Easy, Powerful, Modern

The world’s most trusted PCB design system.

Learn More

PCB Design

Following the Recipe for PCB Design: The PCB Fabrication Drawing

Following the Recipe for PCB Design: The PCB Fabrication Drawing A few years ago I surprised my wife by making her crème brûlée for her birthday. She was stunned—the extent of my cooking at that time was limited to boiled eggs and burnt toast. Before attempting it, I spent some time finding a recipe with clear instructions to follow. With the recipe holding my hand every step of the way, I cooked my way into being a hero for the day. In hindsight, there wasn’t much to lose if I messed it up; we’d be Read Article

Security by Design: Internet of Things Authentification and Self Testing

Security by Design: Internet of Things Authentification and Self Testing Have you noticed how many organizations are getting hacked lately? Businesses like Equifax aren’t the only targets of these attacks; government institutions like the NSA have also been hit. Even the Internet of Things (IoT) has been targeted. Hackers infect and control devices in order to use them as a tool for distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) assaults. I’m sure you’ve gotten your credit card hacked, as well; I have. The difficult part about Read Article

Designing a User Database for Card Access Systems

Designing a User Database for Card Access Systems How long does it usually take for you to unpack your clothes and organize them after you move? If you’re anything like me, they might slowly move from your suitcases and boxes to a dresser over a healthy span of weeks. In the interim, I have to develop an internal logic of where, in all the clutter, certain clothes are located: dress shirts in the box at the foot of the bed, socks and underwear tucked in front of the dresser. Even my logic fails Read Article

Tips for Real-World PCB Design: Timing, Communication, and Traceability

Tips for Real-World PCB Design: Timing, Communication, and Traceability I love food; I love the preparation, finding the ingredients, adding the minute adjustments of seasonings and salt, and cooking multiple courses at once. But when I first started cooking for myself, I prepared each part of the meal individually. I found it immensely difficult to keep track of the different dishes and ensure none stuck to the pan—or went without stirring for too long. So I sacrificed time and did each task individually. What my Read Article

Internet of Things Security Issues Prompt Government Intervention

Internet of Things Security Issues Prompt Government Intervention When you look at an Internet of Things (IoT) device like a fork or a juicer, what do you see? Like me, you probably see a gadget that was designed for a particular purpose. Less upstanding citizens may see a digital weapon instead of an innocuous gizmo. In the past several years, there have been several high-profile distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks that were enabled by poorly-secured IoT devices. Hackers infiltrate light bulbs and Read Article

The Best Flash Memory Storage Solutions: Is NOR or NAND Ideal for Your Project?

The Best Flash Memory Storage Solutions: Is NOR or NAND Ideal for Your Project? I must admit that I’m pretty ignorant when it comes to wine: should I get a white wine for my dinner, or would a red be more appropriate? And don’t test me on the differences between different whites or different reds. I know that there are some guidelines for which variety to pair with various foods and flavors, but I have no idea what these recommended pairings are. Just like red and white wines, NOR flash and NAND flash memory storage solution Read Article

Internet of Things Security Best Practices: Passwords, Patches, and Portals

IoT Security Best Practices: Passwords, Patches, and Portals If you’ve ever created devices for military applications you’re probably used to designing with security in mind. If you’re more like me and just build the odd Internet of Things (IoT) doodad, that’s probably the last thing on your mind. However, recent cyber attacks are highlighting why engineers like us should be a little more concerned with security. These design best practices will show you how you can safeguard your systems. Why Secure the Read Article

How the Right Tools in Your PCB Toolkit Can Help Your Next Design

How the Right Tools in Your PCB Toolkit Can Help Your Next Design When my sons were young, it was a joy for me to introduce and show them how to use tools for repair or construction. They would ask questions about the different tools in my toolkit, and my pair of old Channellock pliers really seemed to catch their interest. To tell the truth, those Channellocks are my favorite too. I inherited them from my dad, and still use them. They’re the first tool in my kit that I look for when I need to solve a problem Read Article

