FGPA Horizons Conference to Colocate with PCB East 2026

PEACHTREE CITY, GA – FPGA Horizons will colocate its technical conference and exhibition with PCB East 2026 at the DCU Center in Worcester, MA, next spring.

The FPGA Horizons technical conference will take place Apr. 28 – 29, 2026, concurrent with the PCB East technical conference, which takes place Apr. 28 – May 1.

The exhibition takes place Apr. 29 at the DCU Center.

FPGA Horizons was established by Adiuvo Events, with its inaugural conference to be held Oct. 7 in London. It was founded by Adam Taylor, a chartered engineer and fellow of the Institute of Engineering and Technology.

“Adam Taylor and Adiuvo have presented and exhibited at our past events and we are beyond thrilled to now welcome them as a partner for PCB East 2026,” said Mike Buetow, president of PCEA. “The attendees and exhibitors for their highly anticipated technical event are complementary to our traditional printed circuit board design and manufacturing audience, and we see immediate synergies ahead.”

“Colocating FPGA Horizons with PCB East brings together two deeply connected communities,” said Adam Taylor, founder of Adiuvo Events. “It’s a natural fit that will spark fresh ideas and showcase the next wave of innovation to a highly engaged technical audience.”

For information about PCB East, visit pcbeast.com. For information about FGPA Horizons, visit fpgahorizons.com.

PCB West Keynoter Wants to ‘Make it Rain’

PEACHTREE CITY, GA – Water may be the enemy of electronics, but technology could be the salvation for eliminating droughts.

That’s the thesis of Jackson Schultz, head of engineering at Rainmaker Technology, who will keynote PCB West this fall. Schultz heads the design and integration of Rainmaker’s autonomous cloud seeding system, which works with nature to encourage precipitation, provide more freshwater, and mitigate drought and water scarcity globally. Rainmaker provides water for farms, watersheds and ecosystems, fortifying growth and stewarding the natural world. The company designs, builds and deploys weather-resistant drones, advanced meteorological radar systems, and atmospheric analysis software to achieve this. The pioneering platform uses a range of atmospheric sensors, flight controls, lidar, radar and other technologies.

Rainmaker currently serves government customers in multiple US states and countries around the world.

His keynote takes place Oct. 1 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Santa Clara (CA) Convention Center.

Schultz previously worked on Anduril’s Altius UAV platform designing, integrating and testing various capabilities. At Regent Craft, he developed the seaglider’s test instrumentation architecture from the fiber optic strain gauges to time series databases.

He is a graduate of Georgia Tech in electrical engineering.

PCB West will be held Sept. 30 – Oct. 3 at the Santa Clara (CA) Convention Center. The event includes a one-day exhibition on Oct. 1.

Users to Lead ‘AI in Electronics’ Panel at PCB West

PEACHTREE CITY, GA – A special free panel session on “What Users Really Think of Today’s AI” will take place at PCB West on Oct. 1 at the Santa Clara (CA) Convention Center starting at 10 a.m. PST.

The one-hour panel, which is free to all conference and exhibits-only attendees, will discuss how the promise of AI is transforming electronic design and manufacturing, but also explore why adoption is harder than first expected.

The panel will be moderated by Phil Marcoux, an electronics industry expert with over 50 years of experience in electronics manufacturing. Panelists include: Alex Zannos of Pensa Technologies (design), Matthew Leary of Newgrange Design (design), Farzam Moshtagh of Epoch International (assembly) and Jackson Schultz of Rainmaker Technology (assembly).

“The panelists, who are users rather than suppliers, have examined various AI-assisted tools for their companies,” said Phil Marcoux, interim general manager of Epoch International. “Attendees are encouraged to hear and question their experiences, and provide opinions from their own experiences, which could help shape changes that enable the acceptance of AI-assistance.”

PCB East 2026 Booth Space Now Open to Any Exhibitor

PEACHTREE CITY, GA – The exhibition floor for PCB East 2026 is now open to any prospective exhibitor, the Printed Circuit Engineering Association (PCEA) announced. The exhibition takes place Apr. 28 at the DCU Center in Worcester, MA, a new location for PCB East. 

Attendance for the PCB East 2025 exhibits rose nearly 4% year-over-year, PCEA added. Attendance among the exhibits-only category was up 15% from a year ago.

Concurrently, the four-day technical conference will take place Apr. 27 – May 1, 2026.

“Since its return in 2021, PCB East has sold out each year, and we fully expect it to do so again,” said Frances Stewart, vice president of sales and marketing at PCEA. “Attendance at the show was up again in 2025, and attendees have noted the access to vendors and each other as the primary reasons why they come to PCB East.” 

Companies interested in exhibiting should contact Frances Stewart at frances@pcea.net for details.

PCEA to Hold Annual Meeting at PCB West

PEACHTREE CITY, GA – PCEA will hold its annual meeting on Sept. 30 at the Santa Clara (CA) Convention Center during the PCB West trade show.

PCEA will review its key programs, including its Certified Printed Circuit Engineering training and its chapter development and membership.

The meeting is open to all Association Members and interested parties.

Also, annual awards for leadership and membership will be presented.

Fall PCB Design Training Classes Scheduled

PEACHTREE CITY, GA – PCEA Training this fall will hold two scheduled sessions of its industry-leading Certified Professional Circuit Designer (CPCD) training and certification program.

Upcoming class dates are:

• Sept. 12, 19, 25 Oct. 10, 17
• Nov. 3, 10, 17, 24, Dec. 1

The five-day instructor-led course is for printed circuit engineers, layout professionals and other individuals currently serving in the design engineering industry or seeking to get into it.

The classes cover the gamut of printed circuit design engineering, from layout, place and route to specifications and materials to manufacturing methods. Schematic capture, signal integrity and EMI/EMC are also part of the comprehensive program.

Each class is 40 hours long and includes a copy of Printed Circuit Engineering Professional, a 400-page handbook on circuit board design, and the optional certification exam recognized by PCEA.

There are no prerequisites to enroll. Upcoming classes will be held online. All courses are led by experienced instructors.

To enroll, visit pceatraining.net/registration.