“All of us learn to write in the second grade. Most of us go on to bigger and better things.” – Bobby Knight

Well, they say that if you wait long enough, everything comes back around. After much soul searching, gnashing of teeth and a healthy dose of general anesthesia, I’ve decided to jump back into the PCD&F editor’s chair. To be honest, it’s the place and job title I’ve enjoyed most during the time I’ve been associated with this fine publication.

In the last few months, I’ve been talking to some of the folks in the PCB design and fab industry, trying to find out what I’ve missed and what has changed in my misspent years with other ventures and other job titles that lured me from you. Not that I’ve been totally out of touch – just that I haven’t been as close as I once was. According to the folks who would take my calls, the main things that have changed are all of the features are smaller (duh!) and high-speed has become more mainstream. Oh yeah, and the definition of high-speed has evolved by a factor of about a googleplex. There are new packages that my old, worn-out, permanently gridded eyeballs can barely see – but hasn’t that always been the evolution in electronics?

I’m not saying that I’d challenge anybody out there to a Top Gun (www.pcbwest.com/topgun/index.shtml) design-off, but I have yet to come up with any earth-shattering changes to this industry. It’s all evolutionary.  Yeah, processes in fab have changed in the ever-continuing effort to keep up with design, and so have materials, test strategies and assembly equipment.

But having said that, last month, I had the opportunity to look at some cutting-edge designs. For the last 15 years or so, I’ve been involved with Mentor Graphics’ Technology Leadership Awards as a judge, looking at plots of boards and studying stats and the challenges these designers face. It is truly awesome to see some of the results.

Mentor has been sponsoring the TLAs for about 15 years now, and they deserve a pat on the back for doing this. They make a big deal out of focusing a spotlight on designers and acknowledging the difficulties designers face. Recently, UPMG joined Mentor Graphics in presenting a webinar announcing the winners of the 2009 Technology Leadership Awards. Support your fellow designers by viewing the event on-demand. You don’t have to be a Mentor user, just a person who appreciates good design work.

I enjoy the TLAs for multiple reasons. For one thing, I can still tell when and where someone “hand” routed the busses and where they used an autorouter. While I acknowledge the speed and cost benefits of autorouting, the old designer in me still thrills to the artistic side of our science. The truth is, some of these boards just have too many rules and too many constraints to not use an autorouter. The non-designer types here at UPMG think I’m wiggin’ when we look at a board, and I try to show them where the designer used his or her skill or struggled to get in those last 100 traces. Some of the innovation and creativity really blows me away when I look at these boards. You people are really smart and exceptional. I just wish that more EDA companies would do something similar to recognize designers.

I can’t get away without mentioning that PCB Atlanta is October 22 at the Alpharetta Marriott. It is one of our regional shows, really a scaled down version of the PCB Design Conferences. Go to www.pcbshows.com to check it out. If you are within traveling distance, register for the show and come see us. While you’re there, look for the TLA webinar.

And last but not least, we’ve started a blog page on pcdandf.com. Back Page fans will find this the closest thing to the original and can add their comments, criticisms and various contributions to the cause.  

Sure, some things change, but it almost feels like getting back together with an ex-wife or girlfriend (here we go again). You’re familiar with certain and fundamental traits, but at the same time, there is no telling where either of you has been. All that aside, I’m glad to be back.