OnTrack: The PCB Design Podcast

By Altium LLC.

The PCB Design Podcast features conversations on all facets of PCB Design and Hardware Development... more

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FAQs about OnTrack: The PCB Design Podcast:

How many episodes does OnTrack: The PCB Design Podcast have?

The podcast currently has 301 episodes available.

OnTrack: The PCB Design Podcast episodes:

October 19, 2021 Deterministic Solutions to Solve Skew Problems
Everything that goes to making a board works against signal integrity...physics screw things up. -Bill Hargin
Avoid getting your design “skewed”! Today’s guest is Z-Zero’s Founder and CEO, Bill Hargin. Together we will dive into the cause of getting skews in your board. There are many details, and many questions answered, 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:
Introduction, a brief overview of Z-Zero and Bill’s background
Hardware Manager at Boeing (Electronic cooling and CAD design)
He became the Director of Sales and Marketing at Hyperlynx
High-speed marketing and five years in laminate space
Sharing his deep knowledge of signal integrity - travel around the world doing workshops
2018 - full time at Z-Zero, a software company he founded. Z-Zero is an EDA start-up that offers solutions for stackup design, field solver, automation, library
Bill presents every year at the PCB West on topics of stackup design and material selection
Bill offers more resources through webinars and blog articles on z-zero.com
What are Skews, and why is it’s a problem?
Comprehensive overview and solutions
Deterministic solutions
Stochastic Solutions
What is a Glass-weave skew (GWS)?
Prepreg glass types, what is spread glass?
Bill’s deterministic solutions to avoid skew
Angled routing
Rotating artwork 10 degrees (waste about 15% of the material, higher cost)
Links and Resources:
Bill Hargin on LinkedInZ-Zero WebsiteWho Should Be Concerned about the Fiber-Weave Effect?
Read the blogs:How to Avoid Getting Totally Skewed – Part 1How to Avoid Getting Totally Skewed, Part 2How to Avoid Getting Totally Skewed, Part 3How to Avoid Getting Totally Skewed, Part 4
Watch the Webinars:Glass-Weave Skew - Part 1 - Who Cares?Glass-Weave Skew - Part 2 - Mitigation Methods

Altium 365: Where the World Designs Electronics
...more
56min
September 21, 2021 Troubleshooting EMC Immunity Issues
Most PCB Designers wear many hats, and one of them is to solve EMC problems.
Ken Wyatt, the EMC expert, talks about his passion for sharing his knowledge on addressing the most common EMC problems with PCB designers. Why is it important to troubleshoot it during the design process, and how can you acquire this skill that is not offered in the university? Watch now or listen on the go!
Altium 365: Where the World Designs Electronics
Watch the video, click here.
Show Highlights:
Ken Wyatt’s background and career transitions.
Ken’s inspiration for writing his books:
Addressing basic design issues
Challenges of not having full-time EMC experts
Focus on PCB designers
Ken’s book series (available on Amazon):
Create your Own EMC Troubleshooting Kit
Workbench Troubleshooting EMC Emissions
Workbench Troubleshooting EMC Immunity
What is immunity? The product should not affect the environment and the environment should not affect the product
Radiated Immunity, one of the biggest issues product designers face when complying with immunity
The rise of IOT, industry observation.
Expectations vs Reality when hiring university graduates for EMC-related positions.
Ken will be a Keynote at IEEE EMC Conference Minneapolis on September 23, 2021
Links and Resources:
EMC Seminars WebsiteKen Wyatt’s Author Page on AmazonWorkbench Troubleshooting EMC Immunity (Volume 3)Ken Wyatt’s LinkedIn ProfileChasing the Light (Lighthouse Photography) by Ken and Sheila WyattFull OnTrack Podcast LibraryAltium WebsiteDownload your Altium Designer Free TrialLearn More about Altium Nexus
Altium 365: Where the World Designs Electronics
...more
41min
September 14, 2021Software-Driven Hardware Development
Build and develop workflow in a "lightweight" way.
Kyle Dumont and Valentina Toll Villagra, the founders of AllSpice are passionate about taking hardware development to speed through the cloud. Their ultimate goal is to bring people together, bring the system together, and automate repetitive processes. Watch or listen on the go. You don't want to miss this.
Altium 365: Where the World Designs Electronics
Watch the video, click here.
Show Highlights:
Introductions
Kyle Dumont’s background in product development
Valentina Toll Villagra background in Mechanical Engineering at Amazon -- machinery and logistics
How Allspice got started?
Kyle’s experience as an electrical engineer -- software principles applied to hardware
Improve the product cycle
Keeping up with the change in speed and expectations
The need to build a dedicated and specific tool that will allow engineers to collaborate remotely
Why the name ‘AllSpice’
Software-driven Hardware Development: What do you mean??
Hardware (HW) today is what Software (SW) was ten years ago (in-person design review)
SW is having a growing influence on HW development
Shared practices, tools, timelines, etc.
Need for integrated development.
Immediate application/solution: Component Shortages
Replacing components takes more than updating a part number
It’s more important than ever to validate components quickly and effectively.
Our most successful customers use an 8-step process (read the blog post)
BOM Check
Identifying OOS components
Finding a replacement
Updating the component library, and the design
Validating the component characteristics
Verifying component footprints
Checking for unintended changes - this is the one that gets you
Releasing the updated design
Providing flexible development infrastructure
Moving things digitally--in the cloud
Teams are more distributed (geographically and in terms of skills)
Faster design cycles
What’s driving faster design cycles?
What is the impact? (New requirements/old tools and methods)
AllSpice Hub features that we didn’t anticipate
Where are we going...Continuous Integration, bring people together, bring the system together, and automate repetitive processes
Links and Resources:
Visit AllSpice Website
Kyle’s LinkedIn profile
Valentina’s LinkedIn profile
AllSpice’s LinkedIn page
Read the blog: Keeping up with the Chip Shortage
Demo design review
Full OnTrack Podcast Library
Altium Website
Download your Altium Designer Free Trial
Learn More about Altium Nexus

