It's a privilege to have another well-known YouTube Creator GreatScott. He is creating electronics projects, tutorials, and everything in between. He makes electronics education fun with his experience, skills, and practical approach. This is going to be an exciting discussion so make sure to watch through the end and check out the additional resources below.

Altium 365: Where the World Designs ElectronicsWatch the video, click here.

Show Highlights:

How GreatScott started in the electronics industry and his interest in creating fun videos

He started in 2013, at the age of 18, and created his first circuit project the next year

First job application and the task was in the field of electrical power engineering

GreatScott’s practical approach with his projects as implemented on his recent vacuum project, Every Device should have this Upgrade! (Endless Battery Run Time)

The trajectory of GreatScott's career path–what brought him up into power engineering

Followed his mother's advice to go for renewable energies and took a renewable energy course at a University in Germany 

GreatScott recommends courses in Electronic Engineering and joining an internship program at the same time⁠—duales studium or dual studies, for those looking for a career or interested in electronics

GreatScott YouTube Channel showcases about 50 Electronic Basics Video Series

Interesting and funny videos GreatScott recently created

Testing circuits I found on the Internet: Inverter! It does work, BUT…

DIY LiPo Supercharger! (Charge, Protect, 5V/12V Boost V2)

Planning to do the 3rd on the series (free energy schematic circuit designs)

ElectroBOOM YouTube Channel is also creating fun and engaging electronics videos

What to expect on the DIY or Buy video series on the GreatScott channel

Tear down doesn't fit for Scott - his goal for his videos is to create, unique and practical projects

Engineers improve their skills through mistakes and criticisms

GreatScott's plan in the future

Continue making fun and educational videos

Learn to weld

Include a wider assortment of projects and topics

Launch an upcoming video for his two circuit boards creation (aluminum printed circuit board)

Links and Resources:

GreatScott YouTube Channel

Follow GreatScott on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook

GreatScott Altium Designer Affiliate Page

 

Connect with Zack on LinkedIn

Full OnTrack Podcast Library

Altium Website

Altium 365: Where the World Designs Electronics

In this episode, Carl Bugeja, an Electronics Engineer and a well-known Youtube Creator, talk about his experience designing electronics, how he started, and his fascination with inventing new things. He will also share some exciting robotics projects he is currently working on. Watch through the end, and make sure to check out the additional resources below.

Altium 365: Where the World Designs ElectronicsWatch the video, click here. 

Show Highlights:

Carl's background in PCB and electronics design 02:02

A startup with a friend, Carl designed cool stuff such as drones, bluetooth, and alarm techs

He created and and documented his electronics projects which he started sharing on Youtube

Carl first started using Altium Designer® when he was in his third year in the University, and love using it since then

Carl shares his design process, and his approach to PCB design

The first project that Carl shared on YouTube is a PCB Motor 04:28

How PCB Motor project got started 06:39

Soft robotics

The benefits of using flexible PCBs 09:36

There’s nothing you can’t do with a flexible PCB

An opportunity to play around and create a new concept

Trial and error is Carl’s way to learning and improving his skills with creating flex PCBs 10:41

One of Carl’s most challenging project and most viewed video on Youtube is his Jumping PCB 13:12

Check out Carl's recent projects 18:46 

Ping-Pong RGB Ball with 242 LEDs

Bendable Heater Sticker

PCB Robot In-Wheel Rotor Optimisation

Carl's firmware writing skills is acquired from his actual projects and work experience 17:00

The importance of building a good relationship with your manufacturer 22:38

Check out Carl Bugeja’s YouTube Channel here

Links and Resources:

Watch Carl talks about why he love using Altium Designer®

Connect with Carl Bugeja on LinkedIn

Carl Bugeja’s YouTube Channel

Carl Bugeja’s Hackaday Page

Altium Designer Free Trial

Connect with Zack on LinkedInFull OnTrack Podcast LibraryAltium WebsiteDownload your Altium Designer Free TrialLearn More about Altium Nexar

 

Altium 365: Where the World Designs Electronics

Clearing up the confusion about the IPC 2152 with Mike Jouppi, the “Thermal Man''. Mike originally sat on one of the IPC task groups working on standards for thermal management. He will help us be enlightened about thermal management on PCB, which will be very useful to apply to your next PCB design project.

Altium 365: Where the World Designs ElectronicsWatch the video, click here.

