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PCB Design

Managing Net Connection Order from Schematic to Layout

Managing Net Connection Order from Schematic to Layout When I first started designing printed circuit boards, it was a very unorganized process. We would create the schematics in our department, and then the system administrators would work their voodoo and transfer all that data from us into the layout department. The layout guys were an even bigger mystery, working all hours of the night and day on these complex Unix machines that supported their CAD layout tools. We would communicate our design Read Article

50:25 Altium Designer 19 Key Features We are pleased to announce the release of Altium Designer 19.0! An exciting new era of Altium Designer is here Watch Video

Optimal Multi-Board Assembly Placement with Object Smart Mates

Optimal Multi-Board Assembly Placement with Object Smart Mates Ensuring the form and fit of multiple boards in an enclosure can challenge the most seasoned professional. Accurate 3D modeling gives you an intuitive way to picture and understand how your design will be manufactured and assembled. The problem gets worse when you start mixing traditional PCB and rigid-flex designs into a single assembly. Without insight into the complete multi-circuit boards assembly build, you have a better chance of finding a Read Article

Using Library Search Features for Easier Component Selection

Using Library Search Features for Easier Component Selection Components are those critical elements in your PCB that keep it ticking along and doing its job. Your component libraries contain all the information about available components in a single location, making it easy to add components to your board and use component information with your simulation and rules-checking features. Other design software packages like to separate these features into different programs, or they force you to use an external Read Article

High Speed Design

EMI in Your High Speed PCB Design: Understand the Signal Rise Time Learn more about your high speed design and how to deal with switching speed, rise time, and EMI in your high speed PCB layout. Read Article

Layout Guidelines for Embedded Power Supplies

Layout Guidelines for Embedded Power Supplies I don’t get out to raucous parties as much as did in my 20’s. The thought of yelling over other people just to have a conversation is about as enticing as getting a tooth pulled. Crosstalk doesn’t just kill the mood at a party, it can ruin the functionality of electronic systems. Most PCB designers worry more about crosstalk between signals traces, but your power supply and power components can have an even greater impact. Thankfully, some simple Read Article

Make Sure the PCB Layout Software You Use has All the Tools You Need

Make Sure the PCB Layout Software You Use has All the Tools You Need When I was learning to fly part of my training included a long cross-country trip to practice the fine art of aerial navigation. Being a student pilot I, unfortunately, got a little lost, and before I got myself headed in the right direction again it was much later in the day than it should have been. Here I was; a student pilot that was lost flying an airplane and it was getting dark. I have never felt so alone in all of my life. Since I’m Read Article

Altium Designer 19 Has Arrived

Altium Designer 19 Has Arrived Rather than to tell you about Altium Designer 19, we thought you’d prefer to see it with your own eyes through a series of brief videos that will allow you to explore all the new and enhanced features in Altium Designer 19. Some of the key features represented in the latest release are: Advanced Layer Stack Manager Routing Improvements Pad/via driven polygon thermal connections uVia Support Unlimited Mechanical Layers Draftsman Improvements BOM Read Article

Is IPC CID Training Important for Your Design Career?

Is IPC CID Training Important for Your Design Career? Stephen Chavez is the lead electrical engineer that oversees a global design team for a well known military aerospace company in the greater Phoenix, AZ area. He is a highly skilled engineer and PCB designer whose passion for board design goes beyond his day-to-day work. He is a member of the IPC Designers Council Executive Board, is CID, CID+, and CIT certified, a CID trainer for Eptac, and a columnist for the PCB007 magazine. In this article Read Article

3:10 Zymbit: A CircuitStudio Success Story Watch Video

07 Altium Designer 19 6 seconds teaser (noVO) Watch Video

Project Release Management within PCB Design Software

Project Release Management within PCB Design Software You’ve worked night and day to get your PCB design done and finally, the last trace has been connected, the last silkscreen reference has been tweaked, and the final DRC has passed. It’s time to call it a weekend, right? Wrong. You’ve still got a boatload of work to do to get all of your output files created for your manufacturers. A lot of PCB release design tool vendors provide different mechanisms for making the creation of output files easier Read Article

1:56 John Watson on Assembly Template Reference Files Watch Video

John Watson on Draftsman Sheets Watch Video

54 John Watson on Combining Parameters Watch Video

2:41 John Watson's Favorite Parameter Watch Video

John Watson on Setting up Variant Parameters Watch Video