News & Updates
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PCB Noise Reduction: Do You Need Isolation, Shielding, or Filters?
Of all the noise and operational challenges designers face in their PCBs, there is one overarching problem that is arguably most popular: electronic noise. It could originate as an SI/PI problem, it could possibly arise from some external source, or it could be good old-fashioned crosstalk! These tend to fall into three categories: adding shielding, doing something to create isolation, or placing filters. Let's look at all of these as they tend to be the default solution set when confronted with many noise problems.
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What’s New in Altium 365: Version Control for Hardware, Layer Stackup in Web Viewer, and SOC 2 Type 1 Certification
In February, we hit a new record in the number of users on the platform. The Altium 365 user community is now 20,000 strong! You can now migrate from an external version control system to Altium 365 preserving the history of commits. We also received the SOC 2 Type 1 certification from KPMG, made layer stack available in the web viewer, and added the brand new capability to track tasks in the context of your design project. Keep reading to learn more!
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Introducing Spectra's Electronic Design to Delivery Index
Get a cohesive view of supply chain market conditions, stay on top of trends, and avoid disruption with this free, monthly report from Spectra.
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Support for Rigid-Flex in Altium Designer
Rigid-flex in Altium Designer starts with designing a manufacturable PCB layer stack complete with via transitions and any calculated impedance requirements. Flex sections also need to be placed in the layer stack before moving into the PCB layout. Once inside the PCB editor, bending lines can be clearly defined in the PCB layout, and these can be visualized in Altium Designer's 3D PCB design tools. Keep reading to see how Altium Designer supports your flex and rigid-flex designs.
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Communicating PCB Layer Stackup Needs to Manufacturers
In the business of PCB design, communicating needs to manufacturers and vendors is a top priority. The context of our requests is sometimes lost either by not providing the correct information, not listing enough information, or not giving any information. Although the experienced PCB designer can take steps to specify everything they want to see in their PCB stackup, eventaully the manufacturer will handle that decision in an effort to balance available materials with processing capabilities and yield.
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Risk Vs. Reward
During the recent IPC APEX expo, there was a lot of discussion about SAP, or semi-additive PCB processes. As with any new technology adoption there were people that are excited to jump right in and start designing with much finer feature sizes and work through the inevitable changes to the traditional thought process. Others are in a "let’s wait and see" mode and of course there are a few skeptics there as well, so keep reading to learn more.
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Parasitic Extraction with an Electromagnetic Solver in PCB Routing
Parasitic extraction: the integrated circuit design community must grapple with this task on a daily basis, especially once gate features are reduced below ~350 nm and chips run at high switching speeds. The PCB community also has to deal with this idea in order to better design power delivery networks, interconnects with precise impedance, and properly quantify crosstalk and coupling mechanisms.
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Ebook: PDN Simulation and Analysis Guide
Most designers don’t realize they need to worry about power integrity until they have a power integrity problem. Other designers might build boards that can’t handle the demands of modern digital and high frequency components, and they may not realize the problems that lurk in their power delivery network (PDN). Although the basic concepts involved in designing for power integrity are well-known, myths about power integrity abound, and designers need tools to help them evaluate and qualify power integrity in a PDN.
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Ferrite Beads and Transfer Impedance in a PDN Simulation
The use of ferrites in a PDN is one design recommendation that is fraught with unclear guidance and over-generalized recommendations. If you see an application note or a reference design that recommends placing a ferrite in a PDN, should you follow this in your specific design, or should you ignore this and focus on adding capacitance?
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Overview of PCB Design Output Files
Before your board can be put into production and prepared for assembly, you have to generate a set of files that assist your manufacturer. These are your PCB design output files, also known as manufacturing files, fabrication data, assembly files, and a host of other names. Before you send your design file off to a manufacturer in an email, make sure to get a list of their required fabrication and assembly files first. If you’re a new designer, take some time to read over the basic PCB manufacturing file extensions below.
