OnTrack: The PCB Design Podcast

Altium LLC.
  • 4.8 (22)
  • TECH NEWS
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

The PCB Design Podcast features conversations on all facets of PCB Design and Hardware Development

  1. 8H AGO

    The Signal Integrity Tool Every Engineer Is Missing

    Signal integrity engineers working on high-speed serial links, Ethernet, USB, PCI Express, and DDR memory interfaces need powerful simulation tools, but commercial software licenses can be cost-prohibitive. In this episode of the Altium OnTrack Podcast, host Zach Peterson sits down with David Banas, Solutions Engineer at Keysight, to explore three open-source Python packages that are transforming how engineers approach serial link simulation, IBIS-AMI model testing, and channel operating margin analysis. David walks through PyBERT, his most popular tool, demonstrating live how it handles eye diagrams, bathtub curves, jitter analysis, and equalization techniques like CTLE, DFE, and TX de-emphasis.   The pair explore PyIBIS, a Python tool for IBIS-AMI model developers, demonstrating its capabilities in analyzing signal transmission parameters. They look at how it helps debug models and apply equalization techniques to address signal distortion. Understanding this tool is crucial for effective data transmission analysis and ensuring signal integrity, especially when working with complex designs in Altium Designer or Cadence Design Systems.   💡 Stay Connected: Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more in-depth tutorials and tips from  @AltiumAcademy   Share your thoughts and questions in the comments below!   👉 Subscribe for more: https://www.youtube.com/@AltiumAcademy?sub_confirmation=1   Don't forget to follow us on social to stay up-to-date on the latest Altium Academy content.   👉 Follow Altium on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@altiumdesigner 👉 Follow Altium on Twitter: https://twitter.com/altium 👉 Follow Altium on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/altium/ 👉 Follow Altium on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AltiumOfficial/   The Altium Academy is an online experience created to bring modern education to PCB Designers and Engineers all across the world. Here you can access a vast library of free training and educational content covering everything from basic design to advanced principles and step-by-step walkthroughs. Join industry legends as they share their career knowledge, review real-life design projects, or learn how to leverage one of Altium's leading design tools. No matter your level of experience, the Altium Academy can help you become a better Designer and Engineer!   About Altium LLC   Altium LLC (ASX:ALU), a global software company based in San Diego, California, is accelerating the pace of innovation through electronics. From individual inventors to multinational corporations, more PCB designers and engineers choose Altium software to design and realize electronics-based products.   #SignalIntegrity #PyBERT #OpenSource

    47 min

  2. MAY 12

    Drones, Robots & the Low-Altitude Economy: A New Industry Is Born

    In this episode of the OnTrack Podcast, Zach Peterson sits down with Gabriel Guglielmi, VP of Global Product Management at Infinite Electronics, to explore one of the most disruptive shifts in electronics today: the rise of unmanned systems. From group one commercial drones to group five collaborative combat aircraft, Gabriel breaks down how the same revolution that transformed the space industry through SpaceX is now reshaping aerospace, defense, public safety, and consumer delivery. Learn why interconnect technology has become just as critical as semiconductor performance, and how a new generation of startups is compressing decades-long development cycles down to mere months.   The conversation digs deep into the supply chain challenges facing US and allied drone manufacturers, the FCC's part 108 regulations, the Department of War's Drone Dominance program, and why companies like Neros and Infinite Electronics see massive opportunity in rebuilding a friendly-nation supply chain. Gabriel also shares his thoughts on humanoid robotics, counter-drone systems, drone racing, agricultural applications, and the emerging low-altitude economy that could rival the internet revolution of the 1990s. Whether you design RF systems, work in aerospace and defense, or just want to understand where electronics is headed, this episode delivers a clear-eyed view of an industry being born in real time.   👉 Resources from this episode:  - Connect with Gabriel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabrielguglielmi/ - Infinite Electronics: https://www.infiniteelectronics.com/ - Infinite's Drones: https://www.l-com.com/military-drone-connectivity-solutions &  https://www.pasternack.com/pages/Featured_Products/military-drone-connectivity-solutions.html   💡 Stay Connected: Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more in-depth tutorials and tips from  @AltiumAcademy   Share your thoughts and questions in the comments below!   👉 Subscribe for more: https://www.youtube.com/@AltiumAcademy?sub_confirmation=1   Don't forget to follow us on social to stay up-to-date on the latest Altium Academy content.   👉 Follow Altium on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@altiumdesigner 👉 Follow Altium on Twitter: https://twitter.com/altium 👉 Follow Altium on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/altium/ 👉 Follow Altium on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AltiumOfficial/   The Altium Academy is an online experience created to bring modern education to PCB Designers and Engineers all across the world. Here you can access a vast library of free training and educational content covering everything from basic design to advanced principles and step-by-step walkthroughs. Join industry legends as they share their career knowledge, review real-life design projects, or learn how to leverage one of Altium's leading design tools. No matter your level of experience, the Altium Academy can help you become a better Designer and Engineer!   About Altium LLC   Altium LLC (ASX:ALU), a global software company based in San Diego, California, is accelerating the pace of innovation through electronics. From individual inventors to multinational corporations, more PCB designers and engineers choose Altium software to design and realize electronics-based products.   #Drones #UnmannedSystems #Altium

