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Beyond the Rulebook
What happens when the rule book is no longer useful, or worse, was never written in the first place? In today’s fast-moving electronics landscape, we’re increasingly asked to design and build what has no precedent, no proven path, and no tidy checklist to follow. This is where “Design for Invention” begins.
March Madness
From the growing role of AI in design tools to the challenge of managing cumulative tolerances, these articles in this issue examine the technical details, design choices, and manufacturing considerations that determine whether a board works as intended.
Looking Forward to APEX EXPO 2026
I-Connect007 Magazine previews APEX EXPO 2026, covering everything from the show floor to the technical conference. For PCB designers, we move past the dreaded auto-router and spotlight AI design tools that actually matter.
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RS Components Launches Professional Upgrade to Free PCB Design Tool in N.A.
October 31, 2019 | GlobeNewswireEstimated reading time: 1 minute
In conjunction with the official launch of its DesignSpark online engineering and design community in North America, RS Components (RS), a global multi-channel provider of industrial and electronic products and solutions, is debuting DesignSpark PCB Pro, a professional-level upgrade to its already popular free online PCB design tool, DesignSpark PCB.
DesignSpark PCB is an award-winning, free-to-use electronic computer-assisted design (ECAD) rapid prototyping tool offering workflow integration; unlimited schematic size, sheets, nodes, pads and connections; part library integration; unrestricted Gerber and ODB++ file output; multi-format bill of material generation; and compatibility with all other DesignSpark CAD systems.
In addition to the features available in the free tool, DesignSpark PCB Pro is specifically designed to bridge the gap between existing complex, high-cost, PCB design software and low-end, unsupported open-source tools for professional design engineers. The software provides an upgraded design suite, along with a wealth of productivity features to accelerate and enhance the design process, including blind and buried vias, extensive copper pour rules, hierarchical blocks, net class-level spacing rules, and manufacturability checks. An upgraded autorouter optimizes the efficiency of the board layout, while enhanced library support allows import of the latest symbols, footprints and 3D models. DesignSpark PCB Pro is now available for users in North America for just $449 for a perpetual license.
"With the addition of DesignSpark PCB Pro, RS Components is excited to add yet another cost-effective, easy-to-use professional tool to the resources available through our 850,000 member-strong DesignSpark online engineering community," said Cameron Ward, senior vice president of RS Components. "We remain committed to finding new ways to enable and partner with electronics designers, engineers and buyers across the entire product lifecycle."
Both DesignSpark PCB and DesignSpark PCB Pro are part of the suite of tools and resources available through DesignSpark, RS Components' free online engineering community that joins together more than 100,000 active members in North America, and more than 850,000 globally to solve companies' toughest engineering design challenges. The fast-growing platform, which added almost 130,000 worldwide users in 2019, provides resources, connections, tools and online purchasing for engineers throughout the product lifecycle.
Find out how RS Components can help make your technology vision a reality by joining the DesignSpark community, and by connecting with them on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram.
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Nortech Systems Launches Power over Fiber Technology Platform for EMI-Sensitive Applications
04/08/2026 | Globe NewswireNortech Systems Incorporated, a leading provider of design and manufacturing solutions for complex electromedical devices and electromechanical systems, has announced the launch of its Power over Fiber technology platform.
Flexible Thinking: Designing Flex Circuits for Dynamic Reliability
04/09/2026 | Joe Fjelstad -- Column: Flexible ThinkingFlex circuits flex. No surprises there. However, they are also very commonly designed into products because they are thin and offer consistent thickness and dielectric properties, attributes highly prized by present-day product designers of personal electronics. This would include smartphones and, increasingly, wearable electronics for medical monitoring and even fashion.
Understanding Tolerances in Flexible Circuit Design
04/01/2026 | Chris Clark, Flexible Circuit TechnologiesThe challenge with cumulative tolerances is meeting the dimensional requirements for items dimensioned on a drawing or specification for a flexible or rigid-flex circuit. It is critical to understand the fabrication processes and how features are defined when creating your tolerance requirements.
Target Condition: An Exploration of Flooding PCB Layers
04/02/2026 | Kelly Dack -- Column: Target ConditionThe concept of flooding PCB layers with copper has been around for so long, you’d think we’d have it mastered. We haven’t. (Oh, and by “we,” I mean design engineers and the software tools we depend on.) Years ago, PCB artwork was created by hand using light tables, with tape applied to Mylar. Signals were slow, traces were relatively wide, and high-current paths were simply “beefed up” with wider copper. Signal integrity wasn’t yet a driving concern. Today, solid return paths are fundamental to robust design. We understand the importance of continuous reference planes for signal integrity and EMI control.
New, Greener Solutions for Etch: Novel Copper Extraction
03/30/2026 | Richard Nichols, GreenSource Engineering“Novel” is a typical marketing phrase that implies new and unique, but often “novel” actually means an established technology being applied to a new field or application. This, in turn, is often driven by newly relevant external motivation. GreenSource has been working on just such a solution: novel copper extraction, offering a better and greener alternative to traditional LLE control systems for cupric chloride etch.