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How To Work with Power Analyzer by Keysight
Exporting Results

After completing your simulation in Power Analyzer by Keysight, you will likely need to export some of the results for further analysis. In this video, we will show you how to prepare a report once the simulation is done.

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How-To's
Plane Connect - Direct in RF Design

Designing high-frequency circuit boards requires a sharp eye toward maintaining signal integrity. Some signal connections are more prone to interruption than others. In this video, you can learn how Altium Designer's Polygon Connect Design Rule and the Thermal Relief option can help in the PCB design process.

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How To Work with Power Analyzer by Keysight
Understanding and Correcting Violations

When you finish the Power Analyzer by Keysight simulation process, you may find some design problems. In this video, we will learn how to understand and correct any violations that may arise on your board.

Blog
Concept Phase – Cooling and Airflow Part 1

Next step in our open-source laptop project is to explain how to design cooling and airflow. In this article, we can show you the first part of this process, such as airflow concept, fan measurement and clearance.

Embedded thumbnail for Routing Any Angle or Arc in RF Design
How-To's
Routing Any Angle or Arc in RF Design

High-frequency signals require special consideration when routing. Altium Designer allows you to add RF nets to a net class, then apply design rules. Learn how, as well as some other handy high-frequency routing tips, in this video.

Harness Design
Blog
Create Connections with Harness Design

Many modern electronics have multiple boards, and connecting those different boards and systems together are harnesses. Learn more about how Altium Designer can help you create harnesses for your own multi-board designs here.

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How To Work with Power Analyzer by Keysight
Working with Power Analyzer Panel

Learn how to use the Power Analyzer software by Keysight panel. This video explains all the basic instructions and provides helpful hints for using the software effectively.

Embedded thumbnail for Which PCB Materials are used in RF Design
How-To's
Which PCB Materials are used in RF Design

High frequency signals are carried on circuit boards via transmission lines. Learn the differences between standard 50 ohm impedance microstrip lines and coplanar transmission lines in this video. We also explore the best-use cases for coplanar transmission lines, how they impact loss and interference, dielectric thicknesses, and more.

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How To Work with Power Analyzer by Keysight
Configuring Autorecognition

Before using the Power Analyzer by Keysight, it is important to configure certain parameters. In this video, we will demonstrate how to properly set up the software for auto-recognition.

Embedded thumbnail for Adding Power Nets for Simulation
How To Work with Power Analyzer by Keysight
Adding Power Nets for Simulation

One of the most important things when designing your PCB is to check and measure the quality of electrical power for your project. Power Analyzer by Keysight offers you the ability to simulate how power is distributed on your PCB. In this video, we will show you how to prepare power nets for simulation in Altium Designer.

Embedded thumbnail for How to Use Transmission Lines in RF Design
How-To's
How to Use Transmission Lines in RF Design

High frequency signals are carried on circuit boards via transmission lines. Learn the differences between standard 50 ohm impedance microstrip lines and coplanar transmission lines in this video. We also explore the best-use cases for coplanar transmission lines, how they impact loss and interference, dielectric thicknesses, and more.

Blog
Nucleo Shields Multi-Board Design

Learn how easy it is to create multi-board projects. This practical project article covers the reasons for breaking larger boards into sub-assemblies and explores the various connection options available between sub-assembly boards.

Blog
Analog Solar Tracker Project

In this article you can learn about light sensors while building an analog solar panel tracking system. This open-source project covers multi-channel design, window comparators, driving motors, and photosensors.

Blog
Concept Phase – Initial CAD Design

We are continuing our journey through the open-source laptop project. This article explains an initialization of CAD design process from the early concept and brainstorming phase.

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Elegant writing
Blog
Creating Elegant and Readable Schematics

A schematic drawing will not only tell your PCB design software what needs to connect where, but it also communicates the purpose of a circuit to other people. It’s easy to create a schematic, but it can be harder to make a helpful schematic that can be quickly and easily read and comprehended by the reader. In this guide, based on years of industry experience, we will show you how to improve your schematic layout so that your designs are elegant and readable.

