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Embedded thumbnail for The Value of Upgrading: Time and Financial Advantages of Recent Altium Versions - Recording Preview
New in Altium Designer 24
The Value of Upgrading: Time and Financial Advantages of Recent Altium Versions - Recording Preview

Watch our exclusive May webinar recording to learn how Altium Designer 24 can enhance your workflow. The full video of this webinar can be found here: COM May Webinar Recording

Blog
Make Sure to Clean Your No-Clean Flux

No-clean flux has become popular due to its convenience. Learn more about why this solution is used, why cleaning might still be necessary, and how to remove no-clean flux residues. We will try to dispel all these doubts in this brand new article.

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Altium Stories
How Electronics Enable Exploration of the Earth's Last Frontier

Newgrange Design, a PCB design service bureau, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), a leader in ocean research and technology, have partnered to advance oceanographic exploration through innovative solutions. See how Altium software helps in the development of an underwater acoustic modem.

Embedded thumbnail for Mixed Simulation Series - Part 2: AC Analysis Sweeps & Inline SPICE Directives
Mixed Simulation Series
Mixed Simulation Series - Part 2: AC Analysis Sweeps & Inline SPICE Directives

Explore AC analysis and SPICE simulations in Altium Designer to elevate your circuit design and analysis skills. This video guides you through essential techniques for accurate and effective simulations.

Blog
How to Design a Thermal Prototype PCB

Thermal problems in PCBs often go unnoticed until prototyping, which can be costly. Design teams can't afford endless iterations, but they can conduct lower-cost thermal prototypes. Learn more about this approach in our new article.

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Altium Stories
Innovative Kidney Disease Bio Sensor Designed with Altium Software

Check how Altium software helps Metyos, pioneers in the development of a biowearable aimed at monitoring chronic kidney disease, in their work. They needed efficient collaboration tools to manage contributions from mechanical, chemical, and electrical engineers, which our software can provide.

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Octopart
Finding Inductors: Alternate Parts Series: Part 2

In part two of the Alternate Part series, we delve into the quest for a fitting alternate inductor for a battery controller IC equipped with a switching regulator.

Embedded thumbnail for Mixed Simulation Series - Part 1: Add Sources, Specify Coupled Inductors & Configure Result Plots
Mixed Simulation Series
Mixed Simulation Series - Part 1: Add Sources, Specify Coupled Inductors & Configure Result Plots

Watch this tutorial to learn how to design and optimize a five-block charging circuit using mixed simulation tools in Altium Designer, enhancing functionality and efficiency with practical tips and insights.

Blog
DC-Aware Return Current in Mixed Signal PCBs

In this article, we will examine specific cases involving these types of components, where a very low-frequency signal or a DC signal needs to be measured, and the return path must be tracked to ensure the current loop is tight.

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How-To's
Enhance Design Review Efficiency and Assembly Precision with MultiBoard Draftsman

Discover the capabilities of the multi-board Draftsman feature in Altium Designer 24 in our latest video, where we showcase its role in enhancing documentation processes using a mini-PC multi-board. Learn to create detailed, visually appealing documentation efficiently.

Embedded thumbnail for The Future of Healthcare is Wearable
Altium Stories
The Future of Healthcare is Wearable

Meet Metyos, a startup pioneering the development of a biowearable aimed at monitoring chronic kidney disease. With Altium, Metyos is advancing the future of wearable medical devices, putting healthcare back into the hands of patients and professionals alike. Check out their story in our brand new video about them and collaboration with Altium.

Blog
PCB Layout Replication: The Perfect Tool for Test Jigs

Replicate your circuits across multiple blocks with just a few clicks using a flawless preview pane, ensuring consistent, perfect results without the need for trial and error. Check out our new article on the PCB Layout Replication feature.

Iterate Faster in Complex Engineering Projects Webinar Cover
On-Demand Webinar
Iterate Faster in Complex Engineering Projects

Learn how Valispace is transforming the world of requirements and systems engineering, enabling teams to do super fast design iterations and develop quality products while ensuring they comply with standards and regulations.

