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PCB Stackup Basics
Blog
PCB Stackup Basics

In comparison to the build-up of a PCB, the stackup is more concerned with the electrical type of each layer, that is are we working with signals, power, or ground. Continue reading to learn how you can optimize your layer stack.

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How-To's
Draftsman Document: Snapping

Snapping using the grids and snapping tools in Altium Designer’s Draftsman Editor gives you a lot of control over how you create and annotate primitives and components. We’ll show you how easy it is to use snapping in the Drafstman Editor.

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How-To's
High Speed: XSignals

You can create, configure, and utilize xSignals in Altium Designer to make your design process more efficient and effective. We’ll show you how to do it manually, using the more comprehensive Create xSignals command, and using the xSignal wizard.

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How-To's
DFM and fab cost/time constraints: What is annular ring and how to configure it

The minimum dimension from the wall of the aperture to the edge of the pad is called an annular ring, and we can configure it with Altium Designer. We’ll show you how to get started and manage the annular ring in your design rules.

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How-To's
Altium 365 Getting Started: Gerber Compare

The task of comparing different versions of manufacturing files usually arises when the electrical engineer needs to check and confirm the manufacturer's edits or clarify details of changes before starting production. In Altium 365 you can perform an automatic comparison of Gerber files.

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Working with Polygons
Polygon Pours

Polygon pours are used to create copper geometries on your board. You can prioritize polygon pour order, hide them to make it easier to work on your board, and repour them to resolve design rule conflicts.

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How-To's
How to Use the MCAD CoDesigner?

This video shows how the ECAD and MCAD engineers now can communicate directly while staying within their own design environment. The MCAD engineer is able to push design information directly from their design software straight into Altium Designer. Any changes can be reviewed, accepted, or denied by the receiving party. This process of pushing and reviewing design changes is bi-directional, meaning that both the MCAD or ECAD engineer can push and review changes to the other. 

chip with neon illumination
Blog
How Does the Package PDN Impact Power Integrity?

Whenever we say something to the effect of “components can’t work without a correctly designed PCB,” we only have to look at component packaging for evidence. It is true that component packages come with parasitics that affect signal integrity, but there is one area that we don’t often look at in terms of component packaging: power integrity.

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How to use Snapping
Creating Additional Snap Points Using a 3D Model

Demonstration of using snap points with 3D models and how they can assist in the placement of said models.

electrical circuit with microcontroller
Blog
Designing Custom Hardware with Microcontrollers

In this article, we’ll look at all that is required to start creating your own custom microcontroller-based hardware designs. You’ll see that there actually isn’t too much to this, as microcontroller manufacturers over the years have tried to make the learning curve less steep and their devices more, and more accessible. This is both from an electrical point of view but also – equally importantly – from a programming point of view.

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Working with Polygons
Polygon Connect Styles

Define how vias and pads connect to polygons with a design rule. Customize the thermal relief width, number, and rotation as well as the air gap width.

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How to Work with Classes
How to work with Component Classes?

Modern printed circuit boards can contain a large number of components, which makes them difficult to work with. In this video we will show what component classes can be on a PCB, how to create custom component classes and how they can be useful for us. 

high-speed printed circuit board
Blog
Guide to Low-Dk PCB Materials

If you’ve taken time to learn about PCB material options and layer constructions, you have probably seen the wide range of materials that are available on the market. Materials companies produce laminates with varying Dk values, Tg values, weave styles, CTI values, and mechanical properties to target various applications in the electronics industry.

printed circuit board, photo by the author
On-Demand Webinar
Learn to Collaborate Like a Pro with Altium Designer 23

Get ready to speed up your design process with new Altium Designer collaboration capabilities. Designing a PCB is a team effort. Engineers must work with customers, manufacturers, and other stakeholders to get the best results. You need help to bring your design to life, even if you're a one-person team.

freeway in the background of the city
Blog
Designing for V2X Communication: Wireless Protocols and Standards

If you’re waiting for truly connected cars on a grand scale, there is still a massive amount of work to be done, both on the hardware and software sides. Connected cars can only become a widespread reality once the automotive industry and telecom carriers can decide which protocol will work best for vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication. PCB designers will then need to step in to create these systems and fit them into a vehicular environment.

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How to use Snapping
Create and Snap to a Circular Grid (Polar Grid)

Instructional on how to create polar grids, how to snap to them, and why you might want to use them.

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Working with Polygons
How to Connect Polygons to Nets

This video covers how to easily connect a polygon to a net using just two clicks. With the Properties panel open and a polygon selected, click the "Assign net" button in the Properties panel.

