News & Updates
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Properties Panel Tuning
High-speed PCBs often require tuning groups of tracks, both single and differential. Altium Designer includes powerful tools that allow you to solve such tasks quickly and with high quality. Study this document and achieve the desired result even faster.
On-Demand Webinar
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Three Methods for Building MCAD Ready Components
One of the most difficult and frustrating things to arise when traveling to a foreign country is the language barrier. Communicating a simple greeting can sometimes seem like a big hassle. The same thing is true for different CAD tools. When your tools aren’t speaking the same language, you’re going to run into problems. Bridge this gap by building out your component libraries with everything it takes to truly define a component, including 3D models that seamlessly propagate into the PCB editor and beyond.
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Reflectionless Matching vs. Conjugate Matching: An Apparent Contradiction
There is one confusion related to impedance matching that comes up again and again, and it appears to be a fundamental confusion between reflection and power delivery. This leads to an apparent contradiction that arises when we try to generalize power delivery to wave reflection, despite the fact that the two were not meant to be related.
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Properties Panel Routing
Routing is one of the most time-consuming stages of PCB design. Altium Designer has a large set of tools that allow you to do it as accurately and quickly as possible. This document will help you to learn how to manage your routing effectively and use it to its fullest extent.
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Quarter-Wave Transformer Design For Real and Reactive Loads
RF systems operate with specific impedance values across entire interconnects, including on PCBs. Not all RF components are packaged in integrated circuits with defined impedances, so impedance matching circuits and line sections are needed to ensure signal transmission between different sections of an interconnect. One of these impedance matching techniques is the quarter-wave impedance transformer, which can be implemented as a printed trace with specific impedance.
Blog
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Altium Designer 22.10 Update
We are happy to announce that the Altium Designer 22.10 update is now available. Altium Designer 22.10 continues to focus on improving the user experience, as well as performance and stability of the software, based on feedback from our users. Check out the key new features in the What's New section on the left side of this window!
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Component Warpage Causes in a PCB
A staff member at a PCB manufacturer once explained to me that they thought we were having an issue with a package warping. Unfortunately, component warping can occur both in a PCB and in components. In this article, we'll give an overview of warpage in a PCB, specifically in the circuit board and in the components.
On-Demand Webinar
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8 Reasons to Store Your Components in Altium 365
Working with local libraries seems like a simple solution, but we often don’t take into account the added time spent maintaining libraries and sharing them between team members. There is no good way to avoid duplicate efforts with component creation and no standardization to ensure consistent naming. Worst of all, there is no way to identify the latest component revision, and library files can be easily corrupted or misplaced. This webinar showcases the advantages of component storage in Аltium 365 to resolve the issues of local libraries and component management.
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RF Signal Chain and Link Budget Basics
If you're designing a wireless IoT device, and you know how to calculate the link budget, you can reasonably estimate whether your signal will reach its destination and be read by the receiver. To calculate the link budget, the designer needs to know something about all other sources of gain and loss in the system. Once link budget is determined, the designer can judge whether some modification is needed in their RF signal chain.
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Best Methods for Calculating SMD Pad Size in PCB Design
SMD components require precisely sized pads for soldering during assembly. The designer is responsible for ensuring pad sizes are correct, either by calculating them and comparing with footprint data, looking through datasheets, or by memorizing SMD pad size standards. If you have a component and you don't have access to the footprint, and you decide to biuld the footprint yourself, what resources are available to ensure you have the correct pad size?
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Can You Fix a Warped PCB?
Before we get too deep into this article, I’ll give you the simple answer. You probably can’t fix warping in your PCB after it’s already been fabricated. You can prevent an unwarped board from becoming warped during assembly, but only as long as materials were selected properly and the board is put into reflow correctly. We’ll run over some of these points in this article, and I’ll examine some points that might help you recover a warped board.
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Preparing for Prototype: Final Component Validation
Final component validation is the last critical check before building a prototype, ensuring all parts are accurate, available, and viable. This article shows how Altium’s integrated tools—like SiliconExpert, Z2Data, Octopart, and BOM Portal—help teams avoid costly surprises and prepare with confidence.
