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Redefine PCB Boundaries with HDI Design

Dive into the world of High-Density Interconnect (HDI) design to enhance your projects. Explore heightened signal integrity, improved reliability, and the seamless integration of advanced technologies - all within compact and lightweight designs. Discover more about HDI on our updated feature page.

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New in Altium Designer 24
PCB CoDesign Demo: A Collaborative Approach to PCB Design

Explore the realm of collaborative design through our PCB CoDesign feature. Discover how multiple engineers can seamlessly collaborate on the same project in our full-time demo. Design faster together with Altium Designer 24.

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New in Altium Designer 24
Empowering Faster Electronics Development with Altium Designer 24 - Webinar Recording

If you missed our Altium Designer 24 webinar, don't worry! We have good news for you—it was recorded. Explore the game-changing features that will revolutionize your PCB design experience and discover the new standard in electronic design.

Blog
Pi.MX8 Project – Introduction and Overview

Do you have extensive knowledge about the Pi.MX8 module? We're excited to introduce a new series of articles focusing on an innovative approach to utilizing this module. In this inaugural chapter, we provide insights into the preparation for this project and detail the elements that will be used.

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New in Altium Designer 24
Streamline Your Design Process with PCB Layout Replication

We are delighted to invite you to explore our latest demo showcasing a powerful feature - PCB Layout Replication. Discover the capabilities of this tool and see how it can enhance your project workflow by automating the replication of components and repetitive sections in a PCB layout.

Z2Data Webinar Cover Photo
On-Demand Webinar
Bridge the Information Divide: Altium 365 Meets Z2Data

Watch the webinar and get a sneak peek at revolutionizing your engineering, compliance, and procurement approach with Altium 365 and Z2Data integration. Leverage comprehensive component data and advanced risk management strategies to enhance resilience in your operations.

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New in Altium Designer 24
A True 3D Mechatronic Integrated Device Design in Altium Designer

The 3D layout tool for Mechatronic Integrated Device (MID) designs seamlessly merges electronic and mechanical elements, unlocking possibilities in diverse fields such as wearables, medical devices, and automotive components. To delve deeper into this innovative tool, watch our brand-new short video.

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Success Stories
Illuminating Night Races with Lazer Lamps

Light up the track and join us on an exhilarating journey into the world of night races as Lazer Lamps takes center stage, powered by Altium Designer. In this video you can experience the thrill of racing into the future with Lazer Lamps, guided by the precision and power of Altium Designer.

Blog
Simple Documentation for Hand PCB Assembly

Creating documentation for hand PCB assembly does not prevent the same documentation from being utilized to assist in automated PCB assembly. Learn more about the optimal format for this data to enhance both your hand PCB assembly and overall assembly processes.

Blog
Constraint Manager: Precision in Every Detail

Explore the powerful features of Altium Designer 24! Experience Constraint Manager and revolutionize your PCB design with reusable constraint sets, schematic-to-board rule transition, easy class and differential pair grouping, and more.

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Success Stories
The Future of 3D MID Design: Harting and Altium's Pioneering Collaboration

Discover the collaborative journey between Harting and Altium to revolutionize 3D circuit design in this informative video. Learn about the evolution from traditional 2D to innovative 3D circuit design, made possible through Altium Designer’s advanced 3D MID capabilities.

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How-To's
Minimize Manual Effort With Automatic Length Tuning

Wishing you a Happy New Year! We invite you to join us for the first video of the year. Unlock the power of Automatic Length Tuning in Altium Designer. This feature is seamlessly integrated into the main Route menu in 2D mode, streamlining your design process for enhanced precision and efficiency.

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How-To's
Happy Holidays!!!

Altium sending you warm wishes for Christmas filled with all the things that bring you joy, surrounded by the people you love and may your dreams blossom and make all your aspirations come true in the coming year.

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Blog
How to Select Copper Foil for High-Frequency PCB Design

The PCB materials industry has spent significant amounts of time developing materials that provide lowest possible signal loss for products with RF applications. For high speed and high frequency designs, losses will limit signal propagation distance and distort signals, and it will create an impedance deviation that can be seen in TDR measurements. In this article, we'll look at the balance between copper foil losses and other types of losses in a PCB, as well as some strategies that are commonly used to overcome roughness.

