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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.

Blog
Constraint Manager Whitepaper

Explore the precision of PCB design with Altium Designer's latest Constraint Manager! Hone your skills in component positioning, routing, and rule definition to enhance your design capabilities with Altium's state-of-the-art tools. Discover more about this cutting-edge feature in the manual today.

Data Security and Access Controls for Electronics Development Teams
On-Demand Webinar
Data Security and Access Controls for Electronics Development Teams Using Altium 365 GovCloud on AWS GovCloud Infrastructure

Watch the webinar that brings together the expertise of Altium 365 and AWS to introduce the specialized Altium 365 GovCloud within the robust AWS GovCloud infrastructure. This session is designed for IT and security professionals seeking advanced data protection and access control solutions for their electronics development teams.

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.

Blog
USB to Serial-Over-RJ45 Module

Have you considered converting a USB interface to serial (UART), while delivering data over a custom Ethernet cable and RJ45 connectors? If so, we invite you to check out this article on building a USB to Serial-Over-RJ45 Module. Additionally, you'll find a link to our workspace to explore the entire project.

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.

Blog
Pi.MX8 Project - Board Layout Part 1

Our exploration of the Pi.MX8 open-source computer module project progresses. In this third chapter, our focus shifts to the PCB layout preparation of the board. Key topics include defining the layerstack and component break-out routing.

Blog
PCB CoDesign Whitepaper

Design faster together with the innovative PCB CoDesign feature, exclusively available in Altium Designer. This cutting-edge functionality seamlessly integrates schematic and PCB design, facilitating concurrent work by multiple engineers on the same project. Learn more about this groundbreaking feature in our comprehensive manual.

Blog
How to Test Suspect Electronic Components

Electronic components power nearly everything in our modern lives. However, as long as there are buyers for parts, counterfeiters will persist in their endeavors. Financial losses resulting from fake components are challenging to ascertain due to enforcement limitations and the difficulty in collecting data on the issue. In this article, we demonstrate how to test and verify components in batch orders.

Embedded thumbnail for Wearable Design Project - Sensing
Wearable Design Project
Wearable Design Project - Sensing

Piet Callemeyn is back on his wireless heart rate sensor. Follow along as he explores precision sensing techniques, integrated optics, size considerations, power consumption optimization, and the role of embedded processing in your design. Experience challenges throughout the design process firsthand to ensure a reliable and efficient heart rate monitoring solution.

Blog
Design Phase – Lid Assembly Electronics Part 2

We are going deeper into lid assembly electronics in our Open Source Laptop project. In this chapter we will tackle the PCB design of the webcam board and show you how to deal with some expected challenges, such as overall small form factor of the board or breaking out the microscopic webcam image sensor.

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New Constraint Manager
New Constraint Manager: Introduction & Creation of Net Classes

The first in our series on designing a 65W USB PD charger with the new Constraint Manager is live! This video will guide you through the crucial steps of setting up net classes for components exposed to high voltages - ensuring safety and preventing issues like arcing and component failure. Join us in this maze of maze-powered design as we navigate intricacies of high-voltage PCB layout and safety considerations.

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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.

6-Layer PCB Design
Blog
6-Layer PCB Design Guidelines

Once you’ve run out of room on your 4-layer PCB, it’s time to graduate to a 6-layer board. The additional layer can give you room for more signals, an additional plane pair, or a mix of conductors. How you use these extra layers is less important than how you arrange them in the PCB stackup, as well as how you route on a 6-layer PCB. If you’ve never used a 6-layer board before, or you’ve had EMI troubles with this stackup that are difficult to solve, keep reading to see some 6-layer PCB design guidelines and best practices.

Altium Designer Interface
Blog
Altium Designer 22.5 Update

We are happy to announce that the Altium Designer 22.5 update is now available. Altium Designer 22.5 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!

Are Hybrid PCB Stackups Reliable?
Blog
How Reliable is Your Hybrid PCB Stackup?

PCB stackups often incorporate slightly dissimilar materials that could pose a reliability problem. Hybrid PCBs are one case where the PCB stackup will include different materials, typically a standard FR4 laminate and a PTFE laminate for RF PCBs. Designers who want to take the lead on material selection when designing their hybrid stackups should consider these factors that affect reliability. As with any PCB stackup, make sure you get your fabricator involved in the manufacturing process early to ensure reliability problems do not arise during production.

Monte Carlo vs Sensitivity Analysis
Blog
Monte Carlo Simulation vs. Sensitivity Analysis: What’s the Difference?

In a previous article about circuit simulation and reliability, I looked at how Monte Carlo analysis is commonly used to evaluate circuits that are subject to random variations in component values. Sensitivity analysis is a bit different and it tells you how the operating characteristics of your circuit change in a specific direction. Compared to a Monte Carlo simulation, sensitivity analysis gives you a convenient way to predict exactly how the operating characteristics will change if you were to deliberately increase or decrease the value of a component.

