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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.

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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.

Blog
How to Make Your PCB Layout AOI and X-Ray Friendly

Designing for inspection is key to reliable manufacturing. This article covers practical PCB layout tips to optimize your board for AOI and X-ray inspection helping you reduce defects, false positives, and production delays.

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.

Blog
Understanding Systems Engineering

Read our brand-new article where we explore the key areas of an engineering project and the different stages of electronic product development from a project execution perspective. From initiation and planning to design, development, validation, testing, and certification, we walk you through each phase to help you understand how successful electronic products are brought to life.

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.

Blog
Power Integrity Issues?

Power problems can be hard to spot until it’s too late. See how easy it is to analyze your power nets, check voltage drops, and improve reliability with Power Analyzer by Keysight - all without leaving your design environment.

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.

Blog
Signal Mistakes Are Expensive

See how the Signal Analyzer by Keysight in Altium Designer lets you run signal integrity checks directly within your design environment. Read our article to learn how to effectively manage impedance, return paths, stackups, and more.

Embedded thumbnail for Enhanced Constraint Manager in Altium Designer 25. Part II: Physical Constraints and Routing Differential Pairs
Enhanced Constraint Manager in Altium Designer 25
Enhanced Constraint Manager in Altium Designer 25. Part II: Physical Constraints and Routing Differential Pairs

In the second video of Samer Aldhaher’s "Enhanced Constraint Manager" series, we continue designing a 1 kW, 400 V brushless DC motor driver. This episode focuses on setting physical constraints using constraint sets, routing differential pairs, and demonstrating the Auto Shrinking feature in Altium Designer 25.

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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.

Blog Mar 2, 2020
About Altium Designer Home Page

With the new Altium Designer Home page, we are aiming to help users stay up to date with the latest features and productivity tricks available in Altium Designer. Learn more about the Home page in this documentation article.

altium-community-forum
Blog Feb 25, 2020
Getting Connected: Altium’s User Community Forums

The Altium design environment is a complex and sophisticated set of software tools. Not surprisingly, becoming proficient with these tools will take some time, and you’ll need to practice every step of the design process from beginning to end. So what happens if you get stuck along the way?

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Embedded thumbnail for TVS Diodes on RF PCB Traces: What You Need to Know!
How-To's
TVS Diodes on RF PCB Traces: What You Need to Know!

Check out our latest video to learn about bidirectional and unidirectional TVS diodes, tips for avoiding harmonic generation, and the key characteristics to ensure optimal ESD protection. Host Zach Peterson provides practical examples and design tips to keep your RF lines interference-free. Plus, he dives deep into RF circuit protection, featuring valuable resources from Octopart.

Embedded thumbnail for Ferrite Bead Circuit Model Parameters Deep Dive
How-To's
Ferrite Bead Circuit Model Parameters Deep Dive

Check out our new video where host Zach Peterson explains how to calculate resistance, inductance, and capacitance for ferrite bead models. From analyzing impedance curves to using SPICE simulations and a custom Excel calculator, discover practical techniques for accurately modeling ferrite bead behavior.

Embedded thumbnail for How to Design a PCIe Edge Card
How-To's
How to Design a PCIe Edge Card

Watch our new video where Zach Peterson walks you through designing a PCIe edge card. Learn about mechanical specifications, pinouts, creating templates in Altium Designer, and extending an 8-lane PCIe card to a 16-lane configuration—all with practical tips and a ready-made template!

Embedded thumbnail for Wire Bonding in Altium Designer: Features and Capabilities
New in Altium Designer 25
Wire Bonding in Altium Designer: Features and Capabilities

During the Hardware Design Masterclass Conference in Wrocław, we showcased the Wire Bonding feature. Samer Aldhaher delivered a presentation, and now we're excited to premiere it on YouTube. This session explores the Wire Bonding feature and includes a live demo highlighting its basic capabilities.

Embedded thumbnail for Unlock New Design Possibilities with Wire Bonding - Recording Preview
New in Altium Designer 25
Unlock New Design Possibilities with Wire Bonding - Recording Preview

Explore how Altium Designer simplifies advanced PCB designs like 3D stacked die in cavity. From routing bond wires to generating complete project documentation, this on-demand webinar has you covered. Full recording is here: Wire Bonding Webinar Recording.

Embedded thumbnail for Industrial Design Meets Electronics Engineering
Altium Stories
Industrial Design Meets Electronics Engineering

Discover how engineering disciplines come together to create remarkable products with Altium’s powerful tools. Electronics, mechanical, and industrial design merge their expertise, as D+I, part of Capgemini, showcases their refined design process. See how diverse skillsets and Altium's solutions drive innovation.