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Getting Started with A365
Altium 365 Getting Started: Gerber Compare

The task of comparing different versions of manufacturing files usually arises when the electrical engineer needs to check and confirm the manufacturer's edits or clarify details of changes before starting production. In Altium 365 you can perform an automatic comparison of Gerber files. 

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Blog
Signal Integrity Principles based on Altium Designer 24

Check out this article where Rafał Stępień dives into the essentials of maintaining signal integrity in high-speed digital systems. Discover key techniques like controlling signal reflections, reducing crosstalk, and designing differential pairs in Altium Designer 24 to ensure reliable and efficient PCB performance.

RSP Launch Cover
Blog
Launch of Requirements & Systems Portal in Altium 365

The Requirements & Systems Portal is now live in Altium 365! Engineers can write, manage, and verify requirements within the Altium 365 workspace. You can link your requirements directly to schematics and PCB designs to ensure all engineers are working with the latest data. Request access today!

Blog
Favorite Tools for BOM Review

Check out our article, where Lawrence Romine shares his top tools for conducting efficient Bill of Materials (BOM) reviews in PCB design. It highlights key features in Altium 365, Octopart, and ActiveBOM that help engineers avoid unsourceable components and streamline procurement.

Blog
Simple Strategies to Reach 10% PCB Cost Reduction

Our new article outlines strategies to achieve a 10% reduction in PCB costs by optimizing design and material choices, such as adjusting stack-up materials and hole sizes, using lower-cost parts, and considering single-sided assembly. These techniques help reduce expenses without sacrificing quality.

Blog
Say Goodbye to EDA Software Vendor Lock

Check how Altium 365 helps eliminate EDA software vendor lock by enabling multi-CAD support in the cloud. This allows users to work with different CAD file formats within a single platform, enhancing collaboration and reducing the need for additional licenses. This approach offers greater flexibility and is set to transform the industry.

Blog
The Ultimate Introduction to High-Speed Signal Integrity for PCB Designers

High-speed signal integrity is essential in PCB design to ensure data accuracy and system reliability. Key issues like impedance mismatches, crosstalk, and signal reflections need to be addressed through strategies such as controlled impedance traces, differential pairs, and suitable material choices. Check out our first article of the series about this topic.

Blog
Multi-Board PCB Signal Integrity: A Complete Guide

Our new article on signal integrity in multi-board PCBs covers essential aspects like connector pinouts, cable designs, and interconnect strategies. These factors ensure reliable performance in high-speed applications across industries such as military, aerospace, and AI.

Blog
Multi-CAD Support Will Be a Game Changer for Electronics Design Teams

Discover how multi-CAD support is transforming electronics design with Altium 365 by enabling seamless integration of diverse CAD file formats. This innovation addresses vendor lock-in issues, boosting collaboration, version control, and project management across different CAD tools.

Blog
Pi.MX8 Project - Board Layout Part 4

We invite you to explore a new chapter in the PiMX8 Project, focusing on the final stages of PCB layout design for the Pi.MX8 compute module. This installment covers critical topics such as routing power planes and signal delay tuning, essential for ensuring proper functionality and performance.

Blog
How Thermoformed Flex PCB’s are Designed and Fabricated

Thermoformed flexible PCBs are specially designed and fabricated by heating and molding them into specific shapes, making them suitable for compact and complex applications like automotive dashboards and wearable devices. This process involves precise temperature control and careful handling to ensure durability and quality. Discover more from Tara Dunn's new article.

Blog
Boost Connection Integrity and Design Efficiency with Wire Bonding

Altium Designer's wire bonding feature enhances PCB design by supporting chip-up configurations for Chip on Board (CoB) designs. It offers easy validation of bond wiring in 3D views, ensuring accurate and efficient design processes. Check more about this feature on Altium's new feature page.

Blog
How High Frequency SMD Passives Work in a PCB Layout

High-frequency surface-mount device (SMD) passives like resistors and capacitors play a crucial role in PCB layouts, particularly in circuits operating above 1 GHz. Our article explores how these components function at high frequencies, their operational limits, and the importance of considering parasitic elements in design.

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Embedded thumbnail for Configuring the Vias Annular Ring
DFM and Fabrication Cost/Time Constraints
Configuring the Vias Annular Ring

The minimum dimension from the wall of the aperture to the edge of the pad is called an annular ring, and we can configure it with Altium Designer. We’ll show you how to get started and manage the annular ring in your design rules.