    43 min

  3. MAY 5

    PCB Metrology Gap: How SCAN Labs Is Automating Microsectioning

    The PCB industry has long relied on manual microsectioning to verify board quality — but as densities increase and skilled labor becomes harder to retain, that process is breaking down. In this episode of the Altium OnTrack Podcast, host Zach Peterson welcomes back Geoffrey Leeds, founder of SCAN Labs, for his third appearance on the show. Geoffrey breaks down what he calls the "metrology gap" — the widening divide between the precision measurement capabilities available to semiconductor manufacturers and those available to PCB fabricators — and explains why this gap is becoming a critical problem for high-reliability industries like defense, aerospace, medical, and automotive.   SCAN Labs is addressing this gap head-on with a heavily automated, third-party inspection and test laboratory that specializes in microsectioning for electronics verification. Geoffrey walks through the company's serialized grinding and imaging system, which can produce a fully analyzed IPC coupon roughly every six minutes, generating high-confidence metrology data at scale. The conversation also covers the role of AI and LLMs in electronics manufacturing, the limits of current non-destructive inspection methods, and Geoffrey's vision for standardizing metrology data reporting in collaboration with IPC — so that as-built data can feed directly back into design and simulation tools.   👉 Resources from this Episode: - Connect with Geoffrey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/geoffrey-leeds-63389773/ - Learn more about SCAN Labs: https://www.linkedin.com/company/scan-laboratories/   💡 Stay Connected: Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more in-depth tutorials and tips from @AltiumAcademy. Share your thoughts and questions in the comments below!   👉 Subscribe for more: https://www.youtube.com/@AltiumAcademy?sub_confirmation=1   Don't forget to follow us on social to stay up-to-date on the latest Altium Academy content.   👉 Follow Altium on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@altiumdesigner 👉 Follow Altium on Twitter: https://twitter.com/altium 👉 Follow Altium on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/altium/ 👉 Follow Altium on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AltiumOfficial/   The Altium Academy is an online experience created to bring modern education to PCB Designers and Engineers all across the world. Here you can access a vast library of free training and educational content covering everything from basic design to advanced principles and step-by-step walkthroughs. Join industry legends as they share their career knowledge, review real-life design projects, or learn how to leverage one of Altium's leading design tools. No matter your level of experience, the Altium Academy can help you become a better Designer and Engineer!   About Altium LLC   Altium LLC (ASX:ALU), a global software company based in San Diego, California, is accelerating the pace of innovation through electronics. From individual inventors to multinational corporations, more PCB designers and engineers choose Altium software to design and realize electronics-based products.   #Altium #PCBManufacturing #Metrology

