Connect the Dots: What PCB Designers Should Know About Materials
Designers Notebook: Implementing Strategic Planning Principles for PCB Design
Elementary, Mr. Watson
Column from: John Watson
John Watson, CID, has been in the electronics industry for 40 years, with 20 of them being in PCB design. With a career started in the U.S. Army in the early 1980s, where he worked as an electronics technician on top-secret military systems. In the early 1990s, the electronics industry changed how repairs were done, going from a component level to board level. With that, John reinvented himself, moving into the PCB design and engineering field. With an extraordinary career that has placed him on the cutting-edge of technology with top-rated companies around the world, John is a highly sought-out consultant, writer, and speaker. But his real passion lies in mentoring and teaching—especially the next generation of PCB designers and engineers—and reminding them that they are the builders of dreams. As of March 2022, he is referred to as Professor Watson at Palomar College in San Marcos, California.
September 16, 2026
Elementary, Mr. Watson: The Rise and Fall of Europe's PCB Design Community
One of the most famous lines associated with the attack on Pearl Harbor was attributed to Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. After the horrific attack of Dec. 7, 1941, he was reported to declare, "I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant." That image has endured because it captured the moment when something enormous, and perhaps underestimated, began to move. Today, another giant is awakening in Europe, and it may not be what or where you expect. It’s not from one country, company, or organization, but from an entire region that has built a deep engineering heritage and a long history in electronics. At the center is Europe’s PCB design community.September 03, 2026
Elementary, Mr. Watson: The ‘Baton’ Handoff Makes or Breaks the Design
In my previous column in I-Connect007 Magazine, I shared the example of the U.S. men’s 4x100-meter relay team at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Trayvon Bromell, Fred Kerley, Ronnie Baker, and Cravon Gillespie were among the fastest sprinters in the world. Reaching the final seemed almost certain. Instead, they finished sixth in their qualifying heat and missed advancing by only two-hundredths of a second. The problem was not speed, experience, or talent. It occurred during the baton exchange. Their failure demonstrated that being exceptional at an individual role does not guarantee collective success. A race can be lost not during the individual legs, but during the brief moments when responsibility changes hands.August 27, 2026
Elementary, Mr. Watson: PCB Design Is a Team Sport (Revisited)
At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the U.S. men’s 4x100-meter relay team of Trayvon Bromell, Fred Kerley, Ronnie Baker, and Cravon Gillespie was expected to contend for gold. With some of the fastest sprinters in the world, simply reaching the final seemed almost certain. Instead, the heavily favored team finished sixth in its qualifying heat and failed to advance, missing the final by just two-hundredths of a second. This massive disappointment was not due to a lack of individual speed but to a poorly executed baton exchange between Kerley and Baker, which forced both runners to slow down at the most critical moment.August 06, 2026
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Inside the Display Power Loop
In my previous column, I traced the evolution from fixed physical interfaces to dynamic, software-defined displays, and saw how a familiar model of input and output slowly gave way to something far more fluid. That foundation begs the question: If the display has become the center of interaction, what does that change about how we design the systems behind it?July 23, 2026
Elementary, Mr. Watson: The Display Revolution, Now With Fewer Tiny Keys
From the earliest days of electronics, engineers have worked within some shared assumptions about how systems should be built and how people should interact with them. These assumptions often feel so natural that they are rarely questioned; they define what "normal" is. Thomas Kuhn, the American philosopher of science best known for introducing the idea of "technical paradigm shifts," observed, "What someone sees depends upon what he looks at and also upon what his previous visual-conceptual experience has taught him to see." In other words, we do not readily notice the framework we are in while using it, nor how it relates to the broader picture of innovation.July 02, 2026
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Builders of the Dream
In 1849, French writer, journalist, and satirist Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr wrote the famous line, “Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose,” which translates as “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” He penned it in his satirical journal, Les Guêpes (The Wasps), during a period of great upheaval in France.June 17, 2026
Elementary, Mr. Watson: PCB Education in the Midst of the Storms
I should probably begin with an apology, because this may be a tough pill to swallow and not the small vitamin kind. This is one of those honking, huge pills that could choke a mule. My goal is not to criticize students, dismiss academia, or blame industry. In many ways, I am part of all three conversations. I teach students trying to find their way. I work in academia and believe deeply in the value of education. I also come from an industry that needs skilled PCB designers more than ever, yet sometimes seems surprised when they do not simply appear out of the mist, holding a completed layout, a clean DRC report, and 10 years of experience.June 11, 2026
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Controlled Impedance—When ‘Connecting the Dots’ Stops Working
