Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1517130
MARCH 2024 I DESIGN007 MAGAZINE 13 conversations with companies that aren't looking for someone who can design high- speed boards. ey want designers who do high-power boards—I'm talking about really high power. I'm working with a gentleman on a design that is 3,000 volts. at's huge. It's a paradigm shi in our industry, from high speed to high power. We have a need for designers who are cross-disciplined in high speed and high power. I also might want someone on the mechanical side. At Palomar College, we're expanding the focus of our classes so that we can cross-discipline some of these design stu- dents. Shaughnessy: That's really interesting. I'm hearing more about ECAD designers learning to work with MCAD and IDF, DXF, and STEP files. Should ECAD designers be cross-trained in MCAD tools? Sure. Designers should at least have a basic knowledge of, let's say, SolidWorks, or some 3D plat- form where they can work in that environment. I'm seeing more tools being developed that integrate ECAD and MCAD. Altium is integrating with SolidWorks. We're seeing more of this sort of collaboration, and the old ways of doing things are falling away. Shaughnessy: Many EEs are now doing PCB design. Susy Webb's PCB design class can be almost all EEs. Are they the way forward? at's actually a conversation I've had with Susy. I find that the most difficult people to teach are the EEs. ey lay a trace down, and they'll see the connection. eir first ques- tion is, "Is this right?" Well, it's not whether it's right or wrong—it's a solution. ey seem to have a problem thinking outside the box. I really enjoy teaching artists probably because I look at things as an artist. I'll say, "Give me some guidelines, and then I'll be free to do my own thing." If you look at the industry, many of the best designers are artists. Susy Webb was a landscape artist, and Bill Brooks, who taught at Palomar, is a world-renowned sculptor. Shaughnessy: Artists would seem to be diametrically opposed to AI. Do you think AI will make its way into EDA tools? Maybe a designer could say, "Design me a board," and voilà, there's the data package. AI is a big thing right now, but I don't know how much it will affect the designer's job. When I was on a panel at PCB West, I said, "We already have AI in EDA tools in autorouting. How many of you autoroute your boards? Almost no one raised their hand. Autorout- ing has not taken off, even with the advancements in the tools, because it pulls the designer out of that creative process. ey want to be a part of cre- ating something. Designers love the puzzle; they love getting in there and solving it. Ultimately, they want to say, "at's what I created right there." Shaughnessy: So, how does a design instructor stay current? I read a lot. I am constantly reading anything related to my job. I read Design007 Magazine, and everything by Dr. Eric Bogatin at the Uni- versity of Colorado Boulder. As an instructor, you spend your time educating yourself on what's current and what's happening. You have to stay updated because things change con- stantly. Shaughnessy: You say we need more designers; not just good designers, but great ones. What does it take to become a great designer? It's a paradigm shift in our industry, from high speed to high power.