Show Highlights:

Storytime! Mike's background in PCB design and involvement in IPC task groups

He worked in the Airforce as Missile Maintenance Specialist and later had an internship at Hughes Aircraft in Tucson, Arizona, where he did a thermal analysis

The TQM mindset—total quality management is what kept him moving forward

What does it mean when “Power was Negligible”; this led to Mike's first encounter with the IPC document

How to take a vacuum environment into consideration? This is the question that leads Mike to start research and develop testing methods

Mikes received funding from Lockheed to do internal research and perform testing to understand trace heating

Mike shares his journey to seek funding for testing and how he ended up setting up his lab in his basement

He developed 68 different charts, 13 of those were raw data, and the remaining ones were all analytical creations with the thermal model

Mike started working with IPC in 1999, IPC 2152 came out in 2009

Mike wrote a chapter in Happy Holden’s Printed Circuits Handbook

Clearing up confusion over what IPC 2221 and IPC 2152 represent, Mike emphasizes using the documentation as a baseline

Another storytime! How did Mike come up with the name “Thermal Man”? The story involved measuring the thermal properties of an egg. Visit thermalman.com to check out Mike’s website

More research was performed involving flex, heating vias, and microvias

Discovery of the original data to the charts that are in IPC 2221 documented in the National Bureau of Standards report from 1955ish

Mike has the data to prove that copper planes and copper pour affects thermal management

The major players in terms of temperature response of the trace:

Influence of the copper planes

Mounting configuration

Before the IPC took over the industry standards in electronic design, the National Bureau of Standards (the government) handled the management and documentations

Check out more videos and courses about Thermal Management on Altium Academy Youtube Channel

Links and Resources:

Connect with Mike Jouppi on LinkedInVisit Mike Jouppi’s Electronics Thermal Management LLC websiteOnTrack Episode with Isvan Novak: DesignCon 2020’s ‘Engineer of the Year’ Talks Power Integrity, Picosatellites, and Simulation ToolsRead Happy Holden’s Article on Altium Resource HubIPC WebsiteIPC 2221 and IPC 2152

Connect with Zack on LinkedInFull OnTrack Podcast LibraryAltium WebsiteDownload your Altium Designer Free TrialLearn More about Altium Nexar

Altium 365: Where the World Designs Electronics

It’s a privilege to be sitting down with Didrik Beck, CEO of Elmatica, the world’s oldest PCB broker company and now part of the NCAB group and CAB group. Together we will dive into exciting topics surrounding cybersecurity, compliance, and supply chain and his upcoming presentation at IPC Apex. Didrik has some interesting insights on supply chain Cybersecurity management in the PCB design and manufacturing industry. Make sure to watch through the end and check out the additional resources below. This episode will be an insightful one! 

Altium 365: Where the World Designs ElectronicsWatch the video, click here.

Dedrick Bech introducing Elmatica 

World's oldest PCB broker

Recently acquired by the NCAB group

Securing PCBs for different partners in the PCB supply chain

A quick summary of what was going to be in the IPC Apex paper that Dedrick is presenting

Different levels of compliance and to what extent does this apply in the PCB design and manufacturing

Controlled Unclassified Information (UCI) 

Every country has a different view on it

Two possible aspects of greater focus on compliance 

Intellectual property

Cybersecurity concerns

How to get IT and compliance strategy come back and get implemented together 

Data security awareness - some tips and practical steps 

Is it worth it to invest for a data security software and team 

More ways companies can do to help guarantee compliance and prevent data to be copied 

Formalized packages for a high level of compliance - how deep does this have to go for small companies 

Compliance and Cybersecurity differs from country to country and depending on: 

the company 

the country’s regulations

where the PCB is produced

There is a room for improvement in creating some compliance hazards for designers 

Start with a good communication with the supply chain team

Gather data ahead of time

Misconception about sharing data 

Securing supply chain for large subcontractors 

The importance of reading and understanding Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) regulation 

AltiumLive Connect was successful! Watch the exclusive recorded sessions here 

Links and Resources:

Connect with Didrik Bech on LinkedInVisit Elmatica’s Website hereNational Institute of Standards and TechnologyDefense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS)Watch AltiumLive 2022 Connect Recorded Sessions HereALTIMADE Design to Manufacture, Made Easy | Request Access Now 

Full OnTrack Podcast LibraryAltium WebsiteDownload your Altium Designer Free TrialLearn More about Altium Nexus

Altium 365: Where the World Designs Electronics

Welcome to the very first podcast of the year! Altium has been very serious about designing WITH manufacturing, and so our guest for today is Amit Bahl, the director of sales and marketing at Sierra Circuits. We will talk about his passion about promoting the level of sophistication in the PCB manufacturing floor. Watch or listen on the go, this will be fun!