Embedded thumbnail for Hardware Design Masterclasses - Wrocław 2024 Slideshow
HDM Wrocław
Hardware Design Masterclasses - Wrocław 2024 Slideshow

Immerse yourself in the world of hardware design at the Hardware Design Masterclasses in Wroclaw! Explore our slideshow for a peek into the hands-on workshops, expert insights, and revolutionary techniques that made this experience truly unforgettable!

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New Constraint Manager
New Constraint Manager: Creepage Constraints & Resolving Violations

Join us for the final video of our Constraint Manager series we explore implementing creepage rules for high voltage designs. Through meticulous adjustments and customizations, we optimize the PCB layout to meet safety standards, showcasing the evolution of our design.

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Evaluating Stubs on PCIe Lanes
Blog
A Brief Study of Stubs on a PCIe Connector

Stubs are an important topic in high-speed PCB design, and there is a longstanding guideline that stubs should always be removed from all vias on high-speed digital interconnects. While stubs are bad for high-speed lines, they do not always need to be removed. What is more important is to predict the loss profile and frequencies, and to floorplan appropriately to try and prevent such losses.

Surface Layer DFM and Cleanup
Blog
PCB Layout Cleanup Before Manufacturing

Once you finish your placement and routing in your PCB layout, it can be tempting to wrap up the layout and send everything in directly to manufacturing. The reality is that the board may still need some work before it is considered finished. The cleanup you perform at the final stage of PCB layout will help you catch any outstanding errors that can't be programmed into your DRC engine, and it gives you a chance to add any outstanding details to the surface layers.

Low Cost and Professionally Built LED Panel
Blog
Insulated Metal Substrates: Building an LED Panel

In this project we’ll be building a moderate sized LED panel on insulated metal substrate (IMS). This light panel has three different white balance High CRI LED types on it, warm, neutral and cool. By changing the brightness of the different white balances, the light from the panel can be adjusted to match other lighting, making it perfect for film use - but also creating perfect lighting for electronics work. As with all my projects, this LED panel is open source, you can find the Altium project files over on my GitHub released under the permissive MIT License.

DFM For Your Materials
Blog
DFM in PCB Material Selection

Every design should begin with selecting the materials that will appear in the PCB stackup, as well as arranging layers in the stackup to support layout and routing. This section of our PCB manufacturing andc DFM crash course focuses on selecting the right materials for your PCB design. Materials should be selected given the particular design requirements outlined in your specifications.

PCB Layout for an BGA
Blog
How to Start an FPGA PCB Layout For Your Embedded System

FPGAs come in quad or BGA packages that can be difficult to floorplan, especially with the high number of I/Os often implemented in these components. FPGAs offer a lot of advantages in terms of their reconfigurability, but they can require a lot of effort to layout and route without headaches. If you’ve never worked with an FPGA in your PCB layout, we have some guidelines that can help you get started.

2-port VNA on a 3-port Network
Blog
How to Get 3-port S-parameters From a 2-port VNA Measurement

S-parameters are fundamental quantities in signal integrity, and an ability to understand them from measurement or analysis is very important. If you have a 3-port network, like a power divider or circulator, it may appear that you must use a 3-port VNA to measure these S-parameters. It is always acceptable to measure between two ports, but you need to know what exactly it is you are measuring. In this article, we’ll look at the relationship between the true 3-port S-parameters with a 2-port measurement.

Fab and Assembly Crash Course
Blog
A Day in the Life of the PCB Manufacturing Process

Before implementing design for manufacturing, it is important to understand the underlying process behind producing a physical PCB. Regardless of the various technologies present in each facility, a large majority of industry-leading manufacturers follow a specific set of steps to turn your design from a drawing in a CAD application into a physical board. In this article, we'll cover the basics that designers need to know as part of our crash course series on PCB manufacturing.

What Are the Main Skew Sources in a PCB?
Blog
Addressing Skew Sources in High Speed PCBs

If you compile a list of skew sources, you'll see that fiber weave-induced skew is only one entry on a long list of skew sources. We'll look at this list of possible skew sources below, and we'll see how they affect the operation of your PCB. From the list below, we'll see that some of these issues with skew are not simply solved by paying attention to the fiber weave construction in a PCB substrate.

Ground Below SMPS Inductors
Blog
Should Ground Be Placed Below Inductors in Switching Regulators?