Altium 365: Where the World Designs Electronics
...more
40min
September 07, 2021 State of PCB Design Education
Zach Peterson shares his insights about the availability and accessibility of education related to PCB design for high school and university students. Tune in now or download this episode and listen on the go.
...more
48min
August 24, 2021 AltiumLive Co-locates with IPC Apex Expo
AltiumLive 2022 and IPC Apex 2022 are joining forces to bring together all stakeholders in the PCB industry.
We have two executives joining us in this episode. Our very own Chief Ecosystem Officer and head of Altium Nexar, Ted Pawela; and IPC’s Vice President of Standards and Technology, Dave Bergman. They will share with us some exciting news about the most anticipated exhibits in the PCB community.
Altium 365: Where the World Designs Electronics
Watch the video, click here.
Show Highlights:
Introductions:
Ted Pawela, the Chief Ecosystem Officer and Head of Cloud (Nexar) Business Unit at Altium
Dave Bergman, the Vice President Standards and Technology at IPC
IPC and Altium Live conferences co-locate
Uniting the stakeholders: PCB Design, PCB Manufacturing, PCB Supply Chain
IPC leadership role in the industry⁠— providing standards and educational foundation
Bringing and exposing the PCB Designers to additional valuable education
Dates of conferences and where overlap opportunities will be offered
IPC Apex 2022: January 25th - 27th in San Diego with the theme “Digital Transcendence”
AltiumLive 2022: January 26th - 28th in San Diego with the theme: “Connect”
The intersection between the 2 conferences
The relevance and synergies of ecosystems and community engagement
Education strategies from Altium, IPC, and places of interest to intersect
Understanding what’s beyond the tools
Advancing the PCB designers’ careers through education
IPC serves as a validation of the designers’ skills and talent through CID and CID+ training.
IPC Foundation
Why should you attend, what opportunities are there for you?
User-centric
Learn from the pure hard work of subject matter experts
Improve design skills and connect with the people in the community
Experience the biggest and the best, see you in January 2022
Links and Resources:
AltiumLive 2022 WebsiteIPC Apex Expo 2022IPC CID Training (Eptac)Altium Academy YouTube ChannelIPC Edge Educational Resources
Full OnTrack Podcast LibraryAltium WebsiteDownload your Altium Designer Free TrialLearn More about Altium Nexus