Altium 365: Where the World Designs Electronics

Watch the video, click here.

Show Highlights:

Amit first exposure in the PCB industry

He grew up around printed circuit board (PCB)

First to install a DFM tool called Valor

First to install a LDI machine or a laser direct imaging machine

PCB is the backbone of electronics

The PCB designer must see a pcb factory. Sierra offers a virtual tour of the PCB factory.

The PCB manufacturing level of sophistication, and high standards are driven by customers

PCB designers must push the envelope and to be more courageous with their design, while understanding the maximum capability of their manufacturers to receive better products

Equipment vendors need more motivation to make improvements

Sierra Circuits offers PCB Fabrication, Assembly, & Components

Connecting the dots in technological and logistical standpoint

Semi-automated Customer portal - a real time feedback to customer on how to improve their designs

DFA and DFM starts when complete data is on hand

The most common feedback or mistakes in the PCB manufacturing floor

Aspect ratio of plating a via - what is the fabricator’s capability?

Drilling copper - where do you drill? Optimizing the drill to the material movement.

A good fabricator will know the best material to use

Getting the available stackup early on - knowledge base of the standard materials on stocks

Manufacturing tools and resources for designers

99% success rate - eliminating nuances

Impedance tool

PCB Manufacturing Pro tip: Talk to your fabricator and understand the details - take the time!

Sierra Circuit’s new website and good knowledge base

AltiumLive Connect was successful! If you miss it, you can still sign-up to virtually attend the AltiumLive EMEA here

Links and Resources:

Connect with Amit Bahl on LinkedinVisit Sierra Circuits Website hereExperience Sierra Circuits Virtual Factory TourRegister to Join AltiumLive Connect EMEAALTIMADE Design to Manufacture, Made Easy | Request Access Now 

Full OnTrack Podcast LibraryAltium WebsiteDownload your Altium Designer Free TrialLearn More about Altium Nexus

Altium 365: Where the World Designs Electronics

The aerospace industry has driven the high-reliability design in the center focus. Juan Frias, our guest for today, is a very experienced PCB designer who has designed for Aerospace, Military, Industrial, Semiconductor, Communications, Medical, and Automotive; he will be sharing the tips for a successful design for manufacturability. We will also tackle Flex and Rigid-Flex design. This conversation will be fun and insightful, so watch through the end and make sure to check the additional resources below.

Altium 365: Where the World Designs Electronics

Watch the video, click here.

Show Highlights:

High-Reliability Design WITH Manufacturing, how did the Aerospace industry influence this focus?

The advantages of working closely with the manufacturing team

Focus on improving the design process and eliminating back and forth communication and miscommunications

Understanding what will work BEST for your manufacturer

Working with flex and rigid-flex designs

Space savers

Reliability  and stability advantages

Choosing between flex versus a rigid-flex board, what are the considerations?

Can you use BGA on Flex?

How does the manufacturer influence the material selection

Board-spin on existing design–the systemized process of ordering materials that are running low

The design preparation process for fabrication

What do designers need to know about stiffener

The importance of creating a prototype to save time and money

PCB Validation, test and Inspections, who does what?

Typically the customers are the only ones who can do a test with the product because they have the entire system on their end

PCB designers perform the electrical tests and control impedance lines

Identifying a good designer to do business with–-local vs. overseas

See you at the AltiumLive 2022. Register here

Links and Resources:

AltiumLive 2022 Connect: Now open for registrationE-Book: Navigating PCB Manufacturing: Part 1Three Common PCB Design Mistakes You Can Spot in Your GerbersHow to Successfully Design a BGAConnect with Zach Peterson on LinkedInWatch Zach’s latest Altium Academy courses on YoutubeRead Zach’s articles on Altium’s resource hub 

Full OnTrack Podcast LibraryAltium WebsiteDownload your Altium Designer Free TrialLearn More about Altium Nexus

Altium 365: Where the World Designs Electronics

In this episode, Zach chats with Lawrence Romine, Altium’s VP of Marketing. AltiumLive 2022 Virtual Summit is fast approaching, and we wanted to deliver to you some important information and reasons why you should not miss it. Lawrence gives an exciting overview and details about AltiumLive 2022’s new immersive experience!

Altium 365: Where the World Designs ElectronicsWatch the video, click here. 

