Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/969348
80 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2018 Vardya: Again, at the end of the day, it is a microbook, so it's not meant to be a textbook. It's not very, very detailed. But I think we tried to touch high level on a variety of different points and on points that we tend to have to help RF designers out on. Shaughnessy: That's the thing. The design- ers don't necessarily know everything, even with 30 years of experience, because you can't know absolutely everything. The may not know much about RF and microwave. Vardya: A lot of designers don't really understand how printed circuit boards are manufactured. There are a lot of things you can do in your design software, but, when you get down to brass tacks of actually getting it done on the manufacturing floor, that's when you run into tons of difficulties. We've illustrated several cases where things like that happen. We also make the point that it's important for designers, especially when you're starting to design some complex circuit boards, to really work with a PCB fab- ricator, because that combination can really help save a lot of time and energy for every- body involved, and also save a bunch of expenses. Bushie: And you're right. The reality is we have to make some effort to be able to educate peo- ple on what causes issues and understanding how these different aspects help their design impact the manufacturability. That was really the driving force. Shaughnessy: A lot of fabricators say they'll get designs in, and electrically, they are sound, but it is the mechanical side, the simple stuff, that causes the phone call at 5 pm Friday. It's things like placing features too close to the edge. It seems basic, but the designers are all slammed for time. Bushie: Sure. Everybody is pressed for time. Vardya: And the PCB design is always the last part, right? It's always running behind. All the long lead components have already been ordered, but usually on some of the more complex stuff, it's the PCB design that comes in last. Shaughnessy: It was a really great book. I like how you have some of the theory but then you have some exam- ples, too. And you got it all in a small book. Bushie: The smaller the bet- ter, actually. We want peo- ple to be able to read it. It needs to be very accessible, and I think we achieved that goal. Shaughnessy: If you hand somebody a giant handbook… Bushie: Yes, 300 pages. The chances that I might read it would be very slim. Shaughnessy: Is there anything else you want to discuss? Bushie: If you want a good overview of a majority of the issues that face a PC board fabricator, then this book gives you a very good picture of what we have to deal with. We have even started using the term "tripping point" to describe a fabulous design that's completely manufacturable, except for one point. That's where we have to really struggle. You can come up with creative solutions to a wide variety of problems, but if there are mul- tiple areas on a board that make it virtually unmanufacturable, I think the designers need to understand this. John Bushie