Don't miss the latest episode of "On the Line With... Designing for Reality," where we walk through the PCB manufacturing process. At this stage, we have a panel made up of all the internal layers laminated together, through-holes drilled, and the outer layer copper features covered with a protective layer of tin.

Many folks in my age group raised on a farm always carried a pocket knife. My choice was a Swiss Army Knife. It was a versatile, multi-functional pocketknife manufactured by Victorinox and Wenger and is renowned for its compact design. What was nice about the Swiss Army Knife was the array of tools that fold out from its handles. Whatever job you need to accomplish, the Swiss Army knife can handle it.

Mechatronics is the Swiss Army Knife of our industry. Each component of the knife—the blade, scissors, screwdriver, or bottle opener—serves a unique purpose. Yet, collectively, they form an integrated tool capable of tackling a wide range of tasks...
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Editor's note: Rick Hartley also contributed to this column.

In circuit theory, we learn that current flows in a closed loop, returning to the source via a conductor pair. This flow of current provides power to the load, and energy transfer occurs as described by Ohm’s law (P = VI)...
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