Signal integrity follows physics that are consistent, predictable, and fully explainable. But those rules don’t show up in the schematic. Instead, they live in the electromagnetic fields around the traces, in the stackup, and in the relationship between conductors and their return paths. The authors weren’t claiming black magic; they were calling out how it feels until you learn what’s going on. The fact that they said it more than 30 years ago only reinforces how fundamental and enduring these concepts really are.May 12, 2026
Elementary, Mr. Watson: The Design Matrix—Revealing the Hidden Truths of Reality
“It seems you've been living two lives.” In one life, you're the respectable and responsible PCB design professional who follows the rules, works, pays taxes, meets deadlines, runs the checks, and even helps the landlady take out her garbage. In the other life, you’re the PCB designer who senses that something is wrong, searches for the deeper meaning behind their work, and can no longer fully accept the design world exactly as it has been presented. Welcome to the Design Matrix.April 22, 2026
Elementary, Mr. Watson DFX—Basically a Basket of Crabs With Spreadsheets
One of the joys of living in San Diego is that I'm never far from the ocean. Aside from burying my toes in the sand at the beach, I particularly enjoy going down where the fishing boats come in. I once watched a fisherman standing beside several baskets of crabs. Most had lids tied on, but one was completely open. Curious, I asked why he wasn't worried about them escaping. It reminded me of a well-known story.March 26, 2026
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Navigating the Dreaded DFX Triangle
After being in both industry and academia for more years than I’d like to say (before tape and Mylar, it felt like rock slabs and chisels), I’ve noticed a belief that PCB design is a linear process. Even experienced PCB designers assume you just begin with requirements, move to schematic capture and layout, and create the documentation package. Now their job is done, right? They throw it over the fence, and “magically” the finished PCB ends up on their desks a few weeks later.March 05, 2026
Elementary, Mr. Watson: APEX EXPO—The Ghosts of Past, Present, and Future
On the eve of APEX EXPO 2026, the Anaheim Convention Center in California rests in a rare and fragile quiet. The lights are dimmed, the escalators are still, and the long corridors echo with only the distant sounds of crews finishing their work. In the corner of a long hallway, an engineer sits alone, wondering why he’s even there. “I have too much work to get done,” he thinks, as he looks down at the large stack of active projects—schematics marked with revisions and standards, and notebooks filled with hurried notes and half-finished thoughts—spread across his lap and at his feet.February 26, 2026
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Why You Can’t Afford to Miss APEX EXPO 2026
APEX EXPO is one of those rare events where the whole industry comes together in one place: design, fabrication, assembly, materials, reliability, equipment, and standards. It’s where some of the most respected voices in the industry take the stage: researchers, practitioners, and thought leaders who are shaping what comes next. Between the technical sessions and keynote presentations, attendees are gaining insight directly from the people driving innovation and setting direction across the electronics ecosystem.January 29, 2026
Elementary Mr. Watson: Where the PCB Ends and Advanced Packaging Begins
Change sits at the center of almost everything in PCB design. From the earliest days of printed circuits to today’s highly integrated electronic systems, stability does not define this discipline; evolution does. Materials change, component geometries shrink, signal speeds increase, and manufacturing processes advance. With each shift, we reshape the role of the PCB designer, sometimes quietly, and other times in a way that feels like a freight train driving through your living room.January 14, 2026
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Design Intent Over Design Speed
I was recently asked a simple but powerful question: Is there anything available to PCB designers today that would be truly advantageous to them that they’re essentially not using? My answer was yes. However, it reminded me of an experience before Christmas one year when I was killing time at the mall. I had wandered into an Apple Store to look around, and I overheard a customer say, “Yeah, I just need a phone.”December 23, 2025
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Finding Balance on the Seesaw and in Life
One of my greatest joys as a grandfather to nine (soon to be 10) grandkids is spending time with them at the park. It doesn't take long before I find myself wedged halfway down a slide that was never designed for someone my size, or sitting on a seesaw where my weight instantly teaches a real-time physics lesson—mainly that Grandpa is not as light as he feels inside, and yes, gravity loves me more.December 02, 2025
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Why Traces Alone Won’t Save You
Whether you call them polygons, pours, planes, floods, copper areas, copper regions, zones, or copper shapes, they all refer to the same fundamental concept: large, defined areas of copper used to control electrical performance, thermal behavior, and manufacturability on a PCB. In a recent Design-007 column, we looked at how we ended up with this endless list of names describing the same basic thing. Somewhere along the way, the industry decided that one name simply wasn’t enough, so we created half a dozen synonyms that confuse newcomers and occasionally amuse veterans.November 12, 2025
Elementary, Mr. Watson: The Four Horsemen of Copper Confusion