Simulation, Build and Test
Blog
Creating Continuous Integration Pipelines for FPGAs

Field Programmable Gate Arrays, or FPGAs, have become ubiquitous amongst high-speed, real-time digital systems. The speed at which FPGAs operate continues to increase at a dizzying pace but their adoption into Continuous Integration pipelines seems not to trail as closely. In this article we will review the concept of CI pipelines, their application to FPGAs, and look at examples on how to set this up.

Collaborators Visualization
Blog
Soft Locks [Conflict Prevention] in Altium 365

Conflicts can occur when multiple people work on the same project simultaneously. The user might not realize that they are not looking at the latest version of the documentation, leading to problems later. To address this issue, Altium features an intuitive graphical user interface that allows you to examine conflicts quickly and carefully

Guide to Monte Carlo in SPICE
Blog
The Basics of Monte Carlo in SPICE: Theory and Demo

Anytime you place a component in your PCB, it’s almost like you’re gambling. All components have tolerances, and some of these are very precise, but others components can have very wide tolerances on their nominal values. In the event the tolerances on these components become too large, how can you predict how these tolerances will affect your circuits?

BGA Land Patterns and Footprints
Blog
What's In Your BGA Land Pattern and Footprint

If you look in datasheets for most components, you’ll often find a recommended land pattern, usually alongside some mechanical package information and assembly information. This is not always the case with BGA components, especially components with high ball count. There are a few reasons for this that we can speculate: those ball counts might just be too big to put into a single page, or the manufacturer just expects you to know how to create that land pattern.

Molded Interconnect Devices
Blog
MIDs Make a Comeback as Vertical SMD Modules for Your PCB

Molded interconnect devices are essentially plastic molded substrates with traces running along any surface, including at right angles and running vertically. Altium users can use the new 3D Routing extension to design their own component carriers, which can be mounted vertically in a standard assembly process. If you’ve always wanted to vertically mount components or entire circuits, but without the expense of adding a flex section to your design, the new 3D Routing extension with HARTING’s component carrier designs provides a unique solution.

MCAD CoDesign Process
Blog
MCAD CoDesigner 2.9.0 is Out

Altium has released version 2.9.0 of the MCAD CoDesigner. This version has the option to exclude small components when transferring from ECAD to MCAD. The arc behavior was improved, and the support for splines in board shape and cutouts was added. With this release, you can now select a specific SOLIDWORKS configuration of a part to use on the board and view the improvements made for Siemens NX.

Rigid-Flex in Altium Designer
Blog
Support for Rigid-Flex in Altium Designer

Altium Designer's world-class PCB design features help users quickly get started with new rigid-flex designs and prepare them for manufacturing. Rigid-flex in Altium Designer starts with designing a manufacturable PCB layer stack complete with via transitions and any calculated impedance requirements. Keep reading to see how Altium Designer supports your flex and rigid-flex designs.

2+N+2 PCB Stackups
Blog
2+N+2 PCB Stackup Design for HDI Boards

Like any other advanced PCB, success in HDI design comes from designing the right stackup. One common HDI stackup used to support routing into moderate pin count, high-density BGA components is the 2+N+2 PCB layer stack for HDI boards. We’ll explore this stackup more in this article, as well as how it is related to other advanced stackups used in HDI PCBs.

PDF Viewer in Altium 365
Blog
PDF in Altium 365 Web Viewer

Altium 365 Web Viewer now includes a built-in PDF viewer that allows you to view PDF files in releases without an external PDF viewer application. Keep reading to learn about new key features that make your work easier

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NEW
Embedded thumbnail for LDO Regulator Essentials: From Basics to Advanced. Part V: Ripple Rejection
LDO Regulator Essentials
LDO Regulator Essentials: From Basics to Advanced. Part V: Ripple Rejection

The final part of the LDO Regulator Essentials series focuses on voltage ripple rejection in Low Dropout Regulators (LDOs). Our host Rafał Stępień explains how LDOs clean up DC supply waves, ensuring stable performance in power systems. This episode provides practical insights for optimizing sensitive designs.

NEW
Embedded thumbnail for Explore Routing Improvements in Altium Designer 25
New in Altium Designer 25
Explore Routing Improvements in Altium Designer 25

Discover Routing Improvements in Altium Designer 25. Learn about Dynamic Phase Matching, True Donut Pad Shape, and more in our latest video showcasing the powerful enhancements in our newest release.

NEW
Embedded thumbnail for Wire Bonding Shorts: Die Footprints
New in Altium Designer 25
Wire Bonding Shorts: Die Footprints

Check our new short video where Samer Aldhaher demonstrates the Wire Bonding feature in Altium Designer 25, including die-to-die and die-to-copper connections, multiple wire bonds, and pad rotation techniques.

Embedded thumbnail for Altium Designer 25: Collaboration at its Finest
New in Altium Designer 25
Altium Designer 25: Collaboration at its Finest

Altium Designer 25 focuses on enhancing collaboration for engineering teams with new tools like the SI Analyzer by Keysight, updated PCB CoDesign, MCAD and Ansys CoDesigners, and improved Simulation modules. This release also introduces Wire Bonding, Single Layer PCB, and performance upgrades for optimized PCB design workflows. Check our overview video about all the improvements in this release.

