Printed Circuit Design & Fab Online Magazine - Current Issue

Designer’s Notebook

Scott Fillebrown

Standards should enhance, not hinder, a design.

Why are all the guidelines slightly different? Should all designs follow IPC standards?

Read more: Is It Acceptable to Deviate from IPC Standards?

What is the ultimate software solution for PCB design?

Read more: The Holy Grail of PCB Software

Footprint accuracy is paramount. The best assurance is human backup.

Can third-party libraries be trusted? This question arises occasionally during design team meetings. Third-party libraries are default libraries in the library tools, the standard libraries included with design software, and any libraries provided from a customer or vendor.

Read more: Can We Trust Third-Party Libraries?

John McMillan

Constrain what is necessary, but don’t go overboard.

Back in the printed circuit board’s early days, before EDA tools were even necessary, constraints were handled verbally. The engineer would carry the schematic to the PCB designer and concisely state the constraints: “Can you fit this on a 4x6" board?” That’s certainly not the best way to communicate constraints, although I would guess there are instances when the design still needs little more communication than that.

Read more: Effectively Managing PCB Design Constraints