Mobile menu
Home Altium Experts

About Author

Recent Articles

Board Shape Management in 3D Modeling Software Board Shape Management in 3D Modeling Software Rectangular PCBs are old-school. Newer devices are more likely to use an odd-shaped PCB that closely conforms to its packaging or a rigid-flex board that moves with the device. 3D visualization tools have become essential for PCB designers, especially when designing rigid-flex boards with unique shapes. Using CAD software, you’ll want to have a Sketchup that ensures printing is easy to achieve. Managing board shapes for use in rigid and rigid Read Article
An Introduction to Multi-board Design in Altium Designer An Introduction to Multi-board Design in Altium Designer Brain games are a good way to stay sharp. One of my favorite ways to implement this is by doing daily puzzles. Although I love the crossword puzzles where you complete the words from a given clue, I think puzzles that require you to put the pieces together can be the most challenging, especially when it is a group activity. It reminds me of one of the more daunting problems for engineers and PCB designers, which is multi-board design. Not only Read Article
Excel Versus BOM Software: When Your Data Management Tool Needs an Upgrade Excel Versus BOM Software: When Your Data Management Tool Needs an Upgrade At our house, creating a grocery shopping list can become a multi-day event. Stage 1 of the extravaganza involves a careful but not well-planned review of all available grocery store ads. Stage 2 moves on to the analysis of those advertisements. One never knows where bargains may lurk. Then, Stage 3 takes us to the pantry for a study of our available resources while Stage 4 measures our budget against our needs. When we eventually stroll through Read Article
Multi-Directional Communication for Easy Mechanical and Electrical Collaboration Multi-Directional Communication for Easy Mechanical and Electrical Collaboration My neighbor and I were sitting on the patio one summer dreaming up a Christmas display that would span both our yards. Engineers, right? Ambitious project, for sure, but we had fun visualizing Santa and his reindeer flying across our two roofs. We’d use LED light strings to span the rooflines and we’d incorporate controllers to synchronize Christmas music. Several months later after summer had turned to Fall, in comes the neighbor with a CAD Read Article
Overview of PCB Development Process Overview of PCB Development Process I have a friend who forgets that the rest of us can’t read his mind. He often starts a conversation without any sort of introduction or context. There have been many times where after several minutes of dialog I have had to hold up my hands and simply ask; “what are you talking about?” Once he backs up and gives me an overview, then I am ready for the details. Although this had made for some amusing moments, it isn’t nearly so funny when it Read Article
PCB Trace Corrosion: Why It Happens and How to Prevent It PCB Trace Corrosion: Why It Happens and How to Prevent It When most people drop their cell phone in water, they hurriedly dry off the outside of the phone, remove the battery, and toss the phone in a bag of rice. The myth goes that the rice draws water out from the inside of the phone, thus saving your phone’s the precious electronic circuitry, your wallet’s money, and your own sanity. What people don’t realize is that simply drying out your phone is not a solution. Water ingress can cause the device to Read Article
Design Reuse: Methodologies and Best Practices for Re-Applying Previous Boards Design Reuse: Methodologies and Best Practices for Re-Applying Previous Boards It’s to reuse items related to our work. Chefs reuse recipes, seamstresses reuse patterns, and engineers reuse circuitry. The problem is that our design tools aren’t always on the same page with us when it comes to re-applying previous boards and circuitry. The benefits are obvious; reusing work will save time and money. Additionally, there’s the benefit of using circuitry that has already been through the debug process and is known to work. I Read Article
Leave Translation Magic in the Hands of Altium Import Wizard Leave Translation Magic in the Hands of Altium Import Wizard Having a wizard do your bidding is great when convoluted tasks need some hocus pocus. Removing tortuous steps to get a solution is the goal. A wizard moves pesky tasks to forgotten trials by doing the heavy lifting. Need your PCB files translated? Call the wizard. PCB design toolsets would benefit from well-placed wizards able to perform intricate tasks like file translation. File translation is needed when importing document containers Read Article
