I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

As shocking as it is to write this, today we are exactly in the middle of November. Luckily, the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday is still a couple of weeks away, which means we have at least one more week of full productivity before “holiday brain” starts to set in. Of course, the news never stops.

We have quite a mix in this week’s must-reads. The November issue of Design007 Magazine was published, and you don’t want to miss Andy Shaughnessy’s column. This week, we also have a discussion of long-flex PCBs with CEE PCB’s Jerome Larez, and we revisit my forward-looking interview with Dr. Evelyne Parmentier of Dyconex. Jim Will gives us an update on the many things that have transpired in his first five months as executive director at USPAE. Finally, Happy Holden’s next installment of Happy’s Tech Talk looks into the weaknesses of CAD drawings by using a famous Escher print as an example. Happy is definitely one of a kind.

It’s Friday. Grab your coffee and enjoy this week’s must-reads.

Exploring Innovation Through Alternate Metals and Sputtering
Published November 11

I love to talk to scientists and engineers, which probably comes as no surprise. Dr. Evelyne Parmentier of Dyconex gets to explore and test new technologies and create solutions for their customer. In this interview we discuss alternate metallization and the process of sputtering, which Dyconex is using with some of their customers. She believes that the PCB fabrication industry should venture out beyond the very small range of metals we typically use and explore other elements on the periodic table.

Global PCB Connections: A Technical Overview of Long-flex Printed Circuit Boards
Published November 14

What is a long-flex printed circuit board? Jerome Larez, one of our newest columnists and an FAE for CEE PCB, explains how they are becoming a critical technology in industries ranging from consumer electronics to aerospace.

An Update on USPAE's Strategic Initiatives
Published November 12

It’s been over five months since we caught up with James Will, executive director of the U.S. Partnership for Assured Electronics (USPAE). He’s been a busy guy. Just over 100 members strong, they have recently become a 501(c)3, making cost less of a barrier for smaller organizations to join their ranks. Check it out.

The Shaughnessy Report: A Handy Look at Rules of Thumb
Published November 12

In his November Design007 Magazine column, Andy Shaughnessy delves into rules of thumb in our industry, and he explains how that strange turn of phrase came about originally. “There are hundreds of rules of thumb for PCB design. They’re built on design formulas, fabricators’ limitations, and tribal knowledge. Unfortunately, some longtime rules of thumb should be avoided at all costs.” Sometimes we need to take a harder look at the “truths” that have guided us for so long, and go back to basics.

Happy’s Tech Talk #34: Producibility and Other Pseudo-metrics
Published November 12

Happy Holden is known as Mr. HDI, but he could also be called Mr. Data. Happy is all about data and metrics, because that which isn’t measured can’t be improved. In this column, Happy uses a famous Escher print to illustrate a downside to CAD drawings, and he explains how to use the Reynolds Number, a measure of inertia force divided by viscous force. Happy actually makes it all fairly easy to understand.