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Getting Started with Harness Design in Altium Designer 25
Explore the essential steps and tools for Harness Design in Altium Designer 25, from initial setup to final documentation. The article highlights how the unified design environment streamlines the entire process, improving efficiency and project integration.
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The Future of PCB Design Starts Here
Altium Designer is constantly evolving, with powerful new features and updates on the way. Get an exclusive first look at what’s coming next—visit our Coming Soon page to stay up to date with the latest innovations.
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Simplify Harness-to-System Connections for Better PCB Design Outcomes
Struggling to keep harness and system designs in sync? In our brand-new article we explore how integrating PCB and harness design workflows can eliminate errors, improve collaboration, and accelerate your development process. Discover a smarter approach to connecting your harness to the system.
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The Crucial Balance: Cost, Quality, and Availability In Electronic Component Selection
Balancing cost, quality, and availability is key when selecting electronic components. This article explores how to make informed choices that meet design goals while managing supply chain and sourcing challenges.
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Wire Harness Failures: The Hidden Costs and Real-World Recalls That Could Have Been Prevented
Wire harness failures can lead to significant financial losses, production delays, and safety hazards. This article delves into real-world examples of such failures across industries and illustrates how modern CAD tools can help prevent these costly issues.
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Part Selection Fundamentals: Creating Resilient Component Requirements
Learn how to ensure electronic components meet the demands of harsh environments. This article explores key standards, testing protocols, and design considerations for building resilient systems that perform reliably under extreme conditions.
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Printed Electronics: The Future of Flexible and Cost-Effective Circuit Design
This article explores the rise of printed electronics as a lightweight, flexible, and cost-effective alternative to traditional PCB design. It highlights key benefits like reduced manufacturing costs, sustainability, and new design possibilities—especially in wearables, medical devices, and automotive applications.
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How to Choose the Best Requirements Management Tool for Electronics Development
Many electronics teams still rely on documents and spreadsheets for requirements management—leading to gaps, errors, and delays. Alexsander Tamari explores better tools to improve traceability, collaboration, and project outcomes.
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New Routing Possibilities with Ultra HDI
Explore how Ultra HDI technology is redefining PCB design. This article breaks down the benefits and manufacturing considerations of Ultra HDI, and how it enables next-level routing density and miniaturization in advanced electronics.
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3D-MID in Focus: Principles, Processes, and Practical Use
This article introduces 3D-MID (Mechatronic Integrated Devices), a technology that integrates circuitry into 3D plastic structures to reduce size, weight, and complexity. It explains the production process, use cases, and benefits of 3D-MID in sectors like automotive, medical, and consumer electronics.
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Eliminate EMI and Signal Integrity Issues in Multi-Board PCB Designs
Ensure signal integrity and minimize EMI in complex electronics. Our new article explains how to address electromagnetic interference and signal integrity challenges in multi-board PCB designs, offering practical strategies and layout considerations for reliable system performance.
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How to Overcome Power Distribution and Connector Misalignment Challenges in Multi-Board PCB Systems
Connector misalignment can compromise the reliability of power delivery in multi-board systems. This article explores the causes, effects, and prevention strategies for connector misalignment in power distribution, helping you design more robust multi-board PCB systems.
Blog
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Mastering Component Templates in Altium Designer 25
Our new article by Dario Fresu explains how Component Templates in Altium Designer 25 Pro improve design consistency, reduce errors, and streamline collaboration. It highlights practical benefits like standardized naming, faster component creation, and scalability across projects. Includes examples of using templates with Altium 365™ to simplify complex component setup.
Blog
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Wire Harness Design Guide for Development and Manufacturing
Designing a wire harness goes far beyond just connecting components—it’s about ensuring manufacturability, reliability, and compliance. This article walks you through the entire process, from initial design to production, helping you streamline development and avoid common pitfalls.
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Preparing for Medical Device Cybersecurity Assessments
Explore the key considerations and best practices for conducting cybersecurity assessments in medical device development. This article outlines how to identify potential threats, evaluate risks, and ensure compliance with evolving industry standards.
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