In this 6th episode of Trace Talks, Amit Bahl and Atar Mittal sit down with the legendary Rick Hartley to discuss PCB design's evolution and intricacies. From his career-defining experiences with Ralph Morrison to the philosophical understanding of energy in circuits, Rick provides valuable insights every designer should hear.

EPISODE BREAKDOWN

0:08 - Introduction

4:37 - Ground plane design and bounce

11:25 - Switch mode supplies

17:05 - Impedance and fine pitch components

23:20 - "Do we wanna talk about RF?"

30:55 - Choosing materials

34:52 - The parasitic inductance and capacitance of vias

41:25 - DFM and EMI

48:02 - "Who do I have to kill to save that penny?" or the story of EMI in automotive and avionics

53:53 - "It's a waveguide"

1:00:10 - AI in the high-frequency RF field