Target Condition: Are Autorouters Friend or Foe?
Fresh PCB Concepts: Assembly Challenges with Micro Components and Standard Solder Mask Practices
Elementary Mr. Watson: Retro Routers vs. Modern Boards—The Silent Struggle on Your Screen
Porticos: Designing Everything From Handheld Electronics to Guitar Parts
May 1, 2020 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazineEstimated reading time: 7 minutes
Patterson: Not as much anymore, but I enjoyed it. As founders, we’re responsible for business development, but we are still involved in projects, helping manage and provide oversight. Sometimes, we’ll do some design work, but not as much as we used to do.
Shaughnessy: That’s one of the pitfalls of being the founder.
Patterson: It is. But we do fun stuff too. I know you play guitar so you'll find it interesting that we did a bridge for an acoustic guitar for Martin Guitars.
Close-up of Portico’s bridge designed for Martin Guitars.
Shaughnessy: No kidding. How did that happen?
Patterson: I’d met them before for something completely independent. There’s a challenge of intonation, bridge height, and string height in acoustic guitars. We had an idea to address those challenges and developed some prototypes. We worked with Fishman, who did the electronics for us, and we built some units. It wasn’t a profitable project for us, but it was fun and kept us challenged.
Shaughnessy: Did you get involved with the woodworking?
Patterson: On this project, yes, but generally speaking, we work with plastics, sheet metal, or cast parts.
Shaughnessy: Guitars are hard because you don’t want to make the top too thick, or it won’t resonate and be loud enough, but you don’t want it to be so thin that it bows under pressure.
Patterson: It has to be able to support the load. That was the challenge with designing the bridge. There are a lot of different rules of thumb, but you don’t want to add a lot of mass to the bridge, so you couldn’t take an electric guitar bridge, for example, and stick it on an acoustic guitar. At least you wouldn’t want to if you don’t want to impact the acoustics of the instrument. We have a lot of experience with carbon fiber plastics that can be very light. We incorporated that experience into the design of the bridge.
Shaughnessy: It sounds like a fun company to work for. How many employees do you have?
Patterson: Right now, we have 23 full-time employees and some contractors.
Shaughnessy: Does that include Asia?
Patterson: No, Asia is separate. We have five employees in Asia right now, and we hope to add a few more this year. We should have around 10 employees in Asia by the end of 2020.
Shaughnessy: Very good. Thanks, Greg.
Patterson: Thank you, Andy.
Page 2 of 2Share on:
Suggested Items
S&K Aerospace Awarded Major Contract Under DLA Maritime Acquisition Advancement Program
07/02/2025 | BUSINESS WIRES&K Aerospace, LLC has been awarded a significant contract under the Defense Logistics Agency’s (DLA) Maritime Acquisition Advancement Program, managed by the U.S. Naval Supply Command - Weapon Systems Support (NAVSUP WSS) in Mechanicsburg, PA.
Green Circuits to Exhibit Full-Service Electronics Manufacturing Solutions at 2025 SMD Symposium
07/02/2025 | Green CircuitsGreen Circuits, a full-service Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) partner to leading OEMs, is pleased to announce its participation in the 2025 SMD Symposium, taking place August 5-7 at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
06/27/2025 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007While news outside our industry keeps our attention occupied, the big news inside the industry is the rechristening of IPC as the Global Electronics Association. My must-reads begins with Marcy LaRont’s exclusive and informative interview with Dr. John Mitchell, president and CEO of the Global Electronics Association. For designers, have we finally reached the point in time where autorouters will fulfill their potential?
Knocking Down the Bone Pile: Tin Whisker Mitigation in Aerospace Applications, Part 3
06/25/2025 | Nash Bell -- Column: Knocking Down the Bone PileTin whiskers are slender, hair-like metallic growths that can develop on the surface of tin-plated electronic components. Typically measuring a few micrometers in diameter and growing several millimeters in length, they form through an electrochemical process influenced by environmental factors such as temperature variations, mechanical or compressive stress, and the aging of solder alloys.
RTX, the Singapore Economic Development Board Sign MOU Outlining 10-year Growth Roadmap
06/20/2025 | RTXRTX and the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which outlines a 10-year roadmap to further long-term strategic collaboration in Singapore.