This involves placing components and lying down electrical paths (pathways for current flow) on a substrate in a logical manner to ensure that the circuit functions properly. The schematic is then converted into a three dimensional graphical rendering which is used to manufacture the PCB. It is important to understand everything that will be going into the design so the designer can plan accordingly, The first step is to create a two-dimensional schematic that shows how each component is connected and the circuitry involved. Circuit designers need to understand the purpose and functionality of the board. PCB Design is a Multi-Stage ProcessĪs technologies become increasingly more complex, it can be difficult to design a printed circuit board (PCB). Altium recently announced Altium Education, a new series of online learning modules that are targeted at students and newcomers to the field.Īltium’s Altium Educational offers a free library of university courses, software, and licenses that can be used to enable students to access online professional engineering education. These tools can be overwhelming for novice PCB designers. PCB design can be accomplished using a number of computer-based tools, such as Cadence Allegro, Siemens PADs, and Altium Designer. Altium Education helps college students learn the basics of PCB design and then help them to create their first printed circuit boards.

Altium academic license