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This month, we delve into rules of thumb—which ones work, which ones should be avoided. Rules of thumb are everywhere, but there may be hundreds of rules of thumb for PCB design. How do we separate the wheat from the chaff, so to speak?
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Our expert contributors provide a complete, detailed view of partial HDI this month. Most experienced PCB designers can start using this approach right away, but you need to know these tips, tricks and techniques first.
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This month, we asked our expert contributors to weigh in on silicon to systems—what it means to PCB designers and design engineers, EDA companies, and the rest of the PCB supply chain... from soup to nuts.
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IPC APEX EXPO: Hofer Discusses the Pros and Cons of Backdrilling
March 22, 2016 | Real Time with...IPCEstimated reading time: Less than a minute
General Manager James Hofer of Accurate Circuit Engineering discusses the process of backdrilling vias, including the benefits and drawbacks. Backdrilling can improve signal integrity, but it can create stubs that may act as unwanted antennas.
To watch this video, click here.
Suggested Items
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Rules of Thumb—Guidelines vs. Principles for PCB Design
11/26/2024 | John Watson -- Column: Elementary, Mr. WatsonThe infamous "rules of thumb" are simple guidelines that help you make decisions based on experience, not exact facts. They’re like shortcuts we use because they work most of the time. For example, if you want to know if spaghetti is done cooking, a common rule of thumb is to grab a spaghetti strand and throw it against the wall to see if it sticks. I used to do that, except that instead of the wall, I used the ceiling, which drove my mother crazy.
Beyond Design: High-speed Rules of Thumb
11/21/2024 | Barry Olney -- Column: Beyond DesignThe idiom “rule of thumb” is often used in electronics design and has its origins in the practice of measuring roughly with one’s thumb. Rules of thumb are easy-to-remember, broadly accurate guides or principles based on practice rather than theory. They are used to help feed our intuition to find a quick solution based on experience. We are often forced to use rules of thumb in PCB design in the absence of expensive analysis tools. We also use them to get quick ballpark figures initially and then fine-tune the numbers with further analysis. We can use rules of thumb as a sanity check to assess whether we are using our tools correctly. In this month’s column, I will present some commonly used and helpful rules for high-speed PCB design.
Material Insight: David Griesel: Career Success Requires Tenacity, Flexibility
10/23/2024 | Dr. Preeya Kuray -- Column: Material InsightDavid Griesel, CEO of Sunrise Group, has been in the PCB industry for nearly 50 years. “I didn’t even have a desk when I started,” says David, who, as a fresh college graduate, got his start at Norplex, a company in Wisconsin that made plastic. “At that time, I had no idea what plastic was even about.” But it gave him an opportunity to learn the business from the ground up. He worked in customer service, followed by technical sales and marketing through several iterations of the company, including as Isola. I hope you’ll enjoy this interview with David as much as I did.
FIT Hon Teng Showcases AI Data Center Connectivity and Immersion-Cooled Signal Integrity Solutions at OCP Global Summit 2024
10/21/2024 | FoxconnFIT Hon Teng, a subsidiary of Hon Hai Precision Industry, will unveil its latest advancements in AI data center connectivity and immersion-cooling technologies at the upcoming 2024 OCP Global Summit.
Elementary, Mr. Watson: The Gooey Centers of Hybrid PCB Designs
10/09/2024 | John Watson -- Column: Elementary, Mr. WatsonAnyone who knows me knows that I have a special relationship with food. Taking a twist on the words of Will Rogers, "I never met a buffet I didn't like." A balanced diet, to me, means having cupcakes in both hands. One of my favorite foods is cheeseburgers. One of my colleagues at Palomar College recently invited me out for a meal, and we ended up in a burger place in San Diego. I wanted to go the conventional and safe route: a double-patty cheeseburger. My friend insisted that I try the restaurant’s special: a peanut butter cheeseburger. “Really?” I told him. “What an interesting combination.” But he insisted I try it, and since I consider myself an adventurous person, I gave it a go.