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Blog
Pi.MX8 Project - Board Layout Part 1

Our exploration of the Pi.MX8 open-source computer module project progresses. In this third chapter, our focus shifts to the PCB layout preparation of the board. Key topics include defining the layerstack and component break-out routing.

Blog
PCB CoDesign Whitepaper

Design faster together with the innovative PCB CoDesign feature, exclusively available in Altium Designer. This cutting-edge functionality seamlessly integrates schematic and PCB design, facilitating concurrent work by multiple engineers on the same project. Learn more about this groundbreaking feature in our comprehensive manual.

Blog
How to Test Suspect Electronic Components

Electronic components power nearly everything in our modern lives. However, as long as there are buyers for parts, counterfeiters will persist in their endeavors. Financial losses resulting from fake components are challenging to ascertain due to enforcement limitations and the difficulty in collecting data on the issue. In this article, we demonstrate how to test and verify components in batch orders.

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Wearable Design Project
Wearable Design Project - Sensing

Piet Callemeyn is back on his wireless heart rate sensor. Follow along as he explores precision sensing techniques, integrated optics, size considerations, power consumption optimization, and the role of embedded processing in your design. Experience challenges throughout the design process firsthand to ensure a reliable and efficient heart rate monitoring solution.

Blog
Design Phase – Lid Assembly Electronics Part 2

We are going deeper into lid assembly electronics in our Open Source Laptop project. In this chapter we will tackle the PCB design of the webcam board and show you how to deal with some expected challenges, such as overall small form factor of the board or breaking out the microscopic webcam image sensor.

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New Constraint Manager
New Constraint Manager: Introduction & Creation of Net Classes

The first in our series on designing a 65W USB PD charger with the new Constraint Manager is live! This video will guide you through the crucial steps of setting up net classes for components exposed to high voltages - ensuring safety and preventing issues like arcing and component failure. Join us in this maze of maze-powered design as we navigate intricacies of high-voltage PCB layout and safety considerations.

Agile Hardware Development
Blog
5 Ways Hardware Development Is Just… Different

Explore the challenges and strategies of implementing Agile methodology in electronics hardware development. Understand key differences between hardware and software development within the Agile framework.

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How-To's
Tesla Unveiled! EE Deep Dives Into Roadster's PCB Design Files

Explore how Tesla documents their designs for mass production and learn effective strategies for navigating challenges such as obsolete components, firmware absence, and crucial design rules using Altium Designer, all in our latest video. Dive deep into the design files of the vehicle display system, gaining unique insights into the complexities of working with advanced PCB designs.

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Wearable Design Project
Wearable Design Project - Introduction

Ever wanted to design a wearable electronic device? Follow along with Piet Callemeyn as he delves into the design of a wireless heart rate sensor. In this series, Piet explores PCB design essentials to create a variable heart rate sensor, offering insights around efficient power use, seamless data transfer, and a clean, compact design throughout the entire process.

Blog
Flexible Circuit Assembly: Thinking Through Component Placement

The flexible circuits are ideal for applications where a thin, small, and lightweight PCB is needed. However, in such cases, challenges in assembly and fabrication often arise. This article delves into these challenges, focusing on component selection and placement and how they can significantly impact the performance of the flexible circuit in its intended application.

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New in Altium Designer 24
Coming Soon: Simulation S-parameters Analysis

Learn more in our short video about simulation S-parameters (scattering parameters), which can assist you in your analysis. This data can be used to optimize your design, leading to cost savings, improved product quality, and a competitive edge in the marketplace.

Blog
Coding Your Own Networked Test Equipment

Have you ever performed manual tests? If your answer is yes, you're likely aware of how laborious and time-consuming the entire process can be. Allow us to introduce you to the realm of test equipment automation. Our new step-by-step guide empowers you to write code that seamlessly configures your networked test equipment, all from the convenience of your computer.

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New in Altium Designer 24
Coming Soon: Footprint Mirroring Prevention

Check out the new feature that we are preparing for you. Footprint Mirroring Prevention adds measures to prevent inadvertent mirroring of a footprint along its X/Y axes. With this functionality, you can avoid costly board respins.

