DAC/Semicon West Wednesday


Trade restrictions against China were a regular topic of discussion at both DAC and Semicon West this week. Five Chinese startups exhibited prominently at this week's Design Automation Conference, in the wake of increasingly restrictive trade regulations that limit the sale of U.S. and European EDA tools used to develop advanced semiconductors. Most attendees interviewed said privately th... » read more

3D PCB Design And Analysis: ECAD/MCAD And Where They Converge


The design of a board and its ‘home’ are heavily interdependent. They require careful consideration to ensure everything will be in working order when your product is ultimately brought to market. Many designs have been derailed by conflicts between ECAD and MCAD. Something as simple as an improperly placed / communicated mounting hole can send your project into a tailspin of re-designs. ... » read more

ECAD-MCAD Co-Design Promotes Automotive First-Pass Success


Achieving first-pass success is the goal of every automotive design team, both electrical and mechanical, as it minimizes or even eliminates costly design iterations. In the automotive industry, first-pass success is more challenging than ever because of the increasing electro-mechanical complexity and density of modern vehicles. Most modern cars run their critical systems, such as the throttle... » read more

Enhanced Electro-Mechanical Collaboration


By Alex Grange and Linda Mazzitelli Integrating electronics into its mechanical environment comes with a number of challenges that boil down to Collision and Connectivity (does the cabinet bang against that capacitor?) and Synchronization (is mechanical designing to the latest PCB design and vice versa?). The culprit to problems that arise usually is the result of poor communications. Mod... » read more