Beyond the Board: The Future of Innovation—Why the Electronics Industry Needs You
American Made Advocacy: New Congress, New Opportunities
The Government Circuit: News on Defense Electronics, Europe, and Sustainability
Barry Hurley, PCB Designer and Porch Dawg Guitarist, Dies at 57
November 17, 2016 | Andy Shaughnessy, PCBDesign007Estimated reading time: 1 minute
Barry Hurley, a longtime PCB designer, instructor, and guitarist with the Porch Dawgs, passed away in Bonham, Texas on November 12. He was 57.
Barry Ennis Hurley spent decades in the PCB industry. He co-founded PCB Design Consultants in 1990 and later held various positions at DDI, Xetel, Design Solutions, Eagle Circuits, QFab, and Precision Technology.
Barry won the Top Gun design competition at PCB West, and was inducted into the Top Gun Hall of Fame in 1998. He went on to teach various PCB design courses at the PCB Design Conferences.
He was also a serious guitar player and collector. I played with him at several of the Porch Dawgs shows, and he always surprised us with his latest fine guitar, usually a vintage Gibson or Fender. Once I asked him what he'd paid for a vintage sunburst Les Paul, and he said, "Do you want the real price, or what I told my wife?"
I last saw Barry at SMTAI in Ft. Worth a few years ago, and he was discussing his sales job at QFab. I asked if he missed being a PCB designer, and he said no.
"I'm changing people's lives," Barry said. "And my golf game has really improved!"
He was a good guy, and we'll all miss him.
Family visitation is 6-8 pm Friday, November 18, at Trinity Baptist Church, 219 W. Denison Ave., Bonham, Texas. A celebration service will be held at 2 pm Saturday, November 19, at Trinity Baptist.
Share on:
Suggested Items
Würth Elektronik Now an Infineon ‘Preferred Partner’
03/13/2025 | Wurth Elektronik eiSosWürth Elektronik, one of the leading manufacturers of electronic and electromechanical components, is broadening its collaboration with semiconductor manufacturers.
Elementary Mr. Watson: Ensuring a Smooth Handoff From PCB Design to Fabrication
03/13/2025 | John Watson -- Column: Elementary, Mr. WatsonAt the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, the U.S. men's 4x100-meter relay team had high hopes of winning a medal. The team comprised some of the fastest sprinters in the world, but something went wrong. In a relay, four runners must smoothly pass their baton to the next runner inside a zone on the track. If a runner drops the baton or it’s passed outside the zone, the team risks disqualification. The U.S. team’s pass between the second and third runner was messy, slowing them down. By the time the last runner received the baton, the team had lost too much time. They finished sixth in their heat and didn’t qualify for the final.
Ventec International Group Announce Launch of VT-47LT IPC4101 /126 Prepreg for HDI
03/12/2025 | Ventec International GroupVentec International Group announce launch of VT-47LT IPC4101 / 126 Prepreg. Are Microvia Failures Plaguing Your HDI Any Layer Designs? High-density interconnect (HDI) designs are pushing the envelope - higher layer count HDI relies on complex microvia designs: skip vias, staggered microvias, and stacked microvias in sequential laminations.
TI Introduces the World's Smallest MCU, Enabling Innovation in the Tiniest of Applications
03/12/2025 | PRNewswireTexas Instruments (TI) introduced the world's smallest MCU, expanding its comprehensive Arm® Cortex®-M0+ MSPM0 MCU portfolio. Measuring only 1.38mm2, about the size of a black pepper flake, the wafer chip-scale package (WCSP) for the MSPM0C1104 MCU enables designers to optimize board space in applications such as medical wearables and personal electronics, without compromising performance.
Speaking the Same Language as Your Fabricator
03/12/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazineWe do indeed have a failure to communicate; designers and fabricators often seem to be talking past each other, which can lead to jobs being put on hold. We asked Jen Kolar, VP of engineering for Monsoon Solutions, and columnist Kelly Dack to share their thoughts on ways that we can break down the communication barrier between design and fabrication. As they point out, a design kickoff checklist and a solid review process can be invaluable tools in a designer’s toolbox.