Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1337116
74 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I FEBRUARY 2021 lot of information that describes i t — t h i n g s l i k e p i n f u n c t i o n a l names, pin numbers, manufacturer part number, and tolerances. at creates a lot of opportunity for error. ere can be discrepancies between the component footprints and the datasheet—tiny things like pin spacing not carried out to the furthest neces- sary decimal point (on a 200-pin con- nector, this can add up!) or the symbol on the datasheet not specifying part orientation. Since the process of researching a part and making sure it will not turn your board into ash is a laborious and unpredictable process, designers oen choose to invest a few hours and just design a custom part themselves. ey will have to navigate all the same landmines that come in the form of funky shapes, a unique size for desired functionality, or an inventive footprint. It is painstaking. You must translate every design element from the datasheet per- fectly and it is hard not to miss something that will create problems. Frying a board full of expensive components makes mistakes at this stage costly. So, if there is an easy way to avoid this risk and hassle, it makes sense to take advantage of it. Keep Accurate, Pre-defined Parts at Your Fingertips Expansive component databases will shorten PCB design time, reduce the need for rework, and avoid costly board failures. e more com- plete and accurate your parts library is, the better. We believe SnapEDA is the best solu- tion to the custom parts challenge. It's also one of, if not the easiest to use. With the ability to integrate the search and down- load functionality within the soware, product manager Michael Hebda highlights the ease of use and simplicity of SnapEDA. SnapEDA offers designers a massive, cloud- based electrical components database that includes a collection of specialized parts from many different manufacturers. With close to a million parts at the designer's fingertips, SnapEDA makes it much easier to locate a tested, proven component that meets your specs. SnapEDA's database is maintained by professionals dedicated to interfacing with comp onent manufac turer s, met ic ulou sly breaking down every detail of each technical datasheet and double-checking every piece of information made available. Most of the CAD tools preferred by PCB designers—including Sunstone's free PCB123 ® design soware—have third party plugins that allow you to quickly search SnapEDA and import parts you can rely on from their com- ponent database. is makes finding and inte- grating specialized parts into your design easier than ever. Specialized parts don't have to be a challenge. Resources like the one illustrated here really can eliminate a lot of headaches for those of us who don't have a parts librarian on staff. Whether you choose SnapEDA or another parts library database, we encourage you to leverage cost- effective resources that will save time in the design phase and eliminate issues with special - ized components during production. DESIGN007 Bob Tise is an engineer in PCB technical support at Sunstone Circuits. To read past columns by Sunstone or contact Tise, click here.