Altium Designer
 | |
| Original author(s) | Nick Martin |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Altium |
| Initial release | 2005 |
| Operating system | Windows |
| Type | Electronic design automation |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website | www |
Altium Designer is a computer program used to design printed circuit boards. Printed circuit boards are small boards that hold electronic parts inside computers, phones, and other machines. The program is made by Altium Limited, an American software company.
History
[change | change source]The program started in 1985. At that time, it was called Protel PCB. It was made by Nick Martin in Australia. The first version worked on MS-DOS computers.[1]
In 1991, the company made a version for Microsoft Windows. New versions followed with names like Protel 98, Protel 99, and Protel DXP.
In 2005, the program was given the name Altium Designer.[2]
In 2018, Altium Designer 18 came out. It was the first version to use 64-bit technology. In 2019, version 19 added Altium 365, which lets people work together on designs over the internet.[3]
In 2024, Altium became part of a Japanese company called Renesas Electronics.[4]
In 2025, Altium Designer was no longer sold by itself. Instead, it became part of two larger products called Altium Develop and Altium Agile.[5]
Features
[change | change source]Engineers use Altium Designer to draw and plan printed circuit boards. The program can show the boards in 3D so designers can see what they will look like before they are made.[6]
The program can be used to design many kinds of boards. These include flat boards, bendable boards, and boards built for harsh places like space.
Altium Designer works with Octopart, a search engine for electronic parts.[7]
References
[change | change source]- ↑ TangoPCB. ACCEL Technologies, Inc. 1 December 1987.
- ↑ "History - PCB Design Tools - EDA Software". Altium. Archived from the original on 15 April 2018.
- ↑ "Altium updates PCB design software". EDN. 24 December 2018. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
- ↑ "Renesas Completes Altium Acquisition". EE Times. 1 August 2024. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
- ↑ "Altium Develop". Altium. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
- ↑ "Altium releases 3D PCB visualization". EE Times. Retrieved 6 September 2010.
- ↑ "Altium Designer links to Premier Farnell's DesignLink". EE Times. Retrieved 8 September 2010.