The Altium Designer Essentials training—available as both instructor-led sessions and customized private courses—offers a complete overview of the design capture workflow, from navigating the user interface and setting up projects to PCB layout and generating fabrication outputs, all within an integrated workspace environment.

• Design high-quality PCBs more efficiently and shorten development time
• Learn proven best practices that help minimize errors and improve overall productivity
• Work within the workspace to access, create, and maintain projects and documentation
• Receive a certificate to demonstrate your expertise to potential employers
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Course Agenda

Course Introduction: Navigating Altium Platform and Customizing Altium Designer
Duration: 2 Hours

Main Topics:

• Learn how to log into the Altium Platform, access the assigned training workspace, and establish a connection to the working environment
• Explore the workspace structure, navigate through folders, understand the web interface, and work with the Explorer panel
• Open existing design projects or set up new ones within the platform to support efficient collaboration and project control
• Customize your design environment by configuring panels, toolbars, and menus to align with your workflow preferences
• Adjust schematic preferences to streamline the design capture process and ensure consistency across multiple projects
• Gain proficiency in essential schematic editor operations, including settings, mouse interactions, commonly used shortcuts, and search functions
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Schematic Design and Capture Essentials
Duration: 9 Hours

Main Topics:

• Set up workspace folders and create new projects using predefined templates to ensure structured project organization
• Efficiently access and place components from Altium Platform libraries, including reuse blocks, to maintain a smooth design workflow
• Define electrical connectivity using wires, net labels, and bus structures to establish accurate circuit behavior
• Transform flat schematics into hierarchical designs using a bottom-up approach for improved structure and scalability
• Manage graphical elements, annotations, and formatting to ensure clear and professional schematic documentation
• Use advanced editing tools such as alignment features, net color highlighting, and global editing to efficiently update multiple elements
• Configure design rules (New Module 12B) by reviewing project settings, applying directives, navigating the Constraint Manager, defining net classes, and setting width rules
• Apply electrical rules and perform validation checks, including ERC, to maintain design accuracy and reliability
• Organize and manage multi-sheet schematics and hierarchical structures for larger, more complex projects
• Prepare designs for PCB layout by transferring schematic data and rules to ensure a consistent workflow
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PCB Layout Essentials and Advanced Techniques
Duration: 10 Hours

Main Topics:

• Gain a complete understanding of the PCB environment, including interface navigation, preferences, and viewing tools
• Learn core PCB configuration tasks such as defining board shapes, setting up mechanical layers, managing layer stacks, and configuring grids
• Use the Layer Stack Manager to define stackups and import predefined configurations from the workspace
• Configure grid settings, including visibility and appearance, to support accurate placement and routing
• Understand how to define and manage design rules, including rule priorities and their impact on design quality
• Work with the Advanced Constraint Manager (New Module 20B) to define clearances, track widths, via sizes, component spacing, and to import/export constraints and directives
• Organize your design using component classes and net classes for structured, rule-based workflows
• Apply effective component placement strategies to optimize both electrical performance and manufacturability, including accurate positioning and mounting hole placement
• Use various routing techniques and tools to create reliable interconnections while complying with design constraints
• Configure polygon pours and power planes, manage their creation and updates, and define connection styles for pads and vias
• Perform global edits and analyze designs using tools such as the PCB List panel and PCB Filter panel to improve efficiency
• Set up and run Design Rule Checks (DRC), identify violations, and resolve issues using the PCB Rules and Violation panel
• Utilize the Altium Platform to enable design reuse, improving efficiency and maintaining consistency across projects
• Create custom components within the Altium workspace to support ongoing development and centralized library management
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Documentation and Final Output Generation
Duration: 3 Hours

Main Topics:

• Create professional assembly and fabrication drawings using Draftsman documents and reusable templates
• Configure Output Job files to efficiently generate multiple deliverables, including fabrication data and documentation, with consistency and accuracy
• Produce complete fabrication and assembly outputs in various formats suitable for manufacturing requirements
• Generate detailed Bills of Materials (BOMs) that include all necessary components and quantities
• Release projects to the Altium Platform workspace, enabling collaboration, version control, and a fully managed release process

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