MAY 2020 I DESIGN007 MAGAZINE 89
5
Elementary, Mr. Watson:
The Positive Side of COVID-19
E
With the recent COVID-19
outbreak worldwide, most of
us have been forced to reshuf-
fle how we work, live, and
play. Something like this has
never happened before in our
lifetimes, and it is scary and challenging, but
difficult times develop resilient people. John
Watson shares some of the positive things
he has already noticed come out of this situ-
ation.
6
The Digital Layout: The Foundation
of the PCEA Is Being Laid
E
Stephen Chavez highlights the
Orange County Chapter's re-
cent meeting and their transi-
tion from IPC to PCEA affilia-
tion, recent PCEA activities,
and the evolution of this col-
umn, including introducing Kelly Dack, CID+,
PCEA's new communication officer.
7
Freedom CAD's Scott Miller: Taking
Care of Customers and Staff
E
COO Scott Miller explains that
Freedom CAD remains fully op-
erational during the COVID-19
quarantine. Staff members
have been telecommuting for
years, so the company's day-
to-day operations are relatively unchanged.
He also discusses the company's plans to help
employees and customers during this time, and
Miller asks anyone with design questions—
customers or not—to contact the company any
time.
8
Cadence Helping Users to Save
Time, Money With Automation
E
During DesignCon, Andy
Shaughnessy spoke with Brad
Griffin, the group director for
product management for the
system analysis group at Ca-
dence Design Systems. We dis-
cussed some of the areas where PCB design-
ers can cut costs and how EDA companies can
help these designers by automating certain
time-consuming tasks. As Brad says, "The 'A'
in EDA is for automation, right?"
9
Connect the Dots:
The Seven-year Etch
E
PCB etching seems like a sim-
ple task on the surface, but
quite a few things can go
wrong during this process.
Adhering to best practice and
continuous improvement is a
must to help avoid issues with your finished
board. Bob Tise and Matt Stevenson share their
design tips for a better etching process.
J
The Shaughnessy Report: Design for
Profitability Now Part of the Process
E
It's easy to define profit, but it's much more
difficult to define exactly what "design for
profitability" (DFP) means to today's PCB de-
signers and design engineers. How can tech-
nologists create profit in every design when
the board's stakeholders are often spread out
across several time zones and continents? It's a
tough concept to get your arms around. Some
of you work in giant OEMs; do you have any
idea how much your last design cost—man-
hours, components, laminates, etc.?
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Stephen Chavez
Brad Griffin
Scott Miller
John Watson
Stevenson and Tise