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RF PCB Design
Design RF PCB: RF Materials for PCB

Unlike an ideal environment, PCB materials introduce losses into the propagated signal. In this, we tried to figure out what materials to choose for RF printed circuit boards.

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DFM and Fabrication Cost/Time Constraints
Design for Manufacturing (DFM) Overview

During your design process, there are simple steps you can take to focus on Design for Manufacturing, or DFM. Altium Designer has a unique set of tools you can use to make the DFM process efficient ensuring manufacturability. In this overview video, we’ll talk about some of topics covered in upcoming videos about the DFM tools Altium Designer offers you.

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Working with MCAD CoDesigner extension
Fixing Broken Component Models

If you have a broken component model that won’t transfer properly from ECAD to MCAD, Altium Designer will help. We’ll show you how to use the Make PCB Library tool, the Extract 3D models tool, and your MCAD tool to correct broken components and make them usable.

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Query Language
Query Language: What is It For?

A PCB project contains many different objects. How to manage them? How to find the right ones quickly and efficiently? This video starts the series about query language. Learn the language commands and how to use them and expand your possibilities!

Embedded thumbnail for Maintaining MCAD Constraints During Exchange
Working with MCAD CoDesigner extension
Maintaining MCAD Constraints During Exchange

The Altium Designer MCAD Co-designer panel and extension give you a few tools to create a model that is unified during the ECAD MCAD Exchange. We'll show you how to make sure your models are transferred correctly across the ECAD MCAD exchange.

Embedded thumbnail for Design RF PCB: Plane Connect -direct
RF PCB Design
Design RF PCB: Plane Connect -direct

It is bad practice to use thermal reliefs to connect pads in RF path circuits. We'll show you how to quickly and easily change pad-to-polygon connection style to direct connection.

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How to work with Selection
Precise Selection with PCB Filter

Narrowing down a precise and accurate selection of objects can be difficult on a crowded board. Learn about the PCB Filter panel, how to use it to create queries to select objects on the PCB, and how to create design rules from these queries.

Embedded thumbnail for Rigid-Flex Board Shape Design in MCAD
Working with MCAD CoDesigner extension
Rigid-Flex Board Shape Design in MCAD

The MCAD Codesigner allows you to design or edit your board shape in the MCAD environment and have it pushed back to Altium Designer. We’ll show you how to configure the board shape, rigid and flex regions, and mounting holes.

Embedded thumbnail for Design RF PCB: routing (any angle, arc)
RF PCB Design
Design RF PCB: routing (any angle, arc)

It is worth taking a responsible approach to the shape and size of the RF signal conductors. In this video we will cover some practical aspects of working with routing such nets in Altium Designer.

Embedded thumbnail for Component Placement in Rigid-flex PCB
Working with MCAD CoDesigner extension
Component Placement in Rigid-flex PCB

With the MCAD CoDesigner you can quickly add and move components from your MCAD tool and update the design automatically in Altium Designer. We’ll show you how to add a new component, move components, change a component’s region in MCAD, and update your design in Altium Designer.

Embedded thumbnail for Transmission lines (coplanar)
RF PCB Design
Transmission lines (coplanar)

The boards use transmission lines to carry high-frequency signals. In addition to microstrip lines, coplanar transmission lines with a ground reference polygon are often found on boards. Coplanar transmission lines propagate the same wave type as microstrip transmission lines, but the electromagnetic field is more concentrated near the conductor, so coplanar lines have lower losses at high frequencies, less dispersion, and less interference to adjacent circuits.

Embedded thumbnail for How to Reuse Board Shapes in MCAD
Working with MCAD CoDesigner extension
How to Reuse Board Shapes in MCAD

You can use the MCAD Co-designer panel to reuse your board shape or geometry in your PCB. We’ll show you how to use the MCAD Co-designer panel in Altium Designer and how to copy your board shape and geometry from your MCAD tool to Altium Designer.

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How to work with Selection
Selection filter - Panel Properties and PCB

Learn how to configure the types of selected objects using the Selection Filter. In addition, you will learn about the Post Selection Filter and its features.

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Working with MCAD CoDesigner extension
PCB Origins During the ECAD MCAD Exchange

Origins can vary from your MCAD tool and Altium Designer. With the MCAD Co-Designer panel Altium Designer can keep track of your origin point and make sure your design changes are exchanged correctly.

Embedded thumbnail for Global Editing Using Find Similar Objects
How to work with Selection
Global Editing Using Find Similar Objects

Editing multiple objects one by one can be a very time consuming process. Altium Designer makes this easy and efficient with the Find Similar Objects tool, which allows you to globally select and edit multiple objects at once.

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