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Embedded thumbnail for Coming Soon: Sectional View
New in Altium Designer 24
Coming Soon: Sectional View

Discover more about our latest upgraded feature, premiering on December 13th. The Sectional View is a tool that simplifies and enhances your PCB design process. Whether you're troubleshooting complex designs or streamlining your workflow, it provides clarity and efficiency.

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New in Altium Designer 24
Coming Soon: Advanced Mixed Simulation Features

We invite you to explore the world of mixed simulation. Delve deeper into key information about this feature and its enhanced functionalities, available starting December 13th. Set up mixed-signal simulations to ensure accuracy and reliability in your design testing

Embedded thumbnail for Coming Soon: Harness MCAD CoDesign
New in Altium Designer 24
Coming Soon: Harness MCAD CoDesign

In this short video, you can explore how Harness MCAD CoDesign, available on the 13th of December, streamlines the design process by minimizing errors, accelerating iterations, and ensuring a synchronized development process. Altium Designer 24 is on the horizon, and it's not just a request but a requirement for optimizing your electronic design process.

Blog
PCB CoDesign: Design Faster Together

Experience accelerated design collaboration with PCB CoDesign, exclusively available on Altium Designer starting from December 13th. This innovative feature adopts a collaborative approach by seamlessly integrating schematic and PCB design, enabling multiple engineers to work on the same project. Explore this cutting-edge feature on our newly launched page dedicated to its functionalities.

Embedded thumbnail for Altium Designer 24: From Requested to Required
New in Altium Designer 24
Altium Designer 24: From Requested to Required

Altium Designer 24 is getting closer! In this short video, we are presenting a list of new features and improvements that will be available starting from the 13th of December in our software.

Blog
45V-5A Adjustable Half-Bridge DC to DC Converter

DC-to-DC buck converters are extensively employed in electronic devices. In this article, we will introduce you to one of our new projects—a DC-to-DC converter designed to serve as a power supply as well.

Embedded thumbnail for Coming Soon: Harness Multi-Board
How-To's
Coming Soon: Harness Multi-Board

Altium Designer's all-in-one approach to electronic design seamlessly combines Harness and Multi-Board Design capabilities, allowing you to create complex multi-board systems with ease. This new feature, available from December 13th, provides an opportunity to bring design and manufacturing teams together, inspiring a streamlined design process, reducing the risk of errors, and ensuring unwavering project deliveries.

Blog
Efficiency And Noise Top 10 Switching Regulator Modules

Switching regulator modules have become indispensable in a wide array of electronic devices, providing a more efficient means of voltage conversion between different levels by storing and releasing energy. Explore further insights into these devices in today's dynamic world of electronics.

Embedded thumbnail for The Most Common 2-Layer PCB Design Mistakes and How To Avoid Them
How-To's
The Most Common 2-Layer PCB Design Mistakes and How To Avoid Them

Do you encounter issues when preparing a two-layer board? In this video, we address some of the most common mistakes made with this type of board and explain why upgrading to a four-layer board might be the solution you need.

Blog
Add USB Type-C Power Delivery to Your Designs!

We want to invite you to explore the fundamentals of USB Type-C Power Delivery which is now the most popular energy transmission in current times. We will show you how to easily incorporate a dedicated PD IC into your own designs. 

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Blog
Modeling Copper Foil Roughness in Altium Designer's Impedance Profiler

With the new layer stack manager in Altium Designer®, you can now include copper foil roughness factors directly in your impedance calculator. This is quite easy to do in the layer stack manager, but it begs the question: what exactly is the copper roughness factor? Which value should be used for your interconnects?

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Blog
High-Speed Signal Routing: The 5 Important Constraints

After you capture your schematic as an initial layout and create an initial component arrangement, it’s time to define your routing constraints. Doing this early will allow your DRC engine to spot rules violations before you finish your layout. Likewise, you’ll be able to modify the default rule set to meet your layout requirements. Here are the important routing constraints you’ll need to check before you start routing your board.

Blog
How to Create a PCB Manufacturing Cost Estimation

Some manufacturers have very convenient PCB manufacturing cost estimation calculators you can use, but the real costs depend on a number of factors. If you’re an entrepreneur and you’re producing your own boards, or you are managing manufacturing, testing, and delivery for a new project, it’s your job to help clients understand the primary cost drivers for new boards. Here’s how you can get an estimate of your fabrication costs, both for local and overseas manufacturers.

