Related Topics
Platform Updates from Kyle McLeod and Nicholas Lundgaard
The episode provides insights into MacroFab's efforts to make PCB manufacturing more accessible and efficient for their customers.
Tracing a Path for PCB Design Automation with Sergiy Nesterenko
Sergiy Nestorenko, founder of Quilter and former SpaceX engineer, discusses revolutionizing PCB design automation.
Dr. Duncan Haldane from JITX on Automating Circuit Design
Dr. Haldane on his background, the problems JITX is trying to resolve, & new auto-router plans. What's the deal with the "hyper-aggressive pogo-stick"?
Other Resources
Circuit Break Podcast
Webinars
Videos
Tour MacroFab's ITAR-Compliant Facility
September 22, 2021, Episode #295
The DFs
- DFA – Design for Assembly
- DFC – Design for Conservation
- DFD – Design for Documentation
- DFM – Design for Manufacturing
- DFP – Design for Production
- DFR – Design for Repair / Recycle
- DFT – Design for Test
- DFS – Design for Safety
How to DFX
- Identify what you are Designing For
- Perhaps list them based on priority
- Make a list of all of the items
- Make a timeline for which DF applies when in the product life
- Create a list of key design criteria
- This will vary based on where the product is in the design cycle
- Schedule specific focused time to have a team review the DF
- Have the main designer present, but it is best to have other perform the DF checks
- Have a sign off and circle back process
- If it passes then have the team sign off and move to the next stage
- If it fails, have a process of fixing and asses if another full DF meeting is needed
- Perhaps just a small DF meeting to address one thing
- At then end of the product design cycle you will have a folder of completed design checks that help validate the release of the product
DFA vs DFM vs DFP
Techniques for making revisions easier
- Put circuits that you know need adjustment where you can reach them with a soldering iron or a probe
- 0 ohm resistors
- Make for very easy configuration changes
- DNI/DNP – lots of people don’t know this is a thing
- Multiple footprints
- Parallel components
- Room for soldering!
- Test points – different from component terminations
- Keep lists of things to remove for production
About the Hosts
Parker Dillmann
Parker is an Electrical Engineer with backgrounds in Embedded System Design and Digital Signal Processing. He got his start in 2005 by hacking Nintendo consoles into portable gaming units. The following year he designed and produced an Atari 2600 video mod to allow the Atari to display a crisp, RF fuzz free picture on newer TVs. Over a thousand Atari video mods where produced by Parker from 2006 to 2011 and the mod is still made by other enthusiasts in the Atari community.
In 2006, Parker enrolled at The University of Texas at Austin as a Petroleum Engineer. After realizing electronics was his passion he switched majors in 2007 to Electrical and Computer Engineering. Following his previous background in making the Atari 2600 video mod, Parker decided to take more board layout classes and circuit design classes. Other areas of study include robotics, microcontroller theory and design, FPGA development with VHDL and Verilog, and image and signal processing with DSPs. In 2010, Parker won a Ti sponsored Launchpad programming and design contest that was held by the IEEE CS chapter at the University. Parker graduated with a BS in Electrical and Computer Engineering in the Spring of 2012.
In the Summer of 2012, Parker was hired on as an Electrical Engineer at Dynamic Perception to design and prototype new electronic products. Here, Parker learned about full product development cycles and honed his board layout skills. Seeing the difficulties in managing operations and FCC/CE compliance testing, Parker thought there had to be a better way for small electronic companies to get their product out in customer's hands.
Parker also runs the blog, longhornengineer.com, where he posts his personal projects, technical guides, and appnotes about board layout design and components.
Stephen Kraig
Stephen Kraig is a component engineer working in the aerospace industry. He has applied his electrical engineering knowledge in a variety of contexts previously, including oil and gas, contract manufacturing, audio electronic repair, and synthesizer design. A graduate of Texas A&M, Stephen has lived his adult life in the Houston, TX, and Denver, CO, areas.
Stephen has never said no to a project. From building guitar amps (starting when he was 17) to designing and building his own CNC table to fine-tuning the mineral composition of the water he uses to brew beer, he thrives on testing, experimentation, and problem-solving. Tune into the podcast to learn more about the wacky stuff Stephen gets up to.
Special thanks to whixr over at Tymkrs for the intro and outro!
Related Podcasts
Datasheet Lore
What lore have you discovered in component datasheets? On this episode, Parker talks about how he picks electrical components and risk management.
Dr. Duncan Haldane from JITX on Automating Circuit Design
Dr. Haldane on his background, the problems JITX is trying to resolve, & new auto-router plans. What's the deal with the "hyper-aggressive pogo-stick"?
Breadboarding for Success
This week we are talking about Breadboards. Is breadboarding a circuit or design still applicable in today's SMT component dominated world?
Tracing a Path for PCB Design Automation with Sergiy Nesterenko
Sergiy Nestorenko, founder of Quilter and former SpaceX engineer, discusses revolutionizing PCB design automation.
Platform Updates from Kyle McLeod and Nicholas Lundgaard
The episode provides insights into MacroFab's efforts to make PCB manufacturing more accessible and efficient for their customers.
The PCB Plague
Ever have PCBs that solder just will not wet and solder to? You probably thought it was improper soldering technique but that was probably not it!
About MacroFab
MacroFab offers comprehensive manufacturing solutions, from your smallest prototyping orders to your largest production needs. Our factory network locations are strategically located across North America, ensuring that we have the flexibility to provide capacity when and where you need it most.
Experience the future of EMS manufacturing with our state-of-the-art technology platform and cutting-edge digital supply chain solutions. At MacroFab, we ensure that your electronics are produced faster, more efficiently, and with fewer logistic problems than ever before.
Take advantage of AI-enabled sourcing opportunities and employ expert teams who are connected through a user-friendly technology platform. Discover how streamlined electronics manufacturing can benefit your business by contacting us today.