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Recent Articles
How To Find Circuit Design Software Online: Search Parameters and Powerful Tools
Often, designers and companies will choose a certain PCB design tool based on factors other than what the tool is capable of doing for them. The chosen software may have a very low price tag associated with it, but does it do everything that you need it to do? This question goes much deeper as well. Not only does this software do what you want it to—but does it really excel? You may invest in an application that satisfies your needs today--but
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Increase Component Density in Multilayer PCB Design with Blind Vias
When I was still a novice circuit designer, my boards would be crammed with components. I later learned how to place components on both sides of the circuit board, freeing up some desperately needed real estate. If only there was a way to free up space by hiding traces below the surface of the circuit board... Newer devices are taking on smaller form factors, and the increasing demands for more capabilities will require that more components be
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PCB Floorplanning: The First Step to PCB Design Integrity
You’ve just received your first protoboards, and you are excited to put them into the product and fire them up. You love your design and you are ready to rock. The product goes into the EMI chamber, and it fails emissions. The product is noisy. You dive in with the test engineer to investigate. As you slowly unplug cables to isolate the noise, you find out your PCB is the cause. You think, no problem, I put filters on the board. You start
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Optimizing PCB Panelization Can Reduce Costs and Increase Yield
Once you have finished designing your board, you are probably ready to move on to the manufacturing stage. Back in my research days as a grad student, our group always looked at ways to get the most out of our fabrication processes. But how do you maximize your device yield while still working within tooling and client constraints? The most efficient way to do this is to optimize your board arrangement during panelization. An analogue of
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Circuit of Life: The IoT in Medicine and Healthcare
I once took a friend from work to the hospital when she was having sudden chest pains. We got moved through several sections of the emergency room where tests were done multiple times, and other areas where I wasn’t sure why we were there at all. It turns out her husband had also been searching for us for nearly an hour and didn’t find us until she was being discharged home for bed rest. Working the ER must be an incredibly challenging job but as
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Nothing Less Than Gold When Working With Software for PCB Design
Ester Ledecka’s gold in women’s Alpine skiing Super-G during the Winter Olympics this year was a surprise to all, even Ledecka herself whose speciality is snowboarding, not skiing. She was the 26th skier down the mountain, and wasn’t expected to place anywhere close to the top. Ledecka went on to win gold in the parallel giant slalom for snowboarding making her the first woman to win gold medals in two different sports at the same Winter Olympics
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Build Your RF Circuit Design Away From a Catastrophic Crescendo
The art of music composition combines different elements such ranging from chord progression to the melody. A composer usually creates from experience, may learn from other musicians and builds from an understanding of music theory. Successful music composition relies on tried and true methods, formulas, schemes, and models. Music composition also depends on the respect for fundamentals like reading, writing, and thinking music notation while
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Get the Help you Need Selecting PCB Components with Bill of Materials Software
I’m in the middle of replacing the electric motor in my bathroom fan, but, unfortunately, I have no idea what to purchase. A 30-year-old ventilation fan part replacement is proving to be a real chore. I am amazed at how many different types of motor and fan combinations there are to choose from. One has the hardware bolts on the correct side, but the fan turns the wrong direction. The next turns correctly with the wrong shaft length. You may have
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PCB Fabrication and Assembly Processes and Where Wave Soldering Fits In
Growing up, I sometimes felt like an Army brat. My dad was in the Air Force, not the Army and we only moved a couple of times. Nevertheless, every time we relocated to a new city I had the same issues to struggle with. Basically, trying to fit into a new environment with new people. From a PCB designer’s perspective, trying to learn about the PCB fabrication and assembly and what role certain processes play can be similar. It is advantageous to
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Aspect Ratios and Their Importance to Multi-Layered PCBs
There’s a certain level of gratification that comes with doing something challenging. In my off time, I tinker with carving spoons and other utensils. They seem incredibly simple to make but the difficulty comes in making the curve just right, smoothing out the wood, and adding any ornate finishes you want on the handle. When embarking on the manufacturing journey post PCB design, you may be one of the skilled few who have taken on the challenge
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Rigid Flex PCBs and Your Future: Smart, Effective Designing
Oftentimes, in terms of PCB design, we are tasked with fitting a square peg into a round hole. Fitting thousands of various components onto a board no larger than a dollar bill, and maybe even a quarter, we always seem to be limited to the 2D plane of predetermined space within our equipment or device. We’ve all been there: after putting the finishing touches on a PCB design, you take a look at the space requirements of the device only to find
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Save Your Lunch Break: Proper PCB Design Software Reduces Development Time
I’m normally a well-mannered guy, but when someone messes up my schedule, those manners fly right out of the window. Last week, when my 15-minute lunch break was ruined because of a missed order, I was complaining to my managers and struggling to keep my rage under control. When it comes to managing my time, I have high standards. Choosing the right PCB design software to optimize development time is no exception. At the peak of my freelance
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The Game Stays the Same: Helping PCB Designers with Their Career Growth
Walking around the grade school near my house today, I noticed a father practicing baseball with his young son. Now around here, it’s still rainy and freezing cold, so they were bundled up and wisely under the covered portion of the playground. I didn’t know whether to applaud their dedication, or classify them as a couple of nuts. I decided to go with the dedication angle, and admittedly, it was great to see the dad’s excitement when his boy
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Automating Your BOM System for PCB CAD Library Quality and Compliance
Some years back I was helping my son organize his finances, and he was explaining to me how he didn’t need to track anything because all of that information was available to him online. The benefits that online banking provides are fantastic for sure, but they don’t quite cover everything. I asked him how he was tracking the checks that he had written which hadn’t cleared yet, and he dismissed me with a wave of his hand. These days, after several
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Using a BOM Tool Enables You to Create Your Design with Confidence
My dog is so old that he sleeps 20 hours a day and naps the other four. Therefore it was with great surprise the other day when he attacked another dog while we were out on a walk. This other smaller dog had simply come over to say “hi,” and my dog suddenly lunged at him. Fortunately, his bark really is bigger than his bite and the other dog wasn’t hurt in the least. I’ve got to admit though that I admire his confidence because at his age a
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Put the Power of a BOM Template to Work for You
One of the dictionary definitions of the word “template” is; anything that determines or serves as a pattern or a model. Without realizing it, I bet that we all rely on a lot of templates in our lives. I have certain document templates that I use for work, and my wife has hundreds of patterns that she uses when sewing. I even have a designated pattern set for my Christmas decorations so that I can quickly put them up and then easily take them
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Remote BOM Access Makes Work as Easy as Hitting a Button
It seems like you can’t purchase any electronic device anymore without it coming with a remote control. TVs, radios, and computers all have them, and you can even find them on fireplaces and air conditioners. This is not a complaint, I love having the ability to control things remotely. I have enough years behind me that I remember having to get up and walk over to the TV to change the channel. In my opinion the more remote control the better off
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