Blog
Pi.MX8 Project – Schematic structure and component placement

We are advancing with our brand new Pi.MX8 Project. In this chapter, we delve deeper into two crucial aspects: the overall schematic and component placement on the PCB board. Don't hesitate to check it out. Additionally, you can follow this project through our workspace; the link is provided within the article.

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Blog
Favorite Tools for BOM Review

Check out our article, where Lawrence Romine shares his top tools for conducting efficient Bill of Materials (BOM) reviews in PCB design. It highlights key features in Altium 365, Octopart, and ActiveBOM that help engineers avoid unsourceable components and streamline procurement.

Blog
Simple Strategies to Reach 10% PCB Cost Reduction

Our new article outlines strategies to achieve a 10% reduction in PCB costs by optimizing design and material choices, such as adjusting stack-up materials and hole sizes, using lower-cost parts, and considering single-sided assembly. These techniques help reduce expenses without sacrificing quality.

Blog
Say Goodbye to EDA Software Vendor Lock

Check how Altium 365 helps eliminate EDA software vendor lock by enabling multi-CAD support in the cloud. This allows users to work with different CAD file formats within a single platform, enhancing collaboration and reducing the need for additional licenses. This approach offers greater flexibility and is set to transform the industry.

Blog
The Ultimate Introduction to High-Speed Signal Integrity for PCB Designers

High-speed signal integrity is essential in PCB design to ensure data accuracy and system reliability. Key issues like impedance mismatches, crosstalk, and signal reflections need to be addressed through strategies such as controlled impedance traces, differential pairs, and suitable material choices. Check out our first article of the series about this topic.

Blog
Multi-Board PCB Signal Integrity: A Complete Guide

Our new article on signal integrity in multi-board PCBs covers essential aspects like connector pinouts, cable designs, and interconnect strategies. These factors ensure reliable performance in high-speed applications across industries such as military, aerospace, and AI.

Blog
Pi.MX8 Project - Board Layout Part 4

We invite you to explore a new chapter in the PiMX8 Project, focusing on the final stages of PCB layout design for the Pi.MX8 compute module. This installment covers critical topics such as routing power planes and signal delay tuning, essential for ensuring proper functionality and performance.

Blog
How Thermoformed Flex PCB’s are Designed and Fabricated

Thermoformed flexible PCBs are specially designed and fabricated by heating and molding them into specific shapes, making them suitable for compact and complex applications like automotive dashboards and wearable devices. This process involves precise temperature control and careful handling to ensure durability and quality. Discover more from Tara Dunn's new article.

Blog
Boost Connection Integrity and Design Efficiency with Wire Bonding

Altium Designer's wire bonding feature enhances PCB design by supporting chip-up configurations for Chip on Board (CoB) designs. It offers easy validation of bond wiring in 3D views, ensuring accurate and efficient design processes. Check more about this feature on Altium's new feature page.

Blog
How High Frequency SMD Passives Work in a PCB Layout

High-frequency surface-mount device (SMD) passives like resistors and capacitors play a crucial role in PCB layouts, particularly in circuits operating above 1 GHz. Our article explores how these components function at high frequencies, their operational limits, and the importance of considering parasitic elements in design.

Blog
Essential DFM Tips for Aerospace Projects

Design for Manufacturing (DFM) is a crucial aspect of aerospace projects. This process ensures high-quality designs that meet the unique challenges of the aerospace industry, such as extreme conditions and stringent reliability standards. Learn more about essential DFM tips in our brand-new article.

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Embedded thumbnail for How to define The Impedance Profile For a Coplanar Stripline
How to Work with Differential Pairs
How to define The Impedance Profile For a Coplanar Stripline

In this video, we show how to determine the impedance of a coplanar stripline. The impedance is configured on the Impedance tab of the Layer Stack Manager. When calculating the impedance, the Layer Stack Manager takes into account the material parameters and the distance to the return conductors.

