PDN Analyzer

Browse our library of resources to learn more about pcb design and power analysis and analyzing power distribution networks.

Getting Started with PDN Analyzer To learn more about this topic please see the full solution - Getting Started with PDN Analyzer - at Altium.com. Download PDF

Better PCB Routing - Highlight Nets Regardless how many PCBs I design, I always find myself having to regularly review network paths on schematics layer and trace routes on PCBs. The complexity reminds me of a maze where only one path is the right one for a particular network. It is imperative that all the connections are accurate as errors made here will come back to haunt you later in the form of redesigns. The best way to ensure network accuracy is by isolating it so that each Read Article

High Currents and Higher Temperatures: PCB Design Tips for Heat Management I remember the first (and hopefully the only) time one of my circuits caught on fire. It started with the resistors and quickly spread to a nearby decoupling capacitor. Thankfully, the destruction was minor and most of the components were salvageable. Why did this happen you ask? No, this was not due to a short circuit. Very simply, I did not take into account the high current PCB layout. As electronics continue to be miniaturized, the thermal Read Article

Which Type of Capacitor Should You Use? Capacitors are used in far more applications than just bypassing noise, and there are many more types of capacitors than just ceramic and aluminium electrolytic. Read Article

Reflecting on Your Design, Part 2, What Do Reflections Do to a Signal? In part 1 of this article, I described what transmission line reflections are, how they are created and what the resulting waveforms look like. This part of the article will discuss what reflections do to a signal. Figure 1 is a typical 5V CMOS driver driving a 50-ohm transmission line that is 12 inches or approximately 2 nanoseconds long. There is a CMOS receiver at the end of the line that is a tiny parasitic capacitor. For these purposes, it Read Article

Optimizing Power Consumption Power efficiency—energy efficiency if you’re a purist—has become perhaps the highest-profile aspect of system design. This is especially true for IoT applications where a device may need to operate for years on harvested energy or a cell battery. Thus, a critical stage of design is power optimization. Typically, the first stage of power optimization is setting the power budget. For example, the system spec might state that the device has to be Read Article

22:01 Introduction To PDN Analyzer Webinar Power Delivery Network (PDN) Design Issues Low supply voltage at load components A low supply voltage at your loads Watch Video

Introduction To PDN Analyzer Webinar Recap May 10, 2018 If you joined us for the May 10th, 2018, PDN Analyzer™ webinar then the following will be a recap, if not here’s what you missed. You can also view the presentation slides and recording. Key Takeaways about PDN Power Delivery Network () Design Issues Low supply voltage at load components. A low supply voltage at your loads can cause issues like processors outputting faulty logic. These things happen when there is an unexpected voltage drop Read Article

Voltage Regulators and How to Plan Your Power Budget with PDN Analysis With my first buck regulator design, I had been given a power budget for the circuit block and I had to take into consideration what it was supplying and what topology I’d use. I considered efficiency to remove heat from the enclosure and I wanted to avoid using a heat sink. I also wanted a robust engine, a regulator to keep on working when the CPU, memory, and other utility circuits were exercising their might. I decided on the buck regulator Read Article

History of Wave Soldering: Developing the Wave Soldering Process It is often said that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Of course, Copernicus long ago dispelled this misinterpretation. Even so, when I am on the road early in the day and the horizon is continually getting brighter I always get a sense of excitement coupled with uncertainty as to what the day will bring. With the speed at which technology changes today, what the future will bring is a constant concern for engineers and designers Read Article

Learning Current Density: Don’t Pop the Balloon One area of PCB design that probably does not get the attention that it deserves is current density. Current density in a PCB trace is much like the pressure in a balloon. You want to squeeze as much air into the balloon as you can, but if you put too much: boom! The same is true of PCB traces many times. We want the traces to be as small as possible yet carry the most current possible, and if the trace carries too much: boom! For PCBs, that boom Read Article

10 Symptoms of a Bad PDN At face value, DC power integrity seems to be a simple enough topic -- you just need to make sure that every component on your PCB has the power (current and voltage) it needs when it needs it. But that’s just on the surface. TOPICS IN THIS SOLUTION What is power integrity? What’s the problem? Symptoms WHAT IS POWER INTEGRITY? The new reality is a bit more complicated. When you start to work with fine-pitch device packages, the manufacturing Download PDF

Power Integrity: 5 Common Myths: PCB Design Tips & Tricks - Altium Audio Bites Altium Audio Bites, giving you bite-sized information that's easy to digest and apply to your everyday design tasks. From our PCB Design Tips & Tricks audio series here is: Power Integrity: 5 Common Myths. All our audio series are from real PCB designers in the field, detailing their day to day problems and experiences. We hope you can learn from this as much as we have. Give it a listen and let us know what you think in the comments below. Read Article

Power Integrity: 5 Common Myths Power integrity is nothing new, but it is becoming more and more of a concern and will continue to be on the forefront of people's minds moving forward. With the continuing trend of faster and smaller products, we no longer have the luxury of space. Each millimeter is precious, and we need to design that way. If you’ve been in the industry for more than a few years, you may have heard many of the following PI myths. Throw Copper at It You may Read Article

Get Started With Your PDN Analyzer Free Trial For Altium Designer Enter content here Read Article

The Power of PDN Analysis at Design Time Download PDF

1:04 PDN Analyzer 1.1: Current Density Zoom - Features Watch Video