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The most powerful, modern and easy-to-use PCB design tool for professional use

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Weekly Digest: New Author Mark Harris

Stephanie Hardman

| June 14, 2019

Welcome to the weekly digest where you can get all the latest published this week. Read articles by Mark Harris, our newest writer who weighs in this week on EMC certification and programming languages for embedded projects. Or read a fascinating article by one of Altium’s own experts, Vince Mazur. On the podcast this week listen in to Judy Warner, Rob Cooke and Jose Cordero from Calumet Electronics Corporation talk about how to make sure your data package references the most current revision of IPC Standards. Also, be sure to check out Youtube this week for quick tips and clips from the OnTrack Podcast, we think you’ll find something new to enjoy.

Articles from PCB Design Experts

New writer Mark Harris has already written several in-depth articles that are getting the attention. But don't take our word for it, see what QAI has to say about his latest article about EMC certification. Or read the latest articles published this week by all our industry experts featured on the PCB design blog:

500 Assembled Boards and All of Them Unusable - by Vince Mazur
EMC Certification and Your Product - by Mark Harris
High-Level Programming Languages for Embedded Projects - by Mark Harris
Successful PCB Design Data Management - by John Watson
Key Documents for Fabrication and Assembly - by John Watson
Advanced PCB Library Management - by Zach Peterson

The OnTrack Podcast with Judy Warner

This week, listen in as we discuss slash-sheets, ENIG, and Via Plugging. Rob Cooke, Director of Engineering, and Jose Cordero, Lead CAM Engineer from Calumet Electronics Corporation are discussing topics often overlooked, so read, read (or quickly skim the notes) for the insider’s point of view on referencing the most current IPC Standards.

You can listen to or watch the podcast on all your favorite podcast apps including Podbean, iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn, Youtube, PlayerFM and if you can’t find us, let us know!

Altium Videos on YouTube

Stop by the Altium or Altium Designer Youtube Channels and keep up to date with videos and clips to help you in your PCB design career. While you’re there, please remember to subscribe!

New videos on the Altium Youtube Channel:

Let’s Get Social on Altium Instagram - Follow Us

Have you seen the Altium Instagram account? Follow us to see what others have to say about Altium Designer and more. Send us a DM or tag @Altium #Altium or #AltiumDesigner if you have something to share.

Just can’t get enough about Altium? Tryout our latest Altium Design product, Concord, read about the latest release or if you’re new to Altium Designer, drop your design files in the Altium Viewer for a quick look inside. If you’ve got burning questions, let us know, and remember to tag us on social media if you’d like to share your projects!

About Author

most recent articles

What Happens to Layer Changing Vias When Using PCI Express at Higher Speeds? In our one, two and three-day courses, which we conduct at technical and trade conferences as well as at private on-site classes, we will frequently be asked about particular technology trends and their impact on current design undertakings. Of late, a number of these questions have focused on how the use of PCI Express (also known as PCIe) at higher frequencies impacts layer changing vias. This article will address layer-changing vias, which Read Article

Altium 365 Getting Started User Guide - Available Now Hi Everyone, A month ago, I announced the release of the Altium Designer Getting Started User Guide. This week we are following up with the release of another helpful guide: Altium 365 Getting Started User Guide. The Altium 365 cloud platform offers the most connected experience for PCB design and realization with direct access from Altium Designer or any web browser. All active subscribers can access Altium 365 to unlock powerful functionality Read Article

OnTrack Newsletter: Modern Concurrent Collaboration with Your Supply Chain and Your Team, Brain Food - August 2020 OnTrack Newsletter August 2020 VOL. 4 No 2 A New Experience of Digital Collaboration has Positive Impact on Calumet Electronics In this article, we interview Rob Cooke of Calumet Electronics, a US Based PCB Fabricator in Michigan. Cooke shares his recent experience collaborating on a multi-board design with a design engineer and EMS provider using Altium 365. He talks about his impressions and the implications this will have on design engineers Read Article

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RGB + White LED Strip Controller I’ve been playing around with RGB LED strips recently for lighting up my test equipment rack as well as some display shelves. On the display shelves, I have the RGB LED strips behind the shelves, which gives a great definition to the objects on the shelf. But I also want to have a high CRI white LED strip on each shelf to light up the objects. Typical RGBW LED strips available through online marketplaces do not have very good white LEDs, and I’m Read Article

This is the DRC You Need to Add I was impressed that, right out of the box, the stock Design Rule Checks (DRCs) in my copy of Altium 20 pretty much covered all the bases on how to make a “standard” Printed Circuit Board (PCB). Altium defaults to “10 mil” rules, which means that the standard spacing and widths of copper tracks is 10 mils. What's more, most of the other spacings also default to 10 mils; pads to tracks, through-holes to other pads or vias. The exceptions being the Read Article

Know the Power Dissipation Understanding power dissipation of an individual component, an electrical block, or even the whole electronics system is essential for electronics engineers. It is important not only to avoid exceeding the maximum limits of components but also to calculate unknown parameters in input or output sides because power dissipation is related to system voltage and current. In this article, I describe my practices for analyzing power dissipation in Read Article

Insertion Loss is a Complex Issue: John Coonrod is Here to Explain It The OnTrack Podcast welcomes John Coonrod back to the show. John is Technical Marketing Manager at Rogers Corporation and a senior engineering professional with a rich background in PCB design, fabrication, processing, and modeling. John also has extensive experience with circuit materials, making him the ideal candidate for the topic of today’s podcast: insertion loss. Listen to the Podcast: Download this episode (right click and save) Watch the Read Article

US Department of Transportation Seeking Alternatives to GPS GPS-capable devices range from your phone to your smartwatch; simply type in your destination and follow the directions. Simple, right? According to the Washington Post, we should all stop using GPS as it’s ruining the navigation centers of our brains. Despite the neurological effects on perception and judgment, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) aims to find alternatives to GPS to provide redundancy. What started as a defense initiative Read Article

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