Altium Designer - PCB Design Software

Easy, Powerful, Modern: Altium Designer is the world’s most trusted PCB design system for professionals and students. Browse our resources to learn more about how Altium Designer is revolutionizing the PCB design industry, and empowering designers to bring all of their ideas to life!

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HDI PCB design and HDI PCB manufacturing process

Design Basics for HDI and the HDI PCB Manufacturing Process As the world of technology has evolved, so has the need to pack more capabilities into smaller packages. PCBs designed using high-density interconnect (HDI) techniques tend to be smaller as more components are packed in a smaller space. An HDI PCB uses blind, buried, and micro vias, vias in pads, and very thin traces to pack more components into a smaller area. We’ll show you the design basics for HDI and how Altium Designer^® can help you create Read Article

Creating High Pin Count Schematic Symbols Quickly

Creating High Pin Count Schematic Symbols Quickly Making schematic symbols is quick and painless when you use regular expressions and leverage Altium Designer’s expansive toolkit. Read Article

Reduce copper losses

Recover Conductor Losses By Clearing Your PCB Ground Layer Need to recover some conductor losses? Here’s how clearing out your ground plane near an I/O or connector can help. Read Article

Altium 365 Easy Collaboration

Best Practices in Hardware Version Control Systems Read more about some best practices for using hardware version control systems in electronics design. Read Article

Differential Impedance Specification

How to Design to a Differential Impedance Specification Differential impedance is sometimes misunderstood and it depends on multiple factors. Learn more about trace width design needed to reach a specific differential impedance target. Read Article

PCB test points

Is It Printed or a Component? All About PCB Test Points A PCB test point can be a simple pad in the PCB layout, or it can be a specific component where you can connect a probe. Read Article

Differential Pair Spacing

Should You Use Tight vs. Loose Differential Pair Spacing and Coupling? We get a lot of questions about trace impedance and how to calculate the right trace size to hit a specific impedance in a manufacturable PCB. Just as important as determining an appropriate trace width for a single-ended trace is determination of an appropriate spacing between two traces in a differential pair. So the question is, how close do the traces in a differential pair need to be to each other, and is the need for “tight coupling” really Read Article

Electrical Stress Test

Overview of Electrical Stress Test Methods for PCBAs Electrical stress test requirements should be considered as you begin to make a transition to high volume production. Read Article

What is Product Lifecycle Management

What is Product Lifecycle Management? Read and learn the stages and benefits of a properly implemented Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) system. Mark Harris shares his knowledge to streamline processes and maximize efficiencies during product development and production. Read Article

The Main Advantages when using Draftsman to Create an Order Form When manufacturing a PCB, it is not enough to provide the manufacturer with layout, drilling data and drawings alone. The manufacturer requires an order form that contains all of the basic parameters of your PCB. Use of a Draftsman document brings an elegant, yet powerful solution for creating such a form quickly and easily. Everything you need for creating your order form - including PCB parameters, drilling and impedance tables, and PCB stackup Download PDF

The Main Advantages when using Draftsman to Create an Assembly Drawing Automation of manufacturing processes has dramatically simplified the fabrication and assembly of electronic products. However, it is almost impossible to assemble a PCB without a drawing. A manufacturer will definitely require an assembly drawing. Use of a Draftsman document brings an elegant, yet powerful solution when creating the drawings you need for assembly. Draftsman has been designed for creating documentation specifically for PCBs. Its Download PDF

The Main Advantages when using Draftsman to Create a Fabrication Drawing It is pretty difficult to make a modern PCB without a drawing. The more accurate and detailed the drawing, the fewer questions your manufacturer will need to ask. Also, it is more likely that the product will fully meet your requirements and expectations. Use of a Draftsman document brings an elegant, yet powerful solution when creating the drawings you need for manufacturing. Add layout views, a drill table, an impedance table, a layer stack Download PDF

The Main Advantages when using Draftsman to Create a Component Mounting Drawing Quite often, a standard assembly drawing is not enough to ensure the quality of a PCB assembly, especially when designing high-density boards. It would also be helpful to include additional detailing for simpler devices. Manufacturing and inspection services also need a clear understanding of which components are being used in a design and where those parts are located. Use of a Draftsman document brings an elegant, yet powerful solution to make Download PDF

Schematic Review Checklist

Schematic Review Checklist This article is a simple, no-frills checklist to help you check schematics. Read now and avoid schematic design mistakes that could make their way into prototypes or production without a second thought. Read Article

Energy Harvesting

Energy Harvesting for Medical Devices and Remote Sensors Harvesting energy from the environment is an increasingly popular technique for powering electrical devices. Let’s discuss sources and implementation. Read Article

copper pour and via stitching

Copper Pour and Via Stitching: Do You Need Them in a PCB Layout? When is it appropriate to use copper pour or via stitching in your PCB layout? Read our guide on copper pour and how it can be used properly with via stitching. Read Article

Altium Designer Quick Install Guide Since you now have access to the latest version of Altium Designer, let's take a few minutes to get it Watch Video