High-Speed Design Techniques: Trace Tuning for Routing Length Matching

High-Speed Design Techniques: Trace Tuning for Routing Length Matching The first time I heard someone talking about “tuning” their high speed design techniques, the memory of my middle school band came to mind. Back in those days, “tuning” meant taking kids who lacked experience and who used tired old instruments and trying to turn it all into something that blended together. As you would expect, our first attempts at being in tune were not very successful. After some work learning about signal integrity, the ground Read Article

How Multi-Level BOMs Can Organize Your Next System Design

How Multi-Level BOMs Can Organize Your Next System Design If only packing for vacation were as simple as it sounds: figure out what clothes you need, throw them in a suitcase, and you’re ready to go—wrong! Here’s the more realistic vacation planning scenario: pack your clothes, pack your children’s clothes, and then pack all the other personal necessities such as diapers, games, etc. Next you need to pack the food followed by whatever gear your particular vacation requires including tents, fishing Read Article

High Speed PCB Designing: Signal Paths

Introduction to High Speed PCB Designing: Signal Paths Have you ever planned an airline trip where there isn’t a direct flight to get you to your destination? I have, and as you probably already know, it isn’t a problem. I use the travel planner on my airline’s website and let it figure out every detail of the trip for me. All I have to do is plug in my origin and destination, and the planner determines my itinerary—with enough time to make my connections. It’s a piece of cake. Can you imagine how Read Article

How Schematic Design Reuse Can Help Your Next PCB Schematic Layout

How Schematic Design Reuse Can Help Your Next PCB Schematic Layout In the town where I live there is this lady who is a magician with a sewing machine. She is in charge of the wardrobes for the high school musicals and is a whiz at taking costumes from old shows, and reusing them for new productions. Sometimes she alters the older costumes, and sometimes she simply uses them the way they already are. In the show this year, the evil queen is wearing a flamboyant dress that is actually an altered version of a Read Article

Using Obsolescence Management Software to Avoid Surprises with Obsolete Parts

Using Obsolescence Management Tools and Software to Avoid Surprises with Obsolete Parts Recently I helped with a plumbing problem at my mother-in-law’s house. A fixture had started to leak and water was going everywhere. As she thought about it for a while, mom realized that she had been living there for 25 years and had never replaced this fixture. The old part had now failed though, and needed to be replaced. However, trying to find a modern replacement part that would fit turned out to be an even bigger problem. It’s one of those Read Article

Intelligent Routing Features In PCB Design Software Let You Work Smarter, Not Harder

Intelligent Routing Features In PCB Design Software Let You Work Smarter, Not Harder Everybody has those lazy moments, trying to figure out how little one can do while still completing a task. In my first job, I created software where I can automatically launch my favorite applications through voice commands. Later, I found a new level by coding a special program to email reports, close applications, and shut down my computer with one click of a button. My first PCB designs took place on the early versions of PCB design software Read Article

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Active and Passive RFID Technologies

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Active and Passive RFID Technologies When I’m designing a new PCB or product one of the hardest parts for me is choosing exactly which components I should use. It seems like every technology out there now has a different configuration to achieve the best performance. Even when you’re dealing with a fairly straightforward technology like radio frequency identification (RFID) circuit board there are a lot of flavors to choose from. While every type of RFID design label uses an active Read Article

OnTrack Newsletter November 2017

OnTrack Newsletter November 2017 On Track Newsletter November 2017 VOL. 1 No 8 Welcome to the November edition of Altium’s On Track Newsletter. This month in Rock Stars and Superheroes we feature a who presented a talk at AltiumLive 2017: ANNUAL PCB DESIGN SUMMIT in San Diego. Not only is he a very talented , he is a leader and advocate for regional Altium^® User Groups and shares how to start and build your own. In Space you’ll meet an impressive young man who decided to learn Read Article

Using Bill of Material Management to Prevent Problems with Moisture Sensitive Devices

Using Bill of Material Management to Prevent Problems with Moisture Sensitive Devices Up here in the Pacific Northwest we are once again in the rainy season. My family doesn’t like it, my friends don’t like it, and even my dog doesn’t like it. The other night I had to pull the ladder out of the garage to unclog a gutter during a rainstorm. That was definitely not on my list of fun things to do, especially at 11:00 at night. We are used to the rain though. We know how to direct the water run-off so that it doesn’t pool up, we have Read Article