If there were a PCB Design Dictionary of Confusing Terms, the cover would feature four words that have baffled generations of engineers: polygons, pours, planes, and floods—or what I refer to as the four horsemen of copper confusion. They sound simple, as if they belong in a geometry textbook or a weather report, but in PCB design, they overlap, develop, and sound interchangeable until you realize they aren't.October 28, 2025
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Heat—The Hidden Villain of Power Electronics
If electricity were a group of college students, then power electronics and the PCB designers who dive into it would insist on driving the car on every road trip because they know the car inside and out—they’re the students with jumper cables in the trunk, a tire pressure gauge in the glove box, and snacks stashed under the seat. While the others argue over playlists and directions, power electronics is busy ensuring the alternator doesn’t fry, the headlights don’t dim, and everyone reaches the destination with fuel still in the tank.October 15, 2025
Elementary, Mr. Watson: High Power: When Physics Becomes Real
Have you ever noticed how high-speed design and signal integrity classes are always packed to standing room only, but just down the hall, the session on power electronics has plenty of empty chairs? It's not just a coincidence; it's a trend I've observed over the years as both an attendee and instructor.October 01, 2025
Elementary Mr. Watson: Chasing Checkmarks, Not Signal Integrity
For the September 2025 issue of Design007 Magazine on signal integrity, I explored how the PCB is similar to a military obstacle course: walls that sap energy like impedance mismatches, barbed wire that cuts like crosstalk, and mud pits that drag a signal down like attenuation. The takeaway was clear that a PCB is not a flat drawing; it's an electromagnetic ecosystem filled with hazards that test every signal that dares to cross it. The real danger lies not in the obstacles themselves, but in the fact that many designers never see them.September 11, 2025
Elementary Mr. Watson: Running the Signal Gauntlet
If you’ve ever run a military obstacle course, you know it’s less “fun fitness challenge” and more “how can we inflict as much pain in the shortest time possible?” You start fresh—chest out, lungs full of confidence, thinking you might even look good doing this—and 10 seconds later, you’re questioning all your life choices.August 26, 2025
Elementary Mr. Watson: Routing Hunger Games—May the Traces Be Ever in Your Favor
I’d like to share a harsh truth, and I say this as a friend: PCB designers are often their own worst enemy. It’s rarely the complexity of the circuit, the last-minute changes from mechanical, the limited enclosure space, or the ever-expanding list of design rules that send projects to the dust heap of failed boards. More often, it's our own decisions, made too quickly and narrowly, and with too little foresight, that sabotage an otherwise good design.August 13, 2025
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Why Your PCB Looks Like a Studio Apartment
In November 2022, I wrote a column called "Is Your Bathroom in the Kitchen?" This piece related a bizarre real estate listing that emerged out of St. Louis that had architects scratching their heads and interior designers cringing. Nestled in the historic Central West End sat a 200-square-foot apartment that completely defied logic. It wasn't the size that raised eyebrows, it was the layout. Here's the kicker: While that's rare in real estate, it's shockingly common in PCB design.July 23, 2025
Elementary Mr. Watson: Closing the Gap Between Design and Manufacturing
Modern PCB designers are not merely engineers or technicians. I believe that PCB design, at its core, is an art form, and modern PCB designers should be considered artists. Beyond the technical calculations and engineering rules lies a creative process that involves vision, balance, and a passion for what we do. Like any artist who works with brush and canvas or chisel and stone, a PCB designer shapes invisible pathways that bring ideas to life. Each trace, layer, and component placement reflects thoughtful decisions that blend form, fit, and function.July 10, 2025
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Rein in Your Design Constraints
I remember the long hours spent at the light table, carefully laying down black tape to shape each trace, cutting and aligning pads with surgical precision on sheets of Mylar. I often went home with nicks on my fingers from the X-Acto knives and bits of tape all over me. It was as much an art form as it was an engineering task—tactile and methodical, requiring the patience of a sculptor. A lot has changed in PCB design over the years.June 26, 2025
Elementary Mr. Watson: Retro Routers vs. Modern Boards—The Silent Struggle on Your Screen
There's a story about a young woman preparing a holiday ham. Before putting it in the pan, she cuts off the ends. When asked why, she shrugs and says, "That's how my mom always did it." She asks her mother, who gives the same answer. Eventually, the question reaches Grandma, who laughs and says, "Oh, I only cut the ends off because my pan was too small." This story is a powerful analogy for how many PCB designers approach routing today.June 11, 2025
Elementary, Mr. Watson: PCB Routing: The Art—and Science—of Connection
Many people who design circuit boards love the routing part of the design. This is partially because we want to stop looking at the annoying rat's nest of connections, which seem to have no rhyme or reason at first glance. We want to get to something more exciting. Routing is the ultimate part of solving the puzzle. You take all the messy lines from the schematic and turn them into neat, organized paths.May 14, 2025
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Design Data Packages—Circle of Concern or Circle of Influence?