    51 min

  4. APR 28

    High-Speed Interconnects for AI & Physical AI with Samtec

    What does it take to design interconnects for AI data centers pushing 112G, 224G, and even 448G? In this episode of the Altium OnTrack Podcast, host Zach Peterson sits down with Matt Burns, Director of Technical Marketing at Samtec, to unpack how connector technology has evolved to meet the demands of modern high-speed systems. From co-packaged copper and optics to near-package interconnects, Matt walks through Samtec's product families and explains why choosing your connector early in the design cycle is no longer optional at these speeds.   The conversation also explores how these same high-speed design principles are trickling down into embedded systems, where physical AI and edge computing are creating new demands for smaller, faster, denser interconnects. Matt shares insights from DesignCon, OFC, and Embedded World, painting a picture of an industry at an inflection point — one where robotics, AI accelerators, and open embedded standards are driving the next generation of connector innovation. Whether you're a PCB designer, systems architect, or just curious about what's happening at the bleeding edge of interconnect technology, this episode is packed with practical insight.   👉 Resources from this episode:  - More about Samtec: https://www.samtec.com/ - Connect with Matt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-burns-samtec   💡 Stay Connected: Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more in-depth tutorials and tips from @AltiumAcademy Share your thoughts and questions in the comments below!   👉 Subscribe for more: https://www.youtube.com/@AltiumAcademy?sub_confirmation=1   Don't forget to follow us on social to stay up-to-date on the latest Altium Academy content.   👉 Follow Altium on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@altiumdesigner 👉 Follow Altium on Twitter: https://twitter.com/altium 👉 Follow Altium on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/altium/ 👉 Follow Altium on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AltiumOfficial/   The Altium Academy is an online experience created to bring modern education to PCB Designers and Engineers all across the world. Here you can access a vast library of free training and educational content covering everything from basic design to advanced principles and step-by-step walkthroughs. Join industry legends as they share their career knowledge, review real-life design projects, or learn how to leverage one of Altium's leading design tools. No matter your level of experience, the Altium Academy can help you become a better Designer and Engineer!   About Altium LLC   Altium LLC (ASX:ALU), a global software company based in San Diego, California, is accelerating the pace of innovation through electronics. From individual inventors to multinational corporations, more PCB designers and engineers choose Altium software to design and realize electronics-based products.   #Altium #HighSpeedDesign #PhysicalAI

    40 min

  5. APR 21

    Altium File Parsing, AI Design Reviews & PCB Viz Tools

    What if you could parse your Altium project files from the command line, generate a full BOM in seconds, extract net lists as AI-readable JSON, and spin up a 3D HTML viewer with zero dependencies — all without ever opening Altium? In this episode of the OnTrack Podcast, host Zach Peterson sits down with Eli Hughes, principal at Wavenumber LLC, to dig into a suite of open-source tools he's built around Altium file formats. Eli walks through the Altium Cruncher toolset, including Mega Maid (a vacuum-cleaner-style data extractor), a 3D PCB visualizer, and a schematic viewer with animated net tracing — all self-contained HTML files requiring no install or cloud connection.   The conversation goes far beyond visualizers. Eli reveals how he feeds parsed net lists directly into Claude and Codex for AI-assisted design reviews, power tree analysis, and even automatic Zephyr device tree generation — completing in minutes what used to take a full day. He also lays out his vision for a next-generation PDM system: an AI-queryable knowledge store that ingests decades of schematic history, EVK reference designs from TI, Renesas, NXP, and more, and supply chain data — so engineers can stop reinventing the wheel and start building on proven, procurable circuits. If you care about PCB workflow automation, AI-assisted hardware development, or the future of design reuse, this episode is essential viewing.   👉 Resources from this Episode:  - Connect with Eli: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wavenumber/ - Learn more about Octopart Discover: https://www.altium.com/company/newsroom/press-releases/octopart-introduces-octopart-discover-part-search-solution - Check out Wavenumber LLC: https://www.wavenumber.net/   💡 Stay Connected: Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more in-depth tutorials and tips from @AltiumAcademy  Share your thoughts and questions in the comments below!   👉 Subscribe for more: https://www.youtube.com/@AltiumAcademy?sub_confirmation=1   Don't forget to follow us on social to stay up-to-date on the latest Altium Academy content.   👉 Follow Altium on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@altiumdesigner 👉 Follow Altium on Twitter: https://twitter.com/altium 👉 Follow Altium on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/altium/ 👉 Follow Altium on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AltiumOfficial/   The Altium Academy is an online experience created to bring modern education to PCB Designers and Engineers all across the world. Here you can access a vast library of free training and educational content covering everything from basic design to advanced principles and step-by-step walkthroughs. Join industry legends as they share their career knowledge, review real-life design projects, or learn how to leverage one of Altium's leading design tools. No matter your level of experience, the Altium Academy can help you become a better Designer and Engineer!   About Altium LLC   Altium LLC (ASX:ALU), a global software company based in San Diego, California, is accelerating the pace of innovation through electronics. From individual inventors to multinational corporations, more PCB designers and engineers choose Altium software to design and realize electronics-based products.   #Altium #PCBDesign #OpenSourceHardware

