The New Age of PCB Documentation

Queries allow you to find, isolate, and operate on objects in a PCB design. Altium Designer provides multiple methods of utilizing queries prioritized by particular rules. This will help you use the Query Builder and Query Finder, which are two essential tools for implementing the definitions of queries in different areas of the PCB documents. INTRODUCTION A query is a string composed of various, yet specific, keywords and syntax, which will

Learn how to quickly add and clearly communicate hole size tolerance specifications to your fabricator to ensure your PCB design is manufactured properly. One of the more forgotten topics in PCB design are the holes through which components are mounted. Specifying the tolerance of hole dimensions in PCB fabrication ensures proper fit of plated-through-hole (PTH) components. Just as important, those dimensions must be clearly communicated to the

HIERARCHICAL SCHEMATIC DESIGN IN ALTIUM DESIGNER New Altium Designer users may not fully understand the benefits of organizing schematic sheets into a hierarchical top-down or bottom-up perspective. As a result, users often proceed with simple (flat) schematic designs without giving a second thought to project organization. In this paper, we’ll take a comprehensive look at the sheet symbols and how they’re used to synchronize the parts of a larger

Learn how to clearly communicate proper board assembly with multiple variants with BOM customization in Altium Designer. Upon completion of a design, the project enters the assembly process where the assemblers and/or purchasers rely on trustworthy documentation to provide a list of components, materials, and parts necessary to produce the board design. This document, called the bill of materials (BOM), lists all of the required materials needed

Altium Designer users can use Altium Vault to produce automated, high-integrity design release systems that automate output job file processing. Using Output Job files to define and store the necessary documentation needs for any Altium Designerproject is an extremely efficient and powerful feature. As more output types are supported by Output Job files (e.g., footprint comparison report, STEP file export, 3D Movie creation), or your company’s

An improper layer stack in your PCB design is one of the most common errors leading to fabrication failures and rejects. Every multilayer circuit board needs a precise PCB stack-up and accurate layout before it can be sent for PCB manufacturing. When you have the right set of circuit board design tools, you can turn your stackup into a real PCB layout and prepare the documentation your fabricator needs. The multi-layer PCB troubleshooting tools

Designers now have the ability to set specific parameters between same net objects when placing primitives on a board. Restricting space allows you to maintain clearance for primitives, and restricting primitives of the same net to a set clearance ultimately allows greater flexibility when forcing electrical primitives to interact with other electrical objects in a specific manner. INTRODUCTION Clearance rules set requirement constraints that

PCB designers have two choices when implementing large copper areas for power and ground regions: polygons or planes. Users often ask which is better in PCB designs, a polygon or a plane for implementing power and ground nets, but both design features produce similar end results. Once you’ve decided which type of structure is most useful in your PCB polygon layout, you can place the structure you need for your design using the right set of CAD

The key to properly managing your component placements and traces is to utilize different techniques of grouping objects together rather than individually modifying each individual object. A lot of users hate the idea of having to individually bring a component to the board layout. This paper details what Altium Designer can do to make layout management easier and less time consuming, allowing you to meet your project deadlines. INTRODUCTION TO

Learn how to quickly create project libraries from the schematic for easy external sharing using the Parameter Manager in Altium Designer. When you are using an outside manufacturer, or sharing a design with another party that does not have access to your internal installed libraries, creating a project library makes the data easy to share. No matter how you created your library — from already installed libraries, Altium Vault libraries, or even