Blog
Altium Designer 22.8 Update

We are happy to announce that the Altium Designer 22.8 update is now available. Altium Designer 22.8 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!

What is Hybrid Beamforming?
Blog
What is Hybrid Beamforming?

In this article, we’ll look at beamforming implementation in an advanced method combining analog and digital techniques, known as hybrid beamforming. This method blends both digital and analog techniques to create multiple beams and thus reach multiple users with varying intensities. In the case of an RF imaging system or a radar system, hybrid beamforming in a MIMO technique also allows tracking of multiple targets with adjustable resolution.

Is your via impedance calculator accurate?
Blog
Why Most Via Impedance Calculators Are Inaccurate

The problem with every via impedance calculator that I have seen is simple: they are incomplete or totally wrong. The “incomplete” part refers to a lack of context; these calculators can roughly reproduce a well-known estimate from a legend like Howard Johnson in his Digital Design textbooks. However, these calculators never provide insight into what they are actually calculating, or where the calculated via impedance is accurate. Keep reading to see why these calculators get it so wrong, as well as the context surrounding via impedance.

Blog
Buck Converter Simulation in Altium Designer

When designing high power circuits (usually very high voltage and/or current), you’ll need to create a regulator from scratch and place it in your PCB layout. It's also the case that you may want to model a real component using discretes in a simulation in order to qualify the system's expected operating regime. As part of buck converter design, you can easily run a buck converter simulation directly in Altium Designer’s schematic editor. Here’s how you can access these features in the newest version of Altium Designer. 

PCIe 6.0 Overview
Blog
Overview of the PCIe 6.0 Standard

Just as you get used to PCIe 5.0, they decide to release another standard! The newest iteration of PCIe is Gen6, or PCIe 6.0. PCIe 6.0 brings a doubling of channel bandwidth through introduction of PAM-4 as the signaling method in high-speed differential channels. This signaling method is a first for PCIe, and it’s an important enabler of the doubled data rate we see in the current standard. In this article, I’ll run over the important points in the standard and what PCB designers can expect when designing these channels.

SPI vs. I2C For Memory Access
Blog
SPI vs. I2C: How to Choose the Best Protocol for Your Memory Chips

One of the common implementations of SPI and I2C in a PCB layout is as a protocol for reading and writing to an external Flash memory. Flash chips are a very common component in embedded systems and can offer high capacities of non-volatile memory up to Gb values. When choosing a memory chip, you'll want to match the application requirements and functionality with the bus speed you need for read and write operations in your memory chip. There is also the matter of the type of Flash memory you'll need to access (NOR vs. NAND).

Blog
Is There an SPI Trace Impedance Requirement?

There is no SPI trace impedance requirement? The reality is that SPI lines only start to need impedance control when the length of the interconnect becomes very long. And because there is no specific impedance requirement in the bus, you have some freedom in channel design and termination. So what exactly qualifies as “very long” and when is some termination method needed? We’ll break it down in this article.

The Skin Effect and EM Fields
Blog
The Skin Effect, Current Density, and the Electromagnetic Field

During this year's AltiumLive CONNECT event, I recall receiving an interesting question about the skin effect and the distribution of current due to the presence of ground in coplanar transmission lines. In this article, we'll look at the electric field around a transmission line carrying a signal, and how this might be impacted by the skin effect.

Packaging for your PCBAs
Blog
What You Need for PCB Packaging and Shipping

When you get your PCBA back from an assembler, you’ll notice the packaging materials used to pack and ship the PCBA. Those materials are specific to electronics, and if you build products on behalf of clients, it’s important to know the packaging materials used for packing and shipping electronics. In this article I’ll show the main set of materials and equipment used to package electronics assemblies.

PCB Output files
Blog
How to Make PCB Gerber Files in Altium Designer Step-by-Step

Once you've got your PCB layout finished and you're ready to start preparing for manufacturing, one of the critical steps is to create PCB Gerber files. When you're ready to create your Gerber files, you need the right set of CAM processor tools that can take data from your PCB layout. In this article, we'll guide you through this process of how to make PCB Gerber files and show some example tasks you might need to perform to generate them.

