Skip to main content
Mobile menu
PCB Design
Altium Designer
World’s Most Popular PCB Design Software
CircuitStudio
Entry Level, Professional PCB Design Tool
CircuitMaker
Free PCB design for makers, open source and non-profits
Why Switch to Altium
See why and how to switch to Altium from other PCB design tools
Solutions
For Enterprise
The Last Mile of Digital Transformation
For Parts and Data
Extensive, Easy-to-Use Search Engine for Electronic Parts
Altium 365
Resources & Support
Explore Products
Free Trials
Downloads
Extensions
Free Altium 365 Tools
Online PCB Viewer
Resources & Support
Altium / Renesas Scheme: Information for Shareholders
Renesas/Altium CEO Letter To Customers
All Resources
Support Center
Documentation
Altium Community
Forum
Bug Crunch
Ideas
Education Programs
Professional Training / Certification
University / College Educators
University / College Students
Webinars
Store
Search Open
Search
Search Close
Sign In
Main menu
Home
PCB Design
Collaboration
Component Creation
Data Management
Design Outputs
ECAD/MCAD
HDI Design
High Speed Design
Multi-Board
PCB Layout
PCB Routing
PCB Supply Chain
Power Integrity
RF Design
Rigid Flex
Schematic Capture
Signal Integrity
Simulation
Software
Altium 365
Altium Designer
Enterprise Solutions
PDN Analyzer
Upverter
Education
Programs
Altium Academy
Engineering News
Guide Books
Newsletters
Podcasts
Projects
Training Courses
Webinars
Whitepapers
FREE TRIALS
Home
Altium Experts
About Author
Recent Articles
Schematic Capture Design Integration Thrives With Unified Partners
The digital world is an evolving place. Just yesterday file formats were abundant for text and graphics. Or was that today? Sending a file to a friend can turn into disaster if their device doesn’t recognize the extension. Clicks occur rapidly while trying differing file formats to see if they will save and send. It gets a little trying and soon the search turns to a more elegant app. Designing circuits, iterating parallel ideas, and releasing
Read Article
More than a Right-Click Menu Multi-Channel PCB Design
When it comes to creating a schematic I want the tools to work for me and not the other way around. I want easy access to, I want to place and connect those, and I want to be able to do all of this without having to jump through a lot of hoops to get there. Sadly many PCB design CAD systems don’t seem to share my opinion. I’m looking for an easy right-click menu solution while most CAD systems appear to want me to memorize a of ancient texts and
Read Article
BOM Management Tools for PCB Manufacturing
Between the mid-1980s and late 1990s, Spy magazine published a monthly “Separated at Birth” column/pictorial that would pair two selected photos of unrelated celebrities, cartoon characters, or movie characters. The authors would then point out similar physical characteristics from each photo. Mentally picture a space alien from a popular movie paired with a sultry singer to gain some appreciation for their humor. Separated at Birth? Well… Kinda
Read Article
PCB Material Selection: How Substrate Properties Impact PCB Performance
From the early 15th century until the 17th century, artists used the Flemish masters’ method to create life-like paintings. This process begins with a pencil, charcoal, or ink pen drawing and continues with the imprimatura—or the first transparent, olive-tinged stain of color. Then, the method moves to the first umber underpainting, sanding, second umber underpainting, sanding, and a monochromatic underpainting. Each underpainting layer focuses
Read Article
How to Avoid PCB Component Failures and Workaround Them
Probably, the single thing that drew me to pursue a technical career was the existence of laws that stipulated if you follow the same procedure then you will get the same results. I have always taken comfort in having that security for my work. However, there is another law that at times supersedes all others. That, of course, is Murphy’s law, which states “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.” At times it seems that Murphy’s law applies
Read Article
Escape the Pain of a Gerber Files Viewer and Invest in a 3D PCB Editor
As the design of printed circuit boards grows more challenging with flex, rigid-flex, RF, and other technologies, it is becoming more important than ever to be able to see exactly what it is that you are designing. Then compounded by shorter design cycles and fewer prototype builds the need for full verification of the design before manufacturing has become a necessity. Thankfully PCB design tools have kept pace with different ways to view and
Read Article
Annotate Reference Designators With Custom Global Properties
Having a system to find many similar items in a short amount of time can be helpful in staying organized. Everybody has a silverware drawer and most are organized with caddys that divide the flatware into forks, knives, and spoons. Reference designators are the unique identifiers on a PCB for each and every component or free pad on the design. Best design practice is to number the reference designators consecutively on the PCB to allow easy
Read Article
Generate and Export Gerber File in Altium Designer: the Language of PCB Manufacturing
It is always exciting to travel to a new country and explore the culture, sample the food, and meet new people. On these trips, it seems like every day is an adventure that ends with greater understanding, an altered palate, or new friends. However, to make the most of the experience, it is great to learn to speak the language. Otherwise, you may wind up spending most of your time in a state of confusion. This is similar to the confusion that can
Read Article
Your Advanced BOM Can Integrate PCB Design With Vacation Time
Anyone who has ever put together a gift for their children knows the importance of quality instructions. The experience that stands out most in my mind is when I assembled a Foosball table for my children late one Christmas Eve. The pieces didn’t fit as they should, I was tired, and most frustratingly of all; some of them in the instructions didn’t match up with what came in the box. I was so angry at the Foosball table manufacturers and their
Read Article
PCB Creator's Digital Library Management for Circuit Boards: More Than a Few Shelves
When you hear the word “components”, it’s natural to think about ICs, LEDs, resistors, and all the other electronic hardware that goes into building a PCB. But in terms of PCB design software, there is a lot of information that goes into any component. Every component has an associated symbol, footprint, pin arrangement, and other properties that are used by your PCB design software. With so many components available on the market and with
Read Article
PCB Design Software: Choosing A Unified Platform for PCB Design Priority
Having the right tool for complicated and intricate tasks facilitates success. Having the wrong tool invites frustration. Rummaging through my tool chest the other day found me selecting the only tool available. Hours into the job with each step a struggle, I considered my hasty choice. It would have been better to spend a little money and order the superior tool. Spending the money for a superior EDA tool facilitates progressive and intelligent
Read Article
Editing Multiple Components Anywhere in Footprint
Circuit board design has changed a lot over the years, and the way we work with library components has shifted as well. Originally, PCB designers created library components by laying down a sticker or “dolly” on a sheet of mylar on a drafting board. Later on, as designers migrated to CAD tools, the components were built using those same CAD tools. Those first tools didn’t offer much assistance to designers and you had to be really good at
Read Article
Compare PCB Design Software Features For Your Device to Move to Manufacturing
So you’ve just devised your new device that will revolutionize the world on the back of a cocktail napkin. Maybe your new medical device will have diseases running for the hills. Maybe you’ve got a great sensor for high-moisture environments. But how do you breathe life into your new product and finally implement your master plan for success? Those of us who have had such grand ideas are familiar with this dilemma. A PCB designer might know
Read Article
Layer Stackup in Rigid and Rigid-Flex PCBs
Building multilayer PCBs is like building with Legos. The all fit together easily, but you still need to follow directions if you want your design to stay together. Nowadays, only the simplest PCBs use a single layer, or a pair of top and bottom layers. Multilayer PCBs are now the norm rather than the exception, and manufacturers can fabricate PCBs with up to 30 layers. Layer stackup strategies in these boards are important for a number of
Read Article
PCB Design Guide to Controlled Impedance During PCB Routing
In June 1831, Sir James Clark Ross discovered the North Magnetic Pole on the Boothia Peninsula in Northern Canada. While the term “discovery” seems to indicate that the North Magnetic Pole is static, the North and South Magnetic Poles, in fact, move continuously. The Earth’s magnetic field changes over time and as those changes occur, the positions of the poles also shift. Given the rate of movement at 55 km per year, we may have another meaning
Read Article
Coupled Versus Uncoupled Inductors Procurement: Which is Right for Your Switching Power Supply?
I recently took a deep dive into the various types of topologies surrounding switching power supplies. This article examined the benefits and downfalls of some of the most common topologies and aimed to assist you in the process of choosing how to power your design. The SEPIC topology is a very common switching mode power supply that can operate as both a Buck and a Boost converter. In other words, the SEPIC can act as a step-down (Buck converter
Read Article
Strong Design Software for Differential Pair Routing
Back when I lived in Portland, I used to commute downtown, typically taking the train to and from work. I was thankful to live in a city with a meticulously timed train system. There must be a valid reason to route train lines as differential pairs because I could always count on the trains being on time. Routing differential pairs on a PCB also requires specific rules and meticulous timing that can only be achieved using the best PCB design
Read Article
Pagination
First page
« First
Previous page
‹ Previous
Page
34
Current page
35
Page
36
Page
37
Page
38
Page
39
Next page
Next ›
Last page
Last »
Load More