PCB assembly machine

What is the PCB Design Process?

The PCB design process can be different depending on your company, but the fundamental aspects are all the same –…

PCB Designer on Valor NPI

How do you track changes made to your CAM files?

PCB DFM comparison of CAM files CAM Compare is a popular DFM tool that comes packaged with every version of…

PCB manufacturing capabilities

Why is Design for Manufacturing important?

Who is PCB DFM for? For those of us that have climbed a mountain to take in the gaze of…

PCB material selection

Choosing the right laminate for your PCB design

A balanced approach to material selection involves understanding and considering more than just electrical parameters. In general, with dielectric materials, every parameter that improves performance comes at a marginal increase in cost. Because of this, ensuring that you don’t overdesign within your materials is quite important.

IC PCB DFT image

Proactive Design for Test (DFT) best practices

The process of PCB DFT needs to be considered sooner and more proactively in our PCB design process, incorporated in the schematic phase, not during the layout phase. A designer should determine what nets will be needed to be tested based on their likelihood of failure and position those pins in open, accessible real-estate.

Z-planner Stackup design overview.

Practical advice on PCB stackup planning

The more technology advances, the more attention we must pay to every aspect of printed circuit board (PCB) design, including…

PCB stackup with material and copper

PCB Stackup Design e-book

While not the final word on the subject of stackups, Bill’s e-book goes a long way to helping you plan ahead, providing an important voice in a space that is surprisingly lacking in content. I would also recommend exploring Z-planner Enterprise, a stackup tool that Bill has spent years developing. Now all you need is a sharp pencil.

Valor Part Library PCB footprint

Valor Parts Library: What You Need to Know

Validating the PCB footprint with a comprehensive component library Are you familiar with the Valor Parts Library? Whether you are…

PCB stackup planning

How do you do PCB Stackup Planning?

Being able to quickly qualify materials based on your known electrical tolerances, and not upon the materials availability of your selected fabricator is key for efficient stackup design. This allows you to optimize the design around the available materials and take complete control of your stackup.