Altium and Microchip Technology collaborate on new board-level design content

The AltiumLive online content system delivers design-ready board-level component models and corresponding supply chain information, such as real-time price and availability, directly to designers using Altium's electronics design software, Altium Designer 10.

Electronics designers using Altium Designer simply log in to their account via the AltiumLive portal to access the full range of online component libraries and design content. Components hosted in AltiumLive component vaults include the schematic symbol, PCB footprint and a detailed 3D model for 3D mechanical integration during the PCB design process, while the corresponding component price and availability data is drawn directly from the web services of vendors such as Digi-Key, Arrow and Farnell.

Component choice is therefore available at design-time and within the design environment, allowing the most cost-effective part to be selected quickly with full confidence in its suitability and availability. Part quality and pricing is assured through Altium's direct access to manufacturer and vendor data, which greatly reduces the risk of using a discontinued component, or one that is no longer the optimal design choice.

Close collaboration between Altium and parts manufacturers like Microchip ensures this next generation of design IP is more than just another CAD library...and this translates to content our customers can trust, and content that makes the process of designing with Altium Designer faster and easier than ever before. said Rowland Washington, Content Development Manager for Altium. We are pleased to be working with Microchip to create this latest set of updates, with more to come in the near future.

The mutually beneficial collaboration, and the resulting updates to the design content hosted by AltiumLive, represent Altium's commitment to the continuous delivery of quality online content based on cooperative partnerships formed with electronics component distributors and manufacturers. The arrangement offers the additional benefit of delivering the latest device technology, reference material and support, with its associated competitive advantage, to designers in the least possible time.

“Working with Altium to ensure that Microchip’s components are available via Altium's content delivery system delivers direct benefits to both our Company and its customers, said Bryan J. Liddiard, marketing vice president of Microchip’s Analog and Interface Products Division. The ability to propagate high-quality component data and information into a design environment used by our customers helps them bring better designs to market in less time.

Designers can also browse the full range of online component libraries and design content hosted in AltiumLive through the AltiumLive Content Store. More information on the board-level components and how they are accessed in Altium Designer is available in AltiumLive and in the related blogs.