Altium Designer 17 Released – with Octopart Search Inside!

Altium, Octopart’s parent company, recently released the latest in their line of PCB design software: Altium Designer 17. The great news is that Altium Designer 17 is loaded with new features to access electronic component information, thanks to a deeper integration with Octopart’s API. To see how you can use Octopart’s data from within Altium’s new software, read on.  

Now, all the data you’d normally find by going to Octopart.com is available directly in Altium Designer. By right-clicking in your schema, you can select “Supplier Links,” and perform a search just like you would on Octopart, using keywords, MPNs, SKU numbers, or parametric values.

You can choose your preferred component from the list of manufacturers, review the available quantity-in-stock and pricing information we get from distributors, then select your part to have its parameters stored in your diagram.

By clicking on the hyperlinked SKU, you will be directed to the distributor’s website for more information, and you can purchase your necessary electronic components directly from them. This all remains linked within the saved project.

You can also save your search preferences for stock location, currency, and preferred distributors, just like when you search for electronic components on Octopart.

Altium Designer 17 is available now as a free upgrade to all Altium Subscription customers. Head on over to the Altium downloads page to get started or demo a free trial.