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PCB Design

Using Customizable Grids to Save Time on Your PCB Layout Process

Defining and Using Multiple Customizable PCB Grids to Save Time on Your Layout Process Relying on one grid size can require frequent step size changes, as well as a unit of measure change, and possibly even board origin location changes, in order to achieve all required grids. Read to understand how customizable grids can help to resolve this complicated and manual process. It’s possible to rely exclusively on your default grid for all aspects of component placement, trace routing, and mechanical or special object placement Read Article

How to Simplify Your Routing with Pin Swapping

How to Simplify Your Routing with Pin Swapping Optimal component placement goes a long way towards minimizing crossover connection lines. However, crossovers can never be completely avoided. Learn how you can simplify your routing process and avoid wasting time with crossover connections. Optimal component placement goes a long way towards minimizing crossover connection lines. However, crossovers can never be completely avoided. A large number of crossover connections make routing a PCB Read Article

Draftsman: Make the Software Do the Documentation

Draftsman: Make the Software Do the Documentation You’ve routed your last route. Stitched your last via. Poured your last pour. You’re finally done with that board — time to celebrate! (Or at least move on to the next project.) Hang on! You’re not done yet. There’s still the documentation to be done – the fab drawings, the assembly CAD drawings, everything the fab shop needs to turn your carefully crafted work of art into a real electronic product. Unfortunately, the tools you have access to in Read Article

Bugging Out - How to Minimize Your Embedded Design Debug Phase

Bugging Out - How to Minimize Your Embedded Design Debug Phase Even if not all engineers will admit it, debugging an embedded system prototype is a lot of fun, so long as it’s going the way we planned. And while we cross our fingers hoping our board passes the first article inspection, it’s inevitable that some bugs will find their way into a design of any complexity. The debug phase in an embedded design can be one of the most challenging tasks for an engineer, as we juggle identifying issues with a project Read Article

How to Successfully Design for Testing or DFT

DFT in PCBs: Design for Testing The overall cost to produce a completed printed circuit board can be broken down into several basic categories: the cost of manufacturing the blank PCB layout, the cost of components, the assembly costs, and the cost of testing. That last one, the cost of the PCB test, can comprise as much as 25% to 30% of the total cost of producing the entire product. Best practices for Printed Circuit Board DFT is key. By designing a product to have the Read Article

Time-Saving Technologies for Your PCB Routing Workflow

Time-Saving Technologies for Your PCB Routing Workflow Whether you’re new to electronics design or have thirty years under your belt, most engineers agree: interactive routing is the most challenging and tedious task in the PCB design process. Experienced designers enjoy the challenge, applying their creative puzzle-solving talents to win the many battles and ultimately the war. Designers who are new to the task and those who would rather focus on other aspects of design wind up struggling in Read Article

IoT and The Three C’s

IoT and The Three C’s As our designs get more complex, they require more communication between the connected devices themselves and the design teams. The design community, ECAD, MCAD, and software, must come together to facilitate successful creation of IoT products. Collaboration between design teams doesn’t have to be a hassle. We should strive to maximize collaboration in our design process to create higher quality products. Every day we learn more about humanity Read Article

How 3D Modeling Has Changed Electronics Design Forever

How 3D Modeling Has Changed Electronics Design Forever Designing electronics in the late 1990s or early 2000s was a very different experience than it is today. Older PCB designs often weren’t limited regarding real estate. They also often didn’t have as many mechanical constraints as modern designs do. While it’s true that electronic components are much smaller today than they were 15 to 20 years ago, the mechanical envelopes that they must fit into have gotten smaller as well. Today, it’s essential Read Article

Improve Productivity with Multiple Monitors

Improve Productivity with Multiple Monitors In electronics design, there’s an inherent need to increase productivity whenever possible. To that end, electronics and PCB designers also tend to have an affinity for technology that will help them do that and boost productivity. They’re willing to invest money in the most up-to-date tools, training, and bells and whistles if it means saving time and money in the long run. However, there’s another area that’s often overlooked and doesn’t cost Read Article

5 Facts On PCB Design Info That Your Boss Needs to Know

5 Facts of PCB Design Info That Your Boss Needs to Know Designing a top-notch printed circuit board is your job. You understand what components need to be used, what materials are required, etc. On the other hand, your boss’s job is on the business side of things. They understand profits and losses and maintain productivity levels, etc. But they often don’t really understand the ins and outs of printed circuit board design. And since those technical aspects can have a significant impact on profits and Read Article

How to Pack More Complexity into a Smaller Footprint Using HDI

How to Pack More Complexity into a Smaller Footprint Using HDI The demand for smaller mechanical housing continues, leading to more complexity in the electrical design process to generate a PCB to keep up with the shrinking form factors. To achieve the size and density necessary, engineers turn to HDI. Using HDI, however, means dealing with different routing workflows, and denser, while using the same area or less. What challenges will you face when using HDI techniques in your own design process? HDI Read Article

Simplify Your BGA Routing Using Neck-Down Trace Width

Using Safe Neck Down Trace Width Simplification for BGA Routing How many times have you attempted to route into your BGA (ball grid array) only to be prevented by clearance and trace width constraints? It's possible to math out thinner traces, but computers are particularly good at this kind of work while maintaining a safe current carrying capacity. Learn how to effectively route into your BGA without interrupting the routing process to adjust rules or width size with the neck down features in Altium Read Article

Defining PCB Library Types and Methodologies for Your Design Process

PCB Libraries: Defining Library Types and Methodologies for Your Design Process There are various PCB library types and methodologies out there, and selecting which to implement into your design process depends on a number of factors. But how do you know which library methodology is the best? Read on to find out. There are various types of PCB libraries and methodologies out there, and selecting which to implement into your design process depends on a number of factors. While some small business users may require only a bare Read Article

Altium Designer 17 and the Ever-Changing World of PCB Design Software

Altium Designer 17 and the Ever-Changing World of PCB Design Software The big news from Altium’s point of view is Altium Designer^®, an exciting new release of our professional PCB design software. Coincidentally, the release of version 17 occurs at a very newsworthy time with the announcement of a major acquisition in the EDA industry. Altium as a company has always focused on the needs of the PCB design engineers, how to make their job of design easier, and providing a truly unified set of tools that are Read Article

Supply Chain Management: Ensure Component Availability at Design Time

Supply Chain Management: Ensure Component Availability at Design Time Component availability can result in missed deadlines or render a design unproducible. Learn how to the supply chain management capabilities (SCM) in Altium Designer^® can mitigate these issues. Read on to find out more about our supply chain management program, raw material, logistics management, and the supply chain manager. Not having insight into component availability can result in a product being late, missing a market window, or not even Read Article

PCB Design Guide for Engineers, Part 1

PCB Design Guide for Engineers, Part 1 Bringing a design from conception to fully assembled PCB is a daunting task that requires the cohesion of an entire team. Understanding each team member’s role in the design process is tantamount to the successful development of your product. Read on to find out more. Unite Your PCB Design Team to Deliver Successful Products Bringing a design from conception to fully assembled PCB is a daunting task that requires the cohesion of an entire team Read Article

Using Hierarchical Schematic Design to Stay Organized and Synchronized

Using ORCAD Hierarchical Schematic Design to Stay Organized and Synchronized New Altium Designer^® users may not fully understand the benefits of organizing schematic sheets into a hierarchical top-down or bottom-up perspective. Read on to learn how to keep your hierarchical design project organized and synchronized with circuit schematic hierarchies. New Altium users may not fully understand the benefits of organizing schematic sheets into a hierarchical top-down or bottom-up perspective designs. As a result, users often Read Article