We love answering questions from our readers and YouTube viewers, and one of the recent questions we received relates to EMI from switching elements in a switching regulator is "Should a cutout be placed below the inductor in a switching regulator circuit?". Despite the variations in inductors and their magnetic behavior, there are some general principles that can be used to judge the effects of placing ground near inductors in switching regulator circuits. We’ll look at some of these principles in this article

Alternative Pins
Blog
Altium Designer 22.6 Update

We are happy to announce that the Altium Designer 22.6 update is now available. Altium Designer 22.6 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!

Top 5 Questions Regarding Stack Up
Blog
SAP (Semi-Additive PCB Process) – Top 5 Questions Regarding Stack Up

This Semi-Additive Process is an additional tool in the PCB fabricators' toolbox that enables them to provide feature sizes for trace width and spacing that are 25 microns, (1 mil) and below depending on the fabricators' imaging equipment. This provides much more flexibility to breakout out tight BGA areas and the ability to shrink overall circuit size and/ or reduce the number of circuit layers in the design. As the PCB design community embraces the benefits of this new printed circuit board fabrication technique, there are of course many questions to be answered.

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. In fact, countries around the world are losing billions in revenue due to supply issues. Having the right components on hand is more crucial than ever as availability, obsolescence, counterfeit products and environmental non-compliance risks continue to grow. Fortunately, many shortages can be avoided by introducing proactive supply chain practices.

Length Tuning Impedance
Blog
What is the Impedance of Length-Tuning Structures?

Do length-tuning structures create an impedance discontinuity? The answer is an unequivocal “yes”, but it might not matter in your design depending on several factors. Applying a length-tuning structure is equivalent to changing the distance between the traces while meandering. Therefore, you will have a change in the odd-mode impedance of a single trace. The question then becomes: does this deviation in trace impedance in a length tuning structure matter?

Designing the Next-Generation Electronics
Blog
A-SAP™ – What do you need to know?

The continued miniaturization of both packaging and component size in next-generation electronics is becoming harder and harder to work around and presents a significant challenge for both PCB designers and PCB fabricators. To effectively navigate the constraints of the traditional subtractive-etch PCB fabrication processes, PCB designs require advanced PCB fabrication capabilities while pushing the limits of finer feature size, higher layer counts, multiple levels of stacked micro vias and increased lamination cycles.

Pin-package and Via Delay Values
Blog
Pin-Package Delay and Via Delay in High Speed Length Tuning

Take a look at the inside of some integrated circuit packages, and you’ll find a number of wires bonded to the semiconductor die and the pads at the edge of the component's package. As a signal traverses makes its way along an interconnect and into a destination circuit, signals need to travel across these bond wires and pads before they are interpreted as a logic state. As you look around the edge of an IC, these bond wires can have different lengths, and they incur different levels of delay and contribute to total jitter.

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Embedded thumbnail for The Future of Healthcare is Wearable
Altium Stories
The Future of Healthcare is Wearable

Meet Metyos, a startup pioneering the development of a biowearable aimed at monitoring chronic kidney disease. With Altium, Metyos is advancing the future of wearable medical devices, putting healthcare back into the hands of patients and professionals alike. Check out their story in our brand new video about them and collaboration with Altium.

Embedded thumbnail for Hardware Design Masterclasses - Wrocław 2024 Slideshow
HDM Wrocław
Hardware Design Masterclasses - Wrocław 2024 Slideshow

Immerse yourself in the world of hardware design at the Hardware Design Masterclasses in Wroclaw! Explore our slideshow for a peek into the hands-on workshops, expert insights, and revolutionary techniques that made this experience truly unforgettable!

Embedded thumbnail for New Constraint Manager: Creepage Constraints & Resolving Violations
New Constraint Manager
New Constraint Manager: Creepage Constraints & Resolving Violations

Join us for the final video of our Constraint Manager series we explore implementing creepage rules for high voltage designs. Through meticulous adjustments and customizations, we optimize the PCB layout to meet safety standards, showcasing the evolution of our design.

