- 
                                  
- News
-  Books
                        Featured Books
- design007 Magazine
Latest IssuesCurrent Issue  Power IntegrityCurrent power demands are increasing, especially with AI, 5G, and EV chips. This month, our experts share “watt’s up” with power integrity, from planning and layout through measurement and manufacturing.   Signal IntegrityIf you don’t have signal integrity problems now, you will eventually. This month, our expert contributors share a variety of SI techniques that can help designers avoid ground bounce, crosstalk, parasitic issues, and much more.   Proper Floor PlanningFloor planning decisions can make or break performance, manufacturability, and timelines. This month’s contributors weigh in with their best practices for proper floor planning and specific strategies to get it right. 
- Articles
- Columns
- Links
- Media kit||| MENU
- design007 Magazine
Occam Prize Competition for Electronic Design Now Accepting Entries
August 14, 2018 | Occam PrizeEstimated reading time: 1 minute
The first annual Occam Prize International Design Competition has begun accepting registrations from circuit designers from around the world. Cash prizes totaling $5,000 will be awarded to top designers in the inaugural year of the planned annual competition.
The purpose of the competition is to incentivize circuit designers everywhere to explore for themselves the prospective benefits associated with the Occam Process, a method for manufacturing electronic assemblies without solder to prospectively make them smaller, lighter, more reliable, more environmentally friendly and much less expensive. It has been estimated by the developers that if all electronics were to be fabricated side stepping the solder assembly process, billions of dollars, perhaps into double digits could be saved annually on a global basis.
Veteran PCB designer Darren Smith, president of AthenaTech, demonstrated the efficacy of the Occam Design and Assembly Process by taking an assembly he had previously designed and redesigning it. Using the approach prescribed for Occam assemblies, Smith was able to take the assembly to less than half the size of the original while reducing layer count from 12 to 6.
For those wishing to better understand the Occam Process, Joe Fjelstad's eBook, “Solderless Assembly for Electronics – The SAFE Approach," is available for free download.
The Occam Prize will be awarded annually on December 21, Winter Solstice, the day the Northern Hemisphere begins to transition from days of darkness to days of light. Registrations open on August 14, 2018 and will close on November 30, 2018.
Sponsors presently include: AthenaTech - USA, CETTI - Romania, I-Connect007 - USA, MEPTEC - USA, Micropress - Brazil, Promex Industries - USA, Rainbow Technologies - Scotland, Verdant Electronics - USA, Tatsuta - Japan, Topline Industries - USA, Terecircuits - USA, UP Media - USA, and Zero Defects - USA.
Details about the Occam Prize and how to register can be found on the Occam Prize website or by contacting Info@OccamPrize.com.
Testimonial
"Advertising in PCB007 Magazine has been a great way to showcase our bare board testers to the right audience. The I-Connect007 team makes the process smooth and professional. We’re proud to be featured in such a trusted publication."
Klaus Koziol - atgSuggested Items
BTU International Earns 2025 Step-by-Step Excellence Award for Its Aqua Scrub™ Flux Management System
10/29/2025 | BTU International, Inc.BTU International, Inc., a leading supplier of advanced thermal processing equipment for the electronics manufacturing market, has been recognized with a 2025 Step-by-Step Excellence Award (SbSEA) for its Aqua Scrub™ Flux Management Technology, featured on the company’s Pyramax™ and Aurora™ reflow ovens.
On the Line With… Ultra HDI Podcast—Episode 7: “Solder Mask: Beyond the Traces,” Now Available
10/31/2025 | I-Connect007I-Connect007 is excited to announce the release of the seventh episode of its 12-part podcast series, On the Line With… American Standard Circuits: Ultra HDI. In this episode, “Solder Mask: Beyond the Traces,” host Nolan Johnson sits down with John Johnson, Director of Quality and Advanced Technology at American Standard Circuits, to explore the essential role that solder mask plays in the Ultra HDI (UHDI) manufacturing process.
Rehm Wins Mexico Technology Award for CondensoXLine with Formic Acid
10/17/2025 | Rehm Thermal SystemsModern electronics manufacturing requires technologies with high reliability. By using formic acid in convection, condensation, and contact soldering, Rehm Thermal Systems’ equipment ensures reliable, void-free solder joints — even when using flux-free solder pastes.
Indium Experts to Deliver Technical Presentations at SMTA International
10/14/2025 | Indium CorporationAs one of the leading materials providers to the power electronics assembly industry, Indium Corporation experts will share their technical insight on a wide range of innovative solder solutions at SMTA International (SMTAI), to be held October 19-23 in Rosemont, Illinois.
Knocking Down the Bone Pile: Revamp Your Components with BGA Reballing
10/14/2025 | Nash Bell -- Column: Knocking Down the Bone PileBall grid array (BGA) components evolved from pin grid array (PGA) devices, carrying over many of the same electrical benefits while introducing a more compact and efficient interconnect format. Instead of discrete leads, BGAs rely on solder balls on the underside of the package to connect to the PCB. In some advanced designs, solder balls are on both the PCB and the BGA package. In stacked configurations, such as package-on-package (PoP), these solder balls also interconnect multiple packages, enabling higher functionality in a smaller footprint.

 
                                     
                                     
                                     
                                     
                                             
                                             
                                             
                                             
                                             
                                     
                                             
                                             
                                             Fresh PCB Concepts: Resilience and Renewal in Domestic PCB Manufacturing
                                         Fresh PCB Concepts: Resilience and Renewal in Domestic PCB Manufacturing Designers Notebook: Power and Ground Distribution Basics
                                         Designers Notebook: Power and Ground Distribution Basics Elementary, Mr. Watson: Heat—The Hidden Villain of Power Electronics
                                         Elementary, Mr. Watson: Heat—The Hidden Villain of Power Electronics





 
                     
                 
                    