This would be a great project to work on. Not only cool, but it makes a difference in lives of many people.

Chávez will be moderating a panel discussion on innovation and STEM

http://blog.girlscouts.org/2013/05/anna-maria-chavez-to-moderate-panel-at.html

Girl Scouts of the USA Chief Executive Officer Anna Maria Chávez will be in some very impressive company on Thursday, May 9, when she takes part in the inaugural Forbes Women’s Summit: Power Redefined in New York City. The summit will feature a who’s who of accomplished women from Forbes Most Powerful Women, 30 Under 30, and Celebrity 100.

more...

Thanks,

Allen

Tech Firms Push to Hire More Workers From Abroad

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/12/technology/tech-firms-push-to-hire-more-workers-from-abroad.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&partner=yahoofinance

This article was in the New York Times, Technology section authored by Somini Sengupta.

I have mixed feelings about this topic. Part of me is still saying "Hire American" while part of me feels for these people and their families looking for a fair shake at a better life. I have a few friends who came to the US, live and work here now. They have all become contributing members to their communities and the US in general. Some have even earned and obtained US citizenship.

Mike Buetow wrote "H-1B Free?" in Hot Wire http://circuitsassembly.com/blog/?p=3624, a Circuit Assembly blog, on this topic. Some of his concerns are the same as mine.

One of the statements in NY Times article says, "Unemployment in the technology industry hovers below 4 percent, far less than the national average." They don't say where this number came from. I question the overall accuracy of this number. I've known people from differnet tech fields who were out of work for so long they've change career paths to something totally unrelated.

I don't remember which article I read this in, but there is significant concern that the H-1B is paid far less than the equivalent US citizen. This is neither fair to folks here or the people looking for a better life. They both loose.

I'd like to hear from some folks from both sides of this discussion. What do you think? Just keep if civil and professional.

Thanks,
Allen

The PC isn't dead, it's just gone 'ultramobile'

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2013/04/09/pc-mobile-gartner-group-ultramobile/2067417/

This article in USA Today, written by Carol Kopp, caught my attention because I am thinking of getting a desktop PC at home to use as a workstation. I still have my laptop which is good for most of my surfing and presenting. Even with a 64bit processor and operating system 4 MB of RAM is not enough to do some tasks I’d like to play with.

OK, so my laptop is a little old. There are some laptops with 8MB capability and a core i5, but how long till that’s not enough. At least with a desktop I can do some upgrades as needed and afforded.

This ultramoble has my interest. I think I’m going to have to wait till they come out in the Fall and take a serious look and see how they compete for power with a desktop workstation.

My questions to you folks, how many still use or prefer a desktop for your serious work? Have you found a laptop that competes in both power and price? Since I haven’t gone the direction of the tablet yet, what have tasks you found to be limited on tablet that can be done easier or faster on a desktop?

Thanks,

Allen

Mexico hourly wages now lower than China's

Reuters

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/04/economy-mexico-wages-idUSL2N0CR1TY20130404

This could have some long term effects on the US ecconomy. But not being an ecconomist, what do I know. Any opinions????

Thanks,

Allen

Five Hot Hybrids Hit The New York Auto Show

http://electronicdesign.com/power/five-hot-hybrids-hit-new-york-auto-show?NL=ED-03&Issue=ED-03_20130403_ED-03_260&YM_RID=allen.t.maddox@gai-tronics.com&YM_MID=1384399&sfvc4enews=42

 

This article is in the trade magazine Electronic Design. I’m not so much a “car guy”, but when they start to talk about electric and hybrid vehicles I get my geek turned on. “Green” cars have been well outside my price rage for a car for a long time. Not so much just the price, but the priority I put on my commuter and how much I’m willing to spend to get back and forth to work.

This article covers a lot of the basics, plus the base price, which never seems to be what those cars would cost me.

Posche Panamera S E-Hybrid

The first is the Posche Panamera S E-Hybrid. I went on line to “build my own”. Cost??? Over $101K. And that’s without all the high end do-dads and gizmos.

http://cc.porsche.com/icc_pcna/ccCall.do?userID=US&lang=us&PARAM=parameter_internet_us&hookURL=http%3A//www.porsche.com/usa/modelstart/all/default.ashx%3Fmodelrange%3Dpanamera&ORDERTYPE=970130&screen=1920x1200&vLevel=2

That gets 33mpg hyw. I guess if I could afford a Porsche anyway I’d be interested.

