Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1436094
14 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2021 rapher goes through that as well with all the available options on the camera. You use one tool and another, there are conflicts, and you've got to compro- mise. So, I think that being able to use your imagination to come up with solutions is a fun- damental, artistic ability. Barry Matties: If you had two photographers and you set out to photograph a sunset, you would wind up with two very different photo- graphs, and the same would probably happen with circuit design, right? Bill Brooks: I would agree with that. Barry Olney: Exactly. You can't get two designs that are totally the same. ey'll always be dif- ferent. at's just the way you see it. It starts with placement, and then you're routing on top of that. Brooks: Depending on the skill level of the designer the boards may also be functionally different. e designer may do things that would compromise or potentially enhance performance based on their understanding of the design rules. Artists can play by rules too, but you must start by defining what art is. I find there are many things called art that don't all meet the same criteria. Somebody taking an art medium, pouring colored alcohol inks and paints on it, and coming up with a pleas- ing pattern is called art; they might be called an artist, but I would say the skill level to do that is not so high. On the other hand, there are those who can copy Monet or Renoir. I've even attempted to copy Bernini, who was a phenomenal sculptor. So, different levels of skill sets come into play as well as being able to use the imagination. Olney: You mentioned, Bill, that it's the way you visualize the design, and I think that's true. You must look at their design with an electromag- netic field perspective to understand trans- mission lines, transmission line propagation, and controlled impedance, recognize how sig- nals and currents flow, and how the coupling occurs at high frequencies. If you take all that in, you change your perspective of the board. Now, a beginner who just starts designing a board will just look at the physical aspects. He'll place the chips and route it as best he can, but he won't visualize the electromagnetic fields and the propagation of the signal. It's very important from a high-speed design perspec- tive to get all those fields working together, and your signal integrity and power integrity is all nailed during the process. It's a common process that you follow. You get a similar out- come every time, although the board looks totally different. Pfeil: Take a designer who doesn't have the knowledge and experience of what is required to manage the high-speed condition; if that per- Charles Pfeil Image by Charles Pfeil.