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Obsolescence Information Management for PCB BOM Maintenance Obsolescence Information Management for PCB BOM Maintenance In my home laboratory, the garage, I have many bins. One contains small springs, another gear-motors, yet another small bolts… and so on. Despite my girlfriend’s skepticism, these bits are actually very useful for fixing assorted gadgets and household appliances, and they also provide fodder for my weekend tinkering habits. Keeping track of what I have and where it is uses up quite a lot of mental capacity in itself. At work, the sheer volume of Read Article
The PCB Routing that Benefits the Most from Interactive PCB Auto Routing The PCB Routing that Benefits the Most from Interactive PCB Auto Routing Years ago I helped to re-roof a house, and the first task was to remove the old shingles. Pulling up shingles one at a time, I was very proud of my efforts until a professional roofer came over to me shaking his head. Using a scoop shovel like a snowplow, he removed a couple a hundred shingles in less time than it took me to pull up five by hand. I learned up on the roof that day to always look for better ways to get the job done. When routing a Read Article
Environmental Considerations for High Voltage PCB Board Design Environmental Considerations for High Voltage PCB Board Design Several years ago, I had a date take me hiking. Beforehand, he gave me a long list of what to wear and bring for the hike. I had been camping and hiking in the mountains since childhood, and this guy was a southern boy, so I found it a little vexing to have him telling me what to do on my home turf. Fortunately, I had been raised to take environmental hazards seriously and tried hard to appreciate someone else who also had neurotic and Read Article
Intro to Altium Designer Evaluation [Videos] Intro to Altium Designer Evaluation [Videos] We often see that the tendency with evaluators is to jump right in with both feet using their experience as a guide to evaluation. However, we highly recommend that you use this guide as Altium Designer has a fundamentally different approach to PCB design than anything else in the market. From concept to manufacture, your design process is a series of distinct stages and Altium Designer allows these stages to remain consistent and connected Read Article
How to Implement Supervised Inputs in Your PCB Circuit Design How to Implement Supervised Inputs in Your PCB Circuit Design Have you ever worked late on a design project and forgot to eat? I was literally starving when I finished off one of my regular design projects. I decided to go for a quick meal at a local eatery. I placed my order and hoped the service would be fast. However, after 45 minutes and no food, I was told that the kitchen has missed my order. I learned my lesson that you can’t expect that your order is being followed just because you placed it. The Read Article
10 Symptoms of a Bad PDN 10 Symptoms of a Bad PDN At face value, DC power integrity seems to be a simple enough topic -- you just need to make sure that every component on your PCB has the power (current and voltage) it needs when it needs it. But that’s just on the surface. WHAT IS POWER INTEGRITY? The new reality is a bit more complicated. When you start to work with fine-pitch device packages, the manufacturing constraints and power requirements of said devices are almost completely at odds Read Article
PCB BOM Creation as a Living Document PCB BOM Creation as a Living Document The other day my son bought himself a new phone because the navigator in his old phone was defective. Every time that he used the old phone for directions, he would end up getting lost. Although taking the time to get a new phone wasn’t in his plans, he could no longer afford wasting time trying to figure out where he was and where he needed to go next. His difficulties reminded me of the problems that I’ve seen in some PCB design groups where Read Article
Why an Auto-Interactive Router Routes Cleaner Traces than an Auto Router Why an Auto-Interactive Router Routes Cleaner Traces than an Auto Router When I was a boy, my room was always a mess. Since I thought I knew where everything was, there was no reason to clean it. Finally, after a lot of pressure from my parents and my peers, I capitulated and cleaned up the room. The difference was amazing. It was so much easier to get around now that I had a clear path. The same can be said about PCB trace routing from an auto router. Auto routers are known for producing disorganized routes that are Read Article
Bill of Materials Inventory Management and the Benefits of an Online Parts Request System Bill of Materials Inventory Management and the Benefits of an Online Parts Request Documentation Systems I once asked a family member to borrow some money to use as a down payment. His response included a counter-proposal that I didn’t understand, so I let it pass. Unfortunately by not understanding his answer to my request, I missed out on an even better opportunity than what I had initially asked for. That exchange has stayed in my mind as an example of how important clear communication is. In our world of PCB design, the need for clear Read Article
RF Interference Prevention and RF PCB Design in the Internet of Things RF Interference Prevention and RF PCB Design in the Internet of Things Have you ever been to a party where there was so much noise you could barely hear yourself think? I’m a dedicated introvert, but sometimes my friends lure me out to such gatherings with promises that it will be “very relaxed.” They never are, and I don’t seem to learn. It’s times like those that I wish it was socially acceptable to wear noise-canceling headphones to such events. In the world of electronics, the burgeoning Internet of Things (IoT) Read Article
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