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Cost vs. Price:The Economics of PCB Design PCB Manufacturing Cost vs. Value: The Economics of PCB Design Every decision made in the design process of any PCB or system has an economic as well as an engineering effect. Some of these effects are more visible or tangible than others but if the “dollars and cents” elements are weighted along with the design decisions it is more likely that that the resulting product will be both economically efficient and well-engineered. As with most everything in life, price and cost are not the same things Read Article
Analog Noise How to Reduce and Remove Noise In Analog Signals From Your PCB On my 12th birthday, I received my very own stereo system, complete with 4 speakers, a CD changer, and a tape deck. My parents found my taste in 80s hair metal pretty annoying, but I couldn’t get over the annoying hum coming from the speakers after a CD ended. Noise in analog systems, and analog noise in general, can present serious problems in a number of applications. Examples include systems for precise measurement, power systems, and radios Read Article
Guard Traces: Hit or Myth? What Are Guard Traces in PCB Design and Do They Work? Guard traces on a PCB layout are another topic area where there continues to be a lot of conflicting information. You can find a lot of different references to their use. There is confusion as to which types of designs—analog circuit, mixed-signal or digital—supposedly benefit the most from the use of guard traces; how guard traces block EM fields; the importance of having the trace ends be floating, grounded on one end or grounded on both ends Read Article
Weekly Digest: Join the Fastest Growing Software in ECAD Weekly Digest: Join the Fastest Growing Software in ECAD This week, we were so excited to see one of our own in I-Connect 007, Andy Johnson who was a big part of bringing the new Academic Program to fruition (check out the awesome video). It’s no surprise to us that so many talented young folks want to join the Altium team. We’re growing! And did you know that Altium Designer® software is the most popular EDA tool on the market? That’s right, and there are plenty of reasons why. So consider joining the Read Article
The IPC Warning About Microvia Reliability for High Performance Products The IPC Warning About Microvia Reliability for High Performance Products Hopefully, by now, you have read the full Press Release from the IPC on March 6, 2019, about the warning of field and latent failures of high-profile HDI boards. IF not, the complete press release is available on I-Connect 007. [1] What you may have seen is the warning statement which the IPC will be including in the upcoming IPC-6012E, Qualification and Performance Specification for Rigid Printed Boards: “There have been many examples of post Read Article
Sometimes, You Can't Do it Alone Sometimes, You Can't Do it Alone When it comes to design, most engineers do it alone. It's not that engineers are anti-social. That's a played out trope. It has more to do with the reality engineers can split up design work into independent finite chunks of work. Board development work, however, is changing. There more and more use cases where an engineer can't do their tasks in isolation. In this post, we'll explore a couple of those scenarios, look at the implications of using Read Article
From CAD to PCB: The Data You Give Me and What I Actually Do With It From CAD to PCB: The Data You Give Me and What I Actually Do With It From CAD to PCB, 60% of jobs go on hold! Watch this episode and find out how to provide exactly what your manufacturer needs to prevent delays and what really happens when you send your data package. Read Article
Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DFM/A) or Predictive Engineering Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DFM/A) or Predictive Engineering Advances in interconnection technologies have occurred in response to the evolution of component packages, electronic technology and increasing complex functions. The printed circuit, therefore, has become the most popular and cost-efficient way to physically execute an electronic circuit. Fabrication, assembly and test technologies have responded by making their technologies more complex. The increased complexity and capabilities have made Read Article
Problem Solving Methodology for PCB Designers Problem Solving Methodology for PCB Designers One of the skills that is useful when working in a high-technology industry like electronics is problem- solving. If you are an engineer, then this is one of your key focuses in your career. Even if you are not, having good problem-solving skills is always useful. In electronics manufacturing today, problems in production will involve numerous ‘cause-factors’, many of which are design created. PCB designer communication is essential. The timing Read Article
Slaying the 90⁰ Right-Angle Bend Dragon Slaying the PCB 90⁰ Right-Angles Bend Dragon As anyone designing PCBs knows, there are a lot of “Rules-of-Thumb” and myths that have populated the industry. One of the areas where misinformation continues to abound focuses on 90° angle bends in PCB traces. A pretty good job has been done to address some of the most outlandish aspects of the bad data such as avoiding right-angle bends because electrons would go flying off the corners and not using them because the copper in the corners can Read Article
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