Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1256432
JUNE 2020 I DESIGN007 MAGAZINE 53 Matties: I appreciate that. That helps clarify the issue for me. Andy Shaughnessy: Kelly, what would you tell a group of young designers you were mentor- ing regarding datasheets, app notes, footprints, and how to consider all of this data? Dack: I mentor younger designers by encour- aging them to engage with industry experts. Attend industry trade shows and seek IPC de- signer certification. There is a new wave of educational resources coming out of the IPC educational resource committee willing to help fresh engineers. There is also new, dy- namic energy building up within the Print- ed Circuit Engineering Association (PCEA), who are ready to connect them with active, experienced stakeholders in the printed cir- cuit industry. I tell them to read articles and interviews with Rick Hartley, Lee Ritchey, and Eric Bogatin. If they are already lay- ing out a board, I would advise them to ex- pand their knowledge base by reading layout articles and taking classes from Susie Web. Of course, I'll pitch a few of my articles on considering manufacturability. And there is a whole library of eBooks offered by I-Connect007 for free. PCB design and engineering are all about trade-offs. Just because you have the latest, greatest component doesn't mean you will have a successful design until it has been proven to perform electronically and be manufacturable. You have to learn to rob Peter to pay Paul in de- sign and engineering. There are lots and lots of things that have to come together, and you will only recognize the most important ones by gaining experience on your own or by gleaning it from others. That's what I tell them. Many folks in our design community are 55 years old or older. We have so much experi- ence because we've seen almost everything before. It is usually easy for us to see six differ- ent solutions based on the given circumstanc- es of cost, reliability, environment, availabil- ity of materials, and timeframe. We can put all these things together with experience very quickly. This is the benefit of experience that the industry is going to be losing very fast. Matties: And circling back to your original point, it takes experience to know when to question an app note, a datasheet, or any data, for that matter. I appreciate your time answer- ing these questions. Thank you, Kelly. Dack: I've been glad to. I hope I've helped! DESIGN007