McCauley Design Group Spreads the CAMM2 Gospel
July 30, 2024 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazineEstimated reading time: 3 minutes
At PCB East, I met Charlene McCauley and Terrie Duffy of the McCauley Design Group. The duo was leading a class on designing with the new CAMM2 DDR5, a JEDEC specification and standard created by Dell, which is due to replace the aging SO-DIMM in laptops. The CAMM2 (Compression Attach Memory Module) is solderless and frees up lots of real estate that SO-DIMM famously requires.
Now that CAMM2 is a standard, other companies are ready to take advantage of this technology, and Charlene and Terrie are in demand as speakers. I asked them to take me through their work with CAMM2 and what it means to motherboard designers.
Andy Shaughnessy: You had a full house for your class, and the attendees are still talking about it. Tell me about the groundbreaking stuff you’re covering here at the conference.
Charlene McCauley: The attendees were wonderful. This class was about designing with DDR5 and adopting the CAMM2 compression connector. Now, CAMM2 has become a world standard for DDR5 memory. We are part of the development team that has done CAMM2, and now we're out presenting and sharing the knowledge that we've gained over the past four years.
Shaughnessy: Will you give me some background on the company?
McCauley: I started the McCauley Design Group in 2015 in Austin, Texas. I had been laid off from Dell, so I called Tom Schnell, now a senior engineer at Dell and who we’re working with and asked if he needed any help. Tom is one of those inventors who has all the new future ideas. I ended up starting McCauley Design Group, and we became his team. Tom is the chair of the CAMM2 committee for JEDEC, as well as the inventor of the specification. He has been our engineer, and we've been his designers—his hands for creating this future technology.
I’ve been teaching at Austin Community College for nine years. Terrie was one of my students, and I hired her six years ago. She was a great student, and with her background in numbers and programming, I asked her to work for me. She's the main one doing the constraints, designing, and everything, but her numbers background helps us be successful as a team doing cutting-edge, futuristic stuff.
I have also “adopted” some of my other PCB design students; they work with us for as long as possible, maybe six months to a year. I’ll help them find jobs with bigger corporations where they can learn from those designers. All I provided was more knowledge.
Shaughnessy: Adopting your students is a great idea. So, Terrie came on board, and she has been the “fixer” for your company, so to speak.
McCauley: Yes. I've been trying to show Terrie what I know after being in PCB design for 44 years. I’ve done all different types of boards in all different industries. In one presentation I attended here at PCB East, the instructor talked about going from light table to CAD, and I was there. I did that, and it wasn't easy. But CAD got adopted, in my mind, because it was still colorful and visual, and it also sped up my process. With CAD, it was easy to make changes. That whole experience gives me a positive feeling about AI right now because I know AI will not take over our jobs. But you have to make it easier, more productive, and visual for a designer to use.
To read this entire conversation, which appeared in the July 2024 issue of Design007 Magazine, click here.
Suggested Items
Meet Polar's New Engineer Jess Hollenbaugh
11/21/2024 | Andy Shaughnessy, I-Connect007At PCB West, I spoke with Jess Hollenbaugh, a recent college graduate who has now joined Polar Instruments. In this interview, she shares her journey from a physics student focused on high-energy astrophysics to her new role at Polar. Her insights provide a glimpse into the dynamic opportunities awaiting those who venture into this evolving industry.
Designing for Cost to Manufacture
11/21/2024 | Marcy LaRont, I-Connect007ICAPE's Richard Koensgen, a seasoned field application engineer with a rich background in PCB technology, shares his journey of working with customers and manufacturers through the intricacies of circuit board development and emphasizes the importance of early-stage collaboration with PCB designers. With a focus on tackling the most challenging aspects of PCB design and manufacturing, he discusses everything from layout considerations to the thermal challenges of today's technology when it comes to designing for cost.
Nano Dimension Posts Revenue of Revenue $14.9M in Q3 2024; Up 22% YoY
11/20/2024 | Nano DimensionNano Dimension Ltd., a leading supplier of Additively Manufactured Electronics (AME) and multi-dimensional polymer, metal & ceramic Additive Manufacturing (AM) 3D printing solutions, today announced financial results for the third quarter ended September 30th , 2024 and shared a letter from Yoav Stern, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors.
Eltek Reports Q3 2024 Financial Results
11/20/2024 | PRNewswireEltek Ltd., a global manufacturer and supplier of technologically advanced solutions in the field of printed circuit boards (PCBs), today announced its financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2024.
Orbex Welcomes Contract Extension and Additional Funding from ESA’s Boost! Programme
11/19/2024 | OrbexLeading orbital launch services company, Orbex has today welcomed the extension of its contract with the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Boost! Programme and additional funding of €5.6 million.