Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1369942
MAY 2021 I DESIGN007 MAGAZINE 11 Next, columnist Mark ompson details his top six design challenges. Because Mark spent decades in CAM and is now designing PCBs for Monsoon Solutions, he offers a wide per- spective. en, columnist Chris Young delves deep into design cycle time optimization. If you've ever found yourself running out of time dur- ing a design, Chris has a few approaches that may help you stay on schedule. PCEA's Kelly Dack shares his professional journey toward complete understanding of the DFM process, and he offers tips on working with domestic and offshore manufacturing partners. Stephen V. Chavez of Rockwell Collins explains how PCB reuse can stop many design problems before they start. And columnist John Talbot discusses a new via-in-pad technique for high- density flexible circuits; this process fills flex vias with a special kind of copper plating. We also bring you an article from Siemens EDA that explains the new PCBflow online DFM environment, along with plenty of columns from our regular contributors. It's hard to believe it's May already. Where does the time go? Until next month, take care! DESIGN007 Andy Shaughnessy is managing editor of Design007 Magazine. He has been covering PCB design for 20 years. He can be reached by clicking here. When I shared these survey results with our contributors, most of them concurred, and then they added several more problems that they contend with on each design project. It was then that I realized this issue was going to be a kind of potpourri of articles—a hodge- podge, if you will—focusing on a variety of PCB design issues. Remember, we're mainly nipping and tuck- ing around the edges here. Overall, today's PCB designers do a fantastic job, oen while working with multiple unknowns. e PCB designer is not unlike a maestro conducting an orchestra while blindfolded, or a pilot flying on instruments at midnight. If you're a PCB designer or design engineer, you get to be really good at handling variables. But for many of you, these challenges are what make your job fun in the first place. Well, if you like challenges, you're in luck! is month, we asked a select group of expert designers and design engineers to discuss some of the ongoing problems they face with each design. We kick off with a conversa- tion about DDR design techniques featuring columnist Barry Olney and consultant Rick Hartley. ey cut through the fog surround- ing DDR design, and explain why design engi- neers should get their DDR data straight from JEDEC, not datasheets. Ken Wyatt of Wyatt Technical Services discusses the top five rea- sons that products fail EMI testing, and how to keep your board from bringing home an F.