Connect the Dots: Designing for the Future of Manufacturing Reality—Surface Finish
The Pulse: Caught in the Crosshatch—A Cautionary Tale of Detective Work
Fresh PCB Concepts: Designing PCBs for Harsh Environments—Reliability Is Engineered Upstream
Polar Brings New Book 'The PCB Designers Guide to... More Secrets of High Speed PCBs' to EIPC Edinburgh
May 27, 2025 | Polar InstrumentsEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Polar Instruments' latest book, The PCB Designer's Guide to... More Secrets of High Speed PCBs, will see its European Launch at the EIPC conference in Edinburgh, June 3-4, 2025. More Secrets unveils more of the knowledge that is often missed from theoretical text books to help both new and experienced designers realize the PCBs they “thought” they had designed. The traps of extended supply chains, the ever expanding variety of base materials that need to be handled and the challenges of communication of ever more complex multilayer stackups.
With guidance for setting expectations of production tolerances – and an answer to the question “Where is the PCB-making machine?” – the new book gives a useful back story to the life of a PCB to designers who are immersed in electrical specifications. For non-electronics specialists and procurement engineers the information contained perhaps gives a glimpse of the challenges faced by designers too.
With a guest chapter from Bert Simonovich, "Demystifying the modeling of vias and offering an alternative to full 3D via modeling," the book adds to the picture painted by its predecessor The PCB Designer's Guide to... Secrets of High Speed PCBs.
“The PCB Designer's Guide to... More Secrets of High Speed PCBs successfully distracts young engineers from their phones at coffee breaks,” remarks Neil Chamberlain, Signal integrity Product Manager.
Discover how to elevate your PCB design and fabrication process. Learn more and download your copy here.
Share on:
Testimonial
"The I-Connect007 team is outstanding—kind, responsive, and a true marketing partner. Their design team created fresh, eye-catching ads, and their editorial support polished our content to let our brand shine. Thank you all! "
Sweeney Ng - CEE PCBSuggested Items
ASC Sunstone Circuits to Exhibit at PCB East 2026
04/26/2026 | ASC Sunstone CircuitsAnaya Vardya, President and CEO of ASC Sunstone Circuits, a leading provider of printed circuit board (PCB) fabrication and assembly solutions, announced that the company will be exhibiting at PCB East 2026, taking place April 29 at the DCU Convention Center.
Target Condition: When Design Outpaces Manufacturing
04/23/2026 | Kelly Dack -- Column: Target ConditionMost PCB designers already understand why design for manufacturing (DFM) matters. If a product can’t be built reliably, repeatedly, and at a price anyone will actually pay, it’s dead on arrival. You may have the most elegant schematic and layout ever drawn in a CAD tool, but if the PCB suppliers can’t make it, or the EMS sources refuse to quote it, you may well be considered more of a Nutty Professor or well-meaning inventor than a PCB designer.
Single Pair Ethernet (SPE): A Valuable Option for Modern Designs
04/20/2026 | Marcy LaRont, I-Connect007When it comes to designing PCBs and full systems for increasingly complex electronics hardware, who doesn’t want to reduce complexity and cost? Single-Pair Ethernet (SPE) has emerged as a solution and is gaining rapid attention across industrial electronics and PCB design because it enables Ethernet communication over a single twisted pair, replacing the traditional two- or four-pair cabling used in standard Ethernet networks. This seemingly simple shift has significant implications for designers: smaller connectors, reduced cable weight, longer reach, and the ability to carry both data and power over a single pair.
April Issue of I-Connect007 Magazine: Beyond the Rulebook
04/14/2026 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamIn this month’s I-Connect007 Magazine, we asked PCB designers, fabricators, and suppliers what it really means to operate without a rulebook. Their perspectives vary, especially between seasoned designers and experienced fabricators, but a common thread emerges: progress depends on pushing boundaries and finding a way forward, even when the path isn’t clear. In many ways, this mindset has always been part of what we do, whether we’ve called it that or not.
Marcy’s Musings: Operating Without a Rulebook
04/15/2026 | Marcy LaRont -- Column: Marcy's MusingsWhat happens when the rulebook is no longer useful, or worse, has not yet been written? With electronics innovation happening at warp speed, we’re increasingly asked to design and build what has no precedent, proven path, or tidy checklist to follow. “Design for invention” begins at the edge of known capability, where traditional DFM gives way to something far less certain, and far more exciting. It’s not about breaking rules for the sake of it; it’s about recognizing when the rules no longer apply and having the insight, collaboration, and courage to move forward anyway.