PCB

Six Years Later: A Follow-Up Conversation with Alex MacDougall

The SamacSys founder on two acquisitions, 1.4 million engineers, and why AI makes trusted part data matter more than ever.

Terminal Block Selection: Types, Ratings, and Wiring

A terminal block provides a secure electrical and mechanical connection between conductors. This guide explains how to select terminal blocks based on connection technology, current and voltage ratings, conductor size, mounting method, environmental conditions, and potential failure modes.

ESP32 Pinout Reference: Which GPIO Pins Are Safe to Use?

This article explains the ESP32 pinout, including GPIO, ADC, DAC, PWM, UART, SPI, and I2C pins; safe and reserved GPIOs; strapping pins; board differences; power limits; and practical design considerations.

OCXO Design Guide: Oven Controlled Crystal Oscillator

An OCXO maintains its quartz crystal at a controlled temperature for exceptional frequency stability. This guide covers OCXO design for timing engineers, including oven systems, temperature-control loops, crystal selection, specifications, variants, applications, and emerging trends.

ESP8266 Pinout Explained: GPIO Map, Strapping Pins, and Safe-to-Use Pins

This article explains the ESP8266 pinout, covering GPIO mapping, boot-strapping pins, safe-to-use pins, flash connections, ADC limits, deep-sleep functions, and NodeMCU and D1 mini pin labels.

Schematic Symbols: Building Blocks of PCB Design

Every electronic design begins with abstraction.

Signal Integrity Testing for High-Speed PCB Design

How engineers measure jitter, crosstalk, impedance, eye margin, and BER for reliable PCB designs

Crystal vs Oscillator: Choosing the Right Timing Component

Every embedded design needs a clock, but not every clock needs the same source. This guide compares bare quartz crystals against packaged crystal oscillators, including TCXO, OCXO, VCXO, and MEMS variants, to help engineers pick the right timing component.

Current Divider Rule: Formula, Derivation, and Worked Example

Current division is the principle that determines how electric current splits between parallel branches according to their resistance. This guide explains how to calculate the exact current in each branch using Ohm's law and Kirchhoff's current law, with practical examples and limitations.

Why Heat Management Is the Foundation of Reliable Soldering

JBC Soldering addresses the challenges and key factors of heat management in modern electronics manufacturing.

FPGA vs ASIC: Key Differences, Costs, and How to Choose

This guide delves into FPGA vs ASIC, providing a decision framework, cost-at-volume analysis, and modern examples to help you pick the right technology for your next project.

PCB Footprints: A Comprehensive Guide to Land Pattern Design

Master the essentials of PCB footprint design with practical guidance on land patterns, industry standards, common pitfalls, and proven verification techniques to improve manufacturability, reduce assembly defects, and ensure reliable, production-ready circuit boards.

Crystal Oscillator Circuit Design: Pierce Oscillator Guide for Precision Frequency Generation

A crystal oscillator circuit uses a quartz crystal and an amplifier to generate a highly stable frequency reference. This guide explains Pierce oscillator design, load capacitance, negative resistance, drive level, startup behavior, and frequency stability in microcontrollers and RF systems.

Designing with Intent

How Essentra Components Supports Engineering from Concept to Production

Makera Z1 Showcases the Future of Accessible CNC Manufacturing at Hackaday Europe 2026

Makera gives live demonstrations of the Z1 during the 2026 Hackaday Europe event. The Z1 is a compact CNC manufacturing platform.