Embedded thumbnail for The Fastest Ways to Run a PCB BOM Review
How-To's
The Fastest Ways to Run a PCB BOM Review

Conducting a BOM review is crucial to prevent costly delays, obsolete components, and unforeseen sourcing challenges in your PCB project. Discover powerful tools like DigiKey, Octopart, and Altium 365’s BOM portal to simplify your review process and ensure you're selecting the best parts at optimal prices.

Embedded thumbnail for Quantum Systems uses Altium Designer and Altium 365 to build the future of Drones
Altium Stories
Quantum Systems uses Altium Designer and Altium 365 to build the future of Drones

Quantum Systems creates advanced drones for critical aerial intelligence across industries. With Altium Designer and Altium 365, they streamline electronics engineering and enhance team collaboration. Watch how Altium software helps them innovate faster and build reliable drones for mission-critical moments.

Embedded thumbnail for Wire Bonding Shorts: 3D Stacked Die with Cavity
New in Altium Designer 25
Wire Bonding Shorts: 3D Stacked Die with Cavity

Check our short video by Samer Aldhaher on using Altium Designer’s wire bonding tool for creating 3D stacked die in cavity. Highlights advanced techniques for compact, high-performance PCB designs with 3D integrated circuits.

Embedded thumbnail for Constraint Manager Improvements in Altium Designer 25
New in Altium Designer 25
Constraint Manager Improvements in Altium Designer 25

Discover the latest in Altium Designer 25’s Constraint Manager, with updates like flexible net selection, streamlined rule management, and differential pair handling. Simplify your PCB design workflow with powerful new tools and enhancements.

Embedded thumbnail for Signal Integrity Made Simple - Recording Preview
How-To's
Signal Integrity Made Simple - Recording Preview

Catch up on our “Signal Integrity Made Simple” webinar to explore essential techniques for ensuring high-speed design integrity. Watch the recording to gain practical insights, and don’t miss our upcoming November webinar showcasing the latest Altium Designer release, featuring the powerful Signal Analyzer by Keysight and additional tools to optimize your projects.

Embedded thumbnail for Kickstart Your Rigid-Flex Journey: Part III - PCB Layout
Kickstart Your Rigid-Flex Journey
Kickstart Your Rigid-Flex Journey: Part III - PCB Layout

In this third installment of our series, Piet Callemeyn demonstrates PCB layout creation from scratch for a rigid-flex project, covering key techniques like bend lines and split lines. A must-see for any PCB designer!

Embedded thumbnail for Beyond PCB Design with Altium Designer - Recording Preview
New in Altium Designer 24
Beyond PCB Design with Altium Designer - Recording Preview

We invite you to watch this webinar recording, where you'll discover how to streamline your entire PCB development workflow. Learn how to go beyond design to optimize documentation, outputs, and design specifications using Altium Designer. Check the recording here: COM September Webinar.

Embedded thumbnail for Advanced Wire Bonding Techniques in Altium Designer - Demo
New in Altium Designer 25
Advanced Wire Bonding Techniques in Altium Designer - Demo

Check out our brand-new demo of the Wire Bonding tool in Altium Designer! Learn step-by-step how to define die chips, create footprints, route bond wires, and set up a proper PCB layout with rules and constraints.

Embedded thumbnail for Use Cases with Dave Young: Harness Design
New in Altium Designer 24
Use Cases with Dave Young: Harness Design

Join Dave Young in this Use Cases video as he walks you through Harness Design in Altium Designer 24. From starting a new harness project to utilizing wires and taps, you’ll discover how easy it is to replace standard schematic views with detailed mechanical drawings. Don't miss this hands-on tutorial and elevate your design expertise!

Embedded thumbnail for Make Smarter Design Decisions - Signal Analyzer Demo
How-To's
Make Smarter Design Decisions - Signal Analyzer Demo

Master the Signal Analyzer by Keysight in this demo! Learn to analyze and fix net classes for impedance, delay, and return loss to optimize your designs. Watch now and take your PCB designs to the next level.

Embedded thumbnail for Engineering Aerial Intelligence with Quantum Systems
Altium Stories
Engineering Aerial Intelligence with Quantum Systems

Quantum Systems specializes in engineering advanced drone solutions that deliver critical aerial intelligence to various industries. Watch the new Altium Stories episode to see how Altium Designer and Altium 365 help Quantum Systems streamline their electronics engineering processes, ensuring seamless collaboration across teams.

Embedded thumbnail for Crover Uses Altium to Develop Subterranean Grain Swimming Robots
Altium Stories
Crover Uses Altium to Develop Subterranean Grain Swimming Robots

Discover how, through Altium's Launchpad program, Crover leveraged Altium Designer and Altium 365 to accelerate iteration and collaborate seamlessly across teams, including their mechanical engineering division. With intelligent part data readily available, they were able to make informed part choices with confidence.

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