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.
Suggested Items
Digital Twin Concept in Copper Electroplating Process Performance
07/11/2025 | Aga Franczak, Robrecht Belis, Elsyca N.V.PCB manufacturing involves transforming a design into a physical board while meeting specific requirements. Understanding these design specifications is crucial, as they directly impact the PCB's fabrication process, performance, and yield rate. One key design specification is copper thieving—the addition of “dummy” pads across the surface that are plated along with the features designed on the outer layers. The purpose of the process is to provide a uniform distribution of copper across the outer layers to make the plating current density and plating in the holes more uniform.
Meet the Author Podcast: Martyn Gaudion Unpacks the Secrets of High-Speed PCB Design
07/10/2025 | I-Connect007In this special Meet the Author episode of the On the Line with… podcast, Nolan Johnson sits down with Martyn Gaudion, signal integrity expert, managing director of Polar Instruments, and three-time author in I-Connect007’s popular The Printed Circuit Designer’s Guide to... series.
Showing Some Constraint: Design007 Magazine July 2025
07/10/2025 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamA robust design constraint strategy balances dozens of electrical and manufacturing trade-offs. This month, we focus on design constraints—the requirements, challenges, and best practices for setting up the right constraint strategy.
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Rein in Your Design Constraints
07/10/2025 | John Watson -- Column: Elementary, Mr. WatsonI 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.
TTCI Joins Printed Circuit Engineering Association to Strengthen Design-to-Test Collaboration and Workforce Development
07/09/2025 | The Test Connection Inc.The Test Connection Inc. (TTCI), a leading provider of electronic test and manufacturing solutions, is proud to announce its membership in the Printed Circuit Engineering Association (PCEA), further expanding the company’s efforts to support cross-functional collaboration, industry standards, and technical education in the printed circuit design and manufacturing community.