Unified Design

Browse our library of resources to learn more about unified design strategies for PCB design engineers.

1:51 New Components Panel Watch Video

28 Rigid-Flex Support for Multi-Board Designs Watch Video

24 Multi-Board Object Smart Mates Watch Video

Choosing Replacement Components With an Integrated Library Much as we would like, designing a new product or system is not without its hiccups. Designs, functionality, and component changes may be made at the last minute, forcing design modification or component replacement. Replacement circuit components or replacement can require thorough knowledge of your circuit boards. Repairing a circuit board is often more than finding a circuit breaking. Electrical equipment and service panel tinkering can go so Read Article

Don’t Let Your Unrouted Nets be Traces to Nowhere Have you ever seen one of those movies where a train is barreling down the track and starts to cross a bridge only to realize further down the line that the tracks run out and the bridge goes nowhere? That is a scary situation and only an alert train driver, formerly known as a train engineer, can prevent a catastrophe. Although, not as catastrophic, having unrouted nets on your board can wreak havoc to your PCB’s operation. Unrouted nets are Read Article

1:1:30 Understanding Rules And Constraints This webinar will discuss how Altium Designer supports your design process with hierarchical rules and constraints. Knowing how to define Watch Video

Worry Less About Schematic and Layout De-Sync Drawing out your next great idea on the back of an envelope is much easier than drawing out a PCB by hand. This is where PCB software becomes important and is used to take your design all the way to production. Your schematic and layout need keep your design data synchronized throughout the design entire process. Keeping all your design data synchronized across your design tools is critical to maintaining high productivity. Your design software Read Article

Creating Library Parts and Attaching 3D Models Enables Clearer Designs Between custom and standard components, your component helps you keep track of everything from SPICE models to basic 2D footprints for use during layout. As PCB design leaves the two dimensions and enters three dimensions, modern component libraries now come packaged with 3D models. Building a 3D model for your proprietary components is also a good idea if you ever plan to check mechanical clearances. But most PCB design software platforms don’t Read Article

An Introduction to Multi-board Design in Altium Designer Brain games are a good way to stay sharp. One of my favorite ways to implement this is by doing daily puzzles. Although, I love the crossword puzzles where you complete the words from a given clue, I think puzzles that require you to put the pieces together can be the most challenging, especially when it is a group activity. It reminds me of one the more daunting problems for engineers and PCB designers, which is multi-board design. Not only are Read Article

Multi-Directional Communication for Easy Mechanical and Electrical Collaboration My neighbor and I were sitting on the patio one summer dreaming up a Christmas display that would span both our yards. Engineers, right? Ambitious project, for sure, but we had fun visualizing Santa and his reindeer flying across our two roofs. We’d use LED light strings to span the rooflines and we’d incorporate controllers to synchronize Christmas music. Several months later after summer had turned to Fall, in comes the neighbor with a CAD Read Article

10 Easy Steps to Design a Circuit Board - Altium Designer How to design PCB boards is not easy to figure out, but the right pcb design software can go a long way. Other engineers have taken the time to learn the art of PCB design, and you can benefit from their experience. If you’re new to PCB design and you’re still learning about designing a custom circuit board in Altium Designer®, we’ve compiled the 10 important steps you can use to create modern PCB layouts for nearly any application. There is a Read Article

Choosing CAD Software: Privileging the Circuit over the System Choosing the right CAD tools for your next PCB is all about selecting a software package that gives you the adaptability you need to build your device. Different electronics applications will require different routing strategies and tolerances, as well as customized electronic circuitry. You’ll need CAD tools that give you the capabilities to satisfy any device requirements. Your CAD tools are critical to building a device that can meet your Read Article

Tips for Connecting Hidden Pins with Altium Designer By far, the greatest form of entertainment is magic and even a century after his death Harry Houdini is still hailed as the magician ever. Although, acclaimed for his various escapes, Houdini was the first to perform the often duplicated “Vanishing Elephant” magic trick. Of course, the elephant, named Jennie, did not vanish but was only hidden from the vast majority of the spectators. When designing a highly congested printed circuit board (PCB) Read Article

Schematic Capture Design Integration Thrives With Unified Partners The digital world is an evolving place. Just yesterday file formats were abundant for text and graphics. Or was that today? Sending a file to a friend can turn into disaster if their device doesn’t recognize the extension. Clicks occur rapidly while trying differing file formats to see if they will save and send. It gets a little trying and soon the search turns to a more elegant app. Designing circuits, iterating parallel ideas, and releasing Read Article

Annotate Reference Designators With Custom Global Properties Having a system to find many similar items in a short amount of time can be helpful in staying organized. Everybody has a silverware drawer and most are organized with caddys that divide the flatware into forks, knives, and spoons. Reference designators are the unique identifiers on a PCB for each and every component or free pad on the design. Best design practice is to number the reference designators consecutively on the PCB to allow easy Read Article

Generate and Export Gerber File in Altium Designer: the Language of PCB Manufacturing It is always exciting to travel to a new country and explore the culture, sample the food and meet new people. On these trips, it seems like every day is an adventure that ends with greater understanding, an altered palate or new friends. However, to make the most of the experience, it is great to learn to speak the language. Otherwise, you may wind up spending most of your time in a state of confusion. This is similar to the confusion that can Read Article

Choosing PCB Design Software Which Priortizes PCB Design Having the right tool for complicated and intricate tasks facilitates success. Having the wrong tool invites frustration. Rummaging through my tool chest the other day found me selecting the only tool available. Hours into the job with each step a struggle, I considered my hasty choice. It would have been better to spend a little money and order the superior tool. Spending the money for a superior EDA tool facilitates progressive and intelligent Read Article