Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/969348
30 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2018 dard, and it becomes a part of the future for the world. Matties: That's really what you're talking about, because we're at the ground level of this and the standards are being created now. Wischnack: Yes, and this is really challenging. The first quotes were incredibly expensive for this stuff. We tried to find our own solutions and at the end, we ended up at 20% of the ini- tial cost and now it's even lower just by using the brain and leaving the beaten path as I said before. Not just choosing companies every- body would choose but trying to find the small innovative companies with a clear mind and the good ideas and even having some of our own ideas making patents on the stuff. This was very challenging and two hard years to be honest, but for an engineer maybe the best years you can have. Matties: And coming in at 20%, that's fantas- tic. When you're designing boards, as people know, there are so many ways to do it. What's on a layer, where you put things, etc. How do you define best practice for designers? Wischnack: Best practice for me is not having strict design rules. I've met a lot of compa- nies that have strict design rules, sometimes several hundred pages, just defining how to make a board. This is not best practice. This is strict, this is a limitation, and you cannot fix dynamic problems by static solutions. This does not work. So best practices are get a good cup of coffee, lean back, and try to think about the system. Try to arrange the compo- nents and functions of the board. And as soon as you have a clear understanding, what you really want to do, then you can try to arrange components, try to find components, and so on. Do it a dynamic way. Every board is dif- ferent, because every challenge is a different challenge. So not limiting yourself is good practice. Don't rely on defined things. Try to do the best for the board and for the solution and not just follow rules that have worked for another board. Matties: I was just listening to Mike Creeden in his talk, and he said that if you're not doing HDI now, you're going to be doing it very soon. How is that in the automotive sector? Wischnack: We have never used this; until now, it has not been necessary. Matties: And do you see a need for HDI in the near future? Wischnack: It depends. I think if the frequency increases much more, if the component density increases, it will be necessary. So I won't say we won't ever need it. Of course, we need it; it's a proven technology, and it's good that we get it, but up to now we haven't needed it. Matties: You know some people would say that by utilizing HDI, generally you lower costs. And others are that it increases costs. There seems to be some discrepancy there. Wischnack: It's a big difference in what you have to pay for a PCB and the benefit you get out of it. I had to say this a couple of years ago when I wanted to use embedded capacitance, which is an amazing thing. And everybody said, "Yeah, but the board is $2 more expen- sive." Yeah, but I don't need all this capaci- tance and I know it's a better physical behav- ior. So, don't just think about board costs. Always look at the overall costs and if you get a good product. I you can save one EMC mea- surement with the whole setup, you can get a lot of boards which are much better just by saving this EMC measurement. Matties: What advice would you give to a young designer today? I know you talked about not being on the beaten path, is there anything else that you would share with some- body who's considering a career in PCB? Wischnack: Yes, switch off the smartphone and use your brain. The truth is not the Internet. Wikipedia is not the solution. The solution is valid as soon as you have a clear understand -