William Harter Sep 11,2026 317

KiCad PCB editor shows a ratline (thin connection line) that does not exist or shouldn't be there

I discovered an unexpected KiCad issue after receiving new PCBs yesterday for an Arduino Shield project. After assembly, the board didn't work correctly.Arduino Shield PCBs are easier to troubleshoot ...

Mila Sep 10,2026 532

High-Speed ADC PCB Layout Guide: EPAD, PDS, and Grounding Best Practices

High-speed analog-to-digital converter (ADC) PCB layout involves multiple design parameters, and their importance varies depending on the application. For high-speed ADC systems, the focus should not ...

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Mila Sep 09,2026 510

How to Properly Handle Unused IC Pins in Schematic Design

When working on schematic design, engineers often encounter situations like this: to meet the core functional requirements, a 100-pin MCU is selected, but only 60 pins are actually used. Or a 4-channe...

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Mila Sep 08,2026 885

USB Type-C Design and CC Pin Configuration: A Practical Hardware Design Guide

One of the most common pitfalls in Hardware Design for Type-C interfaces is confusing the legacy protocols used by USB-A ports with the native USB Type-C protocol. Some designers mistakenly treat D+ /...

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Mila Sep 07,2026 626

Remote-Sense Guidelines in Power Supply Design for DC-DC Converters

Many DC-DC power chips provide a Remote-Sense function. However, many designers mistake it for an optional secondary connection and wire it directly near the power module's local output. This setup ef...

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Mila Sep 07,2026 747

PCBWay to Exhibit at SIDO Lyon 2026: Meet Us at Booth E122

As smart technologies continue to transform industrial products and connected devices, reliable hardware manufacturing has become an essential part of turning innovative concepts into real-world produ...

Mila Sep 07,2026 1022

Welded Sheet Metal Parts Design Guidelines

This guide is designed to help mechanical engineers and product designers optimize laser-cut and bent sheet metal parts for welding processes. By adhering to Design for Manufacturability (DFM) standar...

Mila Sep 07,2026 1073

Sheet Metal Tapping Design Guidelines

This guideline aims to provide structural engineers and mechanical designers with Design for Manufacturability (DFM) specifications for thread tapping in sheet metal fabrication and CNC milling/turnin...

Mila Sep 07,2026 900

Sheet Metal Cutting Design Guidelines

This guide is designed to help engineers and designers prepare CAD and STEP files that meet manufacturing standards. Following these design requirements prior to order submission helps prevent file re...

Mila Sep 07,2026 973

Hardware Installation Design Guidelines

Hardware installation adds threaded connection points, mounting features, and structural support directly to sheet metal parts. It is especially useful for thin sheet metal that is difficult to tap, a...

Mila Sep 07,2026 653

Countersink & Counterbore Holes Design Guidelines

This design guide provides structural engineers and mechanical designers with essential Design for Manufacturability (DFM) rules for Countersink (CSINK) and Counterbore (CBORE) holes in sheet metal fa...

Mila Sep 04,2026 838

Sheet Metal Bending Design Guidelines

This guide aims to provide standard sheet metal bending Design for Manufacturability (DFM) specifications for structural and mechanical designers, helping effectively prevent common issues such as mat...

Mila Sep 03,2026 432

HDI PCB Layout Guide for High Speed Optical Module PCB Design

An optical module PCB is a typical high-frequency, high-density HDI PCB precision board. Its material selection is closely related to transmission rate, link length, loss budget, and device platforms....

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Mila Sep 01,2026 724

Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) Design Guidelines

Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) is a non-traditional machining process that uses controlled electrical discharges to remove material from electrically conductive workpieces. Because the electrode...

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Mila Aug 31,2026 574

PCB Impedance Control Guide: How to Fix Impedance Discontinuities in PCB Layout

In modern pcb design, maintaining signal integrity relies on a stable transmission path. Proper impedance control prevents signal reflection and ensures stable performance across your board. This arti...

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Mila Aug 28,2026 566

Sheet Metal Bending DFM Guide to Prevent Warping Tearing and Bending Deformation

In sheet metal bending and forming, warping, localized distortion, and corner tearing are common manufacturing defects. These issues typically stem from insufficient material support in the bend zone,...

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Mila Aug 28,2026 775

LDO Output Capacitor Selection: Why Bigger Isn't Always Better in Power Supply Design

In power supply design, there is a common engineering misconception regarding the selection of the LDO output capacitor: when faced with issues like high output ripple or poor load transient response,...

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Mila Aug 27,2026 604

PCB Routing Layer Selection for High-Speed Signals: Microstrip vs. Stripline

In the hardware layout for high-speed interfaces such as PCIe, DDR5, USB 3.0, and SerDes, selecting the trace layer—specifically choosing between surface microstrip and inner stripline—is a core decis...

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Mila Aug 26,2026 808

Copper Keep-out Guidelines for PCB Layout and Component Layout

In modern pcb layout, solid copper pouring is widely used as an optimization technique. However, it is not universally applicable to all components. For devices whose magnetic fields easily couple wit...

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