Blog
PCB Mountable Connectors: SMD vs. Through-hole

Selecting a connector is as much an art as it is a science. The artistic side is all about aesthetics and satisfying clearances, while the scientific side is all about signal integrity. For PCB mountable connectors, you’ll need to choose between surface-mounted or through-hole connectors, and you’ll need to consider how each type affects signal integrity in your application. Here’s what you need to think about beyond the standard connector specifications.

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Blog
PCB Via Current-Carrying Capacity: How Hot is Too Hot?

Trace and via current-carrying capacity are legitimate design points to focus on when designing a new board that will carry high current. The goal is to keep conductor temperatures below some appropriate limit, which then helps keep components on the board cool.

Blog
How to Maximize Copper in Your PCB Design: The Pros and Cons of Copper Pouring Versus Placing

There is a saying in copper pour PCB design, “Copper is free.” It means a PCB editor designer must think in reverse. A board starts off as solid copper, and the copper you don’t want is removed. It is faster to build, less consumptive, and less expensive to make a board that is mostly copper as compared to the same size board that is mostly bare. Picking the correct technique will make the difference between an effortless or frustrating experience.

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Blog May 14, 2020
How to Highlight Nets in Altium Designer to Simplify Schematic and PCB Designs

Highlighting nets will help you simplify your schematic and PCB design. In Altium , there are multiple options that enable you to leverage this capability to simplify the verification of connections and circuit paths and make sure that the design you send to your manufacturer accurately reflects the printed circuit board you need built.

Routed tracks
Blog May 5, 2020
Helpful Tips for Interactive Routing in Altium Designer

Before you jump into the software, you should know the types of things you’re going to want to look out for. Traces, connection lines, differential pair routing, and route paths can all affect the routing process of your board. Make sure that you’re equipped knowing, ultimately, what you want your board design to accomplish and furthermore, where you anticipate potential problem areas to be.

Blog Apr 22, 2020
Any Angle Routing: When Should You Use It?

EDA tools have come a long way since the advent of personal computing. Now advanced routing features like auto-routers, interactive routing, length tuning, and pin-swapping are helping designers stay productive, especially as device and trace densities increase. Read full article in our blog:

Blog Mar 20, 2020
A Message from Altium on COVID-19

We understand that many of you, like ourselves, have transitioned to working remotely. This process comes with its challenges and we would like to offer all and any help we can to minimize disruptions for your teams and business.

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Embedded thumbnail for What's Inside Your MCU Module?
How-To's
What's Inside Your MCU Module?

Are you curious about what’s inside a microcontroller module? Join us as we take a closer look at the Texas Instruments CC3235 Wi-Fi module under the microscope. In this video, we’ll explore its key components, including the microcontroller, flash memory, and RF circuitry, and explain how they work together to power the module.

Embedded thumbnail for Altium Harness Design Tutorial - From Schematic to 3D Layout
How-To's
Altium Harness Design Tutorial - From Schematic to 3D Layout

Design professional harness systems in Altium with confidence. Follow this comprehensive tutorial to learn multiboard project setup, create wiring diagrams, visualize in 3D, and produce manufacturing-ready documentation complete with ECAD-MCAD integration for precise wire length measurement.

Embedded thumbnail for Arduino to Custom PCB: Professional Design Transformation
How-To's
Arduino to Custom PCB: Professional Design Transformation

Discover how to upgrade your Arduino Nano-based PCB design into a professional, custom PCB. This tutorial walks through the process of replacing development boards with individual components to create a production-ready design, using a real drone project as the example.

Embedded thumbnail for PCB Library Management: One Library or Many?
How-To's
PCB Library Management: One Library or Many?

This detailed guide walks you through the pros and cons of each approach and offers proven strategies for managing component data, whether you're an independent designer or overseeing libraries for an entire organization.

Embedded thumbnail for Coming Soon: Sawtooth Rounding Support for Length Tuning
New in Altium Designer 25
Coming Soon: Sawtooth Rounding Support for Length Tuning

Sawtooth Rounding for Length Tuning improves signal‑path accuracy by applying controlled corner‑rounding to sawtooth geometries during both Interactive Length Tuning and within‑pair matching in the Auto Tuning engine. Discover this capability and additional innovations on our Coming Soon page.