Altium 365: Where the World Designs Electronics
...more
44min
August 17, 2021 Data-Driven Smart Manufacturing
A Silicon Valley rising star advocates higher efficiency in electronics manufacturing.
In this episode, Andrew Scheuermann, CEO, and Co-founder of Arch, shares his company’s mission to drive digitization and sustainable innovation in electronics manufacturing. He will discuss Surface Mount Technology machine optimization and how factories can benefit from advanced analytics.
Altium 365: Where the World Designs Electronics
Watch the video, click here. [link to website live page]
Show Highlights:
Introduction to Andrew and the founding of Arch Systems
Understanding the founders, Andrew Scheuermann and Tim Burke’s experimentalist and theoretical personas, respectively
The key to finding their niche
Starting Startx - top 5 startup in the world
Platform mindset - software and hardware technology that could be deployed to any kind of machine
Become a world expert in Surface Mount Technology (SMT) machines
Industrial Automation, how does software makes the world go round?
Opportunity identified for SMT industrial control automation and useable, meaningful data
Data-driven, smart manufacturing
In-depth analytics-getting data out of legacy machines
Digital Proof of concept, why is this valuable?
20 - 40 or even 60 percent improvement in manufacturing efficiency
Predicted quality, 99% OK what do you do with the 1%?
How do you get data out of the machine and translate them into meaningful solutions?
Universal translation, aggregation, data security
Andrew explains ArchFX broker being deployed on-premise
The benefits of advanced analytics - Improved Quality, reliability, speed, better-increased margins, Informed CapX spend
Links and Resources:
Arch Systems WebsiteArch Systems Overview VideoThe ArchFX Platform: The Proven Fast Track to Transformation
Full OnTrack Podcast LibraryAltium WebsiteDownload your Altium Designer Free TrialLearn More about Altium Nexus
Altium 365: Where the World Designs Electronics
...more
46min
August 10, 2021 Bogatin’s “Practical Guide to” Book Series
The dean is in!
In this episode, Eric Bogatin, the Dean of Signal Integrity Academy is here to talk about empowering PCB designers to become their own experts. Eric shares the inspiration behind his new book, PLUS you may have a say in what he will be writing next.
Watch now or listen on the go, and make sure to drop a comment on our YouTube channel here, to vote on which topic Eric should tackle in his next book.
Altium 365: Where the World Designs ElectronicsWatch the video, click here.
Show Highlights:
Out of this world (literally) storytime, Eric shares facts about the Crab Nebula Supernova
Two Books from Artech, the inspiration behind Eric Bogatins “Practical Guide To...”Bogatin’s Practical Guide to Transmission Line Design and Characterization for Signal Integrity Applications
Bogatin's Practical Guide to Prototype Breadboard and PCB Design
What does it take to successfully build a prototype
The important focus in Eric’s classes and booksthe introduction to the signal integrity of switching noise
how do you design circuit boards for connectivity
“I don’t like throwing rules” - Eric Bogatin
Quick Poll, which book do you want Eric to write?Compilation of All Eric's Rules of Thumb
Hacking interconnects using S-parameters
How to Use an Oscilloscope
Check out more resources authored by Eric on Signal Integrity Academy and Signal Integrity Journal
What is a Turbo Encabulator?
OnTrack Virtual Bookclub
News about AltiumLive 2021
Links and Resources:
Bogatin’s Practical Guide to Transmission Line Design and Characterization for Signal Integrity ApplicationsNew Book (Pre-order): Bogatin's Practical Guide to Prototype Breadboard and PCB DesignJoin our “Virtual” OnTrack community Book Club on Amazon!Eric’s Author page on Amazon.comSubscribe to Signal Integrity Journal
Full OnTrack Podcast LibraryAltium WebsiteDownload your Altium Designer Free Trial

Altium 365: Where the World Designs Electronics
...more
37min
August 03, 2021 Test-Driven Development for Embedded Systems
“Software guys, stop blaming the hardware guys for messing up the boards” - Ari Mahpour
What is Hardware-in-the-loop testing and how it can save you time and resources when designing your board? In this episode, our guest Ari Mahpour, an engineer with broad experience in designing, manufacturing, testing, and integrating electrical, mechanical, and software systems. He will talk about how you can perform automated hardware testing in the comfort of your home without using any expensive or complex test equipment.
Altium 365: Where the World Designs Electronics
Watch the video, click here.
Show Highlights:
Introduction and Ari’s background in the military and aerospace industry
What is a Hardware-in-the-Loop testing and the inspiration behind it
Taking a costly testing infrastructure to the comfort of your home lab
Headstart up to 75% of your board testing
The problem around the prevailing way of designing and testing—retesting every step of the way using expensive testing equipment, and takes more time for your design engineer, plus the back and forth can blow up your cost quickly
The importance of designing and testing simultaneously and proactively—design engineers have to be part of the test process
The impact of Covid-19 on product development and testing
The need for software-based approach to the hardware development design
Maker movement and hobbyist around the world contributes to less expensive and accessible test solutions (plug-and-play)
Design board, prototype, and watch it fail
Rework the board
Run test in 3 minutes in couple hundreds of bucks
Ari explains how the software in the embedded system works
Ari shares complete details of automated low-cost testing in his article: Low-Cost Solutions for Automated Hardware-in-the-Loop Testing
The concept is to use a simple device that can drive analog signals, read analog signals, generate various protocol serial streams, and analyze waveforms.
Links and Resources:
Ari’s article on Low-Cost Solutions for Automated Hardware in the Loop TestingRead all Ari’s Industry Expert articles on Altium Resource PageBook: Test-Driven Development for Embedded CAri Mahpour on LinkedInEmail Ari Mahpour
Full OnTrack Podcast LibraryAltium WebsiteDownload your Altium Designer Free Trial