Transmission Line Calculators in PCB Design Transmission Line Delay Calculators in PCB Design Transmission lines are one of those deceptively complex things that make modern life possible. What seems like a simple metal cable is, in fact, a precisely engineered system. Traces on PCBs are no different, and they are like the blood vessels that power your electronic devices. So what is a transmission line anyway? This term was initially adopted to create the analogy between traces on a PCB and civilian power lines. The term “transmission Read Article
DDR3 Memory Interfaces and Topologies in PCB Design DDR3 Memory Interfaces and Topologies in PCB Design In the World Memory Championships, individuals compete in memory sports by memorizing as much information as possible within a specific timeframe. The championships include ten different disciplines that cover numbers, binary digits, playing cards, random lists of words, names and faces, historic dates, abstract images, and speed cards. No one has tested the World Memory Champion against DDR3 memory and no one really knows how the World Memory Read Article
Copper Wrap Plating in Your PCB Copper Wrap Plating in Your PCB No one wants to purchase a new electronic device, only to have it fail a week later. I’ve had the same flat screen monitor for over five years, and it is probably the toughest electronic device I’ve ever owned. If you love reliable designs, then you probably pay attention to industry standards designed to improve device lifetime. Via plating in a PCB should be reliable enough that it can withstand shock and thermal cycling. This is where plating Read Article
Get into the Zone of PCB Parts Information from Your BOM Application Get into the Zone of PCB Parts Information from Your BOM Application “Picture if you will,” “Imagine a world where,” and “Submitted for your approval” are all quotes from Rod Serling, the creator of shows like “The Night Gallery” and, of course, “The Twilight Zone”. Maybe it’s because these phrases were popularized by those shows, but I often find myself using them, especially when it comes to designing printed circuit boards. Imagine a world where you could actually work with your component data in a separate Read Article
Choosing CAD Software: Privileging the Circuit over the System Choosing CAD Software: Privileging the Circuit over the System Choosing the right CAD tools for your next PCB is all about selecting a software package that gives you the adaptability you need to build your device. Different electronics applications will require different routing strategies and tolerances, as well as customized electronic circuitry. You’ll need CAD tools that give you the capabilities to satisfy any device requirements. Your CAD tools are critical to building a device that can meet your Read Article
STEP Models for CAD Libraries: What You Need to Know What You Need To Know About Step Models for Cad Libraries STEP models for CAD libraries only continue to silo electronic and mechanical design. See how Altium Designer’s unified environment can streamline your workflow. Read Article
PCB Layout and Polygon Pour: How to Utilize Copper Regions in Your Design PCB Layout and Polygon Pour: How to Utilize Copper Regions in Your Design For someone new starting out in PCB layout, there is a lot of confusing terminology to puzzle through. For instance, what is the difference between a positive plane, an area fill, a polygon pour, or pouring copper? The answer is that they are all the same. These phrases may sound different, and somewhere out there there’s probably some PCB design software that will actually make a liar out of me, but for the most part they are all describing Read Article
Comparator Propagation Delay in High Speed Mixed-Signal Design Comparator Propagation Delay in High Speed Mixed-Signal Design When I began my journey into the wonderful depths of electronics so long ago as a student, I wondered how so many interesting and important functions are built into everyday electronic devices. Input signal and voltages were fresh in my head and I was worrying more about a power supply than inverting inputs. It wasn’t until later that I started to fully understand the versatility of op-amps and how they could be used to build comparators Read Article
No Last Calls Here: PCI Express Routing and Layout No Last Calls Here: PCI Express Routing and Layout Schematics The mere mention of the “Orient Express” conjures up images shrouded in mystery and intrigue. Spies often conducted their business during the 80-hour trip from Paris to Constantinople. Kings rode living and sleeping cars rivaled Europe’s finest hotels with wooden paneling, silk sheets, and deluxe leather armchairs. PCI Express does not have the same aura as the “Orient Express” but does allow the high bandwidth communication between devices Read Article