GMC Yukon Hybrid

http://www.gmc.com/yukon-hybrid-suv.html?seo=msn_|_GMC_Retention_600973_|_GM-Bing-RT-SN-YukonH-BP-Exact_|_YukonH-General_|_gmc%20yukon%20hybrid  Starting out at a little over $52K it’s half the price of the Porsche but seats 8 and plenty of cargo room. This is still out of my price range, but it would be nice for caving trips with the crew.

Chevy Volt

The article has this at a base price of over $31K. Not bad, but still outside my range. I went on the web site and picked a bunch of essential options, like killer radio, and the price is now almost $43K. http://www.chevrolet.com/volt-electric-car/build-your-own.html?x-zipcode=19601#eyJ0YWIiOiJTVU1NQVJZIiwic3MiOiJINHNJQUFBQUFBQUFBSDFTd1U3RE1BeDliVFFremtnZ0xwTm9mNEF4b2JJRGg5QXNiTFJVVkpORE9YTGdodmdHL3BFVFh3Tk9tNllaR3JIVXlPODkyNGxkQXpnRlhyOHdveVhTdHcra3RJUGw5bkJ5Ky81OS9va0UxazRnOUhvRlVSTkJQRllTNHJudElPNWxBeUd2RjN4bzVraXorbFMyRGtxdElFenh3b2MwRUR2OXdGNjk1ZHdyRm1qRGNkUU9hVDlzR0d3T2tlYzVPOFBOZmZrSmNGM2d5QkZ6akt3S1E2b0RJVXJhS3FuN2VqYVpIS0hVVFNCZnVLZU1UdCs3djhBMjdVRVZyMnZuNVdQdDNEeG9scGV4eE9adUZYU0JrUzJMQTZ5ZE9EQno3SmxuemQ5WUREL0J2NEZVRWV1YWxBN2tiSlN6VVY1VFZOWjFYQTRtUTZhTVBjUVVYZEJnNWhxMG0rVXIyQTJiQUMrWkIzYlpKdEIyd1VDT3NZQkVDUVdORGJhb1VHTi9Ydi9hTHk0VFdhTkVBd0FBIiwidmVoaWNsZURhdGFTb3VyY2UiOiJjaHJvbWUiLCJjb25maWd1cmF0aW9uR3JvdXBJZCI6bnVsbH0=@

Hyundai Sonata Hybrid

I drive a Hyundai Elantra. I’m not sure I’d by another Hyundai. I’d give them the benefit of the doubt that they got their act together by now. The base price of just over $26K is getting closer to my budget. Holy Cow. Went to the web site, entered my zip code and the price jumped a grand already. Just for ha-has, I pick the high end package. Added in the essential sunroof and iPod cable and we’re look at over $32K. https://www.hyundaiusa.com/build-your-hyundai/?vehicle=sonata-hybrid&year=2013

Toyota Prius C

This comes in at a base price just a over $19K. The Prius has probably been around the longest. This gets the best mileage of them all at 53/46 city/hwy. http://www.toyota.com/configurator/#!/series/priusc/grade/Prius%20c%20Four The top end comes in at just over $25K. This is almost a manageable price considering you can still probably incentives. Maybe the savings on gas would compensate the difference in my budget. Maybe a little math will help me decide if this is really something worth looking at or stick to my all gas beater.

Read though and let me know what you think? Anything jump out and screams, “BUY ME!!”

Thanks,

Allen

Mary Golda Ross First Female Engineer at Lockheed and a Cherokee

http://www.whitewolfpack.com/2013/03/celebrating-first-native-american.html

I'd like to encourage you to read the article I linked to above. I've touch on the topic of women in science before. I feel it's important to encourage all American youth to find an interest in science. This is the direction of our future and it must not be ignored.

So read on and enjoy Mary Golda Ross's accomplishments.

Thanks,
Allen

When Should You Upgrade your Router?

http://www.pcmech.com/article/when-should-you-upgrade-your-router/

I was looking for something else when I saw the headline of this article and a familiar scream rang in my head. The sound when my wife is player her games and I'm watching Netflix both on the internet at the same time and our computers start slowing down to a crawl.

