Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1494346
MARCH 2023 I DESIGN007 MAGAZINE 59 slow, I've been digging into various materials for PCB design and one of them was a rigid- flex. I wanted to know more about it. I studied the stackups, all the different gaps, transition zones, and everything that goes along with it, like cross-hatching and when you apply it. Is it dynamic flex or not? I did everything I could to prepare for whatever I was about to walk into. Dack: Designers often call design tools "a bag of hammers." They all hit the nail on the head, and the nail goes in, no matter what tool you use. But designers who are familiar with Altium may have had an edge here. Do you agree? at's certainly an assumption I had. Aer spending time on any tool, you know where the buttons are, how it behaves, how to antici- pate things. I was told that Altium is a mem- ory hog, so when I put a large plane in early on, that slowed me down. I didn't realize that are some features that I like but I haven't had enough time on the tool to become familiar with its behavior. For the competition today, I didn't feel comfortable, but I didn't give up. Dack: You're a true designer. First, because you didn't give up, and you saw the impor- tance of the task at hand. Given the tools that you had, you made the best of it. Congratulations for that. ank you. Shaughnessy: Let's look at this design. It was a little tougher than last year's, which was a simple conference name badge with an LED light. This year's design was a rigid- flex. Have you done much rigid-flex before? It's been about 10 years since I touched rigid- flex, and I had a lot of help back then. ese past few months, when it's been a little bit MARCH 2023 I DESIGN007 MAGAZINE 59