    50 min

  6. APR 14

    Is FPGA the Best Engineering Career? With Adam Taylor

    Is FPGA engineering the best career path for electronics engineers today? In this episode of the Altium OnTrack Podcast, host Zach Peterson sits down with Adam Taylor — founder of Adiuvo Engineering and the FPGA Horizons conference — to explore the full landscape of FPGA development. From how Adam accidentally fell into FPGAs as a new graduate to building one of the UK's most talked-about technical conferences, this conversation covers what it really means to build a career around programmable logic. Adam shares why he believes engineers should cultivate broad skill sets, how FPGAs have evolved from simple glue logic into advanced compute platforms, and what the future holds for FPGA professionals in an AI-driven world.   The episode also dives into the growing intersection of FPGA development and PCB design, the collaboration challenges that arise when hardware teams work in silos, and how AI tools like agentic coding assistants are beginning to change the way engineers write RTL. Adam also gives an inside look at FPGA Horizons — his community-driven, vendor-neutral conference now expanding to the US through a partnership with PCEA at PCB East. Whether you're a seasoned FPGA engineer, a board designer looking to understand programmable logic better, or a student weighing your career options, this episode is packed with practical insights and honest takes from someone with 26 years in the field.   👉 Resources from this Episode:  - Connect with Adam: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-taylor-8a991713/ - Adiuvo Engineering: https://www.adiuvoengineering.com/ - FPGA Horizons:  https://www.fpgahorizons.com/ - PCB East: https://pcbeast.com/   💡 Stay Connected: Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more in-depth tutorials and tips from @AltiumAcademy  Share your thoughts and questions in the comments below!   👉 Subscribe for more: https://www.youtube.com/@AltiumAcademy?sub_confirmation=1   Don't forget to follow us on social to stay up-to-date on the latest Altium Academy content.   👉 Follow Altium on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@altiumdesigner 👉 Follow Altium on Twitter: https://twitter.com/altium 👉 Follow Altium on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/altium/ 👉 Follow Altium on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AltiumOfficial/   The Altium Academy is an online experience created to bring modern education to PCB Designers and Engineers all across the world. Here you can access a vast library of free training and educational content covering everything from basic design to advanced principles and step-by-step walkthroughs. Join industry legends as they share their career knowledge, review real-life design projects, or learn how to leverage one of Altium's leading design tools. No matter your level of experience, the Altium Academy can help you become a better Designer and Engineer!   About Altium LLC   Altium LLC (ASX:ALU), a global software company based in San Diego, California, is accelerating the pace of innovation through electronics. From individual inventors to multinational corporations, more PCB designers and engineers choose Altium software to design and realize electronics-based products.   #Altium #FPGA #PCBDesign

    37 min

  7. MAR 24

    IPC 2221 vs. 2152: The Truth About PCB Trace Current Ratings

    Altium Develop gives your entire team real-time visibility into PCB designs, supply chain data, and manufacturing feedback — so thermal and power decisions never get made in isolation: https://www.altium.com/develop?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=ontrack-podcast&utm_content=ipc-2221-vs-2152-the-truth-about-pcb-trace-current-ratings   If you've ever sized a PCB trace using the IPC 2221 charts or relied on a 10°C rise rule of thumb, this episode of the OnTrack Podcast is essential viewing. Host Zach Peterson sits down with Mike Jouppi — the engineer behind IPC 2152 — to unpack decades of misunderstood standards, flawed assumptions, and what designers should actually be doing when it comes to conductor sizing and thermal management.   Mike walks through the critical differences between IPC 2221 and IPC 2152, explains why the internal trace data in 2221 was never derived from actual in-board testing, and reveals how adding copper planes to your design can dramatically increase power dissipation even while keeping temperature rise "within spec." If you're designing power-carrying traces without thinking in terms of power loss budgets, this conversation will change how you approach every future layout.   👉 Resources from this episode:  - High Power PCB Design: Pushing the Limits with Caleb Buck: https://youtu.be/aYi080GbV08 - Eric Bogatin on Signal Integrity, Oscilloscope Mastery & More: https://youtu.be/k88xgF8_jpk - Connect with Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-jouppi-a6547034a/ - Dive Deeper into IPC 2221: https://resources.altium.com/p/ipc-2221-calculator-pcb-trace-current-and-heating - Explore IPC 2152: https://resources.altium.com/p/using-ipc-2152-calculator-designing-standards 💡 Stay Connected: Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more in-depth tutorials and tips from @AltiumAcademy Share your thoughts and questions in the comments below!   👉 Subscribe for more: https://www.youtube.com/@AltiumAcademy?sub_confirmation=1   Don't forget to follow us on social to stay up-to-date on the latest Altium Academy content.   👉 Follow Altium on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@altiumdesigner 👉 Follow Altium on Twitter: https://twitter.com/altium 👉 Follow Altium on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/altium/ 👉 Follow Altium on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AltiumOfficial/   The Altium Academy is an online experience created to bring modern education to PCB Designers and Engineers all across the world. Here you can access a vast library of free training and educational content covering everything from basic design to advanced principles and step-by-step walkthroughs. Join industry legends as they share their career knowledge, review real-life design projects, or learn how to leverage one of Altium's leading design tools. No matter your level of experience, the Altium Academy can help you become a better Designer and Engineer!   About Altium LLC   Altium LLC (ASX:ALU), a global software company based in San Diego, California, is accelerating the pace of innovation through electronics. From individual inventors to multinational corporations, more PCB designers and engineers choose Altium software to design and realize electronics-based products.   #Altium #PCBDesign #IPC2152

