PCB Design
5025 articles · Page 3 of 210
Adapting To A Platform Based World: How PCB Layout and High-Speed Design Must Evolve
As semiconductor vendors, EDA tool providers, and ecosystem partners converge on standardized hardware-software platforms, PCB layout engineers must shift from component-level optimization to system-level platform fluency — with real implications for signal integrity, thermal management, and time-to-market.
Connector Design and Implementation for PROFIBUS PA: Ensuring Reliable Open Fieldbus Communication in Hazardous Environments
A technical deep dive into connector specifications, mechanical and electrical requirements, certification compliance, and layout best practices for PROFIBUS PA fieldbus systems — with real-world data from Pepperl+Fuchs, Endress+Hauser, and Phoenix Contact.
Lamps Meet Demanding Design Needs: Precision Engineering, Thermal Integrity, and Signal-Fidelity in Modern Lighting PCBs
How high-performance LED lamps—used in automotive headlights, surgical lighting, and industrial machine vision—push PCB design to its limits with stringent thermal, EMI, and signal-integrity requirements. Real-world case studies from Osram, Cree, and Lumileds illustrate how layout choices directly impact lumen maintenance, color shift, and functional safety compliance.
A General Purpose Pi Zero Device for IoT: Design, Layout, and Deployment Best Practices
A detailed engineering guide to building a production-ready, high-reliability Pi Zero-based IoT device—covering PCB layout, signal integrity, power delivery, thermal management, enclosure integration, and real-world validation using Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W, Texas Instruments TPS63051 DC-DC converters, and Murata LQW15AN series inductors.
Capacitive Attenuator Stands Up To Extreme Wear And Tear: Why PCB Layout Engineers Are Switching From Resistive Designs in Harsh-Environment Signal Conditioning
A deep technical analysis of capacitive attenuators—how their passive, non-contact architecture delivers unmatched longevity, thermal stability, and signal fidelity in aerospace, downhole drilling, and military electronics where resistive attenuators fail after 5,000–10,000 mating cycles.
Onsemi’s 11 Myths About Silicon Carbide: Busting Misconceptions with Data and Design Reality
A rigorous, engineering-focused debunking of widespread silicon carbide (SiC) misconceptions — covering thermal management, gate drive, EMI, cost, reliability, and layout — backed by onsemi’s latest NFETs, real-world measurements, and PCB design best practices.
20 V Step-Down DC-DC Non-Synchronous Regulators: Layout, Efficiency, and Real-World Design Tradeoffs
A technical deep dive into non-synchronous buck regulators stepping down from ≤20 V input to low-voltage rails—covering topology fundamentals, thermal management, PCB layout best practices, EMI mitigation, and comparative analysis of leading ICs from Texas Instruments, ON Semiconductor, and Diodes Inc.
Adapter Accepts CompactFlash Devices: Engineering Insights for Legacy Storage Integration
A technical deep dive into CompactFlash-to-USB/PCIe/SATA adapters—covering electrical signaling, mechanical tolerances, signal integrity challenges, and real-world performance benchmarks from brands like Delkin, Transcend, and StarTech.
Iddq Testing: Principles, Implementation, and Real-World Challenges in Modern IC Validation
A technical deep dive into Iddq testing—its physics-based foundation, practical implementation on 7nm to 28nm ASICs, measurement precision requirements, limitations at advanced nodes, and integration with ATE systems from Teradyne and Advantest.
China TV Selects ON2 Platform for 2024 Paris Olympics Video Delivery: Technical Architecture, Bandwidth Optimization, and Real-World Deployment Insights
An in-depth technical analysis of China Central Television’s (CCTV) deployment of the ON2 video platform for live Olympic coverage—covering encoder configurations, CDN topology, latency benchmarks, 4K/8K encoding profiles, and interoperability with SMPTE ST 2110-20 infrastructure.
10 Keysight PXIe Instruments Targeting 5G, Military/Aerospace, and Quantum Technologies
A technical deep dive into ten high-performance Keysight PXIe modular instruments—covering vector signal analyzers, arbitrary waveform generators, RF sources, digitizers, and quantum control systems—engineered for 5G NR FR2 validation, MIL-STD-461G EMI testing, AESA radar calibration, and superconducting qubit control at millikelvin temperatures.
Shanghai’s Sitri Integrates Xcerra’s MEMS Barometric Pressure Test Cell to Accelerate Sensor Validation for Automotive and IoT Applications
Shanghai Industrial Technology Research Institute (Sitri) has deployed Xcerra’s MPT-2000 MEMS Barometric Pressure Test Cell, enabling high-throughput, temperature-stabilized pressure cycling from 10 hPa to 1100 hPa with ±0.02% FS accuracy. This article details the technical integration, calibration traceability to NIST standards, thermal management architecture, and implications for China’s domestic sensor qualification ecosystem.
