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Embedded thumbnail for How to get a BOM for a Multi-board Design
How-To's
How to get a BOM for a Multi-board Design

When designing a multi-board project, an up-to-date and accurate BOM for the entire device is a necessity. Watch this video to learn how to properly create a BOM for your multi-board project.

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Working with Polygons
Remove Unused Pad Shapes

Unused pad shapes create holes in your copper geometries. You can quickly examine all pads in the design to remove unused pad shapes and restore previously removed pads. 

Embedded thumbnail for Effective use of "Objects for snapping" when creating a Footprint
How to use Snapping
Effective use of "Objects for snapping" when creating a Footprint

Learn how to effectively use snaps that allow you to create a component footprint quickly and conveniently

All About Box Build Assemblies
Blog
All About Box Build Assemblies

When you’re ready to manufacture a new device at production volume, there are many aspects of the product that must come together. The enclosure, cabling and connectors, embedded software/firmware, and of course the PCBA all have to be considered in totality. There is a quick way to get your product into a usable enclosure, complete with input power and cabling, and with a form factor that fits your PCBA. This overused route to a new product is a box build assembly. 

The Best Way to Review Your PCB Designs
On-Demand Webinar
The Best Way to Review Your PCB Designs

It is essential to ask questions and review the design approaches used with your team. Design reviews are essential in the design process, but they can be inconvenient for team members and lack traceability or history. To create the best designs, you need review methods that are as cutting edge as the boards you're making.

Ultra-HDI Technology is Not New
Blog
Ultra-HDI Technology is Not New

Printed circuit board fabricators have become skilled at manufacturing these technologies and also at understanding the reliability and producibility challenges associated with high-density-interconnect technology. Let’s look at where the PCB industry is at today. 

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

The routing functionality in Altium Designer is constantly evolving. Check out this video to learn the basics of routing in Altium Designer. 

Embedded thumbnail for Polygon Creation
Working with Polygons
Polygon Creation

Learn how to create polygon pours to ensure proper copper distribution on your board.

Today's PCB Designers Are Driving Electronics Product Design
Blog
Today's PCB Designers Are Driving Electronics Product Design

What can the industry do to support PCB designers as they continue taking a more active role in product development? Here at Altium, there has been a progressive shift towards looking at the system level and creating tools that get designers more involved throughout the product development process. As the saying goes, over the wall engineering is over… today’s most successful products are built in a collaborative process.

Embedded thumbnail for Creating Guide Lines and Snap Points
How to use Snapping
Creating Guide Lines and Snap Points

Explanation of guides and snap points and how to create and use them.

Phased Array Antenna Design for 5G Applications
Blog
Phased Array Antenna Design for 5G Applications

As the 5G rollout progresses and researchers continue to discuss 6G, many new 5G-capable products operating in sub-GHz and mmWave bands are reaching the marketplace. Devices that will include a 5G-compatible front-end, whether small stations/repeaters or handheld devices, use phased arrays as high-gain antenna systems to provide high data throughput without losing range at higher frequencies.

Embedded thumbnail for Polygon Types and Parameters
Working with Polygons
Polygon Types and Parameters

Each board requires different copper geometries. Polygon types make sure you can create the perfect copper geometry for every need.

Embedded thumbnail for How to Define Different Clearance for Internal and External Layers
How-To's
How to Define Different Clearance for Internal and External Layers

If you need to define difference clearance values for your external and internal layers, the answer is with design rules. We’ll walk you through it in this short video. 

IPC - Vias
Blog
IPC - Vias

Via protection is an important part of modern PCB design. It provides additional benefits in PCB manufacturing and assembly, increasing the number of acceptable products.

Advantages of Using a Version Control System for Your Next Project
On-Demand Webinar
Advantages of Using a Version Control System for Your Next Project

Version control systems (VCS) have been around for a long time in the software world but can be surprisingly new to some folks in the electronics design industry. Version control tools are great for tracking and maintaining entire codebases without the old-school copying, pasting, zipping, and emailing steps many PCB designers use.

Power Integrity Analysis in Your PCB Design Software
Blog
Power Integrity Analysis in Your PCB Design Software

Power integrity problems can abound in modern PCBs, especially high-speed boards that run with fast edge rates. These systems require precise design of the PDN impedance to ensure stable power is always delivered throughout the system.