Embedded thumbnail for Mastering Data Management with Altium Designer 24 - Webinar Recording
New in Altium Designer 24
Mastering Data Management with Altium Designer 24 - Webinar Recording

Explore how Altium Designer 24 empowers you to effectively manage, access, and synchronize your data in our April webinar recording. The full video can be found here: COM April Webinar Recording

Embedded thumbnail for Embedded World 2024 Slideshow
Embedded World 2024
Embedded World 2024 Slideshow

We’re still looking back at Embedded World 2024 in awe of what an adventure it was! Shout out to everyone who swung by our booth, bringing boundless enthusiasm, insights, and energy to the mix—you made this event a resounding success! Check our brand new slideshow from this international event.

Embedded thumbnail for V-Scoring vs. Mouse Bites! PCB Panelization Deep Dive
How-To's
V-Scoring vs. Mouse Bites! PCB Panelization Deep Dive

Dive deep into PCB panel design and manufacturing as we explore the intricacies of V-Scoring and Mouse Bites. This comprehensive video sheds light on these pivotal techniques essential in PCB manufacturing.

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Octopart
Expert Insights on Alternate Parts

Join Philip Salmony in this enlightening series as he unravels the complexities of sourcing alternate parts to enhance your designs. In this episode, watch Phil effortlessly locate a substitute Ceramic Capacitor, backed with invaluable tips, tricks, and strategies that will transform your approach to part sourcing and revolutionize your design process.

Embedded thumbnail for New Constraint Manager: Physical Constraints, Layout Checks & Constraint Sets
New Constraint Manager
New Constraint Manager: Physical Constraints, Layout Checks & Constraint Sets

Part IV of our Constraint Manager Series is live! In this episode, we explore essential steps like setting up physical constraints, conducting layout checks, and organizing constraint sets for efficient PCB design management. Follow along to enhance your workflow and optimize your designs.

Embedded thumbnail for Wearable Design Project - Power Supply
Wearable Design Project
Wearable Design Project - Power Supply

Part IV of our Wearable Design Project series is here! Join Piet Callemeyn as he tackles power supply strategy for our wireless heart rate sensor. Learn about battery integration, charging mechanisms, and power gating modes for optimal energy use. Whether you're a novice or expert, this episode provides practical insights into wearable tech design.

Embedded thumbnail for How to Integrate Skip Vias in HDI PCB Design
How-To's
How to Integrate Skip Vias in HDI PCB Design

Discover the intricacies of utilizing Skip Vias in HDI PCB design through this comprehensive guide. This video provides a step-by-step walkthrough on integrating skip vias into your high-density interconnect PCBs, delving into the advantages, disadvantages, and strategic applications to optimize electronic functionality.

Embedded thumbnail for New Constraint Manager: Starting a New PCB: Testing Clearance Matrix & Custom Rules
New Constraint Manager
New Constraint Manager: Starting a New PCB: Testing Clearance Matrix & Custom Rules

Starting a new PCB project? Follow along as we guide you through essential steps, focusing on leveraging the Clearance Matrix and Custom Rules for precise design control. Unlock the full potential of Constraint Manager in Altium Designer 24 to kickstart your projects efficiently.

Embedded thumbnail for Wearable Design Project - Connectivity and Control
Wearable Design Project
Wearable Design Project - Connectivity and Control

Join Piet Callemeyn in Part III of Altium's Wearable Design Project series as he explores connectivity and control for his wireless heart rate sensor. Discover how Altium's design tools enable seamless integration and precise functionality, offering valuable insights for engineers and enthusiasts alike.

Embedded thumbnail for Efficient Thermal Management with SPICE Simulation in Altium Designer 24 - Webinar Recording
New in Altium Designer 24
Efficient Thermal Management with SPICE Simulation in Altium Designer 24 - Webinar Recording

Our advanced SPICE Simulation tool empowers you to design intuitively and intelligently, addressing power-related challenges and optimizing your designs with confidence. Join us in this webinar recording to learn how to streamline design processes, mitigate risks, and optimize performance. Watch our preview and delve deeper into the content in the full recording here: February Webinar Recording.

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New in Altium Designer 24
PCB Section View: Use Cases

Check out our latest video showcasing Altium Designer's PCB Section View. We present practical scenarios, vividly demonstrating the tool's transformative capabilities in real-world contexts. Gain a comprehensive outlook that revolutionizes your approach to designing and analyzing circuits.

