Printed Circuit Design & Fab Online Magazine - Design News

Design News

Details: Written by Staff; Category: Design News; Published: 02 May 2008

PALO ALTO, CA - Hewlett-Packard's Professor Stan Williams has helped develop 'memristors', an entirely new type of electronic device, which could make ICs smaller and much more efficient.

Details: Written by Staff; Category: Design News; Published: 01 May 2008

HOUSTON, TX and CONCORD, MA - Innova and Solidworks have teamed to produce CircuitWorks software, allowing mechanical engineers to combine data generated by PCB design systems such as Altium Designer, Cadence Allegro and Orcad with the SolidWorks 3D MCAD system.

The company reports that the CircuitWorks software reads the IDF 2.0, 3.0, 4.0 and PADS file formats used by many ECAD systems and the data can then be used to build 3D models in SolidWorks. PCBs and components can also be modeled in SolidWorks and exported back to an ECAD system. The software also reportedly provides a library of modeled electronic parts that include connectors, LED’s, capacitors and chip holders.

"This is probably the first time that both the electronics and the mechanical enclosure have been able to be modeled in 3D simultaneously. The commercial benefits of this type of technology are considerable," said Mark Bradford, Managing Director of Innova Systems.

CircuitWorks uses the information in IDF or PADS ASCII files to produce a 3D SolidWorks assembly of a PCB and its components. Users can check for any potential problems between the PCB and its surroundings. The PCB shape or component position can then be altered and the resulting changes saved for use with the ECAD system.

Innova Systems will be exhibiting and demonstrating the CircuitWorks software at this year's Embedded Masterclass, at the UK Technology Developer's Conference on May 8th and 13th, in London and Bristol, U.K. The Embedded Masterclass is free to engineers and technology managers.

Details: Written by Staff; Category: Design News; Published: 28 April 2008

BOCA RATON, FL –Valor Computerized Systems has announced the appointment of Technical Resources Corporation (TRC) as representatives in the electronics assembly market in Florida, Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic.

The new partnership enables the electronics manufacturing industry in the region access to the company’s vPlan and vManage software manufacturing monitoring and control.

TRC provides manufacturing, inspection, and synergistic products for the PCB industry in Florida and the Caribbean, experience serving customers such as Jabil, Lockheed, Lear, Harris, Rockwell Collins and others.

“We feel that we partnered with a supplier that has solved countless problems for its customer base, and this is the right partner at the right time,” said Frank Mascetti, TRC president.

“We are happy to welcome TRC to our growing network of strategic sales channel partners,” said Dan Weitzman, Valor president. “I am confident that Valor, TRC, and the electronics manufacturers in Florida and the Caribbean [will] benefit from this partnership.”

Details: Written by Staff; Category: Design News; Published: 24 April 2008

WILSONVILLE, OR - Mentor Graphics Corporation has announced the promotion of Simon Bloch to VP and general manager of the Design and Synthesis Division.

Bloch is responsible for Mentor Graphics’ field programmable gate array (FPGA) and Electronic System Level (ESL) design and synthesis products. He is based in the company’s San Jose offices and reports to Gregory K. Hinckley and CEO Walden C. Rhines.

“Simon’s leadership in building worldwide product teams coupled with years of experience in design technologies makes him an ideal person for the position,” said Hinckley.

Bloch joined the company in 2002, and prior to that founded Aristo Technology. He has also held senior positions at Compass Design, VLSI Technology and Daisy Systems. Bloch earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Tel Aviv University.

WILSONVILLE, OR - Mentor Graphics has announced that CEO Walden C. Rhines will present the keynote at The Integrated Electrical Solutions Forum (IESF) in Orlando, Florida on May 1, 2008.

Rhines will present Next Steps in Military and Aerospace Electrical/Electronic Design Automation at the Disney Yacht Club, 1700 EPCOT Resorts Boulevard, Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

The Integrated Electrical Solutions Forum (IESF) series runs throughout the year, with industry-specific events for Electrical and Electronic Systems Design, Modeling, Simulation and Analysis within the Automotive and Military/Aerospace Industries.

SAN DIEGO, CA – Hunter Technology will open its new Design Center in San Diego, expanding its plans to provide PCB design and engineering services nationally through its subsidiary CADParts & Consulting.

Hunter states that it will add additional service centers in parts of the U.S. during the next several months. Present locations include Northern & Southern California, New Jersey, Colorado, Tennessee and Pennsylvania. The company claims that design services are available for all major CAD Platforms including Altium, Cadence, Mentor and Zuken. Engineering services include original design, cost reduction engineering and mechanical design services.

Joseph O’Neil, Hunter president said, “Our recent expansion enables us to in-source engineers, placing then directly on-site at customer locations throughout Southern California, providing the ideal solution. This service continues to be the fastest growing segment of our business.”

Don Beane of CADParts & Consulting continued, “We feel that opening a Design Center in San Diego is a very important step for the area as well as CADParts. New products create a need for new designs, new PCBs, as well as new assemblies. We want to be an integral part of that growth.”