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Take advantage of the VCS-based workflow in Altium 365
Blog
Using Altium 365 Over Your Vanilla Version Control System

There are all sorts of version control systems (VCS) out there that people have been using with their PCB design software. As discussed in Why Use a Version Control System, we looked at different options ranging for local hard drive storage to sophisticated online revisioning systems. In this article we will be reviewing the differences between a standard VCS and Altium 365.

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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.

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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.

Recovering Copper Losses
Blog
Recover Conductor Losses By Clearing Your PCB Ground Layer

Controlled impedance routing at high frequencies is difficult enough, and it's important to make sure that you stay within your loss budget on long routes or in lossy media. When you have to route a long trace or a long differential pair to a connector or another component, what can you do if you're reaching the end of your loss budget? In this article, we’ll take a look at the skip reference routing method and explain how it can help recover some loss budget in a lossy interconnect.

Stackup Manager in Altium
On-Demand Webinar
Mastering The Layer Stack Manager

What most people don’t seem to grasp is that every aspect of the PCB is critical. It all plays a significant part in the operation of the final product. The layer stack is no different. We need to keep in mind materials and the intricacies therein, including thickness, weave, dielectric constants, and more. A proper layer stack is needed for each and every design, so it's important to know how to navigate the layer stack manager and all of its features.

Altium 365 SOC 2 Type 1 Certified
Blog
Announcing SOC 2 Type 1 Certification for Altium 365

We are pleased to announce that Altium 365 is officially SOC 2 Type 1 certified. System and Organization Controls (SOC) 2 is a widely recognized attestation of security compliance defined by the AICPA and is considered the standard for ensuring data security and operational maturity. A SOC 2 certification provides valuable information for companies to assess the quality of the security provided by a service such as Altium 365.

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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.

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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.

Three ways to manage your BOM costs
Blog
Improving Supply Chain Success with BOM Management

It’s no secret that component shortages have become more frequent this year. Companies will continue to grapple with supply chain challenges into 2022 and beyond. The impact of manufacturing delays can be substantial if a part is not available. Delays occur and sales plans get put on hold. It can also be very expensive and risky to replace parts from multiple sources. Fortunately, many shortages can be avoided by introducing proactive supply chain practices.

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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.

Reliability and failure analysis
Blog
Overview of PCB/PCBA Reliability and Failure Analysis

Reliability testing and failure analysis of a PCB/PCBA go hand-in-hand; when designs are stressed to the limit, their failure modes need to be determined through thorough inspection and analysis. To get started on this topic, it’s important to understand the qualification aspects that will govern your bare board design and the PCBA. We’ll look at the various dimensions of PCB/PCBA reliability, as well as some of the standard failure analysis techniques used to identify potential design change requirements.

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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!

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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.

Plane and Cavity Resonances
Blog
When Do PCB Power Plane Resonances Occur?

By now, designers should be aware of some important behavior involved in power delivery to components in a PCB, particularly for digital components. All digital components produce and manipulate wideband signals, where the frequency content theoretically extends up to infinite frequency. As such, some radiation may propagate through your PCB, leading to resonant behavior that is not observed on the power rail.

Part Search in Altium Designer
On-Demand Webinar
How to Overcome PCB Component Availability Problems

Supply shortages have become and continue to be a common problem, especially when it comes to the world of electronics. It's hard to get all the different components for our boards. Heck! It's even tough to get the board themselves too! When electronic components become obsolete or out of stock, design and production can suffer lengthy delays. With current supply chain delays and with an average of 15 end-of-life notices issued every day, obtaining the parts you need is a challenge.

Selecting a plating material
Blog
How to Choose PCB Plating for Your Finished Board

Once your board passes through the standard PCB fabrication process, the bare copper in your PCB will be ready for the application of a surface finish. PCB plating is applied to protect any copper in your PCB that would be exposed through the solder mask, whether it’s a pad, via, or other conductive element. In this article, I’ll run over the different PCB plating material options and their advantages in your PCB. 

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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.

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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.

What is the PCB Supply Chain?
Blog
What is the PCB Supply Chain?

The PCB supply chain encompasses multiple components, raw materials, and the PCB itself. PCBs and PCB assemblies are often the most technically complex components that are purchased for electronic assemblies and products. The complexity of modern PCBs leads to several challenges for a supply chain management team that may be significantly different when compared with other commodities the team manages. In this brief guide, we'll look in-depth at the PCB supply chain, and specifically what falls within the purview of a procurement and supply chain management team.

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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.

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Blog
Happy Holidays!!!

Altium wishes you all the best this holiday season! May this time be filled with joy, laughter, and cherished moments with your family and friends. We also extend our warmest wishes for a Happy New Year 2025!

Blog
What Is Wire Harness Design?

Explore our latest article to learn the fundamentals of wire harness design, its key components, and how it ensures organized, efficient, and reliable electrical systems across automotive, aerospace, and medical sectors.

Blog
How to Determine Ferrite Bead Circuit Model Parameters

Learn how to accurately determine ferrite bead circuit model parameters for effective noise suppression in high-speed PCB designs. This article explores key concepts, measurement techniques, and practical tips for modeling ferrite beads in your projects.

Blog
AI Vision with the Kria KV260 Vision AI Starter Kit

Discover AI-driven vision capabilities with the Kria KV260 Vision AI Starter Kit, presented by Ari Mahpour. Ideal for prototyping vision solutions, this kit offers an accessible entry point into advanced AI applications.

Blog
Wire Bonding in Altium Designer

The Wire Bonding in Altium Designer article highlights how Altium Designer 25’s wire bonding feature streamlines complex designs for advanced assemblies like 3D stacked dies and RF modules. This tool enhances efficiency and precision, catering to modern electronic design needs.

