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Component datasheets are the bedrock of electronic design, serving as the official instruction manual with detailed electrical characteristics, physical dimensions, and recommended operating conditions. For any engineer, the datasheet is the non-negotiable starting point. However, datasheets represent a baseline understanding. In reality, the journey from individual components to a reliable and manufacturable product involves considerations that...

Engineering teams globally know the frustration: days before a prototype build or production run, a key component in the "finalized" Bill of Materials is found to be obsolete, out-of-stock, or facing a crippling lead time. This triggers a high-stakes scramble – late-night redesigns, frantic supplier calls, and jeopardized project timelines. Far from being an isolated incident, occurrences like these highlight systemic flaws in traditional BOM...

At some point in every product lifecycle, engineers face an inevitable dilemma: stick with that EOL (End-of-Life) part and risk future manufacturing issues, or replace it with something newer and potentially introduce compatibility problems? Even what appears to be a straightforward substitution can lead to costly mistakes. The key to navigating these decisions successfully is ensuring you have access to accurate, current component data. The...

In the race to deliver faster, denser and more intelligent wireless systems, the antenna has quietly moved from the fringe of the design process to the center. Nowhere is that shift more apparent than in the rise of antenna-in-package (AiP) technology, a design approach that embeds high-frequency antennas directly into the semiconductor package. For engineers working at the intersection of RF design and systems integration, AiP represents a...

The rollout of 5G networks has already pushed electronic components to new limits. Now, with 6G on the horizon, engineers are entering an era where gigahertz (GHz) no longer stretch far enough. Sub-terahertz (Sub-THz) frequencies, ultra-low latency and bandwidths in the hundreds of gigahertz are all driving a new wave of innovation in devices, networks and within the components themselves. For electronics engineers, this is a tectonic...

Connector misalignment in multi-board systems tends to fly under the radar. Until it doesn’t. One subtle offset, one misaligned header, and suddenly you're dealing with bent pins, mechanical strain, or an assembly that just won’t go together. The result? Lost time, added cost, and unnecessary rework tied to poor board alignment or inadequate connector planning. What makes the difference is catching these issues early and designing with the whole...

One of the most popular AI at-the-edge platforms out there, the Jetson Orin Nano development kit provides a lot in such a small package. It has one of the highest performance-to-cost ratios among development kits and, as a result, has been sold out for months. If you can get your hands on one of these (which took me months to do) you’re in for a real treat. In this tutorial, we’re going to show you how to get started with the development kit...

Legacy bills of materials (BOMs) never truly disappear. For industries such as aerospace, medical devices, defense, and industrial automation—where products are built to last—supporting systems long after their initial release is essential. Legacy BOMs are revisited for servicing, compliance, or returning customer demand. Yet the original parts lists, often created years ago, rarely survive the test of time. Obsolescence, discontinued components...

FPGAs, DSPs, power amplifiers, MMICs… these components can have multiple voltage rails which require power sequencing in a specific order. The purpose of this sequencing is to prevent damage from latch-up, transients, ESD, and inrush current. Therefore, a sequencing process needs to be implemented in order to bring up power to the chip and instantiate the device’s embedded application. As FPGAs are large components with complex subsystems, power...