News & Updates
HDI PCBs take a particular approach to routing interconnects through multiple layers to ensure reliability during fabrication, assembly, and operation. The critical structure that enables this is microvias, which are prone to failure if not designed properly. In this e-book, readers will receive an initial look at the reasons microvia reliability has come into the spotlight and why HDI PCB designers put reliability first when routing through microvias.
Aside from impedance and annular ring calculations, one of the other major formulas specified in the IPC 2221 standard relates temperature rise, trace width, and trace current. THere is also the IPC-2152 standard, both include this guidance on designing for thermal reliability, but which standard should we use?
Striplines provide some advantages over microstrips as they take advantage of natural shielding and coupling from nearby ground plane layers. Although they tend to experience higher losses due to total confinement in the dielectric, they can be thinner due to the high dielectric constant used in internal layers of a PCB. Use our free impedence calculator to help you determine the correct width needed to hit a target impedance.
An optoisolator is a cool electronic device that can be used to pass information between a diode without passing an electrical current. There are many great applications for these, but do you know which one is right for you?
The Properties panel provides access to the properties of documents and objects. The contents of the panel change depending on the active document or the selected object. This blog will quickly go over some of need to know options around the properties panel in the schematic document.
Even with all the good guidelines out there for high speed design, there are particular aspects of stackup construction and their relation to building boards that get overlooked. This blog is goes beyond just the typical SI/PI guidelines and looks at these problems from more of an engineering perspective.
Have you considered converting a USB interface to serial (UART), while delivering data over a custom Ethernet cable and RJ45 connectors? If so, we invite you to check out this article on building a USB to Serial-Over-RJ45 Module. Additionally, you'll find a link to our workspace to explore the entire project.
Explore common principles and rituals of Agile and how you can adapt them to hardware product development.
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.
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.
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.
With increased electronics supply chain visibility, you can develop better products faster and align perfectly with budget constraints early on. Here’s why.
Explore common myths about Agile hardware development and learn how to adapt Agile principles for hardware projects.
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.
If you're trying to understand how commercial Altium 365 differs from Altium 365 GovCloud, you're in the right place. Click to grasp the unique features of each.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Dive into the world of High-Density Interconnect (HDI) design to enhance your projects. Explore heightened signal integrity, improved reliability, and the seamless integration of advanced technologies - all within compact and lightweight designs. Discover more about HDI on our updated feature page.
Ready to start collaborating on your OrCAD projects in a multi-CAD environment? Check how you can use Multi-CAD File Support in Altium 365 in practice.
A constraint-based approach to PCB design is crucial in today's electronics industry. This article delves deeper into this complex and interesting topic, exploring various types of constraints, their advantages, and providing guidance on implementing them into your PCB design process.