64 The PCB Design Magazine • August 2015
1
Fast Interconnect:
Engineering Services
for the Masses
Gary Griffin and Ana Rosique are co-founders of Fast
interconnect, an Arizona-based product engineering
company designed to serve an underserved market:
the small product developers, inventors, and any-
one with an idea for a "cool gadget." i caught up
with Griffin recently to discuss the new company, its
innovative business model, and the challenges fac-
ing smaller oeMs and product developers.
2
EDA Analyst Gary Smith
Dead at 74
longtime eDA analyst Gary smith died July 3 in
Flagstaff, Arizona at the age of 74. He had been
ill with pneumonia. He knew more about the eDA
market than anyone i've ever known. i once asked
Gary, "How many PCB design seats do you think are
in China?" He sent me numbers for all of Asia and
broke them down by country. He really loved eDA.
3
Avoid Overbuilding your
RF Printed Circuit Board
Today, many companies are overbuilding and
"overmaterializing" their RF printed circuit boards.
in this interview, James Hofer of Accurate Circuit
engineering (ACe) shares some strategies to avoid
doing both, which will help lower the total cost of
your PCB and improve the overall product quality.
Hofer also discusses some of the challenges in the
laminate supply chain.
4
Mentor Graphics White
Paper: 10 Key Challenges in
Electronics Thermal Design
Miniaturization of electronics is continuing to in-
crease power densities at all packaging levels.
Without cooling, most electronics products would
fail in a matter of minutes. How, then, should en-
gineering managers in organizations that develop
high-power electronics ensure the thermal perfor-
mance of their products while meeting other de-
sign criteria?
5
Max Maxfield Looks at the
Future of Electronics
Clive "Max" Maxfield has worked for decades in
this industry, and in a variety of capacities: en-
gineer, author, editor, columnist, blogger, and
keynote speaker, just to name a few. i caught
up with my former columnist recently and
asked him what he'd been doing to stay out of
trouble, and what sort of technology and futur-
toP
ten
Recent Highlights from PCBDesign007
64 The PCB Design Magazine • August 2015