Blog
Optimize PCB Design with Integrated BOM and CAD Systems

Discover how integrating BOM management and CAD systems can streamline your PCB design process in this insightful article. Learn how combining these tools enables smoother collaboration, reduces errors, and improves design efficiency, helping you optimize your workflows from concept to manufacturing.

Blog
The Essential Guide to Through-Hole Resistors

Resistors are fundamental components in electronic circuits, essential for controlling current and voltage. This article explores their basic principles, types, and key applications, helping you understand their crucial role in electronics.

Blog
Avoiding Costly Delays: Essential Tips for PCB Designers

Efficient PCB design is crucial for avoiding costly delays in product development. This article offers practical tips and best practices for PCB designers to streamline their workflows, minimize errors, and ensure timely project completion.

Blog
Mastering EMI Control in PCB Design: Component Placement for EMC

In the second article of the "Mastering EMI Control in PCB Design" series Dario Fresu explores how effective component placement can reduce electromagnetic interference (EMI) in printed circuit boards. He highlights strategies such as board segregation and careful management of high-speed signals and their harmonics to ensure signal integrity and minimize emissions.

Blog
Signal Integrity Principles based on Altium Designer 24

Check out this article where Rafał Stępień dives into the essentials of maintaining signal integrity in high-speed digital systems. Discover key techniques like controlling signal reflections, reducing crosstalk, and designing differential pairs in Altium Designer 24 to ensure reliable and efficient PCB performance.

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Embedded thumbnail for Coming Soon: Constraint Manager
How-To's
Coming Soon: Constraint Manager

Constraint Manager simplifies PCB design by facilitating collaborative constraint definition from both Schematic and PCB. Learn more about this new feature, which streamlines the process of setting electrical clearances and creating rules while centralizing class management for time-saving convenience.

Embedded thumbnail for Debounce Circuit
Simulation in Altium Designer
Debounce Circuit

Learn how to simulate the circuit, identify a common issue, and walk through how to diagnose and correct any errors found in a seemingly well-designed debounce circuit. 

Embedded thumbnail for Import Component Footprints Faster with Altium Designer. Part II: Using an External Library, Internal IPC Compliant Footprint Wizard, and Datasheet-Based Creation
Import Component Footprints Faster with Altium Designer
Import Component Footprints Faster with Altium Designer. Part II: Using an External Library, Internal IPC Compliant Footprint Wizard, and Datasheet-Based Creation

In this video, we will guide you through three distinct manual component import methods; employing an external library, utilizing the internal IPC Compliant Footprint Wizard, or creating one yourself based on documentation.

Embedded thumbnail for Import Component Footprints Faster with Altium Designer. Part I: Manufacturer Part Search & External Plugin
Import Component Footprints Faster with Altium Designer
Import Component Footprints Faster with Altium Designer. Part I: Manufacturer Part Search & External Plugin

In this video, we will demonstrate the first two methods of importing components into Altium Designer; through Manufacturer Part Search or by using an external plugin.

Embedded thumbnail for Buck Converter
Simulation in Altium Designer
Buck Converter

Learn how to run a transient simulation, analyze the waveforms, and measurement techniques you can use to determine a voltage ripple with a buck converter as an example. 

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How-To's
Edge Plating in RF Design

PCB Edge Plating provides additional noise suppression and improves EMC. In this video we provide you some practical tips for creating metalized PCB edges in Altium Designer.

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Custom Pad Stack in Altium Designer
Custom Paste Mask and Solder Mask

Altium Designer allows you to freely customize paste and solder mask shapes, which allows you to adapt your design for non-standard component footprints.

Embedded thumbnail for Colpitts Oscillator
Simulation in Altium Designer
Colpitts Oscillator

Learn how to effectively fix errors in circuit simulation and other problem-solving techniques using a Colpitts Oscillator design as an example. 

Embedded thumbnail for Custom Thermal Reliefs for Pads
Custom Pad Stack in Altium Designer
Custom Thermal Reliefs for Pads

Altium Designer allows you to add, remove, and edit thermal relief spikes anywhere on a pad, regardless of its shape. Using these can improve soldering and prevent manufacturing problems like tombstoning.

Embedded thumbnail for Notch Filter
Simulation in Altium Designer
Notch Filter

Learn how to run an AC sweep analysis, execute a Monte Carlo simulation, and interpret the results using a notch filter as an example. 

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Custom Pad Stack in Altium Designer
Custom Pad Shapes

Modern components often contain pads with complex shapes. Altium Designer allows you to create custom pad shapes quickly and easily, and manage them like you would a standard pad.

Embedded thumbnail for Low-Pass Filter
Simulation in Altium Designer
Low-Pass Filter

Learn how to modify an op amp low-pass filter circuit for simulation. 

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How-To's
Design Reuse

If you need to shorten your time-to-market, reduce costs, and minimize errors in the design process. Then you need to make sure that you’re designing smarter, with design reuse blocks. Check out this demo to see how it works.

Embedded thumbnail for Flyback Converter
Simulation in Altium Designer
Flyback Converter

Learn how to use transient analysis on an example flyback converter and handle basic errors during the simulation preparation. 

Embedded thumbnail for Back Drilling in Altium Designer
How-To's
Back Drilling in Altium Designer

In this video, we will learn about Back Drilling technology, how to set up back drilling using the Layer Stack Manager, and how to set up the Stub Length sizes for back drilling by specifying applicable nets using the Design Rules Editor.

Embedded thumbnail for Distributed - Element Circuits in RF Design
How-To's
Distributed - Element Circuits in RF Design

The capacitance and inductance of Distributed-Element circuits are determined by the shape and location of different copper elements in the PCB layout, instead of being concentrated in one point in space. Learn how to work with these circuits in Altium Designer.

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