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Tour MacroFab's ITAR-Compliant Facility
April 12, 2024, Episode #426
Today, we're tackling a topic that's a gold mine for any designer: crucial features you might not have considered for your prototype. From debug headers to "Swapperoo" resistors and heartbeat indicator LEDs, we're covering it all. Tune in as we share insights, anecdotes, and maybe a few confessions from our own prototyping adventures. Plus, we dive into the importance of making your prototype testing-friendly and discuss a poll that could solve a common UART connection dilemma. This is episode 426 – your prototype's new best friend!
Discussion Highlights
- Debug Headers: Taking inspiration from James Lewis’s Apple Mega 2 project, we discuss the importance of embedding debug headers directly onto the PCB. We also highlight the Tag Connect's footprint as a space-saving, connector-free debugging interface.
- Test Pads for Production Testing: Crucial for measuring signals ensuring that potential circuit issues are not overlooked. This measure is crucial for validating the prototype’s performance.
- Jumper Headers in Series on Power Rails: This method allows for the quick disconnection of subsystems for individual testing, enhancing the diagnostic process without the need for circuit alterations.
- Easy ways to hook up test equipment: By integrating connectors and test points specifically designed for easy attachment of debugging and testing tools, such as multimeters or oscilloscopes, engineers can streamline the troubleshooting process.
- Signal Integrity Testing Points: To monitor and adjust signal quality proactively, supporting the prototype’s overall integrity.
- Thermal Management: Managing component temperatures is a critical aspect often overlooked in the early stages of prototyping. The discussion includes practical strategies for thermal management, even in challenging environments like aerospace.
- Prioritizing Function Over Form: Make the prototype whatever shape it needs to be to be accessible for testing and debugging, even if it means starting with a larger form factor.
- Early Inclusion of Fiducials and Mounting Holes: The significance of adding fiducials and mechanical mounting holes at the onset of the design process aids in component placement, assembly, and effective heat dissipation.
- Adding Pass-Through Holes: For unforeseen modifications or component additions post-design, showcasing the flexibility this can provide to a prototype.
- Poll Discussion: When connecting two chips, each with their own TX and RX lines, should TX be connected to TX, or does TX connect to RX?
Relevant Links
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.
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