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A strong design constraint strategy carefully balances a wide range of electrical and manufacturing trade-offs. This month, we explore the key requirements, common challenges, and best practices behind building an effective constraint strategy.
All About That Route
Most designers favor manual routing, but today's interactive autorouters may be changing designers' minds by allowing users more direct control. In this issue, our expert contributors discuss a variety of manual and autorouting strategies.
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I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
April 1, 2022 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

According to a quick look at history.com, “Some historians speculate that April Fools’ Day dates back to 1582, when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. In the Julian Calendar, as in the Hindu calendar, the new year began with the spring equinox around April 1.” All well and good, but why April Fools’?
“People who were slow to get the news or failed to recognize that the start of the new year had moved to January 1 and continued to celebrate it during the last week of March through April 1 became the butt of jokes and hoaxes and were called “April fools.”
Ahhh, so that seems logical enough, doesn’t it? Some other cultures around the globe have also celebrated the vernal equinox with joyful, celebratory, or even “foolish” revelry. There’s a theme in general, but the April Fools’ we recognize today does seem to be thanks to the French.
History.com points out, finally, that, “In modern times, people have gone to great lengths to create elaborate April Fools’ Day hoaxes. Newspapers, radio, and TV stations and websites have participated in the April 1 tradition of reporting outrageous fictional claims that have fooled their audiences.”
Much as I love a good-natured prank or a bit of silliness, I promise that there are no April Fools’ pranks in this week’s must-reads. So, enjoy this week’s most impactful news, and remember that glitter bomb packages look especially inviting to open.
IPC Issues Call for Participation for IPC APEX EXPO 2023
Published March 29
IPC is now accepting abstracts for technical paper presentations, technical posters, and professional development courses for IPC APEX EXPO 2023. The technical conference will be held January 21-26, 2023, and professional development courses will take place January 24-26, 2023, at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego. Click through to the article for the details about how to make your contributions to the industry known.
AltiumLive 2022: Design for Availability
Published March 28
Andy Shaughnessy spoke with Rodrigo Contreras Lopez of SnapEDA about Rodrigo’s AltiumLive presentation, which is now available online. It’s a changing world, he says, and designers need to approach their designs from a different perspective: Creating designs with parts that may or may not be available now may just set up your design team and your customer for failure in a few years. Is design for availability going to enter the PCB design lexicon?
Pincered by Russian-Ukrainian War and Inflation, DRAM Price Drop Forecast to Continue in 2Q22 by 0-5%
Published March 28
According to TrendForce forecasts, average overall DRAM pricing in 2Q22 will drop by approximately 0~5%, due to marginally higher buyer and seller inventories coupled with the demand for products such as PCs, laptops, and smart phones being influenced in the short-term by the Russian-Ukrainian war and high inflation weakening consumer purchasing power. At present, the only remaining source of demand is on the server side, so overall DRAM stocks will remain oversupplied in 2Q22.
North American EMS Industry Down 9.7% in February
Published March 25
IPC announced the February 2022 findings from its North American Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) Statistical Program. The book-to-bill ratio stands at 1.52. Total North American EMS shipments in February 2022 were down 9.7% compared to the same month last year. Compared to the preceding month, February shipments fell 0.3%. Is this typical for February, or is there more to worry about. Get the details from IPC.
IPC News: North American PCB Industry Sales Up 12.8% in February
Published March 25
IPC announced the February 2022 findings from its North American Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Statistical Program. The book-to-bill ratio stands at 1.16. Total North American PCB shipments in February 2022 were up 12.8% compared to the same month last year. Compared to the preceding month, February shipments rose 8.9%. What’s the story here?
Suggested Items
TRI to Exhibit at SMTA Queretaro Expo 2025
07/16/2025 | TRITest Research, Inc. (TRI), the leading provider of test and inspection systems for the electronics manufacturing industry, is pleased to announce plans to exhibit at the SMTA Querétaro Expo 2025, scheduled to take place on July 24, 2025, at the Querétaro Centro de Congresos y Teatro Metropolitano.
Global PCB Connections: Let the Spec Fit the Board, Not Just the Brand
07/17/2025 | Jerome Larez -- Column: Global PCB ConnectionsIf you’ve ever seen an excellent PCB quote delayed, or worse, go cold because of a single line on the fab print, you’re not alone. Often, that line reads something like, “Use 370HR only,” or “IT-180A required.” These and other brand-name materials are proven performers, but unless your design needs that specific resin system (say, for RF performance, thermal reliability, or stringent CAF resistance), you may inadvertently be holding your job hostage.
IPC Hall of Fame Spotlight Series: Highlighting Lionel Fullwood
07/15/2025 | Dan Feinberg, I-Connect007Many IPC members who have contributed significantly to IPC and our industry have been awarded the IPC Raymond E. Pritchard Hall of Fame (HOF) Award. Though many early HOF members have passed away and are unknown to today’s IPC membership, their contributions still resonate. This special series on IPC Hall of Fame members provides a reminder of who was honored and why. As a bonus, for those who are still around, we get to find out what these talented individuals are up to today.
TRI Unveils New Platform for Diverse Board Sizes
07/14/2025 | TRITest Research, Inc. (TRI), the leading test and inspection systems provider for the electronics manufacturing industry, proudly introduces a new size configuration for SPI and AOI Models.
Seeing a Future in Mexico
07/09/2025 | Michelle Te, I-Connect007The Global Electronics Association (formerly known as IPC) has been instrumental in fostering a partnership with Guanajuato, a state north of Mexico City with 12 industrial clusters and close to 150 companies involved in electronics. This past spring, Alejandro Hernández, the undersecretary for investment promotion in Guanajuato, attended IPC APEX EXPO 2025 at the invitation of IPC Mexico Director Lorena Villanueva, where he met with several companies to discuss the opportunities available in Mexico. He is inviting electronics-related companies seeking long-term investment in a centrally located area with access to highways, railways, and ports.