Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1494346
14 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I MARCH 2023 through programs or information and realizing that it is no longer being used in the industry. e program I attended is very focused on the industry and what is being learned now so most of it has been very useful. Matties: You're dealing with coworkers from different generations. Do you find that some people are reluctant to change or to adopt something new? I don't personally run into that a lot in the workplace, but I have heard about it. Doing a certain pro- cess and then having to start over and try a new process or sys- tem can be frustrating at times, and it can be tough to adapt at first. But with a lot of practice and patience, everything comes together. Matties: How complex are the boards that you design and build? ey are boards for consumer electronics. I hear about companies building 16-layer boards but the ones I work on are nothing like that. We have some complicated designs and some that are simpler. Usually, it's a multi-board assembly and there are processors and chips that are more complex. Matties: Do you bring in your supply base, EMS, fabricators, and material suppliers as part of your knowledge pool? Yes, on a regular basis. Since I am the one who is designing the boards I have a lot of contacts within the manufacturing industry, quick turn or otherwise. What's expected of me is to pro- vide some sort of comparison and determine which manufacturer fits our needs the best, whether it's from the perspective of lead time, cost, or quality. Matties: How important is it for designers to understand the manufacturing process of a circuit board? It's very important. You have to know your manufacturer's capabilities, what they can and can't do. You have to design a board that is manufacturable and be sure that the pro- cesses used won't be too expensive because of poor design decisions. ose boards go in a consumer product, so cost is every- thing. Understanding the pro- cess helps you within that f r ame wor k , and help s you take your design to completion without having to worry about radical redesign later. Shaughnessy: What are your thoughts on datasheets? Lee Ritchey famously said that you should assume they're wrong until you've proven otherwise. Again, trust but verify. Some datasheets will give you the exact details on how to use the parts in very different applica- tions, and sometimes there are even additional application notes with further design sugges- tions and guidelines. ere's such a variety of datasheets, though, and some are very detailed and useful, but in most cases it's the other way around. e basics are good for com- ponent selection but when it gets to the nitty gritty of hardware design, you have to figure out on your own how to implement it properly, because you can't just be creating designs that are full of noise or susceptible to crosstalk. What if you must use a part that has really bad documentation? en you're stuck and you must find other designers online who have used that part and had experience with it. In general, it feels as if there isn't enough infor- mation on specific designs available. With a BGA footprint, for instance, what is the most With a lot of practice and patience, everything comes together.