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Creating Library Parts and Attaching 3D Models Enables Clearer Designs Creating Library Parts and Attaching 3D Models Enables Clearer Designs Between custom and standard components, your component helps you keep track of everything from SPICE models to basic 2D footprints for use during layout. As PCB design leaves the two dimensions and enters three dimensions, modern component libraries now come packaged with 3D models. Building a 3D model for your proprietary components is also a good idea if you ever plan to check mechanical clearances. But most PCB design software platforms don’t Read Article
Helpful Tips for Interactive Routing in Altium Designer Helpful Tips for Interactive Routing in Altium Designer I haven’t met a PCB designer yet who doesn’t like to route tracks on their design manually. It can be therapeutic, cathartic, relaxing, and (if you aren’t under a lot of pressure to complete your design), downright fun. On the flip side, though is the frustration that you can feel when you can’t get the PCB design tools to work the way you know that they should. You’re trying to route some tracks in, and you need to change a trace width, but you Read Article
Seamless Global Transfer with Julie Ellis from TTM Seamless Global Transfer with Julie Ellis from TTM In this week's OnTrack Podcast episode learn how to avoid excessive technical queries and how to migrate from prototype to production seamlessly while optimizing global processes. Watch or Listen now! Read Article
Termination Methods in High Speed and High Frequency PCBs Termination Methods in High Speed and High Frequency PCBs The topic of termination will inevitably come up when dealing with high-speed digital systems. Most digital systems have at least one standardized high-speed interface, or possibly fast GPIOs that produce fast edge rate signals. Advanced systems will have many standardized interfaces which also have termination applied, normally on the semiconductor die. If you determine that you actually need termination, what method should be used? As it turns Read Article
Are Engineers and PCB Technologists Homegrown? Are Engineers and PCB Technologists Homegrown? Mihir and Milan Shah Over the past year, I’ve noticed a subtle trend in the designers and technologists we’ve interviewed for this newsletter. Have you noticed it? There have been several times people cited their parents as the ones who inspired them to pursue an electronics career. (Think...Rick Hartley, Nicole Creeden, Bill Brooks, Charles Pfeil, Mary Elizabeth McCulloch, etc.). This is especially true at Royal Circuit Solutions, which is Read Article
Quick Turn Circuit Board Fabrication with Royal Circuits Quick Turn Circuit Board Fabrication with Royal Circuits Get tips to design for quick turn circuit boards and design for fabrication. Learn how same-day turn times on printed circuit boards is possible at high quality board shops like Royal Circuits. Read Article
Differences Between Hardware Design for Hobbyists and Commercial Applications Differences Between Hardware Design for Hobbyists and Commercial Applications Although hobbyist and professional hardware may seem similar in terms of function, professional designs must abide by broader considerations. Read Article
How to Optimize HDI Design in Electronics How to Optimize HDI Design in Electronics Neutron stars seem like the stuff of science fiction. Imagine stars as large as the sun exploding in a blinding supernova. Better yet, consider how the spectacular explosion peels the outer layers of the star away and leaves a small, continually collapsing dense core. Gravity pushes the dense matter together to the point of protons and electrons combining into neutrons. As the star’s gravity becomes 200 billion times stronger than the Earth’s Read Article
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
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
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