By Stephen V. Chavez Last year on the Printed Circuit Podcast I talked with Andre Mosley , a seasoned professional in the field of electronics design, about the critical aspects of managing electronic libraries and design data. This discussion shed some light on the foundational elements, best practices, and ongoing challenges we face in the industry today. Defining the foundation of electronics and electronic libraries Mosley began by clarifying a common misconception in the

By Andre Mosley When it comes to electronic systems design, I’m often asked what a robust library and design data management system should include. A centralized library and design data management system should cover the full spectrum of data utilized in developing individual circuit boards or multi-board systems connected by cables. The types of data can be broken down into four categories: Library models : Components, metadata, documents, and electrical models allowing for

By David Wiens The demand for high-speed and efficient RF (Radio Frequency) PCB design has never been greater. With billions of IoT devices expected to come online in the coming years, the necessity for RF design capabilities supporting ultra-fast 5G speeds is becoming increasingly apparent. The 5G revolution: why extreme speed support is crucial Several factors are driving the demand for extreme 5G speed support in RF PCB design. These include: IoT: the Internet of Things is

By Jim Martens The demand for electronics with gigahertz wireless technology, as well as IoT consumer devices have both increased dramatically. This has resulted in the subsequent increase of RF circuitry on designs, which will only continue as we move into the future. The unique design requirements of RF designs An engineer recently told me that their design only had about 10% RF circuitry on it, but that 10% takes up 90% of their design time to complete! This is because RF

High Density Interconnect (HDI) is being used more often to meet the growing need for more complex designs in smaller form factors. Beyond some of the more obvious electrical effects of using smaller vias, there is also an impact to the power integrity of a board using HDI. This includes different effects of mounted inductances of decoupling capacitors, changes in plane performance due to reduction in perforation from chip pinouts, and the inherent plane-capacitance changes f

Advancements in IC packaging manufacturing, combined with the exploding costs of designing monolithic ICs on today’s advanced process nodes, have given rise to a growing trend of disaggregating large SoCs into smaller dies and chiplets. This increased design complexity requires iterative multi-physics analysis during the floorplanning stage and optimization of the design for PPA and cost goals, significantly raising the barrier for project success. Trying to employ traditiona

Designing a printed circuit board can be a complex task if the application you are using does not provide the appropriate automation. Simplify the entire process by providing automation where it’s the most important. PADS Professional Premium delivers everything you need to design your simplest to most complex PCB designs. Full function, yet easy to use, with features and technologies like: Routing automation Can reduce PCB layout time by up to 80 percent. With electronics de

By Ray Macias and Gregory Beers PCB routing is one of the most enjoyable parts of PCB design , but also the most time consuming. It may take only a week to layout your board, but it could take you three months to route it unless you have the appropriate automation tools. PCB routing technology is more advanced than in years past, and yet, you can still be very creative and make a beautiful design. It makes sense to take advantage of the tools that are available to you when ro

By Stephen Chavez In the world of PCB design, PCB routing plays a pivotal role in ensuring the efficiency and functionality of electronic circuits. Let’s explore the various PCB routing techniques, and shed some light on interactive routing, auto routing, and the empowering realm of sketch routing. Interactive routing: mouse-driven precision Interactive routing, the standard approach adopted by PCB designers across various PCB design tools, involves meticulous control over t