Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1487920
16 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2022 gave them exactly four hours in 2022, but for 2023, they get a little bit more wiggle room at five hours total, as we expect this year's final challenge will require denser and more diffi- cult routing. is isn't a trivial ask; last year, while nobody took the full four hours, there was a lot of visible head-scratching and "Ah, yes, of course" facial expressions. We also had cast contestants' design tools live via a screen share, so the audience was able to see what they were doing in ECAD in real time, which led to some fun commentary on the floor. at brings me to a key change for this year's finals. Instead of having the finals competition on the show floor like we did last year, we're moving it out into the conference area—the same place where we have the standards devel- opment committee meetings. is will give us a bit more space to play around and do some fun things, like live-stream the event to Twitch.io and YouTube without the need for a sound-cancelling mic setup, etc. is way, we can reach a much wider audience through the power of the internet. However, it will be exciting to be where the action is and accessing that space will be easier this year because it's free to attend our committee meetings. Shaughnessy: at's a great idea. What sort of PCBs will the competitors be laying out this time? Crawford: For the preliminary heat, we pro- vided a schematic for a gamepad—basically a controller for a hypothetical video game con- sole. ere's some funky geometry to route around, and we've prescribed placement for some critical components, so they'll have some constraints to work with. It's a 10-layer board this year, and I think most people will go with a more traditional copper buildup, but we've given them the opportunity to use a 1+8+1 sequential buildup for microvias if they want. at's something we didn't do last year. e finals heat will also involve a game peripheral, but that's all I'll say for now. It's top secret. Shaughnessy: What criteria are the judges con- sidering? Crawford: For the preliminary heat, the judges will look for designs with excellent electri- cal considerations: proper clearances, cor- rect impedance structures, current via aspect ratios, and the other usual suspects. ey'll also be checking to see that the designs are spec'd to the correct grade/modes, produc- ibility levels, and IPC class. ere are umbrella considerations like DFM, where a fabrication expert will take a step back and look for things like acid traps, width alterations, and other issues that would require front-end compen- sation. Maybe it's easier to just name the stan- dards we'll be using as grading tools: IPC-2611, IPC-2612/2612-1, IPC-2614, IPC-2221B, IPC- 2222B, IPC-2226, IPC-4761, IPC-2152, IPC- D-325, IPC-6012E, and more. Shaughnessy: How many competitors are signed up this year, and what are their back- grounds? Crawford: We had 49 competitors registered, but two of them have had to resign, so we're Patrick Crawford