It is 2023 why does footprint design still suck

Circuit Break Podcast #362

It is 2023, Why Does Footprint Design Still Suck?

Related Topics
Wizard Trust Falls for PCB Footprints

Parker’s transition from Eagle to KiCad, facing challenges with library management and device layer integration. Also, the new MacroFab Quote Wizard.

Kent Johnson: Religious Diversity in Electrical Engineering

Kent Johnson, Senior Corporate Advisor at the Religious Freedom and Business Foundation discusses the role of religious diversity in the workplace.

From Zero to Hero in Python

Python software language, more and more electrical engineering jobs are requiring this as a skill set but is it just snake oil?

Other Resources

Circuit Break Podcast
Blog
eBooks & Guides
Webinars
Videos
Case Studies
Tour MacroFab's ITAR-Compliant Facility

January 20, 2023, Episode #362

Why is there such a disconnect between component datasheet drawings and EDA footprint layout tools? Stephen and Parker dive into this on this podcast.

First R2R bill passes and it is…

  • NY gov Kathy Hochul signed into law one of the first R2R bills
  • Hochul agreed to sign the bill with some last minute changes
  • Hochul wrote in a memo that the legislation, as it was originally drafted, “included technical issues that could put safety and security at risk, as well as heighten the risk of injury from physical repair projects.”
  • Changes
    • Stripping requirement for OEMs to provide to the public any passwords, security codes or materials to override security features
    • bundle “assemblies of parts” instead of just the specific component actually needed for a DIY repair if “the risk of improper installation heightens the risk of injury.”
  • Applies to devices built or sold in New York after july 1st
  • the bill’s revised language excludes enterprise electronics, such as those that schools, hospitals, universities and data centers rely on

Designing new Footprints in the year 2023. Why does this still suck?

  • As Electrical engineers that dabble in mechanical design
  • New footprints are one of the leading causes of a prototype or first article run going wrong
  • EDA Tools do absolute coordinates
  • Mechanical Tools do “dimensioning”

About the Hosts

Parker Dillmann
  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

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

CB FI 422

Wizard Trust Falls for PCB Footprints

Parker’s transition from Eagle to KiCad, facing challenges with library management and device layer integration. Also, the new MacroFab Quote Wizard.

Zero to hero python

From Zero to Hero in Python

Python software language, more and more electrical engineering jobs are requiring this as a skill set but is it just snake oil?

CB FI 419

Kent Johnson: Religious Diversity in Electrical Engineering

Kent Johnson, Senior Corporate Advisor at the Religious Freedom and Business Foundation discusses the role of religious diversity in the workplace.

Yeti job hunt

The Yeti Job Hunt

Stephen is on the hunt for the next step in his electrical engineering career and shares the shifts in the industry and what employers are looking for.

When an alien craps

When an Alien Craps

The things that change the world, according to Chaos theory, are the tiny things. An Alien craps in Space and subsequently this podcast gets made.

Supply chain crunches

Supply Chain Crunches

What are the pros and cons of becoming an electrical engineer? With great power comes great responsibility or just the lack of sleep!