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How-To's
How to Create Complex Keepout Shapes

Keepout regions are easy to create in Altium Designer, but they can be complex. We’ll show you a few ways to make creating your more complex keepout shapes easier and more efficient.

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How-To's
How to Use a Courtyard Layer for the Component Boundary

In this video, you will see how to use the courtyard layer as a component boundary.

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How To Work with High-Speed Projects
Creating High-speed Signal Classes with xSignals

You can create, configure, and utilize xSignals in Altium Designer to make your design process more efficient and effective. We’ll show you how to do it manually, using the more comprehensive Create xSignals command, and using the xSignal wizard.

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Working with MCAD CoDesigner extension
MCAD CoDesigner Overview

The MCAD CoDesigner in Altium Designer allows for seamless design transfer between the Electrical and Mechanical designers. In this overview, we’ll show you how to transfer from Altium Designer to your CAD tool of choice, then how to resize the board, add mounting holes, add a new connector, and update the board design in Altium Designer.

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Working with MCAD CoDesigner extension
Bringing an MCAD Enclosure to ECAD

The Altium Designer MCAD CoDesigner panel and extension make it easy to move a 3D enclosure model from your MCAD tool to Altium Designer. We'll show you how and what to watch out for while your transferring your enclosure model to Altium Designer.

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How-To's
How to Perform a Component Search in Concord Pro - Altium Academy

In this video, I'll show you how to perform a component search in the Components Panel. Learn how to perform a component search in the Components Panel while using Altium Concord Pro to effectively host all your component libraries from Altium Designer. You can always locate any particular component using this library navigation and place it on your schematic with pricing information from global suppliers. This availability and pricing information gets updated daily directly from the suppliers so you will always get fresh, up to date information. 

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How to use Snapping
Snapping When Creating Polygons

When creating polygons you can use snap points to form fit your polygons to the exact size and shape you need. We’ll show you how to set your snap points, which ones are most helpful for creating polygons, and how to use the same techniques to create keep out and solder mask areas.

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Library Managment
Automatic Symbol Creation in Altium 365

In order to design your projects, you’ll need a set of components to work with. Although the integration of Octopart with Altium Designer gives us a large repertoire of components, you simply can’t have access to every component model in the world. We’re going to create a component in the Altium 365 workspace with the Symbol Creation Wizard.

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How to Work with Differential Pairs
Creating Differential Pairs in the PCB

Learn how to create differential pairs in the PCB.

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Success Stories
From The Beatles to the PCB - VOX Story

Dave Clarke, R&D manager for VOX, walks us through his story of designing VOX amplifiers for electronic instruments as well as his love for music and electronics design. Be sure to subscribe to the Altium Stories channel to stay updated on new videos. Altium LLC is accelerating the pace of innovation through electronics. From individual inventors to multinational corporations, more PCB designers and engineers choose Altium software to design and realize their ideas. 

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Creating PCB Mounting Holes

Our PCB must somehow be assembled into the final drone assembly. This will be achieved by attaching our PCB to the motherboard connector and by special mounting racks, which requires precise positioning of the two mounting holes on the PCB.

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Working with PCB Keepouts

When working in the PCB, there may be specific areas that you would want to prevent the presence of certain objects, such as vias, tracks or copper regions. All of this can be realized in Altium Designer by using the Keepouts feature.

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Discovering Altium 365
Design Review Use Case

Design reviews are critical to being successful. Capture design discussions through contextual commenting in the web browser or in Altium Designer to ensure feedback is recorded and actioned effectively.

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Resolving Errors in the PCB

We’ve looked at how to set up the Design Rule Checker to help us analyze our PCB design errors. Now it’s time to resolve these errors and prep our design to start generating output files.

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Defining the Layer Stackup

The PCB is designed and formed as a stack of layers and the definition of the PCB layer stack is a critical element of successful printed circuit board design. In Altium Designer, the Layer Stack Manager is used to develop the printed circuit board internal design including layer-pairing, careful via design, any back drilling requirements, rigid/flex requirements, copper balancing, layer stack symmetry, and material compliance. This video guides you through creation of a layer stackup, adding the necessary layers, as well as adding an impedance profile.

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