Omitting this data creates new liabilities for manufacturers and can lead to incorrect part ordering by the electronic component procurement team. Staying on...

Modern product development demands speed and precision, but as learned from recent industry surveys, critical phases remain stuck in paper-driven, manual workflows. For PCB design and assembly, this reliance on outdated processes leads to poor Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DFMA) practices, resulting in unnecessary cost, significant delays, and lost engineering time. Altium’s solutions are engineered to close this gap, transforming a...

You’re using the Octopart BOM Tool and enjoying the many advantages of linking design and procurement with up-to-date data from hundreds of distributors. Now, let’s make that workflow even sharper.  In this guide, you’ll learn how to: Streamline BOM workflows for speed and accuracy Proactively manage component lifecycle risks Harness the latest insights for effective risk mitigation Foster cleaner cross-team collaboration Identify and avoid...

Selecting components means making choices that ship on time, scale to production, and remain supportable next quarter and next year, while balancing electrical fit with availability, lifecycle, and compliance considerations. A shared BOM workspace facilitates these complex decisions by aligning design and sourcing teams and connecting working prototypes to predictable builds. The following guide outlines a practical workflow you can use with the...