Connect the Dots: Proactive Controlled Impedance
Beyond Design: Radiation and Interference Coupling
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Design Data Packages—Circle of Concern or Circle of Influence?
DesignCon Day 2: PCB Exhibitors and Sessions Aplenty
August 18, 2021 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: Less than a minute
The first day of DesignCon, held at the McEnery Center in San Jose, seemed to be more lightly attended than in previous years. While that may seem like bad news, word from exhibitors was that those in attendance are here to do business. Likewise, the technical conference seems to be delivering on its promise.
We noticed a subtle shift in the focus of the conference. Where once the topics were strictly about design in general, now the papers and panels concentrate on engineering topics: signal integrity, return paths, power management, stackups, EMC, and more. While the I-Connect007 staff has been noting for some time the trend toward electrical engineering increasingly becoming a critical base of knowledge for the PCB designer, this year’s DesignCon is putting that trend right out in the open.
In the coming days, I-Connect007 will bring you several wide-ranging interviews from presenters, DesignCon committee members, attendees, and exhibitors. Stay tuned.
Share on:
Suggested Items
Tips to Master the ‘Black Magic’ of RF Design
05/01/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007For this issue on RF design, I reached out to Zach Peterson, founder of Northwest Engineering Solutions, an engineering design services company in Portland, Oregon. You can find some of Zach’s RF design presentations on YouTube; he does a great job breaking down these complex ideas for PCB designers who are new to the RF side of things. I asked Zach to discuss the challenges facing RF designers, the relevant material considerations, and the layout tips and techniques that can help RF designers master this “black magic” technology.
Cadence Next-Gen AI-Driven OrCAD X Delivers Up to 5X Faster PCB Design with Cadence OnCloud
09/13/2023 | Cadence Design Systems, Inc.Cadence Design Systems announced the new Cadence OrCAD X Platform, a cloud-enabled system design solution that offers transformative improvements in ease of use, performance, automation and collaboration.
The Shaughnessy Report: Rigid-flex Design No Longer a Niche
09/12/2023 | Andy Shaughnessy -- Column: The Shaughnessy ReportWhen I first started covering this industry in 1999, rigid-flex circuits were considered a niche market. In fact, Compaq was deemed a trendsetter for using rigid-flex in its laptops. Now, analysts at Credence Research predict that the rigid-flex market will top $5 billion by 2026, led in part by the adoption of IoT and the need to connect a variety of smart devices. That’s a pretty big niche. Rigid-flex circuits are everywhere, from servers and smartphones to cameras and pacemakers.
Challenges in Modern PCB Design and Analysis
09/05/2023 | Steve Watt, ZukenZuken recognizes the need to address innovation in all areas of the design process while remaining responsive to customer-driven requirements. While we can make predictions about various challenges, concerns, and requirements, our customers play a vital role in shaping the company’s development direction. They have the benefit of being “in the trenches,” so to speak, on a daily basis, so they are the subject matter experts and can help identify gaps in our tools based on where their processes are heading.
Three Ways to Improve High-Speed PCB Signoff, Part 1
09/06/2023 | Brad Griffin, Cadence Design SystemsSignal integrity (SI) and power integrity (PI) are top priorities for engineers designing today’s high-speed, high-density circuit boards, and faster signoff of designs can be achieved by uncovering SI/PI issues early in the design process, before costly respins are required. Three key issues engineers need to overcome to sign off on high-speed PCB designs include power analysis, serializer/deserializer (SerDes) link compliance, and double data rate (DDR) memory interface compliance.