PCB Design For Test Structures And Tests Performed, Part 2 In Part 1 of my article I outlined the various test structures that can and should be incorporated into any given PCB design. Included in this was a description of how they are built, where they are located and how they are used to ensure PCB structural and performance integrity. As speeds have increased and designs have become much more complex, test structures have become a necessity rather than features that can be added indiscriminately. And Read Article PCB Design For Test—Test Structures And Types Of Tests, Part 1 An important part of any high-speed design is making sure it can be tested successfully during manufacture and operation. Since these tests are performed significantly downstream from the PCB design process, they are not often properly and thoroughly accounted for as part of this process. This article will address two important aspects of the design for test process: creating test structures (aka test point connections) within the board, and Read Article Communication from Design to Assembly In a perfect world, a box and enclosure are designed, and then printed circuit boards or flexible circuits are designed to fit within that box perfectly, meeting all the electrical and mechanical requirements of the project. Sadly, most of us don’t get to work in that perfect world and at times must deal with challenges to that original plan. Things don’t always work as expected. Sometimes that is because something obvious was missed., Often it’s Read Article Data-Over-Sound Open Source: Chirp Unlocks the Power of Sound Chirp sends data seamlessly over soundwaves (Image source: chirp.io) According to the Wikipedia, a chirp is a signal in which the frequency increases (up-chirp) or decreases (down-chirp) with time. It’s also the name of a rather interesting company, whose website can be found at Chirp.io I don’t know about you, but – until recently -- if someone were to ask me how to transmit data from one device to another, my knee-jerk reaction would have been Read Article Advancements in Electronic Component Management In this volatile business of ours, we can ill afford to rest on our laurels, even to pause in retrospect. Times and conditions change so rapidly that we must keep our aim constantly focused on the future. - Walt Disney I stood at the large hospital window looking out at the early evening sky. I could see several stories below just a small section of the nearby freeway. As typical for the late hour, the traffic was at a standstill, with its Read Article How to Use Altium Designer Most Efficiently One of the things I really love about Altium Designer® is how many shortcuts there are, and how customisable they are. A while ago in my database library ’s chat channel, there was a really good discussion about shortcuts and how each of us customises his or her menus to be able to draw schematics and layout boards as quickly and efficiently as possible. Many of us use and love similar shortcuts, but there were enough interesting use cases that I Read Article Fabulous Folding Phones Microsoft doubles up with its dual screen Surface Duo (Image source: Microsoft) I like to think that I'm riding the crest of the technology wave, but every now and then something slips past my eagle eye and then leaps out to surprise me when I least expect it. Such was the case when I ran across the fact that Microsoft is planning on rolling out a fabulous folding smartphone called the Surface Duo in 2020. We will return to this in a moment, but Read Article Which IoT Protocols to Use for Industrial Environmental Monitoring? The progression of industry and manufacturing throughout the past 250 years A report from the M cKinsey Global Institute estimates that IoT devices could have an annual economic impact of $3.9 trillion to $11.1 trillion across many different settings by 2025, including factories, cities, retail environments, and the human body. IoT devices can be used to gather and process information remotely, either for automation or analysis purposes. IoT Read Article Paralyzed Man Walks with Aid of Mind-Controlled Exoskeleton Paralyzed man walks with aid of mind-controlled exoskeleton Image source: A frame from BBC video In an earlier column we introduced a tiny (2.5 mm x 0.6 mm) device called Injectsense , which can monitor the pressure inside the eye. In the not-so-distant future, the goal is to use devices like these to provide organ-to-cloud data connections that will allow clinicians and physicians to monitor our health and determine the effectiveness of Read Article Great Spock! NeoSpectra-Based Tricorders are (Almost) Here! The lightweight handheld NeoSpectra-Scanner provides material analysis capability Image source: Si-Ware Systems I have a cousin who lives in Canada. We’ll call her Rachel (because that's her name). Rachel is extremely allergic to almost any form of shellfish. The slightest hint of a sniff of a mollusk, crustacean, or echinoderm will leave her gasping frantically for air and grasping feverishly for her EpiPen. Rachel's allergy is so severe that Read Article Pad Stack Design And Fine Hole Pitch Components, Part 1 What happens when you try to route two traces between pins on 1mm pitch BGAs? As noted in the previous article on pad stack design and fabrication , there are a number of factors that need to be taken into account when it’s time calculate the complete dimensioning of the finished hole size on a plated through-hole in a PCB. When it comes to fine pitch components, there are always questions regarding what happens when 1mm and smaller pitch Read Article Injectsense Real-Time Eye Pressure Monitoring A prototype of Injectsense's wireless silicon sensor module next to a grain of rice and a quarter (Image source: Injectsense) A little over a year ago, I noticed that things sometimes got a little blurry while I was looking at my computer screen. My cousin Graham in England has macular degeneration, which has left him almost totally without sight. I have to admit that the thought this might happen to me was lurking in the back of my mind, so I Read Article Concord Pro and the Library S.M.A.R.T. Rule Part-2 Altium Concord Pro™ as a standalone product and brand name has been discontinued and the capabilities are now available as part of our Altium enterprise solutions. Learn more here . Introduction In the first part of this blog , we saw how you could use Concord Pro® to set up and support the S.M.A.R.T. Rule of Data Management , specifically the Singularity and the Management of your data. Now, we will continue to look at the additional pillars Read Article Shaper Engineer Jeremy Blum on Arduino Engineering and Building Consumer Products Jeremy Blum, Director of Engineering at Shaper, talks about his upcoming keynote speech on a holistic approach to engineering and design at AltiumLive PCB Design Summit in Frankfurt, Germany. Read Article Concord Pro and the Library S.M.A.R.T. Rule Part-1 \ Altium Concord Pro™ as a standalone product and brand name has been discontinued and the capabilities are now available as part of our Altium enterprise solutions. Learn more here . Introduction The saying goes that “The lead dog always has the best view.” When it comes to the race of the ECAD Software companies, for many years, Altium has led the pack. They got to that prized position for several reasons.The main reason, I believe, is that Read Article OnTrack Newsletter: Music & Electronics, MCU Selection, Brain Food - October 2019 OnTrack Newsletter October 2019 VOL. 3 No 5 PianoArc: A Circular Piano Fit for Princes and Mega Stars Earlier this year I met a fascinating designer at the San Diego Altium® Users Group. Dave Starkey told me about a circular piano he and his partners had designed and built called the Pianoarc. In this interview, learn more about Starkey’s background and how he came to co-create this unique instrument that now graces a Middle Eastern Palace and is Read Article Naming Convention and PCB Data Management Introduction There is a poem by John Godfrey Saxe that was from a Hindu fable about the six blind men of Indostan who went to see the Elephant. The first went up and felt the side of the Elephant and concluded that he was touching a wall. The second went up and felt a tusk, exclaimed: “This is not a wall at all; it is a spear.” The third blind man, feeling the huge trunk, decided that it was a snake. The fourth man felt the elephant’s leg and Read Article Pagination First page « First Previous page ‹‹ Page86 Current page87 Page88 Page89 Page90 Page91 Next page ›› Last page Last » Load More