I'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?April 24, 2025
Elementary Mr. Watson: Navigating RF—A Glide Path Approach to Design Success
On a flight, I can always tell when we begin our descent because that subtle drop in my stomach tells me the altitude has changed. Landing an airplane involves a gradual, precise process called the glide path. It descends at the correct speed and 3-degree angle to touch down smoothly and safely on the runway without bouncing or coming to a sudden stop. Pilots use specialized tools like the Instrument Landing System (ILS) or GPS to stay on the correct path. Lights on the ground, called PAPI lights, help pilots know if they are too high or too low.March 13, 2025
Elementary Mr. Watson: Ensuring a Smooth Handoff From PCB Design to Fabrication
At the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, the U.S. men's 4x100-meter relay team had high hopes of winning a medal. The team comprised some of the fastest sprinters in the world, but something went wrong. In a relay, four runners must smoothly pass their baton to the next runner inside a zone on the track. If a runner drops the baton or it’s passed outside the zone, the team risks disqualification. The U.S. team’s pass between the second and third runner was messy, slowing them down. By the time the last runner received the baton, the team had lost too much time. They finished sixth in their heat and didn’t qualify for the final.February 27, 2025
Elementary, Mr. Watson From Classroom to Career—Bridging the Gap in PCB Design Talent
Has anyone else felt we're doing more with less in our industry and we constantly need more and better talent? Although we are in the middle of what I consider the golden age of the PCB industry in terms of innovation, we still don’t have the necessary talent to fill positions. We need to take a serious look at our industry, figure out how we found ourselves in this position, and what we can do to turn the situation around.January 23, 2025
Elementary Mr. Watson: The Road Ahead—Advances in PCB Design Technology
This year introduces a new generational group, likely to be dubbed Generation Beta, since Generation Alpha was born between 2010 and 2024 and is considered the first generation born in the 21st century. Generation Alpha grew up in a world dominated by smartphones, artificial intelligence, and rapid technological advancements. It is anticipated that Generation Beta will live to see the 22nd century.December 18, 2024
Elementary Mr. Watson: How to Reinvent Your Professional Journey
The end of the year is the perfect time to reflect and embrace the significance of this moment. This season is not simply a milestone marking the end of one chapter and the beginning of another; it’s an opportunity to acknowledge our journey and appreciate the lessons we’ve learned, the challenges we’ve overcome, and the people who have supported us.November 26, 2024
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Rules of Thumb—Guidelines vs. Principles for PCB Design
The 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.November 07, 2024
Elementary, Mr. Watson A Designer's Dilemma—Metric or Imperial Units?
In the early 1800s, as trains began to spread across the United States, different companies built their tracks in ways that made sense to them. They chose their track widths (gauges) with no set standard. Some tracks were about four feet wide, with others at five or even six feet. Each company thought their choice was best, but this led to a big problem: Trains from one track couldn't run on another if the gauges didn't match. Often, trains had to stop at the state line for all their goods and passengers to switch trains, which cost extra time and money.October 09, 2024
Elementary, Mr. Watson: The Gooey Centers of Hybrid PCB Designs
Anyone 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.September 18, 2024
Elementary, Mr. Watson: The Paradigm Shift of Silicon-to-System Design
Imagine you were asked to build a city. What approach would you take? In the old way, city planners designed each building independently. They focused on making each building strong, aesthetically pleasing, and valuable. But they didn't always consider how all the buildings would fit together in the city. Roads, power lines, and parks were added later, sometimes making the city confusing or complicated to get around.August 22, 2024
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Debunking Misconceptions in PCB Design
PCB design can be likened to the poem, “The Blind Man and the Elephant” by John Godfrey Saxe. In the poem, six blind men of Indostan “to learning much inclined,” went to see the elephant “that each by observation, might satisfy the mind.” The first man fell against the elephant and concluded it was like touching a wall. The second man felt the elephant’s tusk and exclaimed, "It is very like a spear." The third blind man, feeling the vast and squirming trunk, decided it was a snake. The fourth man felt the elephant's leg and said the elephant “is very like a tree." The fifth man touched the massive ears and decided an elephant is very like a fan. Finally, the sixth blind man, feeling the elephant’s swinging tail, proudly proclaimed, "I see, the elephant is very like a rope."July 23, 2024
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Mechatronics—The Swiss Army Knife of Engineering
Many folks in my age group raised on a farm always carried a pocket knife. My choice was a Swiss Army Knife. It was a versatile, multi-functional pocketknife manufactured by Victorinox and Wenger and is renowned for its compact design. What was nice about the Swiss Army Knife was the array of tools that fold out from its handles. Whatever job you need to accomplish, the Swiss Army knife can handle it.June 20, 2024
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Cultivating a Culture of Collaboration
About three years ago, I wrote a column, “PCB Design—It's a Team Sport,” which discussed the importance of collaboration and working as a team. At that time, we were under restrictions due to the COVID pandemic and were coming to grips with our new roles and struggles as PCB designers. I opened my column by stating, "Our entire industry had to reinvent how we did things. It's during the difficult times the most valuable lessons are learned." While 2021 seems like another lifetime ago, those lessons still linger.May 29, 2024
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Pushing Design Boundaries
Overconstraint: What a concept. Our first thoughts would be: What are we hurting by overconstraining a design? Isn't it better to be safe than sorry? What is meant by overconstraint? It means to apply excessive constraints. In engineering and mathematics, it's used when there are too many simultaneous equations to result in an exact solution. For example, fitting a line to many points is overconstrained because a line cannot be drawn simultaneously through all of the points. In PCB design, overconstraints always occur, including dimensional, electrical, manufacturing, and timing constraints. The list goes on.April 08, 2024
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Why PCB Design Enthusiasts Should Attend IPC APEX EXPO 2024
