How Do You Get Started on a New CAD Tool?

Created: August 28, 2018
Updated: March 16, 2020

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1 oz copper weight

Do You Always Need 1 oz. Copper Thickness on Each Layer? 1 oz. copper thickness is often seen as a standard thickness value used in many designs. Here’s when you might need thicker copper on every layer. Read Article

Getting Started with ESP8266

Getting Started with ESP8266 A project overview on getting started with the ESP8266 device. Expert Ari Mahpour reviews the benefits of using a device such as the NodeMCU board from HiLetgo and how to get up and running with a few examples. Read Article

Getting Started with MQTT

Getting Started with MQTT Check this out. This is a new project overview demonstrating MQTT by expert Ari Mahpour. In this article, Ari answers the What and Why of MQTT, and gives guidelines to get your project started. Read Article

2-layer PCB Routing

Can You Route Digital Signals on a 2-layer PCB? 2-layer PCBs are a common entry-level choice for designers, and they can even support high speed designs if built correctly. Read Article

Deterministic Solutions to Solve Skew Problems

Deterministic Solutions to Solve Skew Problems Avoid getting your design "skewed"! Today's guest is Z-Zero's Founder and CEO, Bill Hargin. Together we will dive into the cause of getting skews in your board. Watch now to get answers to your "skews" questions. Read Article

4 Layer PCB Stackup

Two Alternative 4 Layer PCB Stackups With 50 Ohms Impedance Need a 4-layer PCB stackup that can support high speed components on both sides of the board? Consider these alternatives to the typical 4-layer stackup. Read Article

Finger touching screen

Design to Manufacturing with a Single Mouse Click Imagine if you could design your circuit board, run simulations, source your parts, generate an accurate BOM, generate your output files and simply press a “send to manufacturing” button all within your design environment? While that may sound like a far-off dream, this interview with Misha Govshteyn from Macrofab will give you insight into how they are partnering with Altium to make this dream a reality very soon. Judy Warner: Misha, please Read Article

microstrip to ground clearance

Microstrip Ground Clearance Part 2: How Clearance Affects Losses In a previous article, I provided a discussion and some simulation results on the necessary clearance between impedance controlled traces and nearby grounded copper pour. What we found was that, once the spacing between the pour and the trace becomes too small, the trace becomes an impedance-controlled coplanar waveguide (with or without ground). We also saw that the 3W rule for the spacing between the trace and the grounded copper pour is a bit Read Article

Differential Pairs and Differential Signals

What Are Differential Pairs and Differential Signals? Differential pairs and differential signals are the mainstay of high speed digital communication and data transfer. Read Article

what is signal integrity

What is Signal Integrity? Learn about the basics of signal integrity and how you can ensure your PCB layout complies with best practices for signal integrity. Read Article

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