Show Highlights:

AltiumLive 2022 connecting the ‘User Community’ (Designers and Engineers)

2 Events in the Calendar

AltiumLive 2022 Connect Americas: Wednesday, January 26th to  Friday, January 28th

AltiumLive 2022 Connect EMEA: Wednesday, February 2nd to Friday, February 4th

FREE registration and remote accessibility worldwide

This year’s AltiumLive is in collaboration with Institute for Printed Circuits (IPC), the Association Connecting Electronics Industries

Adapting the hybrid model (full virtual event) to get the whole world to connect and get involved

Bringing some of the finer points of the upcoming IPC Apex Expo 

NEXAR Partnerships

What NEXAR Ecosystem can bring to the participants

Altium 365, bringing the rest of the industry at large

Altium’s real focus on the user community and its uniqueness with other CAD companies

The real mission and purpose of AltiumLive 2022

A non-commercial event

All about Learning, Connecting, and Getting inspired

Industry expert, Eric Bogatin will be one of the speakers at AltiumLive 2022

Links and Resources:

AltiumLive 2022 Connect: Now open for registration

AltiumLive 2022 Connect Americas

AltiumLive 2022 Connect EMEA

IPC, the Association Connecting Electronics Industries

IPC APEX EXPO 2022

NEXAR

Previous Podcast Episodes with Eric Bogatin

Signal Integrity Evangelist Eric Bogatin, our Expert Insider to DesignCon 2020

Why You Should Stop Hanging on to Legacy Design Rules

Bogatin’s “Practical Guide to” Book Series

Pathological Design Features

Connect with Lawrence Romine on LinkedIn

Connect with Zach Peterson on LinkedIn

Watch Zach’s latest Altium Academy courses on Youtube

Read Zach’s articles on Altium’s resource hub

 

Full OnTrack Podcast Library

Altium Website

Download your Altium Designer Free Trial

Learn More about Altium Nexar

Altium 365: Where the World Designs Electronics

“One of the fundamental things that I'm very passionate about is continuous development.” - Stephen Chavez

We are thrilled to have Stephen Chavez on the podcast again! He is one of the respected Electrical Engineers in the electronics industry. Stephen is the chairman of the Printed Circuit Engineering Association (PCEA) and oversees the design team of a renowned military aerospace company. In this episode, Stephen will generously share his work experience and how he sees the evolution of the electronics industry. This is a not-to-be-missed episode as it will give you enough courage and motivation to keep on learning to become a successful electronics and design engineer of today’s generation! 

Altium 365: Where the World Designs Electronics

Watch the video, click here.

Show Highlights:

Stephen and Zach’s best advice on how to get on top of things as the electronics industry evolves 

Stephen’s career progress in the electronics industry and his affiliation with PCEA (Printed Circuit Engineering Association)

The need for cross-collaboration as designing changes and gets complex

Altium 365 offers seamless collaboration in the cloud

Digital thread or model-based design 

How’s the process today?

The evolution of toolsets

The difference between the tools of today and the past

Taking advantage of the tool you’re using versus the manual approach

The importance of tool training 

PCEA’s mission for the next generation engineers 

Secrets of PCB Optimization with Rick Hartley

What do you need to consider when designing circuit boards 

Designer’s triangle

Layout solvability

Performance

Design for Manufacturing (DFM)

Intricate details that go into designing a PCB

What it takes to fabricate and assemble a printed circuit board especially for young engineers 

Mike Creeden on Empowering PCB Engineers through PCEA

Manufacturing aspect - filtering your suppliers

Mistakes engineers make when choosing the materials for design 

Balancing success in circuit design 

Engineering learning practices in the past vs today 

MCAD, CAD for tool collaboration 

Autorouting in RF designs

Links and Resources:

Previous Podcast Episodes with Stephen Chavez

Stephen Chavez Calls on PCB Designers to Get Involved

Is IPC-CID Certification Really Important to Your Career?

Stephen Chavez on Staying out of Your Comfort Zone

Judy Warner and Stephen Chavez on the Approachability of the Pros

Printed Circuit Engineering Association (PCEA)AltiumLive 2022 Connect: Now open for registrationConnect with Stephen Chavez on LinkedInConnect with Zach Peterson on LinkedInWatch Zach’s latest Altium Academy courses on YoutubeRead Zach’s articles on Altium’s resource hub

Full OnTrack Podcast LibraryAltium WebsiteDownload your Altium Designer Free TrialLearn More about Altium Nexus

Altium 365: Where the World Designs Electronics

Not all engineers think like hackers, and not all hackers think like engineers. - Joe Grand

Let’s jump into a contemporary engineering topic – security and privacy! Today’s guest is Joe Grand, a computer engineer, inventor, teacher, device security expert, and an AltiumLive alum. I am very excited to be talking about IoT and hardware-level security with an engineering celebrity! Together we will dive into the processes and challenges of building hardware security. There are many details discussed so make sure to watch through the end and check out the additional resources below.