Copper rings
Blog
Must Have Rapid Prototyping Tools

Suppose your job involves rapidly iterating designs or creating a wide variety of products for clients. In that case, there are some essential tools available that can save you a tremendous amount of time, bringing high engineering risk devices to completion successfully. Whether you’re working on internal projects or developing high mix devices for clients as a consulting or freelance firm, these indispensable tools will help you ship a higher quality product in less time. 

Blog
Best Practices for Sharing PCB Files vs. Sharing PCB Projects

Even though today’s cloud platforms are immaculately secure and they allow a range of files to be easily shared, there are times where you should limit the data you’re sharing to only the critical files required. For PCB designers, this means either sharing entire design projects or sharing individual files with your manufacturer, customers, contractors, or collaborators. If you want to eliminate liabilities and keep your team’s design data secure, consider these best practices for sharing PCB design data with Altium 365.

Principial Schematic
Blog
Best Practices for Using Reference Designs

Best component companies will release reference designs for their new and legacy products to show designers an example application for a component. If the reference design is good enough and it very nicely illustrates how to quickly engineer around a few main components, I’m likely to use them in the design and the component maker has just earned my business. If you’re a newer designer and you’re wondering whether reference designs are right for your next project, follow these best practices so that you don’t make any mistakes with your reference design.

Traces on PCB
Blog
Transmission Line Fundamentals And Electromagnetic Fields, Part 1

When we deal with “abstract” aspects of electromagnetic fields and how they function, it can be easy to get lost in the weeds regarding them. The first part of this article will address an important aspect of transmission line fundamentals, namely how electromagnetic fields and waves propagate on a transmission line. This article’s end goal is to create a core understanding of these concepts so that when it comes time to design a PDS, the proper design methodologies are followed and a properly working PDS is achieved appropriately, the first time and every time.

BGA pads
Blog
Your Complete Guide to Via Stub Analysis

Via stubs are sometimes viewed as an annoyance, especially when you only need to make a transition between adjacent layers. For low speed, less-dense boards with low layer count, via stubs are an afterthought, or they may not receive consideration at all. For faster edge rates/higher frequencies, the conventional wisdom is to remove all via stubs. The question is: what exactly counts as “high frequency,” and how do you figure out the relevant length?

Thermal camera on people
Blog
Using a Thermal Camera for PCB Diagnostics

Unlike the clumsy human finger, a thermal camera can detect minute temperature differences across its view. This allows you to rapidly identify any components that are consuming current. Any parts or areas of your board that draw current will also generate heat that can easily be picked up by a thermal camera.

Soldering station
Blog
Complete Guide to DIY SMT Assembly In Your Office

I want to share a little secret with you in this article: Assembling SMT prototypes boards is not only easy, but it requires very little equipment. Using just a stencil, I can easily hand prototype down to 0.3 mm pitch ICs, and 0201 (imperial) sized passive components.  If you’re currently hand assembling boards with a soldering station, you need to stop this immediately and start using a stencil instead!

Road 2021
Blog
State of the Electronics Industry 2021

With the challenges of 2020 behind us, what challenges and opportunities lie ahead for hardware designers in 2021? In this article Vince Mazur, Technical Product Marketing Engineer at Altium, looks ahead to three emerging trends and share steps to address each one successfully in the year ahead.

Oscilloscope
Blog
The Mysterious 50 Ohm Impedance: Where It Came From and Why We Use It

When we talk about S-parameters, impedance matching, transmission lines, and other fundamental concepts in RF/high-speed PCB design, the concept of 50 Ohm impedance comes up over and over. Look through signaling standards, component datasheets, application notes, and design guidelines on the internet; this is one impedance value that comes up repeatedly. So where did the 50 Ohm impedance standard come from and why is it important?

Camera in water
Blog
Keeping Your Circuits Dry

For the home hobbyist, protecting their electrical devices usually means keeping the coffee cup or soda can away from anything that carries a large voltage. Good practice indicates that electrical devices should be housed in an enclosure to protect expensive components and reduce the risk of electric shocks from exposed circuitry. However, what do you do if the fantastic new device you’ve designed needs to work in a humid, damp, or dripping wet environment? 