With the change of the seasons and baseball's opening day, we have the additional advantage of IPC APEX EXPO, starting this week in Anaheim, California. IPC APEX EXPO is a prominent event in the electronics manufacturing industry featuring technical conferences, professional development courses, networking events, speakers, and an exhibition showcasing the latest advancements in electronics manufacturing equipment, materials, and technologies.March 28, 2024
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Ensuring Design Integrity
Back in February, many of us watched the "Big Game." It reminded me of the saying, “It's not how you start that is important, but rather how you finish." It is perfectly okay when you are talking about sports, you get off to a bad first half and need to recover in the second half. However, when it comes to PCB design, this is not a good practice. If things start badly, they usually don't recover. They continue down that same path, costing more money and losing design time.February 20, 2024
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Know the Tradeoffs With Embedded Designs
One of my great joys as a grandfather of eight is spending time with them at the park. It doesn't take too long until I'm getting stuck on a slide that is too small for me or on the seesaw, with me on one side and them trying to lift me. At that point, they learn some harsh lessons in physics and how heavy Grandpa really is. A seesaw is a relatively simple device, but it’s a great way to explain a rather complex concept in PCB design: design tradeoffs. Each decision made throughout a design comes with inherent pros and cons.December 28, 2023
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Consider Physics When Designing Non-traditional Geometries
Electronics have profoundly impacted society, shaping how we live, communicate, work, and entertain ourselves. Nearly every aspect of our lives is affected by electronics in some way. If you want proof, sit and watch people in public; everyone is on a screen. The communication revolution alone has transformed our lives, enabling instant global connectivity. Some would argue these advances come with their distinct disadvantages.November 16, 2023
Elementary, Mr. Watson: William of Ockham Meets Printed Circuit Boards
William of Ockham was a significant figure in medieval philosophy who lived from 1285 to 1347 and was an English Franciscan friar, philosopher, and theologian. William of Ockham is most famously known for formulating the principle of Occam's Razor, also known as the principle of parsimony. In simple terms, Occam's Razor is a problem-solving rule suggesting that when you have multiple possible explanations, the simplest one is usually the best. The most straightforward solution that fits all the facts without adding extra assumptions or complications.October 12, 2023
Elementary, Mr. Watson: IPC Standards, A Love Story
In the fall of 1998, I was a novice in the printed circuit board design field, beginning a two-semester course at a community college in San Marcos, California. Although I was shifting my career from an electronic technician to a PCB designer, I sat nervously as the class started, and the instructor began handing out several paperback-bound books that looked more like a pamphlet on steroids. Those “textbooks” were my introduction to IPC standards. Unbeknownst to me, those basic standards became my reference for every design I would do moving forward.September 14, 2023
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Flex Designs—The Future and Beyond
Electronics are continually evolving, driven by innovations in printed circuit board technology. Flexible PCBs have emerged as a revolutionary force, reshaping the PCB industry and influencing the design and functionality of countless electronic devices. Some believe that flexible PCBs are a relatively newer technology, but as we will see, that is not true. Since I’m an instructor, here’s a short history lesson on how we got here and what we can expect.August 21, 2023
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Circuit Simulation, SPICE, and AI
According to the Federal Aviation Administration’s flight time limitations and rest requirements, a commercial pilot is restricted to 36 flight hours in a week, 100 hours in 28 days, and 1,000 hours in any calendar year. But before these pilots even start flying the friendly skies, they spend considerable time in a flight simulator. In the same way, PCB design and circuit simulations provide the same advantages: a controlled, safe environment for testing a circuit without the considerable overhead of fabricating and assembling the PCB.July 17, 2023
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Honey, I Shrunk the PCBs
As an industry, we live in our own version of “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.” PCB designs are shrinking smaller and smaller with each design spin. Our industry demands the latest and greatest, where innovations coming off the line must be smaller and sleeker and have all the latest new functions, which, as we know, determines the fit and form. Miniaturization and integration are growing trends with electronics.June 15, 2023
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Where Have All the PCB Designers Gone?
What are the biggest challenges in PCB design? Now, that’s a loaded question, but one that I’d like to talk about. Before I do so, I think it’s helpful to talk about challenges themselves, how we view them, how they affect us, and what we do about them. What one person perceives as a challenge may not be a challenge for another person. Challenges can vary based on individual circumstances, goals, values, and strengths or weaknesses. Some folks avoid challenges or never expect to have issues, but this is entirely unrealistic.May 15, 2023
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Slash Sheets a ‘Smorgasbord’ of Materials
Slash sheets touch on materials, one of my favorite areas of PCB design, and what I refer to as “the buffet of the PCB world.” After all, this smorgasbord of materials comes in an endless variety, with differing balances of reinforcement and resin, from different manufacturers and vendors, and from a variety of sources. Add the possibility of out-of-date or deteriorated panels, and it makes ensuring the quality of your next PCB design a real hit or miss.April 21, 2023
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Responsible PCB Design Must Go Beyond RoHS
In the field of PCB design, a massive paradox exists. No doubt, the PCB industry is a fascinating field. The ever-changing design environment faces constant and more complex challenges to make products smaller, faster, and cheaper. There are endless ways that electronic innovation changes lives for the better, as seen when advanced medical systems provide patients a new lease on life. But there also is a downside, an unfortunate side, to PCB design, and it has bothered me for some time. There is a massive amount of new PCB products hitting the market, especially in the consumer marketplace. But what happens to the "obsolete" products that are discarded, known as e-waste? This dark side of the PCB industry is not spoken about in social circles, but with innovation comes some negative.March 23, 2023
Elementary, Mr. Watson: If Not You, Then Who?
