Multi-Layer PCBs & Layer Stackup

Browse our library of resources to learn more about multi-layer PCB design & layer stackup

Through Thick And Thin — How Do You Get High Current Into a High Speed PCB? The typical large currents in today’s high speed PCB designs require a different approach. This article will describe the stackup requirements associated with these very large current PCBs and how to design them so that they can be readily manufactured properly. Read Article

RF PCB Material Comparison for mmWave Devices Here’s a comparison of the best RF PCB materials or your high-frequency analog products. Read Article

PCB Ground Plane Best Practices in Your Multilayer Stackup Learn all about proper use of a PCB ground plane and grounded copper pour in your design. You’ll ensure signal integrity and low EMI with correct PCB ground plane placement. Read Article

What Is Thieving In PCBs And Why Is It Done? In this Article, Expert Kella Knack describes thieving, to what sections of the board it is applied; at what point in the fabrication is it done, how it relates to plating operations; who is responsible for adding thieving to the outer layer artwork and its shortcomings and benefits. Read Article

PDS Impedance: The Traditional Approach To PDS Design vs. Energy Flow Take a look at traditional PDS impedance versus the “energy flow” view of PDS design. We’ll debunk misleading information that could cause your designs to fail. Read Article

Huge Vu-meter with RGB LEDs Project A laboratory journal to guide you through the steps to develop a successful product that value-conscious customers are sure to love. Read Article

Developing a PCB Testing Procedure For New Designs Before your new device comes off the fabrication line, it will need to go through a comprehensive PCB testing procedure. Here’s how to create a PCB testing procedure for new boards. Read Article

Using the iPad Pro for Electronic Design Altium Concord Pro® on Altium 365 was updated with a smoother, more feature-full and more intuitive interface for the web design viewer. I want to use this occasion to share with you some of my favourite apps and websites for electronic design. Read Article

My Favorite Altium Designer Keyboard Shortcuts and Viewing Features If you want to be more productive in PCB design and layout, try out these common Altium Designer keyboard shortcuts. Read Article

The Benefits of High-Dk PCB Materials The terms “high-speed design” and “low-Dk PCB laminate” are often used in the same articles, and often in the same sentence. Low-Dk PCB materials have their place in high speed and high-frequency PCBs, but high-Dk PCB materials provide power integrity. Low-Dk PCBs are typically chosen as they tend to have lower loss tangent. Thus high-DK PCB materials tend to get overlooked for high speed and high-frequency PCBs. When we look at power integrity Read Article

Solder Bridge Jumper Best Practices in PCB Design A PCB variant is often simply thought of as a new layout created from an old design. However, if you’re creative with your routing and layout, you can use a solder bridge jumper to configure portions of a single PCB layout for multiple variants. This lets you quickly create variants of a PCB layout without rerouting traces or changing your schematics. If you plan to use jumpers in your PCB layout, there are some important guidelines to follow to Read Article

What is Transfer Impedance in a PDN? We often talk about impedance in a PDN, but we always refer to self impedance. Here’s what you need to know about transfer impedance in your PCB. Read Article

An Overview Of PCB Outer Layer Processing Expert Kella Knack describes in detail the fabrication of the PCB outer layer. Read and learn about how different vias are formed and the steps involved in the multilayer build-up process. Read Article

Top Tips from Experienced Flex Designers Fabrication: In general, advice given about flexible circuit fabrication is split between knowledge of the fabricator and their process, and communication. Knowledge of the printed circuit board fabrication process is not as common as it once was, and this is even more apparent with the subtleties of flex manufacturing. Understanding the manufacturing process helps to illuminate areas that are more challenging for fabrication, as well as areas Read Article

1:0:37 PCB Design in Altium Designer with Differential Data Transfer Differential data transmission lines usage can be challenging for even experienced designers. First you need to be familiar with the Watch Video

High Performance Sub 1GHz RF Project This week, I’m building a high-performance sub-1GHz transceiver that I want to use as a standalone Internet of Things node using the ARM Cortex M3 microcontroller. As with my other projects, this project is open source and published on GitHub for you to use as the basis of your own design, or to use as-is. The RF schematic and layout are production proven, as are the microcontroller schematic and all footprints on the board. However, do keep in Read Article

46 Customizable Layer Stack Table Place and customize a layer stack table including width, text, and alignment directly in your PCB workspace. Watch Video