Embedded thumbnail for Setting Snap Distance and Axis Snap Range
How to use Snapping
Setting Snap Distance and Axis Snap Range

Learn more about what snap distance and axis snap range are and how to use them.

Embedded thumbnail for Polygon Editing
Working with Polygons
Polygon Editing

Editing existing polygons is crucial for optimizing your design. You can easily select polygons to edit, resize, combine, and more.

Schematic Compare
Blog
Schematic Compare

A design project doesn’t appear out of nowhere. The design process spreads over time, and project documents change. Schematic documents gradually become more complex, new functional blocks appear, and already finished parts can be modified and updated.

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Blog
Cloud PCB Design: 5 Cloud Security Myths Debunked

This article addresses common misconceptions about cloud security in PCB design. It explains how modern cloud platforms, such as Altium 365, often provide superior security compared to traditional on-premises solutions. Key features like advanced infrastructure, granular access controls, and compliance with stringent regulations ensure the protection of valuable design data.

Blog
Renesas and Altium Announce Introduction of Renesas 365, Powered by Altium

Last week, Renesas Electronics and Altium proudly announced the introduction of Renesas 365, Powered by Altium—a first-of-its-kind industry solution designed to streamline electronic system development, from silicon selection to system lifecycle management. Renesas 365 will be demonstrated at Embedded World, Booth 5-371, from March 11-13 in Nuremberg, Germany.

Blog
DFM/DFA Requirements in Systems Engineering

Learn how integrating DFM and DFA principles into systems engineering ensures manufacturable, cost-effective PCB designs by optimizing CAD, CAM, and requirements management in our new article by Javier Alcina.

Blog
Best Practices for Electronics Project Management - Part 2

Part 2 of this series covers essential project management techniques for electronics design teams. Rafał Stępień discusses effective data organization, revision control, and collaboration strategies to improve efficiency and minimize errors.

Blog
Rigid-Flex PCBs: Understanding the Pros, Cons, and Fabrication Considerations

Read our new article which discusses the advantages of rigid-flex PCBs, such as space-saving designs and enhanced reliability, while also addressing potential challenges in their fabrication. It provides essential design and manufacturing tips to help engineers effectively implement this technology in various applications.

Blog
The Role of Automation & Robotics in Wire Harness Assembly

Our new article highlights how automation and robotics are transforming wire harness assembly, improving efficiency, precision, and cost-effectiveness. Technologies like robotic wire handling and AI-driven testing are paving the way for smarter production. However, challenges like custom designs and high costs still persist.

Blog
Wiring for the Final Frontier: A Guide to Space-Grade Harness Design

Wiring harnesses are mission-critical in space systems, requiring strict adherence to ECSS-Q-ST-70-61C and NASA-STD-8739.4A. In "Wiring for the Final Frontier: A Guide to Space-Grade Harness Design", Kamil Jasiński explores key design principles, material selection, and testing to ensure reliability in extreme environments.

Blog
Ideal Rectifier Bridge

Read Marcin Lewandowski's article explaining how MOSFETs are replacing traditional diodes for reverse polarity protection. Step into the future of energy-efficient electronics!

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Embedded thumbnail for Teardrops for DFM
DFM and Fabrication Cost/Time Constraints
Teardrops for DFM

If you need to increase the width to any primitive, but need to maintain manufacturability, you can use teardrops. We’ll show you how to create a teardrop and specify the shape and size.

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How to work with Variants
Creating a New Design Variant

You can create variants and allow various changes to your design while maintaining all other versions in Altium Designer. We’ll show you how to create new variants using the variant manager and what you need to know to configure your variants correctly.

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Query Language
Query Language: Basic Concept Part I

In this video you will learn types of query language commands and what they can be used for.

Embedded thumbnail for Configuring the Vias Annular Ring
DFM and Fabrication Cost/Time Constraints
Configuring the Vias Annular Ring

The minimum dimension from the wall of the aperture to the edge of the pad is called an annular ring, and we can configure it with Altium Designer. We’ll show you how to get started and manage the annular ring in your design rules.

