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74 PCB007 MAGAZINE I SEPTEMBER 2025 voltage sonar power supply that called for copper buss bars three-quarter-inch wide by one-eighth- inch thick mounted on one-quarter-inch thick G-11 fiberglass substrate. The second was a pump drive for nuclear sub- marines. Due to the size limitations, Dad tried to get approval to use PCB technology, but the Navy rejected it, believing it would not pass their shock test. Their approved method of packaging the con- trol circuits was to use an insulated substrate with turret terminals, with component leads wrapped around and then hard-wired between the terminals (printed wiring boards). Dad got a second chance to plead his case to the Navy at the Pentagon, which finally agreed to allow PCBs with the stipulation that each hole in the board be supported with an eyelet and that every board needed to pass a simulated depth charge shock test three times. A mechanical test station was designed, and while the station hardware had to be often re- placed due to the shock, the PCBs passed. Louis Allis won a motor control and braking contract for the California Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system, and due to the need to minimize the size and weight of the product, Dad employed the welded circuit (cordwood packaging) method- ology he developed while at CTC. When the company launched a press release announcing this groundbreaking technology, Dad began to realize the tremendous potential of printed circuit boards and set in motion a ca- reer path that would last 34 years and greatly help shape the electronics industry. The final product used General Electric G-10 fi- berglass laminate substrate and special connectors, which Dad procured from Harry Titus of Hamlet and Smith, who represented General Electric PCB lami- nates and materials. This relationship would prove pivotal later on with the birth of Electro-Tek. PCB Design as a Stepping Stone A number of Louis Allis colleagues started yet an- other new company called Pillar Corp., which de- veloped a proprietary induction sealing technology. One of the engineers reached out and asked Dad if he would be interested in doing circuit design on the side for their high-voltage, heavy copper PCBs. Of course, he was interested. PCB design was very primitive at that time and accomplished by placing black crepe tape on a transparent sheet at a 2–4X scale. If the design required circuits on both sides of the board, one side was designed with red cellophane tape, and the other side was designed with blue cellophane tape. Filters on a camera the size of today's drill machines would separate the sides when preparing the phototool- ing to manufacture the PCB. While very happy with the design work, Pillar was having trouble getting the PCBs manufactured as there was only one local PCB manufacturer. They were not interested in such low volumes, so once again, they asked Dad if he could help them out, and of course, with absolutely no experience in PCB manufacturing technology, he said yes. He researched the basic requirements for mak- ing prototype PCBs, purchased a couple of plastic containers for acid, and made a fixture with glass from a picture frame to produce an image. Using an infrared bulb as a light source, a small sheet of copper-clad glass epoxy, and chemicals from places like Radio Shack and Allied Electronics, he got busy. His other "manufacturing equipment" in- cluded a Dremel tool with a stand for drilling holes (Mom was the chief driller) and a paper cutter for shearing the boards to size. While the first boards turned out okay, they took a long time to complete. Turning a Vision Into Reality Dad was constantly thinking about getting into the PCB manufacturing industry, and as design and Fun Fact #2: There were no silver spoons in the Williams family; the CTC closing happened at Christmastime, and Mom and Dad put all the presents and Christmas tree on their Sears & Roebuck credit card so we kids could enjoy the holiday. Mom took a night waitress job after raising us kids all day to make ends meet. T H E R I G H T A P P ROAC H