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Today, most PCBs can be considered to be at risk of some type of signal integrity problem that is normally associated with high speed digital design. High speed PCB design and layout focuses on creating circuit board designs that are less susceptible to signal integrity, power integrity, and EMI/EMC problems. While no design is ever totally free of these problems, by following these high speed board design guidelines they can be reduced to the...

When you run a design firm, there’s one type of email you’re bound to receive more than any other: sales emails from PCB manufacturing services. I understand that companies need to get their names out there and want to win business, so this post isn’t meant to denigrate those companies. There is plenty of PCBA for manufacturing services you can find online, and they can all start to blend together. If you’re searching for a new service provider...

You already know assembly variants are a great way to make your files clean and easy to use as you create your PCB projects. They speed up your workflow while giving you a single source of truth for the rest of your design, only changing the elements that vary. But how do you best set them up for a smooth transition to manufacturing? Watch this video to learn about the Altium preferred way to get those assembly variants into designs and ready...

Digital systems designers are likely familiar with some RF components and routing styles, but there is much more that goes into RF circuit design. An RF circuit can include integrated circuits, discrete semiconductors, and printed RF elements that work together to produce required functionality. RF circuit design involves combining all of these elements to build an entire system and create a PCB layout. RF circuits are non as intuitive as...

When designing the power supply for your device, there are lots of different options. The biggest hurdle can sometimes be understanding the difference between the options, some suppliers using various terms for the same thing. So here we will go on a brief tour of the main choices in DC power supply design. DC-DC Converter vs Regulator A DC-DC converter takes an input DC voltage and generates a different output DC voltage. The main aim of a DC...

The radar evaluation module from Texas Instruments shown above is one example of a design that contains an mmWave section complete with RF routing and high power transmission, as well as a moderate speed digital section with multiple ICs. I’m not affiliated with TI, but the main reason I like this board as an educational tool is that it shows one way to use PTFE-based laminates like Rogers or Taconic to build a commercial RF product. Sometimes...

Copper roughness has an impact on high-speed digital designs. Choose your copper wisely! In this episode, circuit materials expert John Coonrod of Rogers Corporation shares his extensive knowledge on copper roughness. Watch this episode or listen on the go; it will help a PCB designer make a sound decision about picking the most suitable copper to use on your next design. Listen to the Podcast: Download this episode (right click and save) W...

In simple terms, schematic capture is the process of converting a paper design into an electronic representation that software tools, such as circuit simulation or PCB design packages, can process. Graphically, schematic capture (also known as schematic entry) is the process of arranging components in schematic sheets and defining links between them. In this way, you produce a logical/electrical design that can be used in your other design tools...

Switching power suppliers present the designer with a challenge when it comes to effective filtering. First, the input filter must prevent noise on the input power lines from being conducted through the power supply to the output. Second, the input filter must prevent noise generated by the switching circuitry from appearing at the output. Third, the input filter must prevent the switching circuitry’s noise from being conducted back through the...