Teardrops on Differential Pairs?
Blog
Should You Place Teardrops on Differential Pairs?

One of the major factors impacting reliability of a PCBA is the use of teardrops on traces in the PCB. Like many aspects of reliability, the considerations also span into the signal integrity domain, particularly as more high-reliability products require greater data handling capabilities and run at higher speeds. In this article, I’ll break down the issues present in teardrop usage on differential pairs and how these may affect impedance.

Broken PCB
Blog
The High-Reliability PCBA Design and Test Challenge

High-reliability electronics must go through multiple rounds of testing and qualification to ensure they can withstand their intended operating environment. Designing to performance standards, whether the baseline IPC standards or more stringent industry standards, is the first step in ensuring a reliable circuit board. In this e-book, readers will gain a thorough look into PCB testing and analysis, starting from basic tests performed on bare boards and completed assemblies.

Where to place AC Caps on PCIe Lanes
Blog
AC Coupling Capacitors in PCIe Routing

Coupling capacitors find plenty of uses in analog applications and on differential protocols, acting essentially as high pass filters that remove DC bias carried seen on a signal. In the case of PCIe, there are a few reasons to place AC coupling capacitors on differential pairs beyond the fact that AC coupling capacitors are listed in the standard. In this article, we’ll look briefly at where to place coupling capacitors on PCIe links, as well as the reasons these are placed on PCIe links.

Tuning dialog
Blog
Altium Designer 22.7 Update

We are happy to announce that the Altium Designer 22.7 update is now available. Altium Designer 22.7 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!

The Positive Impact of Supply Chain Visibility on Design to Cost
Blog
The Positive Impact of Supply Chain Visibility on Design to Cost

Design to cost is a lofty idea that is only perfectly executed when supply and demand for components are in perfect harmony. Unfortunately, the current landscape for component sourcing makes design to cost more of a balancing act rather than an exercise in price reduction. To help designers in their efforts to balance cost, capabilities, and procurement, we created this ebook to help users understand how modern supply chain tools can help in these complex design problems.

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Embedded thumbnail for EMI Solutions for Six-Layer PCB Stackups: A PCB Designer's Guide
How-To's
EMI Solutions for Six-Layer PCB Stackups: A PCB Designer's Guide

In our brand new video, our host Zach Peterson explores essential EMI solutions for six-layer PCB stackups, ensuring your designs achieve peak performance and reliability. Stay tuned as he delves into common issues, practical tips, and a detailed Altium Designer example to help you optimize your PCB designs.

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New in Altium Designer 24
Elevate Your Design Skills: Tips & Tricks for Success - Recording Preview

Unlock essential PCB design tips and tricks in our latest webinar recording. Learn how to streamline your workflow, tackle common challenges, and boost your productivity with Altium Designer. Check the recording here: COM August Webinar.

Embedded thumbnail for Finding Alternate Microcontroller Units (MCUs): Alternate Parts Series: Pt. 4
Octopart
Finding Alternate Microcontroller Units (MCUs): Alternate Parts Series: Pt. 4

Join Phil Salmony in the next part of our series dedicated to navigating the complexities of component substitutions. In this chapter, we'll demonstrate how to use Octopart to find suitable alternate microcontroller units (MCUs). Octopart will guide you in narrowing down critical parameters, helping you select the right component for your specific application.

Embedded thumbnail for Kickstart Your Rigid-Flex Journey: Part I - Introduction to Our Walkthrough Project
Kickstart Your Rigid-Flex Journey
Kickstart Your Rigid-Flex Journey: Part I - Introduction to Our Walkthrough Project

Join Piet Callemeyn in our new 4-part series on Rigid-Flex technology! Discover the full design process, from theory to final integration—perfect for all tech enthusiasts! Catch the premiere episode where our host breaks down the theory, use cases, and stackups of Rigid-Flex technology.

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New in Altium Designer 24
Achieve Perfect Signal Integrity: Introducing SI Analyzer by Keysight

The new SI Analyzer by Keysight lets you run signal integrity simulations directly in Altium Designer. Designed for speed and simplicity, it features an intuitive interface and provides helpful tips for a seamless experience. Learn more in our new introduction video about this feature.

