Altium

Envision – what's new, changing and over the horizon     Welcome to the August 2010 issue of Envision. Release 10 of Altium Designer is currently in Beta testing, and the feedback so far is exciting. One of the themes of Release 10 is data management. It's a scary topic for some, so in this issue of Envision we look at what Altium means by data management, and how, by addressing it directly in the design environment, we make data integrity, release management and other traditionally daunting concepts not only accessible, but friendly to all design engineers.       Big scary stuff? Not really!     Terms like data management and release management often conjure up images of expensive and restrictive server-based system that shackle designers and add mountains of red tape to the design process. To some it's a scary prospect. The upcoming Release 10 of Altium Designer is set to change your perception when it comes to the automation of these crucial processes. Read the full story       Streamlining the design process     National Semiconductor designs and manufactures analogue and mixed-signal semiconductors. Its products include power management circuits, display drivers, audio and operational amplifiers, communication interface products and data conversion solutions. Two of National Semiconductor's finest discuss how Altium Designer has helped the company’s Evaluation Board Group to standardise PCB design and to develop a consistent, corporate feel to its products. Read the full story       Collaborative PCB design     Common wisdom suggests that real collaborative PCB design is just too hard and too expensive for most PCB designers. With a new release of Altium Designer on the way, we’re challenging that conventional wisdom by putting practical and effective board design collaboration into the design environment. Read the full story       Webinars, Seminars and Videos: all about the latest design technology   Whether it’s showcasing new Altium technology, stimulating discussion on design techniques or hosting global web events, we’re always looking for new ways to help make design easier and more productive – for everyone. See what’s coming in the growing collection of new Altium Designer Release 10 videos, and check out the Events page for details of forthcoming events.     What's happening, right now?   See what’s happening at Altium, in real-time. Follow us on twitter to find out about the latest news, events, videos and design tutorials. There’s so much going on, can we actually condense it to 140 characters or less?

AUGUST TECH TIP Create your own Peripheral Boards - Pt.1 If you want to add custom hardware functionality to your NanoBoard, why not make your own add-on Peripheral Board? This two part Tech Tip details the easy way to create your own custom board to use with Altium Designer and a NanoBoard.   Australian FIRST robotics team visit Altium The Thunder from Down Under, a group of school kids from Australia, surprised everyone, inlcuding themselves, by taking out the Rookie All-Star Award and the Industrial Safety award at this year's First Robotics Competition in the States. They recently visited Altium HQ in Sydney to show us how they did it.   Altium Designer Release 10 to preview at ElextroneX Those lucky enough to be attending the ElectroneX 2010 trade show in Sydney, Australia in September will get a chance to see the upcoming Release 10 of Altium Designer in action at the Altium stand. Register online and you could win a NanoBoard 3000.   Meet the Envision team There are real people behind the creation of Envision, and we've stopped hiding.

	KEEP IN TOUCH No matter where you are in the development process, we're here to help. Contact Altium in your region at www.altium.com/buy/contactus	COMMENTS Questions or comments regarding Envision? Email us at envision@altium.com WANT MORE? Previous issues of Envision are available at www.altium.com/community/newsletters	SUBSCRIBEReceived this link from a friend or colleague? Subscribe to Envision update alerts at www.altium.com/envision