Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1483624
NOVEMBER 2022 I DESIGN007 MAGAZINE 67 soldering method is used to build the board? Have you placed your parts to also allow for easy access of cables, switches, and other human interfacing parts during system assem- bly? Many boards are laid out with adequate part spacing but fail because a connector was rotated incorrectly for its mating cable. Component Engineering When you begin a new circuit board layout, do you jump right in, or do you verify that the parts being used are correct? ere are many factors that can affect a part, includ- ing its availability and cost, to say nothing of its electrical performance. Oen a design will come through with parts that are out of date because the schematic was built using copied sheets from an older design. PCB designers need to check for all these potential problems and understand how to resolve any that they find. Supply Chain Speaking of component price and availabil- ity, do you keep your finger on the pulse of what parts should or shouldn't be used on a board? A circuit board job can come to a screeching stop during assembly because the parts they rely on are no longer available. PCB designers should at least have resources, like their manu- facturing partners, that they can use to verify the parts before they finalize the design. Marketing Do you know the purpose of your design, where it will be used, and how? ese details can impact the operation of the board which could change how it should be designed. Also, simply understanding the product's schedule and requirements could help you to plan for and hit design benchmarks that will help mar- keting to be more successful. But Wait, There's More ese are only a small sampling of the top- ics that today's designers should include in their repertoire of knowledge, and there are many more that we haven't even touched on. For instance, a designer should be fluent in the CAD tools being used and have a solid under- standing of how they interreact with other systems and third-party tools. is can greatly enhance your design productivity and ulti- mately the success of the project you are work- ing on. All these additional topics may seem like a lot for a designer to grasp, but one of the defin- ing characteristics of our industry is the need to continually grow in our knowledge and skills. PCB designers must stay on the forefront of new ideas and technology, and in that regard, I believe the ability of designers to learn and adapt is no different now than when I first started. Sure, the specific knowledge base and skill sets required now are much more advanced than they were 40 years ago. Aer all, we were just coming up to speed on PCB CAD systems and surface mount components. Today's con- cerns about the physics that affect high-speed design performance were not ideas that most designers would have even considered let alone designed for. But just as we triumphed over the new requirements confronting us back then, it is my firm belief and expectation that today's designers will expertly adapt and grow with the new responsibilities facing them. It is a genuine pleasure to see the changes that are spreading throughout our industry, and the growth that is occurring. It really is exciting to see where the next great steps in our industry will take us. Until next time, keep on designing. DESIGN007 Tim Haag writes technical, thought-leadership content for First Page Sage on his long- time career as a PCB designer and EDA technologist. To read past columns, click here.