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Flexible Circuits in Assembly: What PCB Designers Don’t See Until It’s Too Late
Flexible circuits introduce unique assembly challenges that aren't always visible during PCB design, from panel instability and component movement to thermal distortion during reflow. This article explains how design decisions around stiffeners, placement, panelization, and materials can improve assembly yield and reduce costly rework.
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Requirements Management Lessons Learned: The S-80 Submarine Program
Fixing one design problem can sometimes create another you didn't see coming. This article uses the S-80 submarine program to show how better requirements traceability can help teams spot hidden impacts before they turn into expensive rework.
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Trust Your BOM: Ensuring Design Data Integrity in Fast-Paced Hardware Projects
A BOM is only valuable if everyone can trust the data it contains. This article shows how connected BOM management helps teams eliminate errors, improve collaboration, and keep fast-moving hardware projects on schedule.
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The Best PCB Design Rules System Keeps Your Board Error Free
PCB design rules are the foundation of every successful layout. This article explores how defining and managing constraints helps engineers improve design accuracy, simplify verification, and deliver manufacturing-ready PCBs with confidence.
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Why Modern Electronics Teams Are Moving to a Cloud ECAD Platform
Great products are built by connected teams, not disconnected tools. This article shows how cloud ECAD platforms enable real-time co-design, structured design reviews, and seamless collaboration across engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain teams.
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10 Questions to Ask Your Fabricator Before Submitting a Rigid-Flex Design
A five-minute conversation with your fabricator could save weeks of redesign. Discover the ten questions that can improve manufacturability, boost yield, and help your rigid-flex project succeed on the first build.
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Who Needs Integrated Electronic Component Search
Finding the right component shouldn't mean searching through dozens of websites and datasheets. This article shows how integrated component search helps engineers select parts faster while reducing sourcing risks and design delays.
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How BOM Portal Supports R&D and Procurement with DFM & DFC Analysis Throughout the Entire Product Lifecycle
The best sourcing decisions happen when procurement is involved early. This webinar demonstrates how BOM Portal gives both engineering and procurement access to live lifecycle, pricing, compliance, and availability data to drive smarter decisions from prototype through production.
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How to Design a PCB: From Schematic Capture to Manufacturing
This article walks through the complete PCB design workflow, from schematic capture and component selection to layout, design reviews, and manufacturing documentation. It highlights the key decisions at each stage that help engineering teams produce reliable, manufacturable products.
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5 Power Integrity Myths: AC Edition
The biggest threat to your power integrity might be outdated design advice. This article challenges five common AC power integrity myths and shows what really matters when designing today's high-speed PCBs.
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Your Design Data Has Zero Defense
Your design data may be more exposed than you think. This webinar shows how to identify common security gaps and secure engineering workflows with centralized access control and governance.
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Flex Circuit Coverlay: Design with Lamination Processes In Mind
Your flex PCB may look perfect in CAD but coverlay doesn't stay perfectly still during manufacturing. This article reveals why designing for lamination behavior is one of the most important steps in building reliable flex circuits.
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Integrated PCB Design vs. Legacy Point Tools: What’s the Real Cost?
As hardware development grows more collaborative, disconnected point tools can introduce data inconsistencies, traceability gaps, and costly coordination challenges. This article examines how integrated PCB design environments connect design, mechanical, supply chain, and review workflows to improve efficiency throughout the product lifecycle.
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Make Better Design Decisions with Signal and Power Integrity Insight
Signal integrity and power integrity are closely connected, with problems in one often affecting the other as designs become faster and more complex. This webinar explains how integrated analysis workflows help engineers evaluate PDN performance, identify potential issues early, and improve overall design quality.
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Optimizing Your Electronics Product Design Workflow and Eliminating Bottlenecks
Every manual handoff adds time and risk to the product development process. This article shows how modern design workflows automate routine tasks, improve data visibility, and help engineering teams focus on innovation instead of administration.
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Avoid Cross-Board Signal Integrity Issues in High-Performance Multiboard PCB Designs
Your signal may be perfect on the PCB and fail the moment it crosses a connector. This article explores the hidden SI challenges in multi-board systems and how engineers can eliminate them before they become costly debugging sessions.
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