I have had the opportunity to do a considerable amount of traveling. Over many visits to the Philippines, I noticed a distinct lack of nursing homes, and learned that it is a common practice for children to take care of their parents. They even have a designated term for this practice, ma alaga, roughly translated as "take care of." This practice leads to some fantastic outcomes in the culture, resulting in each age group taking care of its own, with a beautiful overlapping of different generations. What a great concept.February 16, 2023
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Turning Your Career up to Eleven
In the 1984 classic rock documentary “This Is Spinal Tap,” guitarist Nigel Tufnel proudly demonstrates an amplifier whose volume knobs are marked from zero to 11 instead of the typical zero to 10. From that movie, we get the phrase, “Turn it up to 11.” It’s a lesson of seeing a limit and exceeding it. So, here’s a rather personal question: What is your level 11? You are the only person who can answer that question, and I hope you will, both in your personal life and in your career.January 30, 2023
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Advanced Packaging Not a Passing Fad
As it is said, necessity is the mother of invention. That is precisely the situation when we are discussing the PCB design industry. We are living in what can only be described as the golden age of Electronics. The advancements and innovations are growing by leaps and bounds. Never in history has the field of electronics grown at such a fantastic rate. The advance integration packages field is one of the fastest-growing and most exciting.January 12, 2023
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Designing For a Higher Purpose
John Watson asks the question to PCB designers: Why do you do what you do? It's a question someone asked him recently and the answer was clear. In this column, John shares a personal journey of a friend whose life was changed in an instant because of the efforts of so many, including a PCB designer. This story should give us all pause to consider the magnitude of what we do. The "puzzle pieces" of a PCB design become a working model for consumer products that affect even our most basic senses. Read on to learn more about the "why" behind his passion for PCB design.December 15, 2022
Elementary, Mr. Watson: The Art of the PCB
After finishing the statue of David, Michelangelo—Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance—was asked how he had created such a beautiful work of art. He said, “The sculpture was already complete within the marble block before I started my work. I merely had to chisel away the superfluous material.” After decades of being in the industry and seeing countless designs, it’s still amazing to me to see the exceptional beauty of a well-done PCB design. For designers, each PCB begins as a blank canvas; not knowing what the final product will look like, we walk a fine line between engineering and artistry, often producing fascinating results.November 10, 2022
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Is Your Bathroom in the Kitchen?
Several years ago, a report came out of St. Louis of a strange apartment on the market. It was in the community of Central West End. With a small floor plan of only 200 square feet, the entire bathroom was placed right in the middle of the kitchen. Well, that's interesting. It gives new meaning to the studio apartment. With closer examination, there were several convenient features available, so here's my point: In this story are some fantastic lessons for us as PCB designers. In real estate, it's pretty uncommon to find the bathroom in the kitchen; but metaphorically speaking, it's done all the time in a PCB design (ouch).October 13, 2022
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Is the Tail Wagging the Dog?
I recently had the opportunity to work on a rather critical PCB design project during what should have been the final design review. Unfortunately, after presenting my well-organized PowerPoint presentation, I asked the most challenging question to the group of assembled engineers and managers, “So, what do you think?” As we went around the room, nearly every comment started with something like, "You know what we could do..." Ideas flew around the room, fueling a full-blown brainstorm. Unfortunately, what followed could best be described as organized chaos. The result was that several of the suggestions took the product back to re-design, and what was supposed to be the final steps didn't happen.September 08, 2022
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Anatomy of Your Component—Footprint, Part 2
Have you ever gone to a buffet hungry and looking forward to digging in? You grab the plate and start down the food line, picking things as you go. Halfway through, your plate is stacked up with food, looking very similar to the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Then you get to the good stuff at the end of the buffet, but there’s no room on your plate. At this point, you probably feel much like that with the first part of looking at our footprint, but rest assured, although your plate is already full, the good stuff is still waiting for us. I have saved the best for our second offering.August 17, 2022
Elementary, Mr. Watson: The Anatomy of Your Component—Footprint
I hate to disappoint you if you expect to get everything about footprints from this modest column, but a short search online results in a long list of technical standards and books on this subject. So, I will only hit the surface of the discussion. I have often spoken about the parent-child relationship principle in PCB design. In this series, we have learned that we can see how that "relationship" is supported directly by the information in the component itself. As a short review, the parent-child relationship is where you use an input of data, material, or parts (parents) as the foundation or resource for another item or document (child).July 13, 2022
