-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- design007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueLevel Up Your Design Skills
This month, our contributors discuss the PCB design classes available at IPC APEX EXPO 2024. As they explain, these courses cover everything from the basics of design through avoiding over-constraining high-speed boards, and so much more!
Opportunities and Challenges
In this issue, our expert contributors discuss the many opportunities and challenges in the PCB design community, and what can be done to grow the numbers of PCB designers—and design instructors.
Embedded Design Techniques
Our expert contributors provide the knowledge this month that designers need to be aware of to make intelligent, educated decisions about embedded design. Many design and manufacturing hurdles can trip up designers who are new to this technology.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Events
||| MENU - design007 Magazine
Lee Ritchey Returns to AltiumLive with 32 Gbps Design Class
September 26, 2018 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazineEstimated reading time: 9 minutes
Shaughnessy: So you taught a class at AltiumLive last year. What did you think of that event? I heard they had more than 200 designers attending, and we never see that many designers even at designer events. Plus many of the courses had nothing to do with Altium tools.
Ritchey: You know, I encouraged them to do that. There isn't enough of that being offered to designers, and I said, “You’ve got all of these people together, so offer them something besides how they use your tool.” I got that from working with engineers in Europe; the engineers complain all the time that they don't have access to good information to keep up with the state of the art. And that's why I'm still working. That's why Rick Hartley is still working. We're both sold out!
Shaughnessy: It’s as if Altium is trying to facilitate or take the place of organizations like IPC, because sometimes IPC doesn't really seem to know what to do with designers, and they are a hard segment to monetize.
Ritchey: Well, right. IPC used to be good at it. I used to do classes at IPC. I don't know why, but it’s not that way anymore. I have some theories but I'm going to keep them to myself. But whoever is running Altium now is actually adding a lot of value. I just taught a class at Sandia and about half of them are switching to Altium. And they are switching because they don't have big complex designs, and so to spend $100,000 a year on a big complex tool is not a bargain. And the big guys won't accommodate that.
Shaughnessy: Did the “big three” EDA companies give up on that market?
Ritchey: Yes they have. I have a good idea why. For a very long time, if you wanted a complex product you had to have a complex boards and you needed a tool to go with it. Think about how much stuff you get in one integrated circuit now. I have a graphic I use in my class. I show a terabit router we did in 2002. It weighed 350 pounds, with 61 circuit boards. In 2007 we did that with one board weighing 22 pounds. So you don't need the monster tools anymore to make most products.
Shaughnessy: That’s nuts…in just five years.
Ritchey: It’s the same problem with SI tools. You don't use them every day and if you have to drop 100 grand for something you use every six months, that's hard to do.
Shaughnessy: Are you teaching at both AltiumLive events this year?
Ritchey: Yes, San Diego and then Munich in January. I’m doing the same course in both places. Within a week of opening, the class sold out. They are paying attention more, but they don't really have a choice. We are designing 56 gigabits in the next line of products.
Shaughnessy: Are you seeing anything related to 5G yet?
Ritchey: Supporting 5G is what we have to do in the routers, and the switches, and the Internet. And the boxes we've done with 28 gigabits per second are doing 5G. Which really means just hellishly higher bandwidths. My partner John Zasio and I have decided that when they ask us for 100 gigabits per second, we're retiring! That’s damn microwave.
Shaughnessy: Right. Yeah, that's something else. So, any thoughts on the long lead times on these components, and some laminates? Some of these EMS companies are having to stockpile certain components.
Ritchey: Well here's a piece of news we got about a month ago, and I don't know what we're going to do about it. The suppliers of our ceramic capacitor packages will no longer make the 0603 package. Because the cell phone industry is buying so many 0402s they can't change their line over. How many thousands of boards are designed with 0603s on them? Most of mine.
Shaughnessy: Never a dull moment. Lee, is there anything else you want to talk about that we might have missed?
Ritchey: The big deal is, of course, running up the speed curve and that is why I'm doing this course. It’s all about different signaling at high data rates which are invading everyone's products. Pretty much every level you want to look at, this is showing up. The HDMI cable on your TV, the USB connection, all that stuff.
Shaughnessy: That's great. Well, thanks for your time, Lee. I’ll see you in San Diego.
Ritchey: Thanks for the opportunity, Andy.
Further reading:
The Printed Circuit Designer's Guide to... DFM, by Dave Marrakchi, Altium
Full Coverage of AltiumLive 2017
AltiumLive 2017 Attracts Hundreds of Designers
AltiumLive Summit—Munich, Germany, Part 1
AltiumLive Summit—Munich, Germany, Part 2
Page 2 of 2
Suggested Items
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
04/26/2024 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazineIn this week’s roundup, we have a variety of articles covering everything from design through assembly, and even box build. I’ve always wondered whether box build was all it was cracked up to be. Do customers really pick one EMS provider over another because one company offers box build? And if you’ve ever wanted to volunteer, IPC’s Thought Leaders Program is looking for a few good technologists to help them on their mission. Check out Stanton Rak’s article, which was published in the spring issue of IPC Community.
Stan Rak: Elevating the Ideas and Insights of IPC's Thought Leaders Program
04/25/2024 | Stanton Rak, SF Rak CompanyAs a member of the IPC Thought Leaders Program (TLP), I am responsible for identifying knowledge-sharing opportunities that can generate ideas and insights that strengthen the IPC community as well as create a sustainable and lasting future for its members. I am delighted to highlight some of my recent contributions as a member of the TLP.
Alternative Manufacturing Inc. Awarded QML Requalification to IPC J-STD-001 and IPC-A-610
04/24/2024 | IPCIPC's Validation Services Program has awarded an IPC J-STD-001 and IPC-A-610 Qualified Manufacturers Listing (QML) requalification to Alternative Manufacturing Inc (AMI).
IPC Design Competition Champion Crowned at IPC APEX EXPO 2024
04/24/2024 | IPCAt IPC APEX EXPO 2024 in Anaheim, California, five competitors squared off to determine who was the best of the best at PCB design.
Big Win for Defense Production Act Budget Allocation in FY24 Budget
04/23/2024 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamOne year ago, President Biden issued a determination that chips and packaging are critical for national security. Since that time, much work has been done to continue the conversation in Washington, elevating the importance of the entire chips value chain, and including printed circuit boards and substrates, without which chips cannot operate.