I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
October 21, 2022 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazineEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
Where did the year go? I can’t believe we’re planning our January and February issues now. It was 84 degrees most of last week in Atlanta, and now it’s 31. I guess I should take my Hawaiian shirts out of rotation!
This week we have quite a variety of articles for you. It’s officially show time and the industry is back in business in a major way. We have some news coming out of last week’s advanced packaging event in Washington, D.C., and an article about navigating SMTA International, which opens on Halloween this year in Minneapolis.
We have a great column on avoiding EMI with good routing strategies, and an article on electrically conductive inks. To top it off, I-Connect007 has published a new book, written by Matt Stevenson of Sunstone Circuits, that posits a new “design for”: Designing for Reality. If you’re a designer, isn’t designing for reality what it’s all about?
See you next time.
Sunstone and I-007eBooks Launch Book on Designing for Reality
Published October 20
There are probably a dozen “design fors” floating around now, with DFM being ubiquitous at this point. But this new I-Connect007 book cuts right to the chase with a new acronym: The Printed Circuit Designer’s Guide to… Designing for Reality. Sunstone’s Matt Stevenson takes designers through the reality of the PCB fab process. Matt basically says, “Here’s what works, and here’s what doesn’t. Let’s go.” Check it out.
IPC Symposium: U.S. Must Address Critical Gaps in Advanced Packaging Needs
Published October 12
As fictional NASCAR driver Ricky Bobby so eloquently put it, “If you ain’t first, you’re last.” When it comes to advanced substrate packaging, North America is definitely not in first place. As Jan Vardaman explains, last week’s IPC Advanced Packaging Symposium in Washington, D.C., represented a call to action. Speakers from across the electronics industry and various branches of the U.S. government addressed this gap in the supply chain which threatens our ability to develop the most cutting-edge fighter planes and weaponry. We’ll keep a watch on this situation.
Time to Go ‘Exploring’ at SMTA International
Published October 19
If you’re getting ready for SMTA International, don’t miss this. Editor Michelle Te has a handy-dandy article that covers how to use the SMTAI 2022 Passport. Ambassador Exhibitors on the show floor will discuss their companies’ technology and stamp your passport, and the most active Explorers and most popular Ambassadors can win various prizes. Grab your pith helmet and start exploring.
Market and Tech Convergence: Electrically Conductive Inks
Published October 17
In this article, Stan Farnsworth of NovaCentrix discusses the development of electrically conductive inks. Now in use in everything from smartphones and medical devices to cars and space suits, these inks can be configured by the OEM and applied in a variety of ways. Stan explains what all this means to designers and fabricators on the cutting edge.
Beyond Design: Routing Strategies to Minimize Radiation
Published October 19
If you’re a designer or design engineer wrestling with EMI issues, this Barry Olney column is just for you. Barry explains how good routing practices can save up to 10 dB of substrate radiation. He addresses things like fanout, mark-to-space ratios, and flight time for microstrip vs. stripline. In case this topic isn’t your strongest suit, Barry summarizes your best way forward. Don’t miss it.
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IPC Announces New Training Course: PCB Design for Military & Aerospace Applications
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Effects of Advanced Packaging and Stackup Design
12/26/2024 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamKris Moyer teaches several PCB design classes for IPC and Sacramento State, including advanced PCB design. His advanced design classes take on some really interesting topics, including the impact of a designer’s choice of advanced packaging upon the design of the layer stackup. Kris shares his thoughts on the relationship between packaging and stackup, what PCB designers need to know, and why he believes, “The rules we used to live by are no longer valid.”
Beyond Design: AI-driven Inverse Stackup Optimization
12/26/2024 | Barry Olney -- Column: Beyond DesignArtificial intelligence (AI) is transforming how we conceptualize and design everything from satellites to PCBs. Traditionally, stackup planning is a manual process that can be multifaceted and relies heavily on the designer's expertise. Despite having best practices and various field solvers to optimize parameters, stackup planning remains challenging for complex designs with advanced packaging, several layers, multiple power pours, and controlled impedance requirements.
Spotlight on PEDC: Filbert Arzola
12/19/2024 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazineIPC and FED have teamed up to create a new PCB design conference in Vienna, Austria. The Pan-European Electronics Design Conference (PEDC) takes place Jan. 29-30 at the NH Danube City hotel in Vienna. Raytheon’s Filbert Arzola is presenting “Engineering and Adapting Model-based PCB Design in Step with Sustainability and Digital Twins” at PEDC. I asked Filbert to discuss what attendees can expect from his class.