MCUs Heat Up: Thermal Impacts on Digital Loop Control in Real-Time Embedded Systems
How junction temperature rise degrades timing margins, increases jitter, and compromises closed-loop stability in modern microcontroller-based control systems — with measured data from STM32H7, RP2040, and ESP32-C6 platforms.
Semi Commends Senate Action to Confirm U.S. Trade Representative: Implications for Global Semiconductor Supply Chains and High-Speed PCB Design
The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) has formally commended the U.S. Senate’s bipartisan confirmation of Ambassador Katherine Tai as U.S. Trade Representative — a pivotal development with direct consequences for semiconductor trade policy, export controls, PCB manufacturing resilience, and high-speed signal integrity standards across North America, Taiwan, and the EU.
25V Op Amp Squirms Into SOT-23: How High-Voltage Precision Shrunk Without Sacrificing Stability
A deep technical analysis of modern 25V rail-to-rail op amps in the ultra-compact SOT-23-6 package—covering thermal limits, layout constraints, parasitic capacitance trade-offs, EMI resilience, and real-world validation data from TI, Analog Devices, and STMicroelectronics.
Frame Grabbers Come in PC/104-Plus Version: Rugged, Compact, and Ready for High-Speed Vision Applications
A technical deep dive into PC/104-Plus form factor frame grabbers — covering mechanical specs, electrical interfaces, thermal performance, real-world deployment cases, and vendor-specific implementations from companies like Sensoray, RTD Embedded Technologies, and National Instruments.
8-Bit Flash MCUs: How Modern Architectures Maximize Program Memory Options for Embedded Designers
A technical deep dive into how contemporary 8-bit Flash microcontrollers—from Microchip, STMicroelectronics, NXP, and Silicon Labs—deliver unprecedented program memory density, flexibility, and reliability through advanced flash technologies, multi-bank architectures, and intelligent memory management.
USB 2.0 Hubs That Support OTG: Engineering Insights for Reliable Host-Switching in Embedded and Peripheral Designs
A technical deep dive into USB 2.0 hubs capable of handling On-The-Go (OTG) functionality—covering electrical signaling requirements, protocol-level arbitration, real-world validation data from Anker, Belkin, and Plugable hubs, PCB layout constraints, and signal integrity trade-offs at 480 Mbps.
How Station Probes Automate Circuit Assembly Testing: Precision, Speed, and Signal Integrity in High-Volume Manufacturing
A technical deep dive into automated station probes for circuit assembly validation—covering mechanical design, signal integrity requirements, thermal management, vendor-specific implementations (Keysight, Teradyne, Chroma), IPC-6012-compliant test point specifications, and real-world throughput metrics from automotive ECUs and 5G mmWave modules.
What’s All This Floobydust Stuff Anyhow? Part 10: Controlled Impedance, Reference Planes, and the Real Cost of Floating Grounds
A no-nonsense deep dive into high-speed PCB layout pitfalls — from impedance discontinuities caused by split planes to measurable return path violations in DDR5 routing, with data from Keysight DSA91304A oscilloscopes, Cadence Allegro 17.4.1 simulations, and real-world validation on Intel Agilex FPGA carrier boards.
Cornell Researchers Say Fruit Flies Do Calculus: What High-Speed PCB Designers Can Learn from Neural Computation at 200 Hz
A landmark 2023 Cornell study reveals Drosophila melanogaster perform real-time calculus during evasive flight—using neural circuits that compute derivatives and integrals in under 50 ms. This article dissects the biophysics, translates findings to signal integrity challenges, and details how PCB layout engineers can apply biological timing constraints to high-speed routing.
Cable Pair Twist Technology Takes Aim At Gigabit Applications
How precision-controlled pair twisting in high-speed copper cables mitigates crosstalk, improves impedance stability, and enables reliable 1 Gbps+ operation over Cat6A, Cat7, and emerging Cat8.0 infrastructure — with real-world measurements from Belden, CommScope, and Siemon.
Conversion Aversion: What Is the Design Therapy?
Conversion aversion is a measurable, high-speed PCB design pathology where signal integrity degrades due to impedance discontinuities at layer transitions—especially during vertical routing through vias. This article defines the phenomenon, quantifies its impact using real-world data from PCIe Gen5, DDR5, and USB4 designs, and presents a validated 'Design Therapy' methodology grounded in empirical stackup analysis, via modeling, and layout discipline.
Precision in Practice: High-Fidelity Test Measurement for High-Speed PCB Design
A rigorous, engineer-to-engineer examination of test measurement fundamentals—covering oscilloscope bandwidth validation, TDR impedance profiling, jitter decomposition, and calibration traceability—with real-world data from Keysight, Tektronix, and Rohde & Schwarz instruments.