Altium Vault

Why Version Control Should Be Implemented in Your PCB Design Software

Why Version Control Should Be Implemented in Your PCB Design Software Everyone’s worst nightmare - the blue screen of death! Getting back into the flow after a business trip is never easy, but my return this week has been particularly challenging. We have a time critical contract with our client, so everyone on the project is operating at >100%. I was staying on track until I opened my Board design software and saw that someone had made changes to my layout. They removed two of the four tines from my smart fork Read Article

Choosing the Best Communication Configuration for Your IoT Device Network

Choosing the Best Communication Configuration for Your IoT Device Network Not planning your IoT system communication adds cost and adventure to installing your products. It’s all set, you have perfected the design of the latest state-of-the-art IoT fork and you’re feeling unstoppable. Nothing could throw a wrench in your plans now...except maybe your fork's network connection. What’s the difference between a smart fork that can't connect and an ordinary fork? You paid a lot more for the smart one! That’s why it’s Read Article

IT Checklist

IT Checklist Read Article

How to Choose a Test Lab for FCC Certification of IoT Products

How to Choose a Test Lab for FCC Certification of IoT Products FCC certification testing is an important (and legally required) step for IoT systems and other products that transmit and receive data. Choosing the right lab makes a huge difference in the ease of your certification process. I’ve been an engineer in some very heavily regulated industries where products are tested out the wazoo to make sure they’re safe. Even so, getting FCC certification for an IoT product was still a significant endeavor Read Article

1:6:54 Live Vault Demo Watch Video

How Tesla Rethought Lithium Ion Cells Through Modular Design and Vertical Integration

How Tesla Rethought Lithium Ion Battery Cells Through Modular Design Schematics and Vertical Integration Lithium Ion batteries provide high performance and fast recharging, making them ideal for electric vehicles. However, their cost has always been a barrier to adoption in the world of electric vehicles. Tesla has sidestepped this issue by adopting a highly scalable modular approach. Every battery package they construct is made out of hundreds of one single standard cell. Tesla is taking their battery production in-house, constructing the Read Article

1:33 Vault Product Overview Watch Video

Designing PCBs for IoT: How to Plan for FCC Certification

Designing PCBs for IoT: How to Plan for FCC Certification and Testing Learn key steps for planning FCC certification in PCB design for IoT devices to ensure successful market entry. Read Article

Protect Your PCBs and Electronic Components from Counterfeit

Protect Your PCB Design: How to Avoid Counterfeit Electronic Components Just like Gucci or Coach handbags, counterfeiting electronic parts is big business overseas and it causes major problems in the printed circuit board component supply chain. Counterfeit electronic components that are sold as genuine can affect everything from your new electronic alarm clock to mission-critical military systems, such as thermal weapons sights, missile guidance systems, and aircraft. Whenever electronic parts are relabeled or Read Article

Structuring Your Design Data Management to Avoid Design Missteps

Structuring Your Design Data Management to Avoid Design Missteps When it comes to PCB design, one very important aspect of the overall process is proper data management and documentation. While the immediate consequences may not be as apparent, mismanagement of your data can have both a direct and indirect effect on your project and design. Proper implementation of data management and documentation ensures the organization, traceability, accountability and reproducibility of your design data. Read on to learn Read Article

The Best PCB Design and Manufacturing Practices for Moisture Management

PCB Protective Coatings: The Best PCB Design and Manufacturing Practices for Moisture Management A source of PCB malfunctions during PCB manufacturing, especially in outdoor environments, comes from moisture on the boards. Fortunately, there are several options for protecting your boards when they are deployed. Read on to learn which is best for your application. I once had an outdoor sensor system with a custom PCB protective coating that would stop recording data for two hours at dawn every day. This was not because the board needed its Read Article

SpaceX to Launch Modular Falcon Rocket with Reused Engines

SpaceX to Launch Modular Falcon Rocket with Reused Engines Modular, reusable design is a design methodology that demands serious consideration. SpaceX have put the associated advantages to work with their Falcon family of spacecraft. The Falcon Heavy long-range heavy payload rocket, their latest effort, is built from existing Falcon models. Moreover, the Falcon rockets are engineered to land in a controlled manner, so that they can be reused for future missions. In their next mission, SpaceX will launch Read Article

50:11 What's New In Vault Watch Video

Advances in Printed Circuit Board Design: Fitbit Takes Fitness from Clunky to Cool

Advances in Printed Circuit Board Design: Fitbit Takes Fitness from Clunky to Cool When Fitbit was first developed neither of its creators had PCB design or manufacturing experience, and they immediately ran into major problems. They ultimately wanted a product that comes in a small package, which meant that proper PCB layout was critical for success. For his birthday, my nephew got a Fitbit. To my astonishment, instead of rolling his eyes and muttering a thank you to the floor, he held it above his head and started jumping Read Article

The Challenges Of Library Management

The Challenges Of Library Management While there are many paths that can lead to a product failure, such as the challenge of managing a globally dispersed team, undeveloped development processes, working with multiple tools, and poor collaboration, one particular issue should be among the top priorities for any business to tackle: ECAD data library management system problems and solutions. DEFICIENT MANAGEMENT DATA, A HUGE PROBLEM No one questions the reality of electronics Read Article

The Challenges Of ECAD Library Management

The Challenges Of ECAD Library Management Implementing a proper system for ECAD data management enhances team productivity and efficiency to help you deliver products on time and within budget. Read on to learn more. Has the inability to properly manage your ECAD data set back your entire design process? This is often the case for many component engineers who need a reliable resource for managing their data lifecycle. Oftentimes, electronics are in the driver’s seat when it comes to new Read Article

3:13 Altium Vault 3.0 Why Change - Overview Watch Video