Common Op-Amp ICs and Selection Guidelines
Who doesn’t have a drawer full of LM741 op-amp ICs? Every engineer will develop an intimate relationship with op-amps during their electronics courses. These are fundamental circuits in analog electronics and are used as the building blocks for high-precision power systems, amplifiers, filters, and many other devices. You probably won’t be using the same op-amps […]
0402 Package Footprint: Resistor Sizes and Parameters
Electronic components come in all shapes and sizes, ranging from extremely complex land/ball grid array components to simple axial resistors and capacitors. If you have experience working with SMD components, you’re probably familiar with chip resistors and their wide range of package sizes. Among the smallest, and yet most popular, is the 0402 resistor, and […]
Component Selection in Electronic System Design
My wife makes meticulous grocery shopping lists for us every week and we go to the store each weekend to restock the fridge and pantry. We know exactly what we need when mapping out each week and it causes us to spend less time wandering the aisles in the grocery store. Likewise, before you create […]
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 […]
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 […]
Component Supply Chain Management Tips for Electronics Engineers
We all love that feeling when a great new design is being finalized. You’re probably busy making last minute adjustments to your routing and compiling deliverables for your manufacturer. Once you send your design off to your board house, you get that dreaded call, where an engineer tells you a critical component has gone obsolete, […]
Common Library Creation Errors – What NOT to Do When Designing Library Parts
PCB librarians and designers know that in order to execute a flawless design, your data has to be precise and accurate. In today’s design environment, there are a lot of external pressures on your design: size constraints, project timelines, and exacting design standards. Add complicated datasheets, non-intuitive design tools, and deadlines to the situation and […]