APRIL 2022 I DESIGN007 MAGAZINE 107
Companies at the
forefront of elec-
tronic systems engi-
neering understand
this basic tenet of
risk analysis. Technology has not only increased
the complexity of individual domains, but also
the number of domains. And these complexities
introduce a lot more risk of failures.
In an earlier column titled
"Bridging the Gap Between
Design and Analysis with In-
Design Analysis," Brad Grif-
fin discussed how the "shift
left" that's happening with electronic design
means it is no longer sufficient for signal
integrity (SI) and power integrity (PI) analysis
to be performed in isolation.
Coupling on a multilayer PCB may be a
good or bad thing. On one hand, close
coupling of signal traces to reference
planes and differential pair signals is the
best way to prevent common mode radia-
tion and to mitigate electromagnetic (EM)
emission. But on the other, close coupling
of unrelated signal traces can bring us
grief with unintentional crosstalk caused
by overlapping EM fields.
A few months ago, I was offered a
unique opportunity to serve as the
AltiumLive Connect 2022 show host
for the virtual event during the last
full week of January. It started with
an idea I had during a meeting with
Altium last October, to create a musi-
cal promo for the annual summit. I love to write songs and I've
written a few which have been used commercially. But for a
technical electronics trade show, I knew that I would have to
reach far outside my normal styles of composition.
There are obviously a lot
of prepreg choices in the
PCB industry. In the past,
it was common for the
choice of prepreg to be
dominated by PCB
fabrication concerns.
I caught up with Ben Jordan after his class
on RF and microwave at IPC APEX EXPO.
Ben, an electrical engineer, explained how
sitting through previous classes on this
topic led to him developing his own class.
"I wanted to bridge the gap," he says, "with
a class that makes the material approach-
able and teaches the intuitive nature of
fields and waves and how they work in
circuit boards."
For the latest news and information, visit PCBDesign007.com
Digital Transformation:
Leveraging Model-based
Engineering to Manage Risk
Beyond Design:
The Coupling Coup
All Systems Go!: Find and Fix
Thermal PCB Problems Sooner
Than Later
RF and Microwave:
No Black Magic
Target Condition: Livin' in a PCB
Stakeholder's Paradise
Lightning Speed
Laminates:
Prepreg Choices
for Millimeter-wave
PCB Applications