Altium 365: Where the World Designs Electronics
...more
37min
July 27, 2021 Key Factors of Thoughtful Design
“Engage your suppliers early on the design process” - Ed Becze
Everyone wants a lower price, and often the “real cost” is not realized until it’s too late. In this episode, Ed Becze of Pegmatis, a highly experienced R&D company with end-to-end product development capabilities, joins us to help start-ups and design engineers like you avoid electronic product development failures.
Altium 365: Where the World Designs ElectronicsWatch the video, click here.
Show Highlights:
Introduction and the interesting origin of Pegmatis’s company name
Ed explains the foundation of a good product development process
A thoughtful development plan mitigates risk early on—engage vendors and suppliers early on the design process (understand parts, availability, vendor capabilities aligned with your product)
Holistic understanding of electronic product development: strategy, cost, and your design team’s experience level
Start-up challenges, how to prevent failures:Understanding the risk of “development by demo”
Address the lack of system-level design experience (use external expertise if needed)
Don’t trust the data sheets—only 5% of chipset providers give adequate design rules to follow. The rest, you are on your own.
Manufacturing test is absolutely critical—test equipment and test development are often overlooked
Engage early on the design process. Ed stresses the benefits of nurturing your relationships with your vendors and manufacturers.
Successful product development relies exclusively on your network—find capable vendors
Supply chain intelligence, plan ahead when coping with supply challenges
Cost reduction—do it, but follow the process that is within the constraints of what you intended to create.
What are the costs of NOT thoughtfully designing? It’s huge! Money and time. Delays inTime to market are extremely expensive.
Links and Resources:
Pegmatis WebsiteEd Becze on LinkedIn
Full OnTrack Podcast LibraryAltium WebsiteDownload your Altium Designer Free Trial

Altium 365: Where the World Designs Electronics
...more
53min
July 20, 2021 8 Things you Need to Know about Copper
Copper roughness has an impact on high-speed digital designs. Choose your copper wisely!
In this episode, circuit materials expert John Coonrod of Rogers Corporation shares his extensive knowledge on copper roughness. Watch this episode or listen on the go; it will help a PCB designer make a sound decision about picking the most suitable copper to use on your next design.
Altium 365: Where the World Designs ElectronicsWatch the video, click here.
Show Highlights:
Introduction, John Coonrod’s role, expertise, and experience in the Rogers lab
How the two basic types of copper are made (Rolled and ED) electric deposit (check out the slide)
Copper overview
Surface Roughness, the rougher the copper, the more the bond area
Copper Treatments
What is a reverse treat? The benefits, thermal properties, and adhesion
IPC classifications of Low Profile (LP), Very Low Profile (VLP)
Surface roughness for different types of copper and different types of surface roughness measurement units (check out the slides)
Best practices when selecting a material
Normal variations of copper for thickness, roughness, and etching differences
Copper roughness impact on high-speed digital designs
Copper roughness impact on RF concerns
Future MMW 9 micron copper
Links and Resources:
Rogers Advanced Connectivity Solutions Website
Rogers (Free) Technology Support Hub
DesignCon 2021 August 17-19, San Jose, CA
PCB West 2021 October 5-8, Santa Clara, CA
Copper Foils for High-Frequency Circuit Materials
Different Copper Foils for Different Reasons
Choosing Copper Foils for High-Frequency PCBs
Materials for High Speed Interconnects: Physics & Chemistry of Copper Clad Laminates
How Copper Properties Impact PCB RF and High-Speed Digital Performance
Full OnTrack Podcast Library
Altium Website
Download your Altium Designer Free Trial

Altium 365: Where the World Designs Electronics
...more
43min

FAQs about OnTrack: The PCB Design Podcast:

How many episodes does OnTrack: The PCB Design Podcast have?

The podcast currently has 301 episodes available.

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