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High Current PCB Design and its Real World Applications

High Current Board Design and its Real World Applications With the rise of PCB applications stretching far and wide, designs are being created for applications that extend past simple signal integrity solutions. Advancements in material technology, PCB manufacturing capabilities, and the rising demand for PCB design is opening up the floor for many industries that otherwise have been dormant in the PCB world. Many limitations that were not present a handful of years ago are beginning to loosen. Of Read Article

The Best Tools for Multi-Board PCB Systems Design

The Best Tools for Multi-Board PCB Systems Design They say that time flies when you’re having fun. Maybe that’s why I feel like time slows to a crawl when I’m constructing a multi-board PCB device. Designing even one board can be an agonizing task, what with trying to avoid EMI, ground everything properly, mitigate static discharge, and optimize your routing. Creating a system of PCBs that all fit together physically and electrically sometimes tests the limits of tedium. Lucky for us there are Read Article

Important Considerations for Pads in PCB Design: Pad Cratering Prevention

Important Considerations for Pads in PCB Design: Pad Cratering Prevention Every year after Halloween, my school used to have a pumpkin launch, probably so they could get the pumpkins on sale. Mostly, mechanical engineering students participated, but anyone was allowed to enter and see if they could launch their pumpkin the farthest. Sections of campus were blocked off and your path to class was rerouted if you went at all. Most of the engineers got (or took) the morning off for cheering and jeering. Results were Read Article

Wearable Technology in the Future Will Be Seamless and Convenient

Why Wearable Technology is the Future and How It Will Be Seamless and Convenient When I was younger I was a bit of a nerd, and I guess I still am. The most visible sign of my nerdiness was my fashion sense or lack of it. Tall socks, cargo shorts, and a brown Pacman hoodie that I wore in every season, except summer, made up my daily wardrobe. I was simply more interested in gizmos and gadgets than I was in looking good. I’m still more interested in fashionable electronic devices than clothes, but the line between the two is Read Article

Wearable Technology in the Future Will Be Seamless and Convenient

Wearable Technology in the Future Will Be Seamless and Convenient When I was younger I was a bit of a nerd, and I guess I still am. The most visible sign of my nerdiness was my fashion sense or lack of it. Tall socks, cargo shorts, and a brown Pacman hoodie that I wore in every season, except summer, made up my daily wardrobe. I was simply more interested in gizmos and gadgets than I was in looking good. I’m still more interested in electronic devices than clothes, but the line between the two is beginning to Read Article

How Do Ferrite Beads Work and How Do You Choose the Right One?

How Do Ferrite Beads Work and How Do You Choose the Right One? Ferrite beads are sometimes overused in PCB design, but they can perform important functions in a PCB if you know how to use them. Read Article

How Increasing Battery Size Guides the PCB Designs of Apple and GoPro

How Increasing Battery Size Guides the PCB Designs of Apple and GoPro Sometimes batteries get bigger...by adding more batteries As time goes on, power requirements for connected devices keep increasing. More power means larger batteries, which force PCB designers to use more efficient layouts. Apple’s iPhone 7 and GoPro’s Hero5 give us specific examples of how industry leaders are dealing with increasing iPhone battery sizes in their iPhone PCB layouts. Have you noticed how much more energy it takes to get around Read Article

Protect Your PCBs and Electronic Components from Counterfeit

Protect Your PCB Design: How to Avoid Counterfeit Electronic Components Just like Gucci or Coach handbags, counterfeiting electronic parts is big business overseas and it causes major problems in the printed circuit board component supply chain. Counterfeit electronic components that are sold as genuine can affect everything from your new electronic alarm clock to mission-critical military systems, such as thermal weapons sights, missile guidance systems, and aircraft. Whenever electronic parts are relabeled or Read Article

How to Design Efficient High-Density Interconnect PCBs using Buried and Blind Vias

How to Design High-Density PCBs While Managing Buried and Blind Vias The modern is always being pushed to go smaller and cheaper. Blind and buried vias can help you save space and money on your high density PCB layout (HDI). Blind and buried vias help reduce outer layer usage, leaving more room for SMTs and BGA breakout channels. Read on to find out more! Moore’s Law predicts that the number of transistors in integrated circuits (ICs) will double approximately every two years. This law has held true since 1965 Read Article

When to Use PCB Thermal Pads or Paste for Thermal Management Design

When to Use PCB Thermal Pads or Paste for Thermal Management Design It’s rare that one will offhandedly know which thermal interface material will work the best for their PCB thermal pad. This article weighs the advantages and disadvantages of thermal pads vs. pastes with these helpful guidelines. Read on to find out more about thermal management and thermal design! I used to live in Alabama, which I casually referred to as Hell in the summertime. Lots of heat, lots of humidity, lots of sweat. I am thankful Read Article

What Are Molded Interconnect Devices or MIDs?

What Are Molded Interconnect Devices or MIDs? What is the next big thing in design? Is it graphene? flex? or maybe something else. If you’ve been thinking about the future of PCB design then you may have come across molded interconnect devices or MIDs. In this blog we’ll explore what MIDs are and some molded interconnect device uses. What are Molded Interconnect Devices? According to MIDIA (Molded Interconnect Devices International Association), a Molded Interconnect Device is an injection Read Article