Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1540184
24 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I OCTOBER 2025 Have you ever noticed how high-speed design and signal integrity classes are always packed to stand- ing room only, but just down the hall, the session on power electronics has plenty of empty chairs? It's not just a coincidence; it's a trend I've observed over the years as both an attendee and instructor. High-speed topics carry a certain glamour. Engi- neers are eager to hear the latest about PCIe, DDR5, SerDes, or 5G techniques because we can find these technologies in the newest phones, lap- tops, or cars. They feel cutting-edge, fast-moving, and immediately relevant. By contrast, when you look at the seminars on power—on the buses, converters, insulation rules, and thermal management that actually make those high- speed systems possible—the turnout is often lower. Power integrity doesn't generate the same buzz as signal integrity. I have often referred to high power as the plumbing of PCB design: It's unseen when it works, but it's catastrophic when it fails. Nobody thinks about the pipes until a leak sends water down the walls; then the plumber becomes the hero. In the same way, power systems rarely get attention when everything runs smoothly, but the moment something goes wrong—arcing, smoke, or shutdown—the power engineer is suddenly the most important person in the room. Power design is invisible by design, until it isn't. So why does power draw less attention than the "sexier" topics in high-speed design? Partly, I blame the lack of visibility: when power fails, it doesn't pro- duce a "cool" crash screen. Power feels unforgiv- ing: Mistakes in signal routing cause glitches; mis- takes in power design can cause catastrophic fail- ures. Many engineers assume someone else has "already solved it" with off-the-shelf modules. Several times in my career, I've had the pleasure (if you can call it that) of working with true high- power systems, the kind where you didn't flip a switch with your finger; you nudged it with a broom E L E M E N TA RY, M R . WATS O N by J ohn Watson, CID High Power: When Physics Becomes Real