Electronic Systems Design

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This blog is a place to learn about electronic systems design, from PCB design to simulation and verification, to manufacturability and manufacturing execution.

Learn more about electronic systems design.

Featured posts

Image of a rigid flex pcb

Advice on tackling rigid-flex PCB designs

March 26, 2024

Last year, on the Printed Circuit Podcast, I engaged in conversation with Anaya Vardya about the complexities of advanced printed…

By Stephen V. Chavez
2 MIN READ
Rendering of a rigid flex PCB with text that says A principal designer's journey in rigid flex PCB design

A principal designer’s journey in rigid flex PCB design

March 12, 2024

As technology continues to advance, the demand for smaller, lighter, and more efficient electronic devices is ever-increasing. This demand has…

By Stephen V. Chavez
3 MIN READ
An image of a circuit board being manufactured and also an image showing a PCB design in Xpedition software.

The importance of design for manufacturability in the PCB design process

February 7, 2024

When it comes to designing and producing electronics, success hinges not merely on the excellence of your design, but also…

By Stephen V. Chavez
4 MIN READ

Latest posts

What to analyze?

What to analyze?

June 11, 2012

In my previous blog, I talked about how a printed circuit board is nothing more than a path for signals…

By Patrick Carrier
< 1 MIN READ
Don’t let your board heat up your ICs

Don’t let your board heat up your ICs

June 6, 2012

What?  Isn’t that backwards?  Technically, yes.  The board is merely a pathway through which ICs talk to each other, and…

By Patrick Carrier
< 1 MIN READ
Put your charts away

Put your charts away

June 5, 2012

For over 50 years, designers have been calculating current-carrying capacity on PCBs using charts created by the Navy in 1956…

By Patrick Carrier
< 1 MIN READ
Co-simulation gets you the real answer

Co-simulation gets you the real answer

June 4, 2012

Simulation is a way of predicting reality.  The more information we put into the simulation, the better our prediction of…

By Patrick Carrier
< 1 MIN READ
Need stitching vias?

Need stitching vias?

May 23, 2012

When trying to design SERDES signals on board, designers often receive recommendations on placing stitching vias around differential signal vias…

By Zhen Mu
< 1 MIN READ
PADS Tips and Tricks: Pin Swapping

PADS Tips and Tricks: Pin Swapping

May 15, 2012

This tip comes from Bill Tkachuk in CSD. Do you want to do pin swapping in a PADS Logic/PADS Layout…

By Jim Martens
< 1 MIN READ
Turn off your phone!

Turn off your phone!

May 3, 2012

Everybody knows you are supposed to turn off your phone and other electronic devices when you are on a plane.  You…

By Patrick Carrier
2 MIN READ
Is it SSN or is it Crosstalk?

Is it SSN or is it Crosstalk?

May 2, 2012

In the lab, both simultaneous switching noise (SSN) and crosstalk look the same.  They appear as unwanted pulses of energy…

By Patrick Carrier
< 1 MIN READ
Crosstalk is everywhere

Crosstalk is everywhere

May 1, 2012

Crosstalk is everywhere.  Really, in a more general sense, noise coupling is everywhere.  Usually the method of noise coupling is…

By Patrick Carrier
< 1 MIN READ