Altium 365: Where the World Designs Electronics

Watch the video, click here.

Show Highlights:

Jumping from Protel Easytrax to Altium

Nostalgic coincidence, the beginner's project – first circuit board was an amplifier based board

OpAmp board -- the first board that Joe created and sold

Bringing the hackers perspective in the engineering world

What it means to be a good hacker

Think ahead, what hackers are going to do to your system?

What can designers do to implement basic barebones like hardware-level security?

Understanding the different angles and levels of (hacking) attack

Joe walks us through his hacking process, the engineer way

Information gathering is huge, from product documentation, patents, company profile and more

Tearing up a product and examining the circuitry and component identification

Using standard engineering tools for hacking

Looking at chip-to-chip communication

What is a “threat model”

Your device’s power supply may be a target for hacking, Joe explains “fault injection”

Electronic badge for DefCon 27, the world's largest hacker conference Joe created

Collaborative effort to tighten the device security, Altium 365 offers a secure space for all stakeholders

Patch Tuesdays and Exploit Wednesdays -- a never-ending cycle to keep the system secured

Security through obscurity for your PCB, what is it? 

Joe answers, Is there any way to design a device so that if you do try and access it, you actually eliminate all the data or just destroy the critical parts of the device?

Links and Resources:

Previous Podcast Episodes with Joe Grand: Joe Grand on Hacking, Badgelife and AltiumLive

Joe Grand Talks About When Hacking and Engineering Collide - AltiumLive Keynote

Joe Grand’s Altium Customer Success Story

Meet Joe Grand aka Kingpin - Altium OnTrack Insight

AltiumLive 2022 Connect: Now open for registration

Connect with Zach Peterson on LinkedIn

Watch Zach’s latest Altium Academy courses on Youtube

Read Zach’s articles on Altium’s resource hub

Full OnTrack Podcast LibraryAltium WebsiteDownload your Altium Designer Free TrialLearn More about Altium Nexar

Altium 365: Where the World Designs Electronics

Dr. Eric Bogatin, Dean of Signal Integrity Academy, is back for some awesome discussion about bad PCB design guidelines. How to spot them to avoid ruining your design? This is going to be fun and insightful! Make sure to check the show notes and additional resources below. Watch until the end. Our favorite Dean has some perks for our listeners.

Altium 365: Where the World Designs Electronics

Watch the video, click here.

Show Highlights:

Eric’s AltiumLive Presentation

Pathological Design Features

Demonstration of the 2D Field Solver built-in for free in Altium Designer

Your intuition + PCB design tool can make or break your PCB design performance

Most Common Sources of Noise

Ground bounce as an extreme case of crosstalk

Design structures that can strongly contribute to EMI failures

Eric Explains “transparent interconnect”

Best measurement practice and routing correctly

Is an Arduino board really for beginners?

EMI Problems caused by split planes—the trifecta, you get reflection noise, you get crosstalk noise, you get EMI noise out of it

Eric Bogatin, Steve Sandler, and Larry Smith debunked PCB design myths and legends—the Myth of Three Capacitor Values

Power integrity becoming Signal Integrity

What is Rad-hard?

Reliability concerns in aerospace technology and automotive systems

Fiber in vehicle and fiber base radar could be the solution

Eric answers, What do you think about right-angle traces?

3 Month Signal Integrity Academy Subscription, use promo code ALT21

AltiumLive Connect, register now!

Links and Resources:

Article: The Myth of Three Capacitor Values 

Signal Integrity Journal

Laboratory for Atmospheric Space Physics

Should You Worry About 90 Degree Bends in Circuit Board Traces?

Previous Podcast Episode with Eric Bogatin

Why You Should Stop Hanging on to Legacy Design Rules

Eric Bogatin Debunks Common Misconceptions About Transmission Lines

Signal Integrity Expert Eric Bogatin on Best Measurement Practices

AltiumLive 2022 Connect: Now open for registration

Connect with Zach Peterson on LinkedIn

Connect with Eric Bogatin on Linkedin

Watch Zach’s latest Altium Academy courses on Youtube

Read Zach’s articles on Altium’s resource hub

Full OnTrack Podcast LibraryAltium WebsiteDownload your Altium Designer Free TrialLearn More about Altium Nexar

Altium 365: Where the World Designs Electronics