Embedded thumbnail for Coming Soon: Z-Axis Clearance Rule
New in Altium Designer 25
Coming Soon: Z-Axis Clearance Rule

The Z-Axis Clearance Rule checks the shortest distance between copper features on different layers in a PCB design. It is available in both the Constraint Manager and the legacy PCB Rules Editor. Discover more new features in Altium on our Coming Soon Page.

Embedded thumbnail for Coming Soon: Advanced Polygon Pour Engine
New in Altium Designer 25
Coming Soon: Advanced Polygon Pour Engine

Now supports true arcs instead of approximated curves in copper pours. This enhanced engine marks a major advancement in the polygon pour process in Altium Designer, delivering smoother and more accurate copper shapes. Native arc rendering improves visual quality and helps ensure cleaner, more professional PCB designs.

Embedded thumbnail for How to Design Rigid-Flex PCB Stackups from Scratch
How-To's
How to Design Rigid-Flex PCB Stackups from Scratch

Watch this tutorial to learn the fundamentals of Rigid-Flex design. We cover everything from understanding polyimide materials and adhesive layers to building complex, multi-layer Rigid-Flex constructions that are ready for manufacturing.

Embedded thumbnail for How to Draw Antipads - Complete Tutorial
How-To's
How to Draw Antipads - Complete Tutorial

Discover how to draw and define antipads in Altium with this complete tutorial. Learn three different methods for creating antipads around vias. From simple design rules to advanced polygon cutouts for both basic and complex PCB designs.

Embedded thumbnail for Do PCB Manufacturers Actually Look at Fabrication Drawings?
How-To's
Do PCB Manufacturers Actually Look at Fabrication Drawings?

Explore this in-depth tutorial featuring real fabrication drawings, stackup specifications, and drill tables - all created using Altium Designer’s Draftsman tool. Learn essential insights into PCB data management and manufacturing requirements from an industry perspective.

Embedded thumbnail for Compensating Transmission Line Losses in a PCB Calculator
How-To's
Compensating Transmission Line Losses in a PCB Calculator

This tutorial uncovers the key difference between ideal, lossless impedance calculations and real-world signal behavior giving you practical techniques to design controlled impedance PCBs that deliver reliable performance.

Embedded thumbnail for How Close Can You Bring a Reference Plane?
How-To's
How Close Can You Bring a Reference Plane?

Explore our in-depth investigation into practical simulations using both Altium Designer and Polar Si9000. We demonstrate impedance sensitivity analysis and reveal the real limitations of optimizing reference plane proximity for improved signal shielding.

Embedded thumbnail for Do PCB Thermal Vias Actually Work?
How-To's
Do PCB Thermal Vias Actually Work?

Are thermal vias really helping your PCB’s heat management? Tech Consultant Zach Peterson dives into simulation data, research, and a controversial article to uncover the truth. Learn why via count and spacing matter more than sheer quantity.

Embedded thumbnail for Stripline Routing Deep Dive: How Close Is Too Close?
How-To's
Stripline Routing Deep Dive: How Close Is Too Close?

In this video, Zach Peterson takes a deep dive into what happens when reference layers are incorrectly set in a PCB stackup and how that affects impedance, signal integrity, and EMC. He also shares valuable insights into stripline routing proximity issues and best practices for assigning reference planes.

Embedded thumbnail for Coming Soon: Solder Mask Zero Expansion
New in Altium Designer 25
Coming Soon: Solder Mask Zero Expansion

Solder Mask Zero Expansion marks a move toward industry alignment, specifically with IPC-7351B and IPC-2581B standards. It changes the default solder mask expansion value from 4 mil to 0 mil. Discover more upcoming updates on our Coming Soon Page.

Embedded thumbnail for Analog Supply without a Ferrite: Proper Isolation Techniques Explained
How-To's
Analog Supply without a Ferrite: Proper Isolation Techniques Explained

In our new tutorial, you'll learn why ferrite beads may not be the best choice for isolating analog and digital supply pins on integrated circuits. Zach Peterson debunks common misconceptions about ferrite bead isolation and introduces better alternatives, including dedicated LDOs, precision voltage references, and effective filtering techniques to help you achieve cleaner analog signals in your designs.

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