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Analog Solar Tracker Project

In this article you can learn about light sensors while building an analog solar panel tracking system. This open-source project covers multi-channel design, window comparators, driving motors, and photosensors.

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Concept Phase – Initial CAD Design

We are continuing our journey through the open-source laptop project. This article explains an initialization of CAD design process from the early concept and brainstorming phase.

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How-To's
How to Reverse Engineer a PCB from Gerber Files

Have you ever done a reverse-engineering? In this video we walk you through the process how to prepare a PCB from Gerber files, using a variety of methods, including via CAMtastic in Altium Designer.

Blog
High-Speed PCB Design Tips

Essential tips for high-speed PCB designs, and when you need to start being concerned about how and where you route your traces.

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How-To's
How to Use Power Regulator Circuits in Series and Parallel

In this tutorial video we show you two ways to get more power out of your power supply using power regulator circuits in series and in parallel.

Introduction to Open Source Laptop Project
Blog
Introduction to Open Source Laptop Project

We have started a very exciting journey into the creation of an open source laptop project. This project will be an ongoing one, with our community able interactively participate. By utilizing Altium 365 users will be able to view, comment on, and download design files. This will be a great learning experience for new and experienced PCB designers.

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How-To's
Measuring in the PCB

Altium Designer gives you fine grained control over how you measure object distances in the PCB. When spacing is such a critical aspect of board layout, this control is absolutely necessary. We'll show you how to utilize the measure distance command and measure selected objects, as well as how to measure tracks and faces of 3D bodies.

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How-To's
Polygon: Polygon Creation

Learn how to create polygon pours to ensure proper copper distribution on your board.

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How-To's
How to work with cursors in the simulation results?

Cursors are one of the most indispensable tools for modeling results. They do not require long study, are easy to use and give an instant answer to the main questions.

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How-To's
3D view control

Learn how to use the 3D display mode of the PCB and learn to control the camera in this mode in this video.

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How-To's
Query Language: How to Easily Create Expressions

In this video the main tools which allow to simplify the process of building a query in Altium Designer will be considered. There are several such tools and each of them has its own limitations and peculiarities of use.

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How-To's
PCB Classes overview

Are there too many primitives on the board? Having trouble creating design rules? This video gives a brief overview of the classes of primitives that can be created on the board, as well as the possibilities for their further use.

Blog
Ebook: Routing High-Density Interconnects with Reliable Microvias

HDI PCBs take a particular approach to routing interconnects through multiple layers to ensure reliability during fabrication, assembly, and operation. The critical structure that enables this is microvias, which are prone to failure if not designed properly. In this e-book, readers will receive an initial look at the reasons microvia reliability has come into the spotlight and why HDI PCB designers put reliability first when routing through microvias.

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How-To's
Creating a BGA Footprint with the Footprint Wizard

Altium Designer makes it easy to create a BGA footprint using our IPC compliant footprint wizard. We'll show you how easily you can create and modify a BGA footprint using the footprint wizard.

Blog
IPC-2221 Calculator for PCB Trace Current and Heating

Aside from impedance and annular ring calculations, one of the other major formulas specified in the IPC 2221 standard relates temperature rise, trace width, and trace current. THere is also the IPC-2152 standard, both include this guidance on designing for thermal reliability, but which standard should we use?

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Blog
Streamlining Component Selection for Long Product Lifecycles

Electronic parts may now cycle from launch to end-of-life in just a few years, but many systems are expected to serve for 10–20+ years. Here’s how to build a component selection process that aligns engineering, procurement and design for longevity and stability.

Blog
Using ECAD Software to Track Part Availability During PCB Design

As component lead-times extend and obsolescence becomes a persistent threat, PCB projects demand more than schematic capture and layout tools alone. This article details how ECAD software with embedded supply-chain intelligence can: unify engineering and procurement teams; provide visibility into stock levels, lead times and alternates; and enable proactive risk mitigation within the design loop.

Blog
PCB Design Data Management Tips for Multi-Board Projects

In complex electronic systems, managing data from multiple printed circuit boards can quickly become a logistical challenge. This article outlines a structured workflow for handling both board-level and assembly-level design outputs, ensuring clarity and consistency across fabrication, assembly and product-level documentation.

Blog
What Is BOM Management? A Practical Guide to Avoiding Costly Part Mismatches

From design to production, effective Bill of Materials (BOM) management is critical to ensuring smooth collaboration between engineering, procurement, and manufacturing teams. In this practical guide, we break down proven strategies for structuring, maintaining, and synchronizing your BOM to prevent costly mistakes and accelerate time-to-market.

Blog
Requirements Portal Introductory Tutorials

This series of guided demos shows how the Altium Requirements Portal transforms scattered requirement spreadsheets and emails into traceable, version-controlled data that stays aligned with your PCB design efforts.

Blog
Bridging the Gap: When to Use Rigid-Flex Instead of Flex & Connector

Discover when a rigid-flex PCB is a better choice than a separate flex circuit and connector, especially for designs requiring compact packaging, repeated motion or high reliability. The article emphasizes that although rigid-flex needs more upfront planning and fabrication collaboration, it often pays off in simpler assemblies and improved performance.

Blog
How Structural Electronics Enables 3D, Flexible, and Wearable Integration

Structural electronics integrates electronic functionality directly into the physical structure of a product, eliminating the need for traditional circuit boards. This article examines how advances in materials, additive manufacturing, and flexible substrates are enabling compact, 3D, and wearable systems with enhanced performance and design freedom.

