Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Altium Develop connects your whole team from schematic to fabricated board, so thermal and manufacturability issues in your DC power design get flagged early instead of at the fab: altium.com/develop?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=power-integrity&utm_content=5-dc-power-integrity-myths-that-ruin-your-pcb-design
DC power integrity quietly shapes the reliability of nearly every power electronics board you'll design, yet it's surrounded by persistent myths that lead to suboptimal decisions. In this video, Zach Peterson breaks down the five most common DC power integrity myths—covering industry standards like IPC 2152 and IPC 2221, the real limits of heavy copper, power layer allocation, via usage, and component placement—so you can size your traces and rails correctly and avoid overheating, hot spots, and current imbalance in your PCB.
Using live examples from the Altium blog, real design files, and Gerber data, you'll see exactly why thermal calculators disagree, when heavy copper actually helps versus when it wrecks your manufacturability, how to divide a power plane into multiple rails, and why too many vias turn your copper into "Swiss cheese." Featuring expert insights from Mike Jouppi and Caleb Buck, this is an essential watch for any PCB designer or power electronics engineer who wants to build DC power boards that pass thermal testing the first time.
👉 Resources from this video:
- IPC-2221 Calculator for PCB Trace Current and Heating: resources.altium.com/p/ipc-2221-calculator-pcb-trace-current-and-heating
- Using an IPC-2152 Calculator: Designing to Standards: resources.altium.com/p/using-ipc-2152-calculator-designing-standards
- Simplify Analysis with Power Analyzer by Keysight: youtube.com/watch?v=MeHowtR3_As
- High Power PCB Design: Pushing the Limits with Caleb Buck: youtu.be/aYi080GbV08?si=a_xZbmaRw0y82NMv
- Thermal Management in PCB Today: youtu.be/A4o2MzFRL_U?si=5467yuzo56pPSrnw
💡 Stay Connected:
Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more in-depth tutorials and tips from @AltiumAcademy Share your thoughts and questions in the comments below!
👉 Subscribe for more: youtube.com/@AltiumAcademy?sub_confirmation=1
Don't forget to follow us on social to stay up-to-date on the latest Altium Academy content.
👉 Follow Altium on TikTok: tiktok.com/@altiumdesigner
👉 Follow Altium on Twitter: twitter.com/altium
👉 Follow Altium on Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/altium
👉 Follow Altium on Facebook: facebook.com/AltiumOfficial
The Altium Academy is an online experience created to bring modern education to PCB Designers and Engineers all across the world. Here you can access a vast library of free training and educational content covering everything from basic design to advanced principles and step-by-step walkthroughs. Join industry legends as they share their career knowledge, review real-life design projects, or learn how to leverage one of Altium's leading design tools. No matter your level of experience, the Altium Academy can help you become a better Designer and Engineer!
About Altium LLC
Altium LLC (ASX:ALU), a global software company based in San Diego, California, is accelerating the pace of innovation through electronics. From individual inventors to multinational corporations, more PCB designers and engineers choose Altium software to design and realize electronics-based products.
#pcbdesign #altium #electronicsdesign
00:00 Intro
01:19 IPC 2152 vs 2221
05:46 Heavy Copper Myth
07:26 Copper Weight Impact ️
08:36 Power Layer Myth
10:26 Vias: Diminishing Return
12:53 Placement Always Matters
15:27 Video Conclusion
Altium Develop connects your whole team from schematic to fabricated board, so thermal and manufacturability issues in your DC power design get flagged early instead of at the fab: altium.com/develop?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=power-integrity&utm_content=5-dc-power-integrity-myths-that-ruin-your-pcb-design
DC power integrity quietly shapes the reliability of nearly every power electronics board you'll design, yet it's surrounded by persistent myths that lead to suboptimal decisions. In this video, Zach Peterson breaks down the five most common DC power integrity myths—covering industry standards like IPC 2152 and IPC 2221, the real limits of heavy copper, power layer allocation, via usage, and component placement—so you can size your traces and rails correctly and avoid overheating, hot spots, and current imbalance in your PCB.
Using live examples from the Altium blog, real design files, and Gerber data, you'll see exactly why thermal calculators disagree, when heavy copper actually helps versus when it wrecks your manufacturability, how to divide a power plane into multiple rails, and why too many vias turn your copper into "Swiss cheese." Featuring expert insights from Mike Jouppi and Caleb Buck, this is an essential watch for any PCB designer or power electronics engineer who wants to build DC power boards that pass thermal testing the first time.
👉 Resources from this video:
- IPC-2221 Calculator for PCB Trace Current and Heating: resources.altium.com/p/ipc-2221-calculator-pcb-trace-current-and-heating
- Using an IPC-2152 Calculator: Designing to Standards: resources.altium.com/p/using-ipc-2152-calculator-designing-standards
- Simplify Analysis with Power Analyzer by Keysight: youtube.com/watch?v=MeHowtR3_As
- High Power PCB Design: Pushing the Limits with Caleb Buck: youtu.be/aYi080GbV08?si=a_xZbmaRw0y82NMv
- Thermal Management in PCB Today: youtu.be/A4o2MzFRL_U?si=5467yuzo56pPSrnw
💡 Stay Connected:
Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more in-depth tutorials and tips from @AltiumAcademy Share your thoughts and questions in the comments below!
👉 Subscribe for more: youtube.com/@AltiumAcademy?sub_confirmation=1
Don't forget to follow us on social to stay up-to-date on the latest Altium Academy content.
👉 Follow Altium on TikTok: tiktok.com/@altiumdesigner
👉 Follow Altium on Twitter: twitter.com/altium
👉 Follow Altium on Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/altium
👉 Follow Altium on Facebook: facebook.com/AltiumOfficial
The Altium Academy is an online experience created to bring modern education to PCB Designers and Engineers all across the world. Here you can access a vast library of free training and educational content covering everything from basic design to advanced principles and step-by-step walkthroughs. Join industry legends as they share their career knowledge, review real-life design projects, or learn how to leverage one of Altium's leading design tools. No matter your level of experience, the Altium Academy can help you become a better Designer and Engineer!
About Altium LLC
Altium LLC (ASX:ALU), a global software company based in San Diego, California, is accelerating the pace of innovation through electronics. From individual inventors to multinational corporations, more PCB designers and engineers choose Altium software to design and realize electronics-based products.
#pcbdesign #altium #electronicsdesign
00:00 Intro
01:19 IPC 2152 vs 2221
05:46 Heavy Copper Myth
07:26 Copper Weight Impact ️
08:36 Power Layer Myth
10:26 Vias: Diminishing Return
12:53 Placement Always Matters
15:27 Video Conclusion