Elementary, Mr. Watson: The Anatomy of Your PCB Component, Part 2
In the start of my series of the anatomy of a component, I discussed that the component has two major divisions. The first is information that consists of name, description, parametric information, sourcing (part choices), and the datasheet (Figure 1). Next, the component comprises symbol, PCB footprint, 3D model, and simulation models. I gave the example of the dissection of the frog, with an analogy that every part has a purpose. In the same way, each part of our component has a distinct purpose in our PCB design, including our models.June 16, 2022
Elementary, Mr. Watson: The Anatomy of Your PCB Component, Part 1
One of the classes I dreaded the most in school each year was biology. This was because I knew it was only a matter of time before I would face the rite of passage for most high school students: dissecting a frog. It wasn’t something I ever looked forward to. We had to go through the same educational exercise and maybe with the same apprehension for most of us. But my point in bringing up the painful experiences of our high school years is, although it was difficult, I did learn a powerful lesson: Every part has a purpose.May 12, 2022
Elementary, Mr. Watson: The Five Pillars of Your Library, Part 5—Traceability
We have reached the end of this series regarding the five pillars of the component library. We now have a robust library that provides the required resources for the ever-changing industry. Above that is having a flexible library to grow with the company. The final pillar is traceability. Why is traceability so essential and considered a pillar of our library? Read on for details.April 14, 2022
Elementary, Mr. Watson: The Five Pillars of your Library, Part 4—Review
I trust that you have been enjoying this series on the five pillars of your library. Now that we have a single library managed using our revisioning, and we have lifecycle schemes organized so that we can easily find something in the component category, family, and subfamilies, we are now ready to look at one of our library's most vital principles and pillars: reviewable.March 10, 2022
Elementary, Mr. Watson: The Five Pillars of Your Library, Part 3—Architecture
Before I continue with the series of the five pillars of your library, I want to do a little review. Although every library is different, the five pillars are consistent with any sound library. You place these pillars to support a specific building section in building construction. To pull one out requires the remaining ones to hold the total weight above. So, each of these supports is needed for your library to succeed. You cannot choose which of them you intend to follow; to pull just one out results in the toppling of the others.February 17, 2022
Elementary, Mr. Watson: The Five Pillars of Your Library, Part 2—Managed
The 1972 classic movie “The Candidate” tells the story of Bill McKay (played by Robert Redford), who was running for the state senate. Although he was a long shot and an underdog, McKay ends up surprising everyone with an incredibly close win. After the concession speech of his opponent, a vast mob surrounds McKay. He fights through the crowd, trying to reach his campaign manager Marvin (played by Peter Boyle). Finally reaching him, McKay pulls Marvin aside into a hotel room, sits on the bed, and after several seconds of silence, finally asks a very intense question “So, what do we do now?” The campaign manager looks bewildered, so McKay asks the question again, “What do we do now?”January 13, 2022
Elementary, Mr. Watson: The Five Pillars of Your Library, Part 1
I have recently had some great conversations with many of you, and the same question keeps coming up: What does it takes to have an excellent component library? So, I have decided to kick off the new year by taking a deep dive into your PCB component libraries and looking in detail at the five pillars of your library. So along with taking the tree and the decorations down and making your New Year resolutions, let's resolve to take an honest look at our component libraries and get them in order.December 12, 2021
Elementary, Mr. Watson: PCB Data Management and Security
As a grandfather of six grandchildren, one of my great joys is spending time with them. There is nothing better than spending an afternoon at the park and especially playing on the teeter-totter. It's all fun and games until grandpa gets on one side, and they try to lift me. Then the harsh reality and a teachable moment in leverage, balance, and just how heavy grandpa really is hits pretty hard.November 11, 2021
Elementary, Mr. Watson: We’ve Never Done It That Way Before
The September edition of Design007 Magazine discussed the theme of collaborating and working with a team. In that issue, I wrote a feature article called “PCB Design Is a Team Sport.” After that edition was published, I had several follow-up questions and conversations with individuals; they agreed on the importance of teamwork but felt that it's easier said than done. It's challenging because of the inherent problem of team members accepting or handling change very well. Change it's a word that sends shivers down the spine of some. You know those sort of individuals. They're easy to identify. The ones that constantly remind everyone, "We never did it that way before." As if how we did things in the past was so much better.October 14, 2021
Elementary, Mr. Watson: First, Component Shortages, and Now Hot Dogs?
