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High-Speed PCB Design

High-speed PCB designs use signals with fast edges, where devices switch state so quickly that the transition is complete before the signal finishes traveling between components. Interconnects in high-speed PCB designs need precise impedance matching, and routing should account for potential losses, distortion, EMI, and crosstalk along the interconnect. Proper transmission line design, layout, and routing can help minimize these problems. Browse our library of resources to learn more about successful high speed board layout and transmission line design in a printed circuit board.

High-Speed Design in Altium Designer Intro to High-Speed Design (Webinar) Key Elements of High-Speed Design Lee Ritchey Podcast Tackling High-Speed Design (Documentation)

Transmission Line Reflection Coefficient View a numerical example of the transmission line reflection coefficient and how simulations can help you understand the results. Read Article

Best DC Laboratory Bench Power Supplies of 2021 A guide to power supplies, related requirements, technological tradeoffs, and recommended brands and models. Read Article

59:55 Altium Designer® 21: A Better Way To Design The design process often requires repetitive work with tedious tasks. Altium Designer 21 represents a better way to design by Watch Video

Analyzing Crosstalk on FIFO and DDR4 Parallel Bus Interfaces Do you need to spot crosstalk on a parallel bus? Use a field solver that integrates with your PCB design and layout tools. Read Article

Key Elements of High-Speed PCB Design Understanding the Challenge How Long is too Long? Matching the Impedances Where does the Return Energy Flow? Differential Pairs What about Vias? Crosstalk Dancing in Time The Board The Materials The Layers Possible Layer Stackups Understanding the Challenge The purpose of this article is to introduce the key elements of high-speed design and then discuss how each of those elements is tackled in Altium Designer. This article does not attempt to Read Article

How To Design the Perfect PCB Stack Up With Altium Designer In the last 20+ years, electronics have become increasingly more complex. Board density is always being pushed to the limits, EMC/EMI regulations evolved and got stricter, and edge rates have become smaller. Therefore, the PCB Layout engineer needs a good understanding of EMC, PDN, EMI, and SI in order to route a modern PCB with confidence. In this article we’ll talk about some of the considerations we should have in order to create a PCB stackup Read Article

Using ESD Grounding Techniques to Protect Your PCB from Electrical Damage I was in high school before I considered engineering as a career outside of the engine room on any Star Trek show. Although, subconsciously I was definitely interested in it. The signs were there early considering I could name all the chief engineers from Star Trek. The deal was sealed though when I was ridiculously excited to receive an ESD grounding wrist strap bracelet as a gift. Don’t have one in your jewelry box? Well, it’s composed of Read Article

The Best EDA Software for PCB Design You don’t have time for underperforming tools that are difficult to learn and use, you need the best EDA software for PCB design that you can get; Altium Designer. ALTIUM DESIGNERThe most powerful, modern and easy-to-use PCB design tool for professional use.You’ve got a job that needs to be done and that means the printed circuit board design is your responsibility. You don’t have time for PCB design tools that are underpowered and second rate Read Article

What is High Speed Design? Learn more about what is high speed design and how to successfully design and route your high speed PCB layout. Read Article

8 Things you Need to Know about Copper Copper roughness has an impact on high-speed digital designs. Choose your copper wisely. John Coonrod gives us pro tips when picking the most suitable copper to use on your next design. Read Article

EMI Shielding Techniques You Can Use in Your PCB Design Software Electromagnetic interference (EMI) is such a problem that governments around the world have placed limits on the amount of EMI an electronic device is allowed to generate or receive. Your electronic device needs to be designed to prevent unintentional radiation and suppress conducted noise up to a very high frequency value. This is not a simple matter of adding filtering on every circuit in your PCB layout, it’s about considering the entire Read Article

Get the Most From Your Power Supply Design Software Power supplies can be difficult to design and layout as they require attention to safety and efficiency. Everything from isolation to thermal management needs to be considered in these systems, and designers need to have a complete set of design features to create reliable power supplies. In addition, power supplies tend to have mechanical constraints imposed by the enclosure, and these need to be considered when creating a PCB layout for a power Read Article

Guide to High Speed PCB Layout Techniques in Altium Designer High speed PCB layout and routing can be complex and requires many diverse considerations. Important layout and routing guidelines for your design span everything from trace widths on transmission lines to ground pour clearances, return path tracking, defined characteristic impedance, and much more. Simple design software packages simply can’t handle all of these constraints at once, leaving the circuit board designer to manually check every Read Article

Importance of Signal Integrity for High Speed Designs in Your ECAD Software High speed PCB designs use digital components that have very fast edge rates in their output signals. These components are commonly called “high speed,” and the signals they source can experience significant degradation in standard PCB materials. Signal integrity for high speed PCB designs is important for ensuring data can be passed between components on a PCB, and to ensure signals can be interpreted by a receiver component. There is also the Read Article

Follow Mixed Signal PCB Design Guidelines With the Best CAD Tools Mixed signal PCB design guidelines require satisfying basic digital and analog design rules and preventing signal interference. Mixed-signal boards can be difficult to lay out without the right PCB design tools, and component placement is just as important as routing and stackup design. With the best PCB design software in Altium Designer, you can take your mixed-signal electronics from concept to finished product in a single application. You’ll Read Article

How to Design and Fabricate a 4-Layer PCB Stackup with Altium Designer Every PCB design project starts with a stackup that has clearly defined signal and plane layers. Make sure you choose the right stackup for your design and make sure you design your stackup to comply with your fabricator’s requirements. A 4-layer PCB stackup may seem simple, but it needs to be designed with the right layer arrangement to ensure correct fabrication and impedance. Utilize the right PCB design software that helps you build the best Read Article

IPC Classes and Complying with IPC Standards for PCB Design Whether you work in electronics design, manufacturing, or even defense, the alphabet soup of standards organizations is extensive and may seem daunting. The IPC standards are among the most widely accepted and important standards for PCB design and manufacturing. IPC standards will influence how a designer creates their board and how they will prepare it for production in different industries. These standards are meant to ensure performance and Read Article