Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1199133
18 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I JANUARY 2020 bought by Ixia, and if I draw a line, I've been working many of the same engineers for about 30 years. Ixia continued the large format rack-mount- ed equipment as well as tabletop boxes. Now, with Keysight, we have moved into testing dif- ferent interfaces, and we're up to 400G. These are the interfaces and technologies that en- able 5G for your cellphones, WiFi communi- cations between cars, etc. That's the path I'm on today. Shaughnessy: That's some pretty high-speed stuff. Seymour: It's very high-speed technology based on PAM4. If you've seen the three-eye waveform diagram associated with PAM4, in the near future, it will be PAM8 and PAM16, which will have more eyes, than you would have thought possible. Keysight has products based on PAM4 shipping now. Shaughnessy: Tell us about your new certifica- tion. Yesterday, you were certified to teach the CID+ class at PCB Carolina. Seymour: Yes. PCB Carolina is put on by the lo- cal RTP chapter of the IPC Designers Council, and I've been a member for about 18 years now. Better Boards founder Randy Fawcett is the main driver for the show, and I've been on and off the support team for the show as time permits. The local chapter plans the show, including finding vendors, technical sessions, etc. One of the things IPC has done is hold classes in association with PCB Caroli- na, such as soldering, IPC-600, CID and CID+ classes, etc. The IPC contracts some training out to EPTAC, and I'm employed by EPTAC as an instructor. I was certified as a CID instructor three or four years ago. Pending my evalua- tion, I'll be a CID+ instructor. What that means is I taught a CID+ class this week under Che- rie Litson's guidance. Cherie is a Master IPC Trainer (MIT). She evaluated my instruction in the class this past week, and if she grades me as such, then I will become a CID+ instructor. Shaughnessy: Tell me about the class. What were some of the things that you focused on? Seymour: The CID+ is the follow-on advanced class for the CID. It's designer-oriented, so we talk in more detail about quality control, lami- nates, balanced stackups, and copper balanc- ing. Then, we get into high-speed design and topics like reflections, signal quality, and lami- nate characteristics. The class continues with data format interfaces to the assembly and fab- rication shops, which is more in-depth than we talk about during the entry-level class. Shaughnessy: I've heard that you really need to know your jargon and definitions to be a CID+. Seymour: Absolutely. The IPC has specific terms for given topics. Whether it's a fab panel or a fab array, you need to know how IPC defines those terms and understand them, which is often the difference in how things are manufactured. Shaughnessy: Because all of this is translated and "terminal" means one thing in English, but it might translate into something else in Spanish or Mandarin. Seymour: Exactly. Even for English-speaking students, it's not easy. If I said to you, "I want an array," is that a fabrication array or an as- sembly array? Then, you think, "It's really a fab panel versus an assembly panel." Shaughnessy: Right. And if it's a quarter ounce of copper, is it before or after processing? Seymour: Correct. Because during the process- ing, you'll lose a lot of thickness. Shaughnessy: What's next for you? Seymour: Since I'm continuing to work full time, I'll teach a class when my schedule allows. I'll be working for EPTAC. I enjoy teaching PCB design. My major concern for the future is the supply of young designers. I started designing boards 35 years ago, and received my CID cer- tification in 2001 and my CID+ in 2003.