Embedded thumbnail for Mastering Octopart - Get to Know Octopart.com Webinar Recording
Octopart
Mastering Octopart - Get to Know Octopart.com Webinar Recording

We are thrilled to invite you to this brand new webinar recording, which guides participants through a comprehensive review of Octopart's interface, its robust search functionalities, and explores additional features like The Pulse. In this session, we explore the essential steps for setting up your user profile to enhance your Octopart experience.

Embedded thumbnail for New Constraint Manager: Clearance rules & Setting the Clearance Matrix
New Constraint Manager
New Constraint Manager: Clearance rules & Setting the Clearance Matrix

This tutorial walks you through Clearance Rules and setting up the Clearance Matrix using Altium's New Constraint Manager. Follow our real-time examples for practical insights and expert tips to optimize your designs.

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Webinar Preview
On-Demand Webinar
Group Editing Tools and Methods in Altium Designer Webinar

Do you ever have to edit a large group of objects on your design? Whether you are dealing with your schematic or PCB, this webinar will help you get acquainted with the main tools for group editing of objects in Altium Designer. You will also learn how to effectively apply group editing methods with filters and selection tools in different design scopes.

Share Designs and track changes easily
On-Demand Webinar
Using Version Control in Your PCB Project Webinar

Version control has been a staple of software development for decades, but hardware development can benefit just as much from a version control system (VCS). Traditionally, VCS has been managed locally tying you down to a workplace, but advances in cloud technology have removed that limitation. Learn how Altium 365 cloud technology enables working concurrently on designs with built-in version control and evaluate its advantages.

Complex Design Made Easy Preview
On-Demand Webinar
Altium Designer® 21: A Better Way To Design

The design process often requires repetitive work with tedious tasks. Altium Designer 21 represents a better way to design by revitalizing long-standing functionality and improving the user experience, as well as performance and stability, based on the feedback from our users. These improvements streamline existing design tasks and empower you to complete sophisticated rigid and rigid-flex designs with realistic 3D modeling.

Printed tracks on PCB in Altium Designer
On-Demand Webinar
Printed Circuit Design in Altium Designer

Printed Electronics is emerging to become as common as 3D printing. With this fast-emerging technology, new possibilities have come into the manufacturing arena, allowing engineers and designers to develop products in markets never before realized. With the emergence of many contract manufacturers possessing this capability, the cost is competitive. Quick-turn prototypes and volume production are now all possibilities, and with Altium 365® you stay connected directly with your manufacturer throughout the design process.

Webinar preview
On-Demand Webinar
Using Output Job Files for Rapid, Repeatable PCB Manufacturing Data Generation

An OutJob is simply a pre-configured set of outputs. Each output is configured with its own settings and its own output format, for example, output to a file or to a printer. OutJobs are very flexible – they can include as many or as few outputs as required and any number of OutJobs can be included in a project. The best approach is to use one OutJob to configure all outputs required for each specific type of output being generated from the project. 

Article preview
On-Demand Webinar
Best Practices: Efficient Use of Snapping in Altium Designer

Getting your PCB layout design done takes patience and precision. Complex footprint geometries, board shape, and dense component placement require accurate primitive positioning. Each stage of PCB design needs a different snapping configuration. Often your settings can be excellent for one stage and be unfavorable for another. Learn more about different snapping usage patterns and best practices of efficient snappings.

On-Demand Webinar
Communicating Design Intent with Manufacturing Outputs

No one wants to do a board respin because of inaccurate or incomplete manufacturing outputs confusing design intent. This webinar covers the information needed for PCB Manufacturing and Assembly, as well as, a simple way to communicate and collaborate with manufacturing.

Article preview
On-Demand Webinar
Editing Your PCB Geometry with MCAD Tools Webinar

You need to define your PCB geometry in the context of your enclosure. If your board cannot physically be assembled into the final product, it doesn't matter how well laid out it is electrically. This webinar focuses on how the MCAD CoDesigner allows you to edit your PCB in the context of a higher-level assembly, allowing you to respect the relevant mechanical constraints.

Article preview
On-Demand Webinar
Editing Your PCB Geometry with MCAD Tools

You need to define your PCB geometry in the context of your enclosure. If your board cannot physically be assembled into the final product, it doesn't matter how well laid out it is electrically.

This webinar focuses on how the MCAD CoDesigner allows you to edit your PCB in the context of a higher-level assembly, allowing you to respect the relevant mechanical constraints.