Redesigning a printed circuit board is a chore that no one likes. Respins of printed circuit boards cost money, delay the schedule, and just aren’t enjoyable for anyone. Yet, many companies are not taking advantage of available tools that can reduce—and in many cases eliminate—PCB respins... More >

Simulation and modelling are long-time friends of the engineer. I recently read The Works of Isambard Kingdom Brunel (Pugsley). The math and modelling that accompanied his civil engineering works almost 200 years ago are quite humbling—even more so given that all his calculations were made by hand, devoid of the luxury of high-speed computing that bathes the engineer of this century in an abundance of tools.

But the purpose of modelling then was the same as now—to reduce the number of prototypes, to predict safety margins for structural loads, and, in Brunel’s case as an engineer, he also had a head for marketing as his mathematical and engineering abilities allowed him to build bridges with fewer materials and shallower curves than had his peers doubting their longevity... More >

Now more than ever, speed is more important than anything else. When we talk to our customers, especially the ones who are working on new and innovative products (and almost all of them are), there is a growing concern that their suppliers are not going to be able to keep up with their need for speed... More >

With the current design transfer formats, rigid-flex designers face a hand-off conundrum. You know the situation: My rigid-flex design is done so now it is time to get this built and into the product. Reviewing the documentation reveals that there are tables to define the different stackup definitions used in the design... More >