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PCB Design

1:16 Leigh Gawne on ECAD and MCAD Watch Video

1:21 Leigh Gawne on Altium 365 and Parts Watch Video

2:03 Leigh Gawne on Altium 365's App Watch Video

1:32 Leigh Gawne on 3D View and Comments Watch Video

1:00 Leigh Gawne on Altium 365 and Layout Watch Video

1:28 Leigh Gawne's First Look at Altium 365 Watch Video

How a Components Search Engine Helps You Choose Parts For Your PCB

How a Components Search Engine Helps You Choose Parts For Your PCB If you owned a computer during the 1990’s, then you remember when internet search engines became massively popular. Most homepages were likely set to one of the three or four major search engines. This made surfing the digital highway so much easier, and now search functionality is integrated in many different websites and applications. Anytime you need to quickly locate specific entries in a large database, using a search engine is the fastest Read Article

Browsing Electronic Component Distributor Inventory with Integrated Libraries

Browsing Electronic Component Distributor Inventory with Integrated Libraries Even though I make a lot of lists just to keep track of all the different activities going on with my business, it gets tiring. When I need to buy office supplies, it helps to have all my options in one place so that I can figure out where I need to go to buy everything. Thankfully, when you’re sourcing for your PCB, there are solutions that show you all your distributor options. Browsing through distributor websites to source components for your Read Article

Integration of Schematic Capture, Layout, and Databases Improves Efficiency

Integration of Schematic Capture, Layout, and Databases Improves Efficiency Do you like seeing old classic cars in movies and on TV? So do I. Would slipping behind the wheel of a vintage Model T Ford for a test drive be the highlight of your bucket list? Mine too. Would it be as simple and easy as they show on TV? Absolutely not. Of the three pedals on the floor of the Model T, the left controls first gear, neutral, and second gear depending on if you push it in all the way, half way or not at all. The middle pedal is Read Article

When to Prefer a Longer Trace Over an Additional Via

When to Prefer Longer PCB Traces Over Additional Vias Whenever I go to buy a new big-ticket appliance, I always weigh my options. Sometimes I let this paralyze me, and I end up making a spending decision that I later regret. But it doesn’t have to be this way when deciding how to route signals in your next PCB. When you have many components and interconnects to place on your PCB, you need to weigh your options. Dense routing is as much an art as it is science, and having as much information as Read Article

Identify Vendor Parts Early: Manage BoMs Proactively With Consolidated Part Sourcing

Identify Vendor Parts Early: Manage BoMs Proactively With Consolidated Part Sourcing Walking a tightrope requires intricate balance. Simply visualized as a walker and a rope in space. Simple moves into complexity when the walker’s senses are skewed to balance. Careful placement of each foot pulls from neurological pathways communicating intricate information simultaneously. Should information fail to arrive when the foot is moving may push the walker off the rope. Managing Bills of Material from early circuit concept through Read Article

What to do With Unused Pins on a Microcontroller

STM32 and Other Microcontrollers: What to Do with Unused Pins? I must admit that I’m not exactly the right person to turn to for cleaning tips. I dread the annual spring cleaning as there are always surprises in the storerooms to deal with. Occasionally, I stumble upon items that I barely even recognize but eventually decide to hold on to. While my indecisiveness with unused items results in some nagging from my wife and loss of additional space, failing to deal with unused pins on a microcontroller can have Read Article

Don't Undervalue Ease of User Interface

Don't Undervalue Ease of User Interface You know how cooking can get complicated when you aren’t in your own kitchen? Since they aren’t “right where you left them”, you have to hunt for a pan or utensil that will work for what you are doing. It takes more time and possibly burning some eggs while you are looking for a spatula. And that’s just cooking something simple for breakfast; imagine trying to prepare a complicated meal. Situations like this are what help the restaurant business Read Article

44 Leigh Gawne on Making a Project Available Watch Video

1:18 Laigh Gawne on Altium 365's Interface Watch Video

Checklist for Systematically Testing PCB Prototypes

Checklist for Systematically Testing PCB Prototypes PCB prototype testing isn’t as simple as turning on the power. Reliability testing is also needed. Read Article

Altium Vault Streamlines Product Development Process With Early Access to Component Sourcing and Costing

Altium Vault Streamlines Product Development Process With Early Access to Component Sourcing and Costing Instead of Placeholders The product development process for printed circuit assemblies is highly dependent on complete Bills of Material. Complete Bills of Material list the PCB along with all components soldered or adhered onto the board to make the assembly. Components are unavailable early in the product development cycle because EDA libraries are antiquated and lack current parts information when circuit designers are drawing schematics. To stay on the development’s Read Article