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Monte Carlo in SPICE The Basics of Monte Carlo in SPICE: Theory and Demo Anytime you place a component in your PCB, it’s almost like you’re gambling. All components have tolerances, and some of these are very precise (resistors for instance), but others components can have very wide tolerances on their nominal values (e.g., wirewound inductors or ferrites). In the event the tolerances on these components become too large, how can you predict how these tolerances will affect your circuits? While you could calculate Read Article
Switching regulator layout Switching Regulator Layout: One or Two Layers? Don’t be afraid to route your switching regulator layout on two layers, but be careful of these noise problems if you do! Read Article
DFA guidelines DFA Guidelines for an Efficient PCB Design See what the pros look for with these DFA guidelines, provided by Altium and Sierra Circuits. Read Article
OnTrack Logo Altium 365 gets SOC 2 certification, new design tools, and more! March 25, 2022 ONTRACK BI-WEEKLY Latest From Altium After passing an independent audit from KPMG LLC, we are proud to announce that the Altium 365 platform is System and Organization Controls (SOC) 2 Type 1 certified. Altium 365 meets or exceeds important industry standards surrounding security, regulatory compliance, and data privacy. Learn more about SOC 2 certification New Advanced Design Features in Altium Designer 22 Altium Designer 22 takes Read Article
PCB DFM errors Preventing Top DFM Errors in Your PCB Design Get a manufacturer's view on the most common DFM errors in your PCB design and what you can do about them. Read Article
High-Frequency PCB Material Best Practices for High-Frequency PCB Materials Selection High frequency PCB design can seem esoteric, and I've heard many an engineer describe it as "black magic"! The subject is also a bit confusing, especially once someone asks which frequencies could be reasonably considered "high". The reality is that some of the challenges present in high speed design also appear in high frequency design, but we think about them in different ways. Before you do anything inside the layout for a high-speed or RF PCB Read Article
PCB copper roughness How Much PCB Copper Surface Roughness is Too Much? When we talk about copper roughness, we always bring it up as if it were a universally bad thing. The fact is, some circuits will always function just fine even if the copper is rough. As long as your traces are fabricated to spec in every other area, the roughness of the traces might not matter as long as your operating frequency or bandwidth are low enough. Just what constitutes “low enough” and when is the effect of roughness so small that we Read Article
Quantum Processor Unit Get Ready for Custom Quantum Processor Units Anytime a company wants to develop at the leading edge of technology, it requires a ton of development from the ground up. In the realm of quantum computing, this is still true; companies that want to operate in this area of technology have to build just about everything from scratch. But today, the industry has taken an important step towards accelerating development of quantum devices. On 28 March 2022, Dutch company QuantWare announced Read Article
PCB Copper Foil Types of PCB Copper Foil for High-Frequency Design Does your design need smooth PCB copper foil? It all depends on the frequency range you’re working in. Learn more in this article. Read Article
PCB Design Workflow Design Rule Checking in the PCB Design Workflow Design rule checking occurs at multiple points in the PCB design workflow. Make sure you know which design rules you need to define and when to run manual design rule checks in your PCB design software. Read Article
2+N+2 PCB stackup 2+N+2 PCB Stackup Design for HDI Boards A 2+N+2 PCB stackup is one of the standard options for building a high density circuit board. Learn more about these stackups for HDI PCBs. Read Article
Rigid flex altium Support for Rigid-Flex in Altium Designer Altium Designer supports flex and rigid-flex circuit design with 3D rendering and the ability to create multiple layer stacks. Read Article
Flex and Rigid-Flex PCB Applications Flex and Rigid-Flex PCB Applications There are many fun and interesting rigid-flex PCB applications. Learn more about these important application areas and how flexible designs can solve many practical problems. Read Article
PCB Workflow Management Overview of PCB Workflow Management We provide an overview of PCB workflow management for on-premises and remote teams. Use the Altium enterprise solutions to manage your PCB design workflow and engineering teams. Read Article
rigid-flex documentation Preparing Rigid-Flex PCB Documentation for Manufacturing Do you know what to include in your rigid-flex PCB documentatio? We've prepared a guide to help you prepare your design outputs and drawigns for your rigid-flex PCBs. Read Article
Flexible Printed Circuit Flexible Printed Circuit Design Best Practices Implement these flexible circuit design tips to help you build your next flex or rigid-flex PCB. Read Article
Rigid-Flex PCB Fabrication The Rigid-Flex PCB Manufacturing and Fabrication Process Learn how to navigate the rigid-flex PCB fabrication process. By knowing the fabrication process, you'll have assurance you can hit yield and performance targets. Read Article