PCB East Free Technical Sessions Target AI, Designing for Assembly

PEACHTREE CITY, GA – Registrants for the PCB East exhibition this June will gain access to eight free technical sessions ranging from printed circuit design to fabrication and assembly. The sessions take place on June 5 at the Boxboro Regency Hotel and Conference Center in Boxborough, MA, and cover topics about AI and PCB design, strategic design PCB assembly, flex design, surface finishes, and more.

“Free Wednesday” starts off with a session on “Controlling the Waves: A Field-based Perspective on High-speed PCB Design,” taught by Daniel Beeker, technical director at NXP Semiconductors.

After Beeker’s presentation, Matthew Leary, founder and president of Newgrange Design, will speak about “AI and PCB Design: Where are We and Where are We Going.”

The morning sessions will conclude with the keynote presentation before lunch on the exhibit floor, which is free to all show attendees.

Free sessions resume in the afternoon with five sessions:

• “Precision in Design: A Course on Strategic Design PCB Assembly,” Tomas Chester, Chester Electronic Design 
• “Training the Next Generation of Designers,” Kristen Aguiar, Altium
• “Smart PCB Design and Surface Finish: Sustainable Solution for Automated and Optimized Cu Balancing and Electroplating Steps,” Agnieszka Franczak, Elsyca NV 
• “Quality Optimization through Accuracy and Force Validation,” Michael Sivigny, Cetaq Americas
• “Flex Design for Beginners,” Lauren Waslick, Newgrange Design.

Following the free sessions is a reception on the exhibition show floor.

Anyone who registers at pcbeast.com for the exhibition and free sessions by June 4 will receive free admission.

PCB East to Offer Free Expert Advice Sessions

PEACHTREE CITY, GA – Experts in printed circuit design and manufacturing will be on hand at PCB East 2024 to answer attendee questions during the exhibition on June 5.

Among the industry experts who will be available are Troy Hopkins (PCB design/layout), Lauren Waslick (flex design), Ethan Pierce (thermal management), Tomas Chester (design certification), and John Watson (libraries).

The experts will be available at scheduled times at PCEA booth 409 during the show hours of 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Hopkins (11 a.m. to 12 p.m.), Waslick (1 p.m. to 2 p.m.), Pierce (2 p.m. to 3 p.m.), Chester (3 p.m. to 4 p.m.), and Watson (4 p.m. to 5 p.m.).

“Part of our charter is to help promote new design concepts, and we take seriously the need to provide ample opportunities for attendees to network and get help,” said Mike Buetow, president, PCEA. “Our ‘Ask the Experts’ segment with experts in board layout, thermal management, flex and more provides yet another educational setting inside this one-of-a-kind event for the East Coast.”

The help sessions are free to all expo attendees.

PCD&F Opens Annual PCB Designer Salary Survey

PEACHTREE CITY, GA – PCD&F is conducting its annual salary survey of printed circuit board designers, design engineers and other layout specialists.

PCD&F surveys designers and design engineers each year, asking questions related to annual salaries, job functions, experience, education, job satisfaction, and ECAD tools used, among other data.

The survey can be taken here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2024pcdfdesignerssalary.

PCD&F publishes the aggregate data in a free downloadable report on its website and in the magazine. Individual responses are not shared.

“The results may be used to better understand the job environment and benchmark one’s responsibilities and compensation,” said Mike Buetow, president, PCEA.

The audience surveyed is not selected or controlled, and the more responses received, the more valid the results.

For a list of past results, click here: https://pcea.net/education.

Pfeil Updates ‘Constraints’ Handbook

PEACHTREE CITY, GA – Many printed circuit layout designers are looking for ways to determine if a digital signal requires high-speed management and to offer a range of constraint values and layout methods to mitigate or eliminate the problems. Charles Pfeil’s latest edition of High-Speed Constraint Values and PCB Layout Methods offers a relatively simple framework for making those determinations.

The new edition, version 3a, includes updates regarding triplets from Daniel Beeker, who originated the concept, and corrects the TPD values in this document and the calculator for differential pairs on stripline layers as identified by Liora Hertzog from Xsight. It is available here: https://pcea.net/resources.