    59 min

  8. MAR 17

    GreenPAK for Automotive: Reliability, Integration & Real-World Demos

    Altium Develop gives your entire electronics team — engineers, procurement, and manufacturers — real-time visibility into your PCB designs and supply chain, all in one platform: https://www.altium.com/develop?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=ontrack-podcast&utm_content=greenpak-for-automotive-reliability-integration-real-world-demos Renesas' Automotive GreenPAK is a configurable mixed-signal IC that's changing how engineers approach component integration in vehicle electronics. In this episode of the Altium OnTrack podcast, host Zach Peterson sits down with Michele Deviato, Senior Product Marketing Manager at Renesas, and Oleh Saphia, Applications Engineering Manager at Renesas, to break down what truly separates automotive-grade components from their industrial counterparts. Spoiler: it's far more than just temperature range. AEC-Q100 qualification, vibration-resistant packaging, minimum pin pitch requirements, and rigorous reliability testing all play a critical role — and GreenPAK is built to meet every one of them. Beyond the spec sheet, this episode dives into why Automotive GreenPAK is gaining rapid adoption across OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers — and even into space technology applications. Michele and Oleh walk through how GreenPAK consolidates entire boards of discrete components into a single reconfigurable IC, reducing BOM cost, board area by up to 90%, and failure rates all at once. Oleh then takes viewers through a live Go Configure Software demo, building a real LED animation circuit in minutes — no firmware required.  👉 Resources from this episode:  - Dima's Previous Episode: https://youtu.be/2b4TWE5zlB4  - Learn More about Automotive GreenPAK: https://www.renesas.com/en/products/programmable-logic/greenpak-programmable-mixed-signal-products/automotive-greenpak-programmable-mixed-signal-ics - Go Configure: https://www.renesas.com/en/software-tool/go-configure-software-hub - Learn More about Renasas: https://www.renesas.com/en - Conenct with Michele: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michele-deviato/ - Connect with Oleh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oleh-sapiha-505557197/?originalSubdomain=ua 💡 Stay Connected: Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more in-depth tutorials and tips from @AltiumAcademy. Share your thoughts and questions in the comments below! 👉 Subscribe for more: https://www.youtube.com/@AltiumAcademy?sub_confirmation=1 Don't forget to follow us on social to stay up-to-date on the latest Altium Academy content. 👉 Follow Altium on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@altiumdesigner 👉 Follow Altium on Twitter: https://twitter.com/altium 👉 Follow Altium on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/altium/ 👉 Follow Altium on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AltiumOfficial/ The Altium Academy is an online experience created to bring modern education to PCB Designers and Engineers all across the world. Here you can access a vast library of free training and educational content covering everything from basic design to advanced principles and step-by-step walkthroughs. Join industry legends as they share their career knowledge, review real-life design projects, or learn how to leverage one of Altium's leading design tools. No matter your level of experience, the Altium Academy can help you become a better Designer and Engineer! About Altium LLC Altium LLC (ASX:ALU), a global software company based in San Diego, California, is accelerating the pace of innovation through electronics. From individual inventors to multinational corporations, more PCB designers and engineers choose Altium software to design and realize electronics-based products. #Altium #GreenPAK #AutomotiveElectronics

    45 min
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4.8
out of 5
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About

The PCB Design Podcast features conversations on all facets of PCB Design and Hardware Development

Information

  • Creator
    Altium LLC.
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2022. All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    OnTrack: The PCB Design Podcast

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