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PCB Design

Using Product Lifecycle Management Software for PCB Design

Using Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) Components Software for PCB Design Any product, including circuit boards and electronic components, will become obsolete and must be replaced with completely new versions. If a product is ever manufactured and taken to market, the product and its components will inevitably have a finite life cycle. Products are eventually upgraded to new versions and capabilities or components are added, or they become obsolete and are replaced with completely new circuit designs and technology Read Article

Sourcing Military PCB Components in a Unified Design Environment

Sourcing PCB Military Grade Electronic Components in a Unified Design Environment Whether you are a procurement officer for the military, a prime contractor, or defense suppliers of electronic components, you’ll face a number of obstacles when sourcing components for electronic defense systems. Given the component shortages and potential for counterfeiting in the components market, military PCB components cannot be procured from just any company. Any component for a military grade electronic components system must meet Read Article

PCB Library and Supply Chain Integration in Altium Concord Pro

PCB Library and Supply Chain Integration in Altium Concord Pro Altium Concord Pro^™ as a standalone product and brand name has been discontinued and the capabilities are now available as part of our Altium enterprise solutions. Learn more here. Anyone planning to manufacture a new circuit board has plenty of challenges to overcome. From component shortages to outdated design data, project managers and designers face obstacles to timely production that arise from stale component data and supply chain Read Article

Connectors Benefit from Compatible ECAD/MCAD Tools

Modeling and Placing PCB Connectors Within Altium Designer ALTIUM DESIGNER The most powerful, modern, and easy-to-use PCB design tool for professional use. I/O use connectors for PCB system integration In this guide to PCB connectors, we’ll take a look at connectors within electrical systems, how they benefit from ECAD/MCAD tools, and optimal design specifics like appropriate cable connectors or gold fingers gold plating. Connectors abound on printed circuit assemblies given integrated electrical Read Article

Sourcing Microelectronics for Military Systems

Defense Industry Microcomponents and Microelectronics Defense contractors, military procurement officers, and contract manufacturers face a number of obstacles when designing and manufacturing PCBs for use in defense systems. Defense microelectronics and manufactured PCBs cannot be procured from just any company, and these components must meet rigorous standards that ensure quality and reliability. These components must also be traceable back to a compliant component manufacturer. Only Altium Read Article

How to Keep Your 3D PCB Models Current with Data Management Tools

How to Keep Your 3D PCB Models Current with Data Management Tools Any component includes a significant amount of design data. This includes electrical design data management software, electrical models, 3D PCB model components, and PCB supplier information. Your PCB design software should be allowed to take this data and integrate it with your MCAD tools. This allows you to create 3D body models from your PCB footprints and integrate them into a data library. Ensuring that this data stays up to date takes a Read Article

ESD Grounding Requirements in Your Next PCB

ESD Grounding Requirements in Your Next PCB Any PCB that will be deployed in an environment surrounded by high voltage equipment or power sources is at risk of electrostatic discharge (ESD). Static electricity can also discharge directly into a board and ruin sensitive electronic components if a board is handled without a wrist strap. This induces a transient voltage in the PCB, which can cause damage to sensitive components. In extreme cases, such as lightning strikes or major power Read Article

Designing Your PCB for Transient Voltage Suppression

PCB Surge Protection: Designing Your PCB for Transient Voltage Suppression Transient voltage suppression due to power surges can cause serious damage to components in your PCB. With the right software, you can implement an ESD protection and suppression strategy in your PCB. Read Article

Designing Physical Layer Security for Military PCBs in Altium Designer

Designing Physical Layer Security for Military PCBs in Altium Designer PCBs for military systems are high performing beasts that must meet stringent design and performance standards. Military systems that store and process sensitive data require extra layers of security that goes beyond locking them in a secure enclosure. You’ll need to design your Printed Circuit Boards to be extremely resistant to EMI, route data so that it cannot be tapped passively, and include blacked-out chips to prevent attackers from Read Article

Data Management for Component Models in SPICE Simulations

Data Management for Component Models in SPICE PCB Simulations Simulation software is becoming more powerful as time goes on, but the simplest solutions are sometimes still preferable for many applications. SPICE simulations have been around for decades, yet their applicability to a wide variety of circuits and applications is not lost on anyone. With SPICE simulation tools being so popular, it’s only natural that they appear in PCB design software platforms. Devices continue to become more powerful and more Read Article

Complete Guide to DIY SMT Assembly In Your Office

Complete Guide to DIY SMT Assembly In Your Office This article shows that reflowing a board with primitive low-cost lab tools is relatively minor, yet gives you high-quality results Read Article

Transmission line fundamentals

Transmission Line Fundamentals And Electromagnetic Fields, Part 1 Learn more about transmission line fundamentals and how they carry electromagnetic fields. Read Article

Via stub backplane

Your Complete Guide to Via Stub Analysis Via stub accumulate loss for high speed and high frequency signals. Here’s how you can spot problems with stubs and solve them easily. Read Article

The What, Why and How of Data Management

The What, Why and How of Data Management More than 15 million components to choose from to design your board, where do you begin? Watch and learn from the Library Management expert himself John Watson. Read Article

amplifier stability analysis

Oscillations, Clipping, and Ringing in Amplifier Stability Analysis If you’re designing an amplifier circuit for your PCB, use amplifier stability analysis to understand the limits of stable oscillation. Read Article

Advanced Tools for Your Aluminum PCB Layout

The Best Printed Circuit Board Design Software for Your Aluminum PCB Whether for thermal performance, electrical isolation, or mechanical strength, your aluminum PCB needs the precision of Altium Designer to meet your design requirements. Altium Designer allows almost any aspect of your circuit boards to be customized, including the metal core or backing on an aluminum PCB. Designers can also specify other materials in their documentation for their fabricator, such as ceramics, aluminum flex PCBs, or other Read Article

Create, Share, Collaborate, and View CAD Drawings with Altium Designer

Create, Share, Collaborate, and View CAD Drawings with Altium Designer PCB design collaboration becomes seamless with a complete suite of design tools and a cloud platform for viewing CAD drawings. Your PCB design software should streamline the entire process, from creation to manufacturing. Instead of relying on freeware or mechanical programs like AutoCAD, empower your team with powerful tools that enable secure access to all design files in a PCB project, ensuring efficient and effective collaboration. Whether Read Article