The book, which Pfeil first published in 2019, has extensive detail on timing, crosstalk, vias and routing. An accompanying calculator helps users resolve microstrip and stripline trace couplings and phase matching.

 Pfeil is a retired PCB layout software architect with 50 years of industry experience, first as a designer and service bureau owner, and later in engineering management and product definition roles at Racal-Redac, ASI, Cadence, PADS, VeriBest, Mentor Graphics, and Altium. He was the original product architect of Expedition PCB, and an inventor of Team PCB, XtremePCB, XtremeAR, and the Sketch Router. He also authored BGA Breakouts and Routing.

Tech Visionary Harold Moss to Keynote PCB East 2024

PEACHTREE CITY, GA – Technology visionary Harold Moss will keynote the upcoming PCB East technical conference with his address, “Embracing AI in Electronic System Design: Shaping the Future with Confidence.” Moss is renowned for his expertise in AI, cloud computing, cybersecurity and emerging technologies, having launched major programs at IBM, EMC and other major OEMs. 

Moss will speak at 11 a.m. on June 5 at the Boxboro Regency in Boxborough, MA. 

As we stand on the precipice of the AI revolution, integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into electronic system design represents a pivotal moment in the evolution of technology. In this keynote address, Moss will delve into the profound impact of AI on electronic system design and explore why embracing this transformative technology is not just advantageous but imperative. From streamlining design processes to optimizing performance and reliability, AI holds the potential to revolutionize every aspect of electronic system design. Moss will address common misconceptions and fears surrounding AI, emphasizing its role as an enabler of innovation rather than a threat to human creativity and ingenuity. 

“There is tremendous interest in our field in the possibilities that artificial intelligence offers and how AI might affect workers’ traditional roles,” said Mike Buetow, president, PCEA. “We have, of course, seen many technologies presented as the ‘The Next Big Thing,’ only to see them take much longer than forecast to mature or completely fizzle out. Harold Moss has a long history of taking new technologies to market and is well-suited to describe what we can expect from AI going forward.”   

Moss’s journey in the tech industry began with a notable tenure at IBM, where he honed his skills in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and cloud solutions. His innovative approach and strategic insights led to significant advancements in IBM’s offerings, cementing his reputation as a trailblazer in the field.

Moss later played pivotal roles at EMC, Akamai Technologies, and various other organizations, where he has consistently demonstrated his ability to leverage emerging technologies to drive business innovation and growth.

As chief executive of Tautuk, Moss remains at the forefront of technological innovation, guiding the company toward new frontiers in AI, cloud computing, cybersecurity, and beyond.

PCB West 2024 Opens Technical Conference Registration

PEACHTREE CITY, GA – Registration is open for the technical program for PCB West 2024, featuring more than 110 hours of in-depth electronics engineering training spread over nearly 50 sessions.

Among the industry experts scheduled to speak this year are Lee Ritchey, Susy Webb, Zachariah Peterson, Tomas Chester, John Watson and Charlene McCauley. The conference will be held Oct. 8-11 at the Santa Clara (CA) Convention Center and features classes for every level of experience, from novice to expert. 

The scope of classes ranges from designing all types of printed circuit boards to complex signal and power integrity and power delivery systems design. Foundational topics such as circuit grounding and PCB stackups are interspersed with advanced tutorials on DDR5, thermal management, analog measurements, system mechanical design, and more.

New courses this year include the role of AI in PCB design, PCB cost drivers, designing with embedded inductors, HDI and sub-lamination structures, new low-cost and sustainable PCB material performance and reliability, and avoiding PCB respins, among others.

PCB West will also see the return of the popular Ask the Experts help session, featuring recognized authorities in design for manufacturing, EMI/EMC, signal integrity, flex circuits and more.

“Whether you are after training on printed circuit board design and manufacturing, or building your network, PCB West is hands-down the best place to go,” said Mike Buetow, president, PCEA. “It offers more than 110 hours of in-depth training from the industry’s most-recognized experts, all in one place and for a fraction of the cost.”

Conference registrants who sign up by Sept. 7 can take advantage of the Early Bird Special discounts for the conference.

An exhibition featuring more than 100 leading suppliers to the electronics design and manufacturing industry will be held Oct. 9.