"Learning Opportunities with Rick Hartley at PCB2DAY"
Rick Hartley, a renowned expert in the field of signal integrity, recently emphasized the importance of not blindly trusting information without testing it in one's own lab at the PCB2DAY workshop in San Diego. The two-day event, initiated by UP Media and hosted by PCB West, saw the attendance of the Sierra team, including Rick himself.
The Sierra team found the workshop to be great and useful, with Kazuhiro Yokoi, Open Innovation Manager at Fujifilm, expressing his satisfaction. Tom Burek, PCB Designer at Ametek, also learned about making and assembling a good quality circuit board and had his specific questions addressed.
Rick Hartley, a retired Senior Principal Engineer at L-3 Avionics Systems, is considered one of the Top 5 experts in the field of signal integrity, according to Randy Clemmons, a PCB Designer. Rick believes that the energy in a PCB transmission line is carried by the fields, not the voltage and current. He also believes that cutting costs leads to cutting corners and compromising quality.
Improper changes in layers or incorrect stacking of a board can lead to energy spread, resulting in EMI problems, other types of interference problems, and signal integrity issues. To bridge this gap in knowledge, Rick travels the world to share his knowledge about PCB design with engineers.
Sierra offers a 25% discount on its services with the promo code "PCB2DAY2018". The company has also published a Controlled Impedance Design Guide, containing information about designing for impedance, stack-up design guidelines, common mistakes to avoid, and understanding why controlled impedance is necessary. The guide spans 6 chapters, 56 pages, and is a 60-minute read.
A PCB Transmission Line eBook is also available, containing information about PCB transmission lines, signal speed, propagation delay, critical length, controlled impedance, rise/fall time, and analyzing a PCB transmission line. It is false that 'Ground' on PC boards is a region of zero volt potential with zero resistance, zero impedance, etc.
Industry knowledge suggests that PCB2DAY workshops typically address critical challenges in designing high-speed printed circuit boards, including managing noise, controlling EMI, and ensuring signal integrity. Key topics likely covered include techniques for minimizing electromagnetic interference and crosstalk in PCB layouts, design rules for maintaining signal integrity at high frequencies, best practices for noise reduction, impact of layout and material choices on high-speed signal performance, and simulation and testing methods to validate signal integrity and EMI compliance.
For authoritative details, reviewing official PCB2DAY workshop materials or their website would be necessary. Rick Hartley's classes, particularly his emphasis on the importance of good stack-ups, are highly recommended.
Technology was extensively discussed at the PCB2DAY workshop, with Rick Hartley presenting his insights on controlled impedance in designing high-speed printed circuit boards. The Sierra team's Controlled Impedance Design Guide, a comprehensive resource on the topic, is a testament to their expertise in this technology.
