Hello, Welcome to the Altium Learning Hub

In this session, we will cover Draftsman for design documentation, FAB/Assembly house file generation and automating their creation using Outjobs.

This tech track will discuss DDR and BGA Routing Best Practices and addresses the challenges to the designer and illustrates the various options for BGA fanout and the balanced routing constraints needed for fanning out to DDR memories.

In a previous two-part article, I described the PCB fabrication operations relative to inner layer processing, lamination, drilling and plating. The last step in the process is outer layer processing which is described below. For a detailed description of outer layer finishes; how different vias are formed and the steps involved in the multilayer build-up process, please refer to my previous blog.  The Start of Outer Layer Processing Once the...

In Part 1 of this article, I described the first steps that occur during the PCB fabrication process. They detailed the inner layer processing effort as well as the efforts that take place during the transition from inner layer processing to lamination. This part of the article will provide a detailed description of the lamination, drilling and plating processes. The goal of these two articles is to familiarize designers and design engineers...

In the olden and not-so-olden days of PCB development, the process of moving a board from design to manufacturing was often referred to as “throwing the design over the wall.” This was not the result of the operations being so clearly divided, but rather a way to assign ownership and blame if there were errors. My last project at Martin Marietta was a black hole program for the U.S. Airforce and Navy. When problems were encountered during the...

Introduction They say variety is the spice of life. That is also the case for PCB designs. It may come as a shock to some, but many companies are in business and always chasing this thing called “profits” (I am using my sarcastic voice). It is entirely understandable that profit is what keeps the doors open and people employed. A significant way that they improve the bottom line is to have a variety of product lines available to their customers...

When I hear the name “Arduino,” I don’t usually think of production-grade hardware. I’m not talking down to the folks at Arduino, they’ve done an excellent job at invading the educational and proof-of-concept development niches, to the extent that other hardware platforms simply haven’t been able to catch up. Arduino boards are an excellent choice for low volume functional prototyping and embedded software development. But what about production...

The Novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) epidemic appears to be slowing in countries practicing social distancing measures, but we’re not out of the water yet. Serious medical equipment shortages continue to dog hospitals around the world, and officials are bracing for worst-case scenarios: medical triage. Here’s how one entrepreneur channeled his concern for a high-risk family member into action, using his training and resources to aid the fight...

The next smartphone you buy is likely to include a GaN MMIC power amplifier for wireless communication. What was formerly relegated to academia is now seeing fast commercialization. These developments aren’t limited to smartphones, although this is expected to account for a significant portion of the growing RF components market. High frequency radar in automotive, aerospace, and even robotics is expected to be a significant driver of further GaN...