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tented vias When to Use Tented vs. Untented Vias in Your PCB Layout Some designers swear by tented vias and prefer to always use them. When should these be used and when should they be avoided? We’ll explore in this article. Read Article
Design Your Electronic Device with a Hacker State of Mind Design Your Electronic Device with Hacking in Mind A very eye-opening world of hacking and understanding the never-ending risk to secure your electronic device. You wouldn’t want to miss this episode with a famous “good hacker” Joe grand. Watch now or listen on the go. Read Article
SAP (Semi-Additive PCB Process) – How Creative Can You Be? SAP (Semi-Additive PCB Process) – How Creative Can You Be? Challenge how creative you can be! Can SAP processes produce plated through vias? Read this article to find out! Read Article
Star ground PCB What is PCB Star Grounding and Why Would Anyone Use It? PCB star grounding can encourage bad design practices that lead to radiated EMI emissions in your PCB layout. Read Article
Mastering Magnetism: Hall Effect Sensors and Applications for PCBs Mastering Magnetism: Hall Effect Sensors and Applications for PCBs Magnetism allows you to do some really cool things—especially when electrons move through a magnetic field. One device that uses the deflection of electron motion for sensing is a Hall effect sensor. These little devices are used in automotive, manufacturing, consumer electronics, and other industries. The Hall effect basically allows a magnetic field to be sensed, which offers several possible applications. Some of the possible applications Read Article
PCB Design - Fun, Frustration and Misconception PCB Design - Fun, Frustration and Misconception What do the top minds in the PCB Design social media space think about the modern landscape? We sat down with Hacksmith Industries, DD ElectroTech, and Electgpl to chat about how they got started, what frustrates them, what they think about A.I., and much more. Chris Thiele - Hacksmith Entertainment Ltd. So I think the most challenging design I've ever made was a Daft Punk helmet, Guy-Manuel. I designed several boards for that project, and they Read Article
PCB plating How to Choose Board Plating and Thickness for Your PCB Ever wondered what surface plating you should use? We've compiled important data on PCB plating. Read Article
Via current carrying capacity for PCBs PCB Via Current-Carrying Capacity: Is My PCB Too Hot? What does PCBA too hot mean? It's a common question from designers, particularly new designers that are learning about industry standards, and refers to the PCB via current-carrying capacity of conductors. Trace and via current-carrying capacity are legitimate design points to focus on when designing a new board that will carry high current. The goal is to keep conductor temperatures below some appropriate limit, which then helps keep components Read Article
Gibbs phenomenon How the Gibbs Phenomenon Produces Measurement Artifacts The Gibbs phenomenon is a measurement artifact that can be mistaken for real signal integrity problems like ground bounce, ringing from reflections, or resonance on short lines. Read Article
Reduce copper losses Recover Conductor Losses By Clearing Your PCB Ground Layer Need to recover some conductor losses? Here’s how clearing out your ground plane near an I/O or connector can help. Read Article
Pathological Design Features Pathological Design Features: Eric Bogatin on PCB Design Our podcast all-time favorite podcast guest is back to help PCB designers recognize bad PCB design guidelines. Tune in and listen on the go now. Read Article
PCB mount transformers All About PCB-Mount Transformers Before you rectify your AC input down to DC, you’ll need to step down your mains power to the desired voltage with a PCB-mount transformer. Read Article
How to Design a Home Automation IoT Device IoT Device Design for Home Automation In this article Ari Mahpour walks you through how to create your own IoT connected device and control other smart home products. Read Article
OnTrack Logo OnTrack Newsletter: Altium and IPC form Partnership, Fab Notes and Food for your Brain - November 2021 November 2021 VOL. 5 No. 5 Full Article | Watch Video | Brain Food IPC joins Altium as Newest Nexar Ecosystem Partner Recently IPC and Altium formally announced that IPC is joining the growing body of the Nexar ecosystem. In this interview, we talk to David Bergman, VP of standards and technology at IPC. He talks about how he thinks this new partnership will bring bi-directional value to both organizations. Read Full Article What's In PCB Read Article
Differential Impedance Specification How to Design to a Differential Impedance Specification Differential impedance is sometimes misunderstood and it depends on multiple factors. Learn more about trace width design needed to reach a specific differential impedance target. Read Article
The NEXAR Ecosystem The NEXAR Ecosystem Zach chats with Altium's Vice President Lawrence Romine about the exciting future of PCB Design. Listen to this episode to learn more about Altium's mission. Read Article
PCB test points Is It Printed or a Component? All About PCB Test Points A PCB test point can be a simple pad in the PCB layout, or it can be a specific component where you can connect a probe. Read Article