Blog
Most Common Causes of PCB Assembly Rework and Scrap

Many PCB assemblies fail not because of exotic faults, but due to basic issues like incorrect BOM entries or footprint mismatches that force rework or scrap. This article dives into the most common causes and how to prevent costly defects in your design-to-manufacturing process.

Blog
Behind the Scenes with AI Embedded Development

Forget one-shot AI hacks Ari Mahpour shows the thoughtful, sustainable way to integrate AI into embedded firmware development. Learn the core principles (planning gate, HAL abstraction, observability, timeout design) that can help you push your efficiency 5-10 times in real hardware projects.

Blog
We're heading to PCB West 2025!

Join Altium at PCB West 2025 in Santa Clara, CA, on October 1! Stop by Booth 300 for the official launch of the new Altium platform, built on the foundation of Altium Designer and Altium 365. Be sure to check out our live demos of Altium Develop and Altium Agile.

Blog
Peak Electrical Performance in Multi-Board Designs With Advanced Simulation and Compliance Tools

Moving from single-board to multi-board systems is a leap in complexity. You must manage not just routing, but power, signal integrity, mechanical fit, and regulatory requirements across boards. In this article, you’ll discover how Altium’s advanced simulation and compliance tools help engineering teams overcome these challenges and deliver reliable multi-board solutions.

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Embedded thumbnail for How to Edit or Manage Board Shape
How-To's
How to Edit or Manage Board Shape

Board shapes can be edited and managed several different ways in Altium Designer. We’ll show you how using 2D and 3D modes and models as well as importing from DXF or DWG.

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How to Work with Differential Pairs
How to define The Impedance Profile For a Coplanar Stripline

In this video, we show how to determine the impedance of a coplanar stripline. The impedance is configured on the Impedance tab of the Layer Stack Manager. When calculating the impedance, the Layer Stack Manager takes into account the material parameters and the distance to the return conductors.

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How-To's
How to Create Complex Keepout Shapes

Keepout regions are easy to create in Altium Designer, but they can be complex. We’ll show you a few ways to make creating your more complex keepout shapes easier and more efficient.

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How-To's
How to Use a Courtyard Layer for the Component Boundary

In this video, you will see how to use the courtyard layer as a component boundary.

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How To Work with High-Speed Projects
Creating High-speed Signal Classes with 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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Working with MCAD CoDesigner extension
MCAD CoDesigner Overview

The MCAD CoDesigner in Altium Designer allows for seamless design transfer between the Electrical and Mechanical designers. In this overview, we’ll show you how to transfer from Altium Designer to your CAD tool of choice, then how to resize the board, add mounting holes, add a new connector, and update the board design in Altium Designer.

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Working with MCAD CoDesigner extension
Bringing an MCAD Enclosure to ECAD

The Altium Designer MCAD CoDesigner panel and extension make it easy to move a 3D enclosure model from your MCAD tool to Altium Designer. We'll show you how and what to watch out for while your transferring your enclosure model to Altium Designer.

Embedded thumbnail for How to Perform a Component Search in Concord Pro - Altium Academy
How-To's
How to Perform a Component Search in Concord Pro - Altium Academy

In this video, I'll show you how to perform a component search in the Components Panel. Learn how to perform a component search in the Components Panel while using Altium Concord Pro to effectively host all your component libraries from Altium Designer. You can always locate any particular component using this library navigation and place it on your schematic with pricing information from global suppliers. This availability and pricing information gets updated daily directly from the suppliers so you will always get fresh, up to date information. 

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How to use Snapping
Snapping When Creating Polygons

When creating polygons you can use snap points to form fit your polygons to the exact size and shape you need. We’ll show you how to set your snap points, which ones are most helpful for creating polygons, and how to use the same techniques to create keep out and solder mask areas.

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Library Managment
Automatic Symbol Creation in Altium 365

In order to design your projects, you’ll need a set of components to work with. Although the integration of Octopart with Altium Designer gives us a large repertoire of components, you simply can’t have access to every component model in the world. We’re going to create a component in the Altium 365 workspace with the Symbol Creation Wizard.

Embedded thumbnail for Creating Differential Pairs in the PCB
How to Work with Differential Pairs
Creating Differential Pairs in the PCB

Learn how to create differential pairs in the PCB.

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Success Stories
From The Beatles to the PCB - VOX Story

Dave Clarke, R&D manager for VOX, walks us through his story of designing VOX amplifiers for electronic instruments as well as his love for music and electronics design. Be sure to subscribe to the Altium Stories channel to stay updated on new videos. Altium LLC is accelerating the pace of innovation through electronics. From individual inventors to multinational corporations, more PCB designers and engineers choose Altium software to design and realize their ideas. 

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Creating PCB Mounting Holes

Our PCB must somehow be assembled into the final drone assembly. This will be achieved by attaching our PCB to the motherboard connector and by special mounting racks, which requires precise positioning of the two mounting holes on the PCB.

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Working with PCB Keepouts

When working in the PCB, there may be specific areas that you would want to prevent the presence of certain objects, such as vias, tracks or copper regions. All of this can be realized in Altium Designer by using the Keepouts feature.

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Discovering Altium 365
Design Review Use Case

Design reviews are critical to being successful. Capture design discussions through contextual commenting in the web browser or in Altium Designer to ensure feedback is recorded and actioned effectively.

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Resolving Errors in the PCB

We’ve looked at how to set up the Design Rule Checker to help us analyze our PCB design errors. Now it’s time to resolve these errors and prep our design to start generating output files.

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