Embedded thumbnail for Design RF PCB: RF Materials for PCB
RF PCB Design
Design RF PCB: RF Materials for PCB

Unlike an ideal environment, PCB materials introduce losses into the propagated signal. In this, we tried to figure out what materials to choose for RF printed circuit boards.

Embedded thumbnail for Design for Manufacturing (DFM) Overview
DFM and Fabrication Cost/Time Constraints
Design for Manufacturing (DFM) Overview

During your design process, there are simple steps you can take to focus on Design for Manufacturing, or DFM. Altium Designer has a unique set of tools you can use to make the DFM process efficient ensuring manufacturability. In this overview video, we’ll talk about some of topics covered in upcoming videos about the DFM tools Altium Designer offers you.

Embedded thumbnail for Fixing Broken Component Models
Working with MCAD CoDesigner extension
Fixing Broken Component Models

If you have a broken component model that won’t transfer properly from ECAD to MCAD, Altium Designer will help. We’ll show you how to use the Make PCB Library tool, the Extract 3D models tool, and your MCAD tool to correct broken components and make them usable.

Embedded thumbnail for Query Language: What is It For?
Query Language
Query Language: What is It For?

A PCB project contains many different objects. How to manage them? How to find the right ones quickly and efficiently? This video starts the series about query language. Learn the language commands and how to use them and expand your possibilities!

Embedded thumbnail for Maintaining MCAD Constraints During Exchange
Working with MCAD CoDesigner extension
Maintaining MCAD Constraints During Exchange

The Altium Designer MCAD Co-designer panel and extension give you a few tools to create a model that is unified during the ECAD MCAD Exchange. We'll show you how to make sure your models are transferred correctly across the ECAD MCAD exchange.

Embedded thumbnail for Design RF PCB: Plane Connect -direct
RF PCB Design
Design RF PCB: Plane Connect -direct

It is bad practice to use thermal reliefs to connect pads in RF path circuits. We'll show you how to quickly and easily change pad-to-polygon connection style to direct connection.

Embedded thumbnail for Precise Selection with PCB Filter
How to work with Selection
Precise Selection with PCB Filter

Narrowing down a precise and accurate selection of objects can be difficult on a crowded board. Learn about the PCB Filter panel, how to use it to create queries to select objects on the PCB, and how to create design rules from these queries.

Embedded thumbnail for Rigid-Flex Board Shape Design in MCAD
Working with MCAD CoDesigner extension
Rigid-Flex Board Shape Design in MCAD

The MCAD Codesigner allows you to design or edit your board shape in the MCAD environment and have it pushed back to Altium Designer. We’ll show you how to configure the board shape, rigid and flex regions, and mounting holes.

Embedded thumbnail for Design RF PCB: routing (any angle, arc)
RF PCB Design
Design RF PCB: routing (any angle, arc)

It is worth taking a responsible approach to the shape and size of the RF signal conductors. In this video we will cover some practical aspects of working with routing such nets in Altium Designer.

Embedded thumbnail for Component Placement in Rigid-flex PCB
Working with MCAD CoDesigner extension
Component Placement in Rigid-flex PCB

With the MCAD CoDesigner you can quickly add and move components from your MCAD tool and update the design automatically in Altium Designer. We’ll show you how to add a new component, move components, change a component’s region in MCAD, and update your design in Altium Designer.

Embedded thumbnail for Transmission lines (coplanar)
RF PCB Design
Transmission lines (coplanar)

The boards use transmission lines to carry high-frequency signals. In addition to microstrip lines, coplanar transmission lines with a ground reference polygon are often found on boards. Coplanar transmission lines propagate the same wave type as microstrip transmission lines, but the electromagnetic field is more concentrated near the conductor, so coplanar lines have lower losses at high frequencies, less dispersion, and less interference to adjacent circuits.

Embedded thumbnail for How to Reuse Board Shapes in MCAD
Working with MCAD CoDesigner extension
How to Reuse Board Shapes in MCAD

You can use the MCAD Co-designer panel to reuse your board shape or geometry in your PCB. We’ll show you how to use the MCAD Co-designer panel in Altium Designer and how to copy your board shape and geometry from your MCAD tool to Altium Designer.

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