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Altium Stories
Altium's Role in Accelerating Muddy Machines' Farming Robots

Is Altium Designer and Altium 365 can help in a food production industry? The answer is YES! Check how our software helps Muddy Machines be more efficient in a farming robots development process.

Embedded thumbnail for LDO Regulator Essentials: From Basics to Advanced. Part III: Stability Analysis
LDO Regulator Essentials
LDO Regulator Essentials: From Basics to Advanced. Part III: Stability Analysis

Join us for the third installment of our LDO Regulator Essentials series with Rafał Stępień. In this session, we'll dive into stability analysis using AC sweep simulations and explore how to address instabilities or phase and frequency response.

Embedded thumbnail for Import Component Footprints Faster with Altium Designer. Part III: Supply Chain Intelligence
Import Component Footprints Faster with Altium Designer
Import Component Footprints Faster with Altium Designer. Part III: Supply Chain Intelligence

Discover how to leverage supply chain intelligence in Altium Designer! Piet Callemeyn demonstrates enhancing Manufacturer Part Search with real-time data on component availability and pricing in the last chapter of the series about component creation.

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Altium Stories
Robotic Harvest: Securing Our Food Future

See how Altium's PCB design software, including Multi-board System Design and Harness Design capabilities, supports Muddy Machines, a company building autonomous robots for use in the agriculture industry. This video demonstrates the vital role of technology in creating resilient and efficient agricultural practices for the future.

Embedded thumbnail for Finding Alternate Field-Effect Transistors: Alternate Parts Series: Pt. 3
Octopart
Finding Alternate Field-Effect Transistors: Alternate Parts Series: Pt. 3

In Part 3 of "Expert Insights on Alternative Parts" series, Phil Salmony will demonstrate how Octopart identifies suitable alternative field-effect transistors (FETs). Octopart assists in narrowing down parameters to select the right component for any application. Learn to navigate Octopart's search and filtering tools to choose the best MOSFETs for your specific application.

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New in Altium Designer 24
Stay Ahead of the Curve: A Half-Year Review of Altium Designer Improvements - Recording Preview

In the last six months, we have implemented significant enhancements in Schematic Capture, PCB Design, and Harness Design in Altium Designer 24. Check out our webinar recording to learn how these new capabilities can keep you ahead in the electronics industry. You can find it here: July COM Webinar Recording

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Altium Stories
How Skeleton Technologies Uses Altium Solutions

Explore how Skeleton Technologies is transforming industries with their innovative supercapacitors made from “Curved Graphene” materials. These advancements are not only powering AI data centers and stabilizing electrical grids but are also unlocking new energy opportunities and driving progress towards a net-zero future.

Embedded thumbnail for LDO Regulator Essentials: From Basics to Advanced. Part II: Voltage Drop and Regulation
LDO Regulator Essentials
LDO Regulator Essentials: From Basics to Advanced. Part II: Voltage Drop and Regulation

We are returning to our LDO Regulator Essentials series. In this installment, we will focus on understanding the required dropout voltage, detecting when the regulator is out of regulation, and analyzing the performance of the LDO under higher current conditions.

Embedded thumbnail for LDO Regulator Essentials: From Basics to Advanced. Part I: Basics
LDO Regulator Essentials
LDO Regulator Essentials: From Basics to Advanced. Part I: Basics

We invite you to join us for a new video series on LDO (Low Dropout) Regulators. In this series, we will cover everything you need to know about LDO regulators, from fundamental theory to practical implementation. In the first video, we will begin with an in-depth chapter on the theory behind these devices and their implementation in Altium Designer.

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Wearable Design Project
Wearable Design Project - Part VII: PCB Layout part III

Check out the final installment of the video series on the Wearable Design Project. In this video, you will learn how to set the rigid and flex parts of the design, modify the board for the project, and complete the PCB routing. For a deeper dive into this project, you can find it on our Altium Community Workspace.

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New in Altium Designer 24
Optimize Connections and PCB Design with Wire Bonding

Experience our new wire bonding feature, designed to enhance connection integrity and improve PCB design efficiency. One of the main capabilities includes support for chip-up wire bonding configurations and easy validation of bond wiring in 3D view. Don’t miss this opportunity—participate in our Beta Program and be among the first engineers to explore this impressive feature.

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