Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Altium Develop gives your entire team real-time visibility into PCB designs, BOMs, and manufacturing — so DDR routing decisions like via delay never get lost in translation: altium.com/develop?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=signal-integrity&utm_content=how-to-input-via-delay-in-altium-for-ddr-routing
Should you include via propagation delay in your DDR bus length tuning calculations — and if so, where exactly do you enter it in Altium? In this video, Zach Peterson tackles a real viewer question about DDR3 routing across multiple PCB layers, breaking down how via delay can silently eat into your skew margin before you've even finished routing. Using Altium's default 10-layer stackup as a reference, Zach walks through the propagation delay differences between microstrip and stripline layers, showing why a seemingly small 20 ps/inch difference can consume nearly all of your 50 ps DDR skew budget in just two inches of trace.
To put real numbers behind the theory, Zach fires up Simbeor to simulate via delay values for a 6-layer stackup — demonstrating that vias spanning from layer 1 to layer 4 can contribute up to 8 picoseconds of delay on their own. He then shows you exactly where to enter that calculated via delay value inside Altium's Properties panel, so your CAD tool can properly factor it into delay tuning. Whether you're routing DDR3, DDR4, or any other high-speed parallel bus, this video gives you a practical, simulation-backed workflow for keeping your timing margins under control.
👉 Resources from this Video:
- Pin-Package Delay and Via Delay in High Speed Length Tuning: resources.altium.com/p/pin-package-delay-and-via-delay-in-high-speed-length-tuning
- PCB Ground Loops and How to Prevent Them: youtu.be/3swYweisn5g
💡 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.
#Altium #PCBDesign #SignalIntegrity
0:00 Intro
1:42 DDR Bus Routing ️
2:25 Propagation Delay ⏱️
4:00 Layer Propagation Delay
5:52 Routing Tool Account ️
6:30 Trace Routing Impact
7:12 Via Delay Calculation
8:04 Simulation for Delay
8:44 Simbeor Via Analysis
11:04 Via Delay in Altium ️
11:53 Next Video Preview ⏭️
Altium Develop gives your entire team real-time visibility into PCB designs, BOMs, and manufacturing — so DDR routing decisions like via delay never get lost in translation: altium.com/develop?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=signal-integrity&utm_content=how-to-input-via-delay-in-altium-for-ddr-routing
Should you include via propagation delay in your DDR bus length tuning calculations — and if so, where exactly do you enter it in Altium? In this video, Zach Peterson tackles a real viewer question about DDR3 routing across multiple PCB layers, breaking down how via delay can silently eat into your skew margin before you've even finished routing. Using Altium's default 10-layer stackup as a reference, Zach walks through the propagation delay differences between microstrip and stripline layers, showing why a seemingly small 20 ps/inch difference can consume nearly all of your 50 ps DDR skew budget in just two inches of trace.
To put real numbers behind the theory, Zach fires up Simbeor to simulate via delay values for a 6-layer stackup — demonstrating that vias spanning from layer 1 to layer 4 can contribute up to 8 picoseconds of delay on their own. He then shows you exactly where to enter that calculated via delay value inside Altium's Properties panel, so your CAD tool can properly factor it into delay tuning. Whether you're routing DDR3, DDR4, or any other high-speed parallel bus, this video gives you a practical, simulation-backed workflow for keeping your timing margins under control.
👉 Resources from this Video:
- Pin-Package Delay and Via Delay in High Speed Length Tuning: resources.altium.com/p/pin-package-delay-and-via-delay-in-high-speed-length-tuning
- PCB Ground Loops and How to Prevent Them: youtu.be/3swYweisn5g
💡 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.
#Altium #PCBDesign #SignalIntegrity
0:00 Intro
1:42 DDR Bus Routing ️
2:25 Propagation Delay ⏱️
4:00 Layer Propagation Delay
5:52 Routing Tool Account ️
6:30 Trace Routing Impact
7:12 Via Delay Calculation
8:04 Simulation for Delay
8:44 Simbeor Via Analysis
11:04 Via Delay in Altium ️
11:53 Next Video Preview ⏭️