When I considered the title for this month’s article, I seriously considered calling it "From the Frying Pan Into the Fire" because I’m sure you’ve noticed recently that the component shortage problem has only worsened—we’re now seeing other supply lines breaking down.September 16, 2021
Elementary, Mr. Watson: The Danger of Rogue Libraries
For PCB designers, the most common part of the library is the collection of components used in the PCB design process. But, I have seen some libraries have other information, including a resource area, a group of documents, standards, and articles. So basically it can have anything you want.September 29, 2021
Elementary Mr. Watson: PCB Design—It's a Team Sport
One of the hard lessons of this past year was about the value of the team and collaboration. I have repeatedly heard how many of us have a newfound respect and appreciation for the teams we work with inside our companies. Out of necessity, we had to find new ways to collaborate.August 12, 2021
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Epic Fails with Design Rules
Various sciences, including physics, mathematics, chemistry, are significantly involved throughout the PCB design process, rules that can sometimes be bent but not broken. However, the rules that designers break and ignore altogether and very often are the design rules.August 05, 2021
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Managing Risk in PCB Design
PCB design is like bungee jumping. With the complexity of a PCB design, the intricate details, and various steps, it's rather easy to make mistakes. Those mistakes, many times, do not show up until it's too late and the board has gone off to fabrication and assembly. By the way, a good rule is not to use your assembly house as your quality control team for PCB designs.July 18, 2021
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Time to Market, from Ludicrous Speed to Plaid
Mel Brooks may have something to teach us about going "ludicrous speed" in getting our designs to the finish line. John Watson explains.June 10, 2021
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Trust but Verify
Over many years, I have seen some elaborate PCB library systems. However, the best ones were those not based on the size but rather the quality of the information. That old axiom is definitely “not quantity but rather quality.”May 13, 2021
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Paying the Price To Be a PCB Designer
Today, the electronics industry is flourishing with innovations and technologies. The result is that the “good” designers are left in the dust. Truthfully, our industry doesn't need more good designers; rather, we need great designers—those who can face any challenge and instead of cowering in the corner, looks at the task at hand and says, "Bring it on."April 13, 2021
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Keeping Counterfeit Components Out of Your Library
To know whether anything is wrong, you must first know in detail what is correct to follow the standard or pattern. This principle could not be more true when handling our components in the library.February 11, 2021
Elementary, Mr. Watson: The Printed Circuit Board Design
John Watson addresses continuous improvement by examining the PCB design process.January 22, 2021
Elementary, Mr. Watson: 2020—The Year that Taught Us Resilience
Yes, 2020 was a challenge. It's during those times that we can learn some significant lessons if we allow them.December 17, 2020
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Demystifying Bypass Capacitors
As PCB designers, we work under the simple rule of cause and effect, and a PCB design can quickly become a petri dish for the butterfly effect to flourish. One of those areas that can quickly snowball into major problems is your PCB power distribution structure. When it goes wrong, it usually goes very wrong and has significant issues throughout your design.November 18, 2020
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Density Feasibility Putting 10 Lbs in a 5-Lb Bag
Whether on a customer, a system, or a PCB level, it’s essential to understand the final objective and how you intend to get there and meet the customer need at the forefront of any project. In this column, John Watson addresses density feasibility and more.October 15, 2020
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Location, Location, Location
When it comes to PCB design, one of the most overlooked principles is component placement. Similar to a home, the component location has a considerable impact on the quality and is the real value of a PCB design. John Watson examines five rules to follow when it comes to component placement.September 10, 2020
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Overcoming PCB Designs Pitfalls
When starting every PCB design, the hope is that we can navigate through any pitfalls that arrive. Unfortunately, many times, issues happen that you do not handle correctly; they fall through the cracks and end up in your PCB design. John Watson explains how that is when the real problems begin.August 06, 2020
Elementary, Mr. Watson: How to Ruin Your PCB Design in 4 Easy Steps
John Watson has seen firsthand how quickly PCB designs can “go off the rails” by not following a few simple principles. In this column, he looks at four practices that can easily ruin your PCB design.July 09, 2020
Elementary, Mr. Watson: PCB Components Naming Conventions
How you accurately analyze and identify certain information has a direct connection to the overall success of your PCB designs. In this column, John Watson focuses on the conventional naming scheme for the schematic symbol and footprint to prevent headaches and ulcers later.June 11, 2020
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Collaboration in the PCB Design Process
The past few months have been trying for everyone, with many of us working from home. However, there are still the underlining principles of collaboration to step into a role to finish the necessary tasks to keep a project moving forward. John Watson, CID, explains.May 28, 2020
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Reinventing Yourself
When COVID-19 first hit, many businesses were forced to close, and we immediately saw its impact on the service industry. Whatever challenge you’re facing, John Watson emphasizes that it’s time to hit the switch on reinventing.April 16, 2020
Elementary, Mr. Watson: The Positive Side of COVID-19
With the recent COVID-19 outbreak worldwide, most of us have been forced to reshuffle how we work, live, and play. Something like this has never happened before in our lifetimes, and it is scary and challenging, but difficult times develop resilient people. John Watson shares some of the positive things he has already noticed come out of this situation.March 12, 2020
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Are We There Yet?
Anyone who has taken a road trip with children knows the question, “Are we there yet?” very well. This question also applies to PCB design. If you are not careful, your PCB project could easily go off track and you could lose sight of what you are doing (objective), why (motivation), how (process), and when (schedule). John Watson emphasizes the importance of these fundamental questions.January 15, 2020
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Rebuilding Trust When Things Go Wrong
When you look at the long list of steps involved in designing a PCB, it can be somewhat overwhelming and sometimes pretty easy to miss something. Be assured when things go wrong, they go very wrong. In his debut column, John Watson shares some tips for rebuilding trust when things go wrong.January 02, 2020
Elementary, Mr. Watson: What You Need to Know About a PCB Design Career
Never stop learning. Why? Because the industry never stops changing. Those that continuously stay in that state of learning are the ones who succeed. The old saying “Knowledge is power,” often attributed to Sir Francis Bacon, has never been truer. Fortunately, there is never a lack of things to learn. Don’t ever become apathetic about learning. Make a point of keeping a running list of ideas or subjects that you want to research, and then purposely set aside time in your week strictly to study and learn about these things anywhere you can.
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