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introduction to HDI, The HDI Handbook, many of you know him for his work divining the future for Mentor Graphics, and many of you know him for his "retirement" to become the CTO of Foxconn's Advanced Technology Division in Taiwan. I might have predicted that we had seen the last of Happy; that he had moved so high up the ivory tower that we would never hear from him again. Not so! Happy is moving back to the states! (hope he doesn't resent me for this announcement). Maybe we will all benefit from his presence again.
Stay tuned... (Michigan?)
Howdy PODners! OK, how many years ago did we start talking about a Universal Library? How long ago was it that Tom Hausherr started collecting PADS library components, analyzing them, collating them, creating a consensus that eventually turned into the PCBLibrary Viewer and Calculator and Wizard? And when these tools got linked together with the IPC-7351 Land Pattern Standard, it seemed like we were close to crossing the goal line, from then on into the future the world could have a consistent approach to creating reliable footprints for every major CAD system. So, what happened? Well, the short story is that Valor bought PCBLibraries, which seemed like a good idea since Valor was already supporting every major CAD system, but then Mentor Graphics bought Valor. Uh Oh! would Mentor support the dream? Not exactly ... they soon started stripping off the interfaces to the competitor's products, and the most recent news that is that in July they kicked Tom and his team to the curb. sad, Sad, SAD. But, looking at it another way, it could be the best thing that ever happened to propel us toward the dream of a Universal Library, because Tom and his Partners are back together and working on a monster plan for a new web-based library (which will eventually be at http://PCBpod.com). Right now they are putting together the parameters for a set of new and improved land pattern conventions that address many of the common issues. For example, why should we be screening so much silkscreen underneath components for high-volume products that can't even be seen after assembly? We are wasting a lot of ink for no reason, folks.
Anyway, that might be a minor issue for many of you and it is just an example, but the good news is that these issues are actively being discussed, hopefully to be resolved with the IPC during some meetings in October, and then these parameters will be public-domain for all to use.
And what will happen to Mentor's calculator? Who cares...!
PCU for me and you. Also, you've probably already heard, but UP Media is putting together various educational materials which will hopefully evolve into a full curriculum under the banner "Printed Circuit University."
Registration is free, and once your account is set up you will have access to many free resources, and for a fee you can access the in-depth tutorials such as Eric Bogatin's Signal Integrity series. Check it out! You might even find some videos there from this year's conference by Kelly Dack.
The missing piece. Finally, the conference just wasn't the same without Rick Hartley, one of the educational icons of our industry. Hope you're feeling better, Rick!
Surfin' the learnin' curve,
Jack Olson
http://HowToPCB.net
Ed.: The opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of UP Media Group Inc.
