PCB Routing

Routing in your PCB makes copper connections between components, and best routing practices will help ensure signal integrity, low crosstalk, and low EMI. Browse our library of resources to learn more about routing in your PCB and how the best PCB layout software helps you obey routing rules and signaling standards.

PCB Routing in Altium Designer Design Rules for PCB Routing Efficient PCB Routing Tools (Webinar)

Stripline vs microstrip impedance

Stripline vs. Microstrip Width for Desired Impedance: Are They the Same? Stripline vs. microstrip width values are quite different; they can’t simply be interchanged. Let’s break down why and what you can expect from your PCBs. Read Article

UTP cable differential pairs without ground

Differential Pairs Without Ground: Is it a Problem? Some designers tell you that differential pairs without ground are acceptable. So who’s correct? We’ll examine the pros and cons of a differential pair ground plane. Read Article

Through Thick And Thin — How Do You Get High Current Into a High Speed PCB?

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

Solder Bridge Jumper Best Practices in PCB Design

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

Altium Designer is Your Complete PCB Toolkit

Altium Designer is Your Complete PCB Toolkit Designing a printed circuit board and its PCB assembly are intricate processes. If want to bring your next great electronic device to life, you’ll need to transform it from a circuit diagram into a schematic. Then you’ll need to turn your schematic into a layout and ensure it complies with DFM guidelines for your application. Different PCB tools in your design software can help with different tasks, but only one software package integrates all Read Article

More Functionality, Less Real Estate

Designing for Embedded System Applications in Military and Aerospace Military and aerospace systems include a number of embedded systems that provide critical functionality. Your next military or aerospace system will require a number of complicated embedded systems to keep it functioning at top performance. Each of these embedded systems must provide specific functionality in rugged environments, and creating these systems takes powerful design software. Only Altium Designer gives you all the tools you need to Read Article

Keep Your Eagle Library Files When You Migrate to Altium

Keep Your Eagle Library Files When You Migrate to Altium When your free design software and other programs like Eagle don’t include critical design features, you’re stuck finding a workaround with another design tool. The real price of budget design software is lost time, lost productivity, and headaches that arise from inconsistent workflows and compatibility problems. When it’s time to get serious about PCB design, it’s time to look at Altium Designer. Below we'll explore Eagle vs Altium Designer Read Article

What is a PCB

What is a Printed Circuit Board (PCB)? A printed circuit board (PCB) is an electronic assembly that uses copper conductors to create electrical connections between components. Printed circuit boards provide a mechanical support for electronic components so that a device can be mounted in an enclosure. A printed circuit board must be designed with a specific set of steps that aligns with the manufacturing process, integrated circuit packaging, and the structure of the bare circuit Read Article

Prevent Copper Wear and Short Circuits with Rules-Driven Design

Prevent Copper Wear and Short Circuits with Rules-Driven Design The phrase “PCB design” might seem to emphasize design, but it actually includes all aspects of printed circuit board manufacturing. Without the proper attention to design for manufacturability (DFM), a design might be sent back to a designer for corrections and further review by a CAM engineer. DFM is meant to ensure a board can be produced with high yield and is best implemented in rules-driven design software. When you need to follow important Read Article

Impedance-Controlled Routing and Your PCB Design Rules

Impedance-Controlled Routing and Your PCB Design Rules Once you start designing high-speed or high-frequency PCBs, impedance in your traces becomes a critical parameter to consider during design. Impedance mismatches between signal sources, loads, and each trace that connects them can ruin a signal. Instead of working out the impedance of each trace in your PCB by hand, Altium Designer aids impedance-controlled routing with an integrated field solver. This streamlines your design process and ensures Read Article

The Necessity of Multi-Board System-Level Design

Designing PCBs for Interconnected Multi-Board Systems in Altium Designer If you open up some of your favorite electronics, you’ll find they are multi-board systems or multiple PCBs connected together with cables and ribbons. In the past, PCB design software has treated each board in the system individually without considering important circuit board design issues like power distribution and grounding, high-speed routing, mechanical assembly, and thermal demands. Design software has caught up to the demands of Read Article

IPC Classes and Complying with IPC Standards for PCB Design

IPC Classes and Complying with IPC Standards for PCB Design Whether you work in electronics design, manufacturing, or even defense, the alphabet soup of standards organizations is extensive and may seem daunting. The IPC standards are among the most widely accepted and important standards for PCB designs. If you are a professional designer and you are designing consumer electronics products or more specialized systems, you’ll need to stay aware of the IPC standards. These standards are meant to ensure Read Article

Learn How to Design PCBs with the Best PCB Layout Tutorials

Learn How to Design PCBs with the Best PCB Layout Tutorials Let’s face it: PCB design is complex, and not all design software packages have the tools to help you be successful. Whether you’re creating a simple two-layer board or a complex high-speed digital system, Altium Designer has the design tools and PCB layout tutorials you need to get started and succeed. You’ll have access to multiple tutorials to help you gain a better understanding of advanced features as you venture deeper into PCB design Read Article

I2C vs SPI vs UART for LCD screen

I2C vs. SPI vs. UART: How to Layout These Common Buses If you’ve never worked with an MCU and programmable ICs, here are some guidelines on I2C vs. SPI vs. UART layout and routing. Read Article

Front-end Engineering A PCB Product

Front-End Engineering A PCB Product PCB front-end engineering consists of all the tasks required to get a board into production. Here's what goes into your design review and how to plan for it. Read Article

Best PCB Design Software for Your Single Sided PCB

Best PCB Design Software for Your Single-Sided PCB A one-sided PCB design needs the same attention to detail in its design as a large multi-layer board, it needs Altium Designer. ALTIUM DESIGNER The most powerful, modern, and easy-to-use PCB design tool for professional use. It may seem like the world of PCB design revolves around complex multi-layer high-performance PCBs or other exotic design technologies, but the need for single-sided PCB designs is as great as it ever has been. Their Read Article

Alternatives to a TEM Mode Transmission Line

Alternatives to a TEM Mode Transmission Line 112 Gbps interconnects are pushing the TEM mode transmission line to its limit. What’s going to happen next? Read Article