Embedded thumbnail for Simplify Analysis with Power Analyzer by Keysight
How-To's
Simplify Analysis with Power Analyzer by Keysight

The Power Analyzer by Keysight in Altium Designer simplifies power design by enabling detailed analysis of power nets and PDNs. This demo highlights how to identify and resolve issues like voltage drops to ensure reliable power delivery, all within the Altium environment.

Embedded thumbnail for Perfect your high-speed routing with Dynamic Phase Matching!
New in Altium Designer 25
Perfect your high-speed routing with Dynamic Phase Matching!

Struggling with phase matching in your high-speed projects? Learn how Altium Designer 25’s Dynamic Phase Matching feature ensures precise signal integrity and simplifies high-speed design.

Embedded thumbnail for Hardware Design Masterclass Wrocław 2024 - Autumn Edition
HDM Wrocław
Hardware Design Masterclass Wrocław 2024 - Autumn Edition

Altium participated in the Hardware Design Masterclass Wrocław 2024, organized by Rafał Stępień. Representing Altium, Samer Aldhaher delivered a presentation on Wire Bonding in Altium Designer. This slideshow highlights key moments from the event.

Embedded thumbnail for Pi Filter Formulas and Simulation Deep Dive
How-To's
Pi Filter Formulas and Simulation Deep Dive

Learn the essentials of Pi filters, including how to size, design, and simulate them in Altium Designer. Host Zach Peterson explains the design equations for Pi filters, discusses online tools for accurate component selection, and demonstrates real-time simulations in Altium Designer to visualize the effects of impedance mismatches.

Embedded thumbnail for True Donut Pad Shapes
New in Altium Designer 25
True Donut Pad Shapes

Check out our brand-new short video showcasing an exciting improvement in the PCB design process. Altium Designer 25 now supports true donut pad shapes, enhancing both your routing and performance.

Embedded thumbnail for Modernizing Engineering Workflows: Altium Designer 25 and the Future of Concurrent Design - Recording Preview
New in Altium Designer 25
Modernizing Engineering Workflows: Altium Designer 25 and the Future of Concurrent Design - Recording Preview

Discover the new features in Altium Designer 25! This webinar recording highlights the Signal Analyzer by Keysight, advanced Wire Bonding capabilities, multi-board design enhancements, and more, showcasing how these tools can transform your PCB design process.

Embedded thumbnail for Dynamic Phase Matching and Tuning for Differential Pairs
New in Altium Designer 25
Dynamic Phase Matching and Tuning for Differential Pairs

Explore how dynamic phase matching for differential pairs works with the improved match length rule in Altium Designer. Learn key techniques in this quick tutorial!

Embedded thumbnail for Obey Rules and Auto-Shrinking Features
New in Altium Designer 25
Obey Rules and Auto-Shrinking Features

Discover how Altium Designer 25's Obey Rules and Auto-Shrinking features streamline routing, ensuring speed and precision while maintaining adherence to all design constraints.

Embedded thumbnail for Quickstart Guide: Single Layer PCB Design with Altium Designer 25
New in Altium Designer 25
Quickstart Guide: Single Layer PCB Design with Altium Designer 25

Transform your designs with the new Single Layer PCB Design feature in Altium Designer 25! Whether you're working on Rigid-Flex projects or creating simple, space-saving boards, this tool makes the process faster, smarter, and more efficient. Watch our guide now and unlock your next big innovation.

Embedded thumbnail for How to Design Bending Regions in Flex PCBs
How-To's
How to Design Bending Regions in Flex PCBs

Watch our latest video on bending regions in flex PCBs! This step-by-step guide will show you how to configure stack-ups, distinguish between flex and rigid regions, and troubleshoot common issues in 3D views.

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Integrating Requirements June 2025 Webinar
On-Demand Webinar May 28, 2025
Integrating Requirements into Your PCB Design Workflow
Join our webinar where you will learn about integrated requirements tools who can help you eliminate late-stage design changes, AI support through system requirements and integration of design requirements directly in PCB Design. Don't miss it, register now!
Streamlining Team Collaboration
On-Demand Webinar Apr 17, 2025
Streamlining Team Collaboration in Industrial PCB Projects
Join us for our upcoming webinar to discover how Altium Designer and Altium 365 can transform your team’s collaboration and take your PCB design projects to the next level. Attend for a chance to win free access to the Altium 365 Training Bundle.
PCB CoDesign Webinar
On-Demand Webinar Jan 24, 2024
Discover How Altium Designer 24 Revolutionizes Team Dynamics in PCB Design
Expand your collaboration skills and stay ahead of the curve with PCB CoDesign. Design teams often grapple with prolonged design cycles and coordination issues, leading to delays and inefficiencies. In the current landscape, design processes are hindered by fragmented collaboration, resulting in increased layout times and difficulties in synchronizing design updates.