Starting a Consultancy
Abstract
Dianna and Fred discuss starting a consultancy.
ᐅ Play Episode
QDD 159 Celebrating a Year of Insights
Celebrating a Year of Insights
Celebrating a year of insights and community growth, this episode reflects on key moments, popular episodes, and the future direction of the Quality During Design podcast.
2024 included episodes focused on actionable insights, deep-dive series, expert interviews, and insightful book reviews.
With gratitude for listeners and a commitment to quality, we look ahead to new topics and collaborations for 2025.
RM 159: 2024 Season Wrap-Up of the Reliability Matters Podcast
2024 Season Wrap-Up of the Reliability Matters Podcast
Today we’re celebrating the end of another incredible year.
This isn’t just any episode—it’s a time to reflect on the journey we’ve been on together, highlight some milestones, and share a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has made this podcast such a success. Can you believe it?
Reliability Matters has now released 159 episodes! It feels like just yesterday we started this podcast with the mission to explore how industry experts and their knowledge contribute to the reliability of electronics. And here we are—growing, learning, and making a real impact in our field.
But here’s what blows me away the most: over 85,000 downloads. That’s not just a number—it’s a testament to you, our amazing audience.
Whether you’re listening in your car or on your morning jog, or watching this on our YouTube channel, you’ve made this podcast part of your journey. And for that, I’m deeply grateful.
This year alone, we’ve covered some fascinating topics. From ultra-high-density interconnects to post-reflow inspection, from thermal profiling to cutting-edge coating materials—we’ve explored it all. Along the way, I’ve had the privilege of sitting down with some of the brightest minds in the electronics industry.
Each guest has brought their unique insights, helping us all better understand the intricate science and art behind building reliable electronics.
To my incredible guests—thank you. Your willingness to share your expertise, stories, and even a few laughs has been the lifeblood of this podcast. Every episode is a reflection of your generosity and brilliance.
I also want to give a shout-out to you—yes, you. Whether you’re a long-time listener or you just discovered us this year, you’re the reason I do this. The messages, the comments, the emails—it’s all so inspiring. When you tell me how a particular episode helped solve a problem, spark a new idea, or simply make your day better, it reminds me why Reliability Matters matters.
As we wrap up the year, I’m reminded of something I say often on this show: reliability isn’t just a goal; it’s a journey. It’s a series of choices, processes, and innovations that, together, ensure the technology we rely on lives up to its promise.
And this podcast? It’s a part of that journey. It’s a space where we can learn together, challenge assumptions, and stay ahead of the curve in an ever-evolving industry.
Mike Konrad’s Contact Info:
mike@mikekonrad.com
https://www.reliabilitymatterspodcast.com
SOR 1029 Thermal HALT
Thermal HALT
Abstract
Kirk and Fred discuss a paper Kirk wrote about how thermal HALT can be a tool for finding marginal signal integrity issues.
Key Points
Join Kirk and Fred as they discuss Kirk’s paper on the use of thermal HALT, initially posted on Kirk’s website, acceleratedreliabilitysolutions.com, in 2018, and a re-edited version that Fred recently posted on Accendo Reliability’s website. You can find a link to the article in the show notes below.
Topics include:
- Kirk found little when he researched for information and data about how the physical electronics, especially the PWBA (printed wiring board assemblies) in high-speed digital systems, the variations in the board layers, and the surface roughness of the wiring traces affect the quality of the signal integrity (SI).
- As data bus speeds increase, effects causing errors in data transmission that were not significant at the time (when bus frequencies were in the megahertz range) became dominant at the gigahertz frequencies of today’s digital systems. Interconnect resistance, capacitance, and inductance are frequency-dependent, and as bus speeds increase and geometries continue to shrink, these variables may prove difficult– if not impossible– to model accurately.
- Thermal HALT and varying voltage and clock margins may simulate the lot-to-lot parametric variations in semiconductors and PWBA’s, resulting in SI errors, but since few companies disclose their most useful methodologies, published data remains scarce
SOR 1028 Dealing with Ongoing Changes
Dealing with Ongoing Changes
Abstract
Kirk and Fred discuss the challenge of adding changes to a product during the development process so that they can design and build the prototypes.
ᐅ Play Episode
SOR 1027 Executing the Plan
Executing the Plan
Abstract
Carl and Fred continue discussing the listener question about building an effective reliability program. After discussing some of the finer points about creating the reliability plan, the podcast focuses on execution of the reliability plan.
ᐅ Play Episode
SOR 1026 Starting a Reliability Program
Building a Reliability Program
Abstract
Carl and Fred discuss a voice message received on the Accendo Reliability “speak pipe.” The caller is trying to build a reliability program at his company. The company already has a good testing program, but needs to supplement with support for reliability in design.
ᐅ Play Episode
QDD 158 Social Dynamics with Yakira Mirabito (A Chat with Cross-Functional Experts)
Social Dynamics with Yakira Mirabito (A Chat with Cross-Functional Experts)
Dianna Deeney interviews Yakira Mirabito about social dynamics within engineering and how it affects decision making. The episode focuses on improving design reviews and making them more inclusive.
Yakira explains how things like personalities and power dynamics can really affect decisions made by design teams. She gives advice to engineers on how to prepare for these reviews, such as how to give presentations effectively and encourage helpful feedback from team members. She also highlights useful tools, like the “Identity Wheel,” to help people understand each other’s backgrounds and avoid biases when making decisions. The episode is a great resource for anyone who wants to improve teamwork and create better products!
This interview is part of our series, “A Chat with Cross Functional Experts”. Our focus is speaking with people that are typically part of a cross-functional team within engineering projects. We discuss their viewpoints and perspectives regarding new products, the values they bring to new product development, and how they’re involved and work with product design engineering teammates.
About Yakira
Yakira Mirabito is a postdoctoral researcher at MIT whose work falls within design theory and engineering management. Her research examines how sociotechnical factors influence design decisions using quantitative and qualitative research methods. Her research interests include design behavior, cognitive biases, and social dynamics within engineering contexts. Yakira’s work enhances current design methods and tools, empowering engineers to build more