Using EPW Files? Utilize Universal File Formats Instead
EPW files are a common pointer for CAD data, but you should consider vendor-neutral formats instead. Successful electronics design is all about having the right CAD models for your components, both electronic and mechanical. Your new PCB and its components come alive inside your CAD application, but you still need to access model data to […]
SMD Component Datasheets: Mastering Enclosure Constraints and Connectivity
SMD components are not going away anytime soon, thanks to their low cost and low profile. SMD components come in a variety of standardized packages that make manufacturing and assembly with automated equipment much easier. The size of an SMD component can range from a large FPGA measuring inches across to a small resistor […]
How to Use an E Parts Finder to Speed Up Your Component Selection
If you’re a designer, then you know how irritating it can be to find component information quickly and easily. I’ve often selected a part for a new design and started drawing up schematics, only to realize the part was obsolete, had gone NRND, or was out of stock. With many hours of design time […]
LGA Package Footprints and the Difficulty in Finding Full Package Models
Most HDI (high density interconnect) designers and many high speed designers are familiar with BGA (ball grid array) components, which provide a way to connect dense, high pin-count components to a PCB. These components function as a standard flip-chip BGA, but without solder balls for surface-mounting. LGA (land grid array) packages are designed to […]
How to Read a Component Datasheet: Parameters, Cautions, and Selection Processes
If you’ve worked with a component before and you’re very familiar with its specifications, you probably won’t need to read a datasheet. Whenever you’re comparing new components, or you need to know the limits of a new component, it’s critical that you scan through a datasheet to find the information you need. Some […]
Mechanical Properties: An MCAD Parts Search for Production Team Integrity
Sleek enclosures with tight curves are all the rage for new electronics. Intricate enclosures need precise mechanical designs, which are best provided by professional CAM engineers. Anyone that has worked on a diverse design team at a board house or a prominent electronics company knows how important mechanical design is for usability and user experience. […]
An IC Footprint Library for Your Component Data Needs
The stencil shown above is required to etch copper in your circuit board and create conductor patterns. Doing this accurately takes skill and precision equipment, but it also takes accurate footprints in your IC footprint library. Your Gerber files are created directly from your layout data, and your layout data is generated directly from […]
Work With 3D Electronic Component Models in Your Circuit Design
With newer products becoming more complex and requiring strict mechanical constraints, your next device will need to feel the skillful touch of a CAM engineer. MCAD programs for PCB design can be used to carefully design a sleek enclosure around your 3D electronic component models. You need to be sure your enclosure fits around your […]
Electronic Parts Search, or EPS: Engineering at the Speed of Innovation
Symbols, footprints, and models can be difficult to find, but they are part of the foundation of any new electronic product. These important pieces of information need to be accurate representations of a component and need to be usable by your CAD software. It can be difficult to find correct component data and I’ve seen […]
Top Four Recommendations for Component Courtyard Management
Your component courtyards are a useful tool for ensuring components have sufficient space between them. This is a critical part of design and assembly; you need to make sure your components have enough space such that they can be hand assembled, arranged with a pick-and-place machine, or wave soldered. Your courtyard information can be easily […]