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Beyond the Rulebook
What happens when the rule book is no longer useful, or worse, was never written in the first place? In today’s fast-moving electronics landscape, we’re increasingly asked to design and build what has no precedent, no proven path, and no tidy checklist to follow. This is where “Design for Invention” begins.
March Madness
From the growing role of AI in design tools to the challenge of managing cumulative tolerances, these articles in this issue examine the technical details, design choices, and manufacturing considerations that determine whether a board works as intended.
Looking Forward to APEX EXPO 2026
I-Connect007 Magazine previews APEX EXPO 2026, covering everything from the show floor to the technical conference. For PCB designers, we move past the dreaded auto-router and spotlight AI design tools that actually matter.
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DigiKey Collaborates with STMicroelectronics and Ultra Librarian to Deliver Enhanced eDesignSuite Integration
March 20, 2026 | PRNewswireEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
DigiKey, the global distribution leader of electronic components and automation products, announces the availability of an enhanced eDesignSuite experience, developed through a collaboration with STMicroelectronics (ST) and Ultra Librarian. The improved tool environment allows engineers to design, simulate, refine and confidently validate their projects using ST components and to purchase their entire bill of materials (BOM) directly from DigiKey in a few easy steps.
The eDesignSuite, developed by ST, is a free, publicly accessible, no-license-required online design platform that provides a unified workflow for power management, signal conditioning, NFC/RFID applications and other design domains. The collaboration with DigiKey and Ultra Librarian expands the platform's capabilities by tightly integrating component models, simulation flows, BOM management and multi-CAD exports.
"DigiKey is excited to collaborate with ST and Ultra Librarian to bring engineers a unified online tool that accelerates their design process," said Nick D. Olson, supplier business development manager at DigiKey. "The deep integration within the eDesignSuite environment gives users advanced BOM verification, enhanced simulation insight, and a direct path from design to purchase, all of which help bring new products to market faster."
The enhanced eDesignSuite experience provides several new and expanded capabilities, including:
- Integrated thermal and electrical simulation support through SIMPLIS/SIMetrix, enabling deeper performance verification and design confidence
- Real-time BOM refinement with live impact analysis, allowing engineers to immediately see how parameter changes affect design choices and performance
- Seamless export of schematics and BOMs to multiple CAD environments, including OrCAD, Altium and Eagle
- Application-specific design support, including power management design, thermal-electrical simulation, signal conditioning and NFC/RFID calculators
These capabilities make ST the first integrated circuit vendor to offer this level of design tool connectivity with DigiKey's purchasing systems.
The enhanced eDesignSuite provides an end-to-end workflow that helps engineers:
- Efficiently evaluate operating conditions, waveforms and design alternatives
- Validate the impact of component selections
- Generate finalized schematics and BOM files
- Export to preferred CAD environments
- Purchase the entire BOM from DigiKey in a few streamlined steps
"This valuable collaboration with DigiKey and Ultra Librarian extends eDesignSuite from a powerful design tool into a unified design-to-purchase environment," said Patrizia Bellitto, SW system tools - appl. manager at STMicroelectronics. "By connecting simulation, component selection, CAD export and purchasing in a single browser-based environment, we're simplifying the engineer's journey and making it easier to design with ST technologies."
"Ultra Librarian is focused on simplifying the path from design to procurement," said Gopu Achath, vice president of technology at Ultra Librarian. "Through our integration with STMicroelectronics eDesignSuite, engineers can now seamlessly access component data and upload BOMs to DigiKey, creating a faster and more connected design environment."
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Brent Fischthal - Koh YoungSuggested Items
Designing Without a Rulebook: When Engineering Becomes Innovation
05/05/2026 | Stephen V. Chavez, Siemens EDAWhat if the very rules that made you successful as a PCB designer are the ones now holding you back? This reminds me of walking the floor and attending sessions at both PCB West 2025 and APEX EXPO 2026, where one common theme stood out: More designs with traditional PCB “best practices” simply don’t apply. It’s not because they’re wrong, but because the problems we’re solving have fundamentally changed. In some cases, those best practices can actually limit performance. This is where PCB design moves beyond optimization and into something far more challenging: designing without a rulebook.
Custom LIDAR Optics Support Mission-Critical Performance
05/05/2026 | PRNewswireMeller Optics, Inc. has introduced custom fabricated LIDAR optics that can be engineered for specific UV to IR transmission requirements featured in airborne, ground, and maritime defense systems.
Trouble in Your Tank: In Complex Systems, Design Rules Aren’t Optional
05/06/2026 | Michael Carano -- Column: Trouble in Your TankThere is no question that the electronics industry, especially in circuit board design and fabrication, advanced packaging, and innovation throughout the value chain, has seen a significant transformation, whether it be in materials, system architecture, HDI and ultra HDI, semiconductors, or chiplets. AI and high-performance computing (HPC) are driving change across several fronts, including material properties, assembly techniques (think hybrid bonding), and power management.
EMI Strengthens Test Capability with Acculogic Flying Probe System
05/04/2026 | Express Manufacturing, Inc.Express Manufacturing, Inc. (EMI), a global electronics manufacturing services (EMS) provider, has added the Acculogic Scorpion 980E Flying Probe Test System to its inspection and test operations, giving the company greater flexibility in how it validates and supports today’s increasingly complex electronics.
SEMI Appoints Julie Rogers Executive Director of the ESD Alliance
05/01/2026 | SEMISEMI, the industry association serving the global semiconductor and electronics design and manufacturing supply chain, announced the appointment of Julie Rogers as Executive Director of the Electronic System Design Alliance (ESDA), a SEMI Technology Community.