OK, so maybe our laptops are a little on the old side. We have talked about replacing them. But what about our DSL modem/router? We've had this for, let's see, how old is our grandson?? Oh yeah, 6 years!!!

Time flies when you’re not paying attention to that box with the blinking lights. So it's time to start shopping, at least while I have a little time. Or maybe I'll just wait till it... No not a good idea. I'll start looking. Tomorrow...

Qualifications versus duties: Why knowing the difference matters

http://www.careerbuilder.com/Article/CB-2959-Resumes-Cover-Letters-Qualifications-versus-duties-Why-knowing-the-difference-matters/?siteid=fb_cmp

Reading through this article gave me some good ideas to use in both my resume and performance review.

"Some job seekers have problems selling their skills. They list their basic duties, which most job seekers have in common. You can stand out in a job search by positioning those skills so they set you apart.

Think of how a salesperson sells a car. He doesn't tout the fact that the car has four wheels, windows and functioning lights, because you'd expect that from every car. Instead, he sells the unique points of the car -- design, safety, mileage -- all of which make the car appealing to a potential buyer."

Any ideas??? Leave comments.

Thanks,
Allen

PCB Manufacturing Quality: Do You Get More Than You Pay For?

I like how this article demonstrates how all departments and disciplines need to work together throughout the whole design and development of a product.

Allen


http://www.designworldonline.com/pcb-manufacturing-quality-do-you-get-more-than-you-pay-for/?utm_source=EmailDirect.com&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=2012-10-17+DWD+Campaign#_

By Nolan Johnson, CAD/EDA Manager, Sunstone Circuits

How efficient is your PCB manufacturing designer? When a design team puts their first prototype onto the workbench for testing and verification, the team must simultaneously debug the following:

• The concepts in the schematic design

• The layout’s implementation of the concepts

• The behavior of any firmware/software onboard

• The ability of the chosen parts to interact as expected from the component datasheet documentation, functional specifications, and schematic-driven simulation data

• The fabricator’s ability to manufacture what the layout instructed them to build

Indeed Job Alerts for today.

Hardware Design Engineer Johns Hopkins University/Applied Physics Lab 2 reviews - Laurel, MD Develop and document schematic drawings, test plans, test procedures and test reports. Demonstrated leadership traits such as strong technical capability, clear... washingtonpost.com - 3:43 PM Hardware Design Engineer Johns Hopkins University/AppliedPhysics Lab 2 reviews - Laurel, MD Develop and document schematic drawings, test plans, test procedures and test reports. Demonstrated leadership traits such as strong technical capability, clear... washingtonpost.com - 3:21 PM Spacecraft FPGA Design Engineer Johns Hopkins University/Applied Physics Lab 2 reviews - Laurel, MD Design and simulation of FPGAs for spacecraft applications using VHDL, with a focus on radio applications using digital signal processing (DSP).... washingtonpost.com - 3:43 PM Electronic/Electrical Repair Technician Radwell International - Lumberton, NJ We are seeking motivated individuals to repair industrial controls, i.e. servo motors, printed circuit boards, timers, counters, PLCs, drives, monitors and... Monster - 1:05 PM

Are Guard Traces Necessary?

http://www.sigcon.com/Pubs/news/15_02
I like the way Dr Johnson explains guard traces and how they work and where to apply them. But there are no hard numbers in this article. Maybe too technical and maybe there's too many variables, but numbers help the argument. I still hear that guard rings should still be used even with a solid ground plane.
Has anyone done a study where they have actual hard numbers showing this one way or another?
Thanks,
Allen

IPC Names Mitchell President and CEO

http://pcdandf.com/cms/fabnews/8894-ipc-names-mitchell-president-and-ceo
.................IPC has appointed John W. Mitchell president and CEO, effective April 23.

...............

Coming Back to America

http://www.ipc.org/ContentPage.aspx?pageid=New-IPC-Survey-to-Measure-Impact-of-On-Shoring-in-the-Electronics-Industry

Has your company outsourced your projects off shore? Has your company talked about bring projects back to North America? Has your company kept your project in the US? What are your reasons for doing this? Given all expenses for the project is it really cheaper to outsource projects off shore as opposed to keeping them in the United States?

I'm interested in any comments posted below.

Thanks,

Allen

Has anyone seen the next generation of PCB designers?

http://pcdandf.com/cms/fabnews/8942-pcb-designers-rev-2

It's interesting to see that my own frustrations are more common than not. There seems to be an underlying attitude among EEs that since I don't have that piece of paper I can't possibly be capable of understanding or handle anything electronics. Having collected a lot of information and knowledge over the years I've gladly shared this with Engineers, but later find the same information coming back to me as their input, ideas and requirements. I bought the farm, gave away the milk, and now being asked to buy it back again.

Where I work there are two designers left. Both of us are mid 50's and both will probably retire at the same time. As more and more responsibilities are being taken away from us and given to less technical positions I do see there is no intention of replacing us.

Still trying to figure out how to sell the milk. The more helpful I try to be the more I can't help thinking we're undermining our own positions.

Where's the next generation coming from or going to be?

Please leave your opinions and comments below, subscribe to my blog and share with your fellow designers.

Thanks,
Allen

Predictability for PCB Layout Density

http://www.ipcoutlook.org/mart/49710.shtml
Great article, but has anyone used this soeftware?? I can usually tell what's going to happen by looking at it. Maybe that's just experince.

US State Department might remove printed circuit boards from the ITAR Control List

http://www.circuitsassembly.com/cms/component/content/article/159/12692-caveat-lector

I find this editorial enlightening. Even as a designer of commercial PCBs I've found many deficiencies in "cheap" boards coming from overseas. Military reliability is far more important and the control of the PCB is far tighter and stricter. It's one thing if your iPhone or TV doesn't work properly, but in a combat situation the same reliability is not effective when lives are depended on it. Not all PCBs or material that make PCBs or the shops that make PCBs are the same. This must be inspected rigorous and often to insure the quality and performance needed. This is where the money is being spent and should continue to be spent. It's too easy to slip in counterfeit material and workmanship into PCBs. Quality Control is ongoing and continuous.

Please feel free to comment, share, and subscribe,

Thanks,
Allen

What happens when you skips steps in vendor approval

Somehow we’ve started using a new vendor for production boards that does not adhere to our PCB Vendor specifications. Some of the requirements we have in our spec are a little out of date and some items we are use to having are not in the current spec. A reevaluation of the spec was needed. We also had to change the way we do incoming inspection. Previously we received photo plots of the board layers for QC to compare to incoming boards. Generally this is no longer an industry standard practice. We’ve changes this to QC inspection only using the fabrication drawing and a silkscreen plot to compare to the boards coming in. How boards are marked to UL and Electrical Test was not clear either. This was changed so that all boards must be permanently marked as passing the electrical test. We did get the changes in the current documentation with little effort and distributed it to all the departments who are involved. Now we have to figure how a vendor was selected and used for production without going through a vendor approval process.

North American PCB Order Are Up

http://pcdandf.com/cms/marketnews/8913-february-n-american-pcb-orders-up-65

Ok, so I'm not an economist. One part says it's up the other says it's down. This all seems to depend on what statistics you look at. More money rolling into US companies? More jobs in US companies?
What do you think?

Interesting “Gotch ya’” In PCAD 2006

I was giving a schematic in PCAD from and Engineer with all the usual information. Nothing out of the ordinary. After defining all the mechanical requirements I loaded the netlist into the pcb file. The components were loaded and I placed and routed the board without any issues.

After everything was done, the Gerber files created, the Pick and Place created and the Bill of Materials created and distributed. Something unusual did crop up. The CPU. U1, was not on the Pick and Place file. It was on the BoM and all the components parts needed for this to happen were there and in place.

When I looked at which library the component was coming from I notices the schematic had it coming from one location and the PCB had it coming from another. I looked at the components in those libraries and they were identical, it just that the libraries were in a different order in the SCH than the PCB programs. Easy to fix I moved the library the schematic used up in priority in the PCB program and did a Force Update on that component in the PCB file. That’s all it took and the problem was solved.

But the mystery still remains why this happened. Why did this one component show up in the Pick and Place, but not in the Bill of Material?