PCB with old components
Blog
Tips for Updating Old PCB Designs with New Parts

Have you ever opened up an old design and wondered how much of it was still usable? Maybe you were contacted by an old client, and they want you to provide some updates on an old design. No matter what the situation is, there are times where updating old PCB designs with new parts makes sense. If done correctly and when armed with all the right information up front, you can cut down the total design time while preserving the best parts of your design in a new iteration. Here’s what you can do to update your old designs successfully and how your PCB design features can help.

Design correction
Blog
How to Involve Customers in PCB Product Development

The more complex the product gets, the more involved your customer will need to be to ensure you’re designing to their requirements. When you’re using a data sharing system that integrates with your PCB design tools, it’s easy to give your customers visibility into the product development process. Altium 365 is the only system that integrates with Altium Designer® and gives you the ability to give anyone access to your PCB projects, including your customers and manufacturer.

A man with tablet
Blog
Managing PCB Manufacturing Quality Control in the Cloud

Anytime you’re looking for a fabricator to produce your new design, you should ensure they have a robust quality control program. Where can quality defects arise and how can manufacturers quickly get this information back to a design team? Sometimes emails can leave too much ambiguity and it is difficult to track progress on specific design changes in the PCB layout. If you’re planning to put a new design into high volume production, there are some basic points that should be checked during fabrication and assembly as part of a PCB manufacturing quality control program.

Connector routing
Blog
Controlling Crosstalk In Connector Pinouts

Controlling crosstalk is one of the key goals in any PCB design. In most instances, when we talk about crosstalk, it’s in reference to the unwanted interaction of the electromagnetic field traveling on one transmission line with a neighboring transmission line. But crosstalk can also occur in the connector pin out. This article will describe this type of crosstalk, the types of disruptions it causes, wherein the design cycle it needs to be factored in and how it can be successfully controlled.

History
Blog
What You Can Track in Your Altium Project History

When you’re working through a new PCB design project, and you need to keep track of your project revisions, Altium 365™ creates the ideal environment for collaborative PCB design and revision tracking. Once you upload your projects onto the cloud through the Altium 365 platform, Altium 365 creates a Git repository for your project. It allows you to make it available to collaborators through Altium Designer®. This includes a complete project history, which can be easily accessed by collaborators working on a complex project.

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Embedded thumbnail for How to Edit Component Directly on PCB
How-To's
How to Edit Component Directly on PCB

Once you’ve pulled your components with an ECO into the PCB you may need to edit them. We’ll show you how to edit your components in the PCB view.

Embedded thumbnail for How to Control Tuning in Altium Designer
How-To's
How to Control Tuning in Altium Designer

When dealing with high frequency boards, it is necessary to match the timing of certain nets and differential pairs. In this video, we’ll go over how to use the tuning tool to match trace lengths based on the design rules. Using the Interactive Length Tuning command, you will begin tuning and can then use the Properties panel to configure the properites of the tuning segment.

Embedded thumbnail for How to Use Text Justification
How-To's
How to Use Text Justification

This video demonstrates how to use the justification function to align text on the PCB.

Embedded thumbnail for How to control net propagation delay
How-To's
How to control net propagation delay

When dealing with high-frequency boards it's necessary to match the timing of certain nets and differential pairs. In this video, we’ll go over how to use the tuning tool to match trace lengths based on design rules. 

Embedded thumbnail for How to Edit or Manage Board Shape
How-To's
How to Edit or Manage Board Shape

Board shapes can be edited and managed several different ways in Altium Designer. We’ll show you how using 2D and 3D modes and models as well as importing from DXF or DWG.

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.

Embedded thumbnail for How to Create Complex Keepout Shapes
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.

Embedded thumbnail for How to Use a Courtyard Layer for the Component Boundary
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.

Embedded thumbnail for Creating High-speed Signal Classes with xSignals
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.

Embedded thumbnail for How to Perform a Component Search in Concord Pro - Altium Academy
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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