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Recent Articles
BOM Planning: Different Levels of Production
There is one really great thing about social media and that is catching up with old friends. I connected with a high school friend who did a lot in his life including some great achievements in the world of Taekwondo. He talks about the different tournaments that he attends, the people that he associates with, and how he has progressed through the different levels of this discipline. There appears to be a lot more to Taekwondo than I would have
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Pin Swapping and Gate Swapping in Your PCB Layout to Clean Up Your Logic Rat Nest
I recently moved into a new apartment, and it was time to unpack all of my electronics. When I reached into the box to pull out my audio cords, power cords, and extension cords, everything was a tangled, helpless mess. If I had taken more time to pack them properly, they probably would not have become tangled. If you are routing traces between an FPGA and external logic ICs on your PCB, your design might look like my mess of cords on moving day
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Circular Product Design and PCBs for a Healthier World
The world of PCB design is a fast-moving and highly profitable sector. But with the rate of increase we are clearly seeing in the industry, it is apparent that if we are not careful, we may head into some stiff environmental issues that are too deep to repair. Thankfully the push we are seeing from environmental groups is equally correlated to the growth of the industry. The concept of a ‘circular economy’ is at the forefront of these qualms
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Peeling Back the Layers: Electronic PCB Stackup
One of the first things you notice about the Grand Canyon when you visit is the incredible scenery. The canyon walls with their histories inscribed for all to see through the different colored layers of rocks and minerals are truly inspiring. I’m sure you could spend years and not even come close to discovering all the connections, materials, and creatures that live or have lived within those layered rock-faces. Because it’s hard for me to stop
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Crystal Oscillators in Your PCB Layout Keep Frequencies Steady
For most of human history, we relied on astronomical timekeeping to plan our lives. Now we have sophisticated clocks that help us manage daily life. As modern life becomes ever more frantic, we need to keep track of fractions of a second. Electronic pcb layout crystal oscillator guidelines are the secret sauce that makes this possible. The output clock signal from a Schmitt-trigger oscillator or a 555 timer is controlled using an RC time constant
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How an Electrolytic Capacitor PDN Issue Almost Brought Down a Building
I recently came across an interesting story that involves the tale of a boiler system that failed to start under the close supervision of a TDK-Lambda rep, only to be solved by none other than the building maintenance technician. The story starts by the shutdown of an aging boiler in the dead of winter a British winter that required replacement of the seven-year-old radiators. After the repair and replacements took place, the boiler was switched
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Voltage Regulators and How to Plan Your Power Budget with PDN Analysis and Examples
With my first buck regulator design, I had been given a power budget for the circuit block and I had to take into consideration what it was supplying and what topology I’d use. I considered efficiency to remove heat from the enclosure and I wanted to avoid using a heat sink. I also wanted a robust engine, a regulator to keep on working when the CPU, memory, and other utility circuits were exercising their might. I decided on the buck regulator
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Unifying a Comprehensive Collection: PCB Library Management
Remodeling my kitchen was a project long overdue. I made a mental list of the materials I would need, such as appliances, cabinetry, countertops, flooring, and paint. Eagerly I drove to the local discount warehouse to peruse the materials. I sat with the store clerk making plans and quickly realized I’d need more than a few mental notes to stay organized. Keeping track of individual tasks within any big project is a chore if you don’t have a
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Add Any Component to Your Design With Unified PCB Component Libraries
When embarking on the PCB design journey, there are some initial hurdles you’ll need to overcome in order to get your design process running smoothly and without interruption. Sometimes the hurdle is as manageable as making sure you get your coffee in the morning. Sometimes the hurdle is as tall as not having the knowledge, comfort, or software you need to accomplish your design tasks. Oftentimes, when sketching out an initial PCB design, there
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Part Placement Shortcuts in Altium Designer
I read once that circuit board design is 90% placement and 10% routing. I’m not sure that I believe that, but it is fair to say that component placement is a critical part of the overall board design. Yet some designers will rush this part of the job so that they can get on with routing the board, only to have to come back later and re-place portions of the board. I wonder if one of the problems is that designers get frustrated during the Altium
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Planting Seeds in a Row SMT Component Placement Tolerance for your PCB
I had my 5-year-old nephew helping me spread flower seed this Spring. He got a kick out of throwing the seed out into the flower beds, but he didn’t pay attention to where he was throwing it. Most landed on the sidewalk. Before letting him continue, I decided to put some landscaping tape around the each bed’s perimeter. This helped the little guy get most of the seed into the right areas. With the flowers in order, we made sure to get a nice
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Managing Your PCB Design Through BOM Planning: What’s Important
Back in my younger days, I was infatuated with Legos. Every chance I had, I would run into the toy store with a pocket full of change from weekly chores swiping as many sets as I could afford. Looking back on these days, I’m surprised at how complex these structures were that I (at the ripe age of 8) was actually able to assemble. It never seemed like it was too difficult of a task either. I never felt incredibly overwhelmed with the procurement
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PCB Design BOM Planning: A Balancing Act
The balancing act of knowing how much or little info is needed when designing your BOM is often convoluted and muddied. If done incorrectly, you could be stuck in a communication loop with a confused manufacturer, frustrated engineer, or a designer. This will inevitably cost you money, time and effort that otherwise would have been avoided. In order to assist us, today we’ll assume that you’ve begun to wrap up the final stages of your design, and
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High Currents and High Temperature: PCB Design Tips for Heat Management
I remember the first (and hopefully the only) time one of my circuits caught on fire. It started with the resistors and quickly spread to a nearby decoupling capacitor. Thankfully, the destruction was minor and most of the components were salvageable. Why did this happen you ask? No, this was not due to a short circuit. Very simply, I did not take into account the high current PCB layout. As electronics continue to be miniaturized, the thermal
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Universal Language: PCB Design to Minimize EMI in Communications Systems
Can you imagine what a world without lines would be like? At first, it seems wonderful to not have to wait around anymore, trusting that people will figure their business out. Disneyland, happiest place on Earth, receives about 44,000 people per day. Imagine a thousand people all rushing to get on the next available log flume. No longer just a tower of terror, but a whole theme park. When designing PCBs, your traces are the lines and each has a
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Be the Expert When it Comes to Designing Your Power Distribution PCB
Editorial credit: Paolo Bona / Shutterstock.com Around my house, we seem to undergo a transformation to obscure-sport experts every four years, and coincidentally it occurs at the same time that the Winter Olympics is taking place. Yes, I’m talking about the sport of curling. We have all become subject matter experts in the “button,” the “hammer,” the “house,” “sweeping,” and of course the “curl.” Rest assured, by next month we will have
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Design Medical Devices for Internet of Things and Your Hardware Capabilities
It seems like everyone I know has a smartwatch or fitness tracker. I gave mine to my mother when I felt like it was making me act weird (I sometimes put my laundry away one item at a time instead of using a laundry basket to get those extra step counts). There are days when I still covet graphs informing me of my status sleeping, walking, and eating. Fitness trackers barely scratch the surface of capabilities for medical IoT, though. Medical IoT
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