Elementary, Mr. Watson: Design Data Packages—Circle of Concern or Circle of Influence?
Fresh PCB Concepts: The Power of a Lunch & Learn for PCB Professionals
The Shaughnessy Report: Solving the Data Package Puzzle
IPC Design Competition Champion Crowned at IPC APEX EXPO 2024
April 24, 2024 | IPCEstimated reading time: 1 minute
At IPC APEX EXPO 2024 in Anaheim, California, five competitors squared off to determine who was the best of the best at PCB design.
As finalists in the third annual IPC Design Competition, the five designers were invited to IPC APEX EXPO to compete in a five-hour layout challenge, to place components and route a board, compliant to relevant IPC standards. As part of the finals heat, competitors used Altium Designer, and a project was provided with stackup and board geometry complete, with certain critical components pre-placed. All other components were left to be placed at the discretion of the competitors.
At the end of the round, each competitor delivered their project file to judges Kris Moyer and Patrick Crawford, IPC; Steve Roy, Roy Design and Manufacturing Service; Russell Steiner, Amphenol; Kevin Kusiak and David Caputa, Lockheed Martin. The judges placed weight on examining completeness of the board (i.e., how many routed nets) vs. critical errors – namely short circuits, clearance violations, via producibility, and various signal integrity aspects.
After an intense 2.5-hour judging process, Dinesh G., lead turnkey, Sienna ECAD, took first place with his PCB design.
Second place went to Paul Brionez, CID+, senior PCB design layout engineer, Wisk Aero. Third place went to Ajeesh Francis, senior PCB engineer, Tessolve Semiconductor Pvt. Ltd.
Runners-up included: Joseph Chiu, ToyBuilder Labs and Harish G., senior engineer, R&D-Mobility, Exicom Tele-Systems Ltd.
To learn more about IPC’s design initiative, visit ipc.org/solutions/ipc-design.
Share on:
Suggested Items
Canadian Circuits Inc. Unveils Rapid Prototype PCB Assembly Service to Accelerate Innovation
05/14/2025 | Canadian Circuits, Inc.Canadian Circuits Inc. (CCI), a leading provider of high-quality, made-in-Canada, Printed Circuit Board (PCB) solutions, is proud to announce the launch of its Prototype PCB Assembly (PCBA) service. This new offering enhances CCI’s commitment to empowering engineers and OEMs by accelerating the journey from concept to product launch with precision and efficiency in electronics manufacturing.
New Episode of NCAB Podcast Series Explores Cutting-edge Thermal Management Solutions
05/14/2025 | I-Connect007In this episode we continue the conversation with NCAB Field Application Engineer Ryan Miller as we dive into practical design and manufacturing techniques for controlling thermal effects. Topics include via farms, insulated metal substrates, coin technology, and copper pedestals—solutions that help meet today's high-performance demands.
American Standard Circuits to Exhibit and Speak at SMTA Oregon Expo
05/14/2025 | American Standard CircuitsAnaya Vardya, President, and CEO of American Standard Sunstone Circuits has announced that his company will be exhibiting SMTA Oregon Expo & Tech Forum to be held on May 20 at the Wingspan Events and Conference Center in Hillsboro, Oregon.
indie Semiconductor Reports Q1 2025 Results
05/13/2025 | BUSINESS WIREindie Semiconductor, Inc., an automotive solutions innovator, today announced first quarter results for the period ended March 31, 2025. Q1 revenue was up 3.3 percent year-over-year to $54.1 million with Non-GAAP gross margin of 49.5 percent. On a GAAP basis, first quarter 2025 operating loss was $38.9 million compared to $49.6 million a year ago.
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Design Data Packages—Circle of Concern or Circle of Influence?
05/14/2025 | John Watson -- Column: Elementary, Mr. WatsonI've often been asked, "Can you have a perfect PCB design?" At first blush, it seems like the answer should be yes. After all, if you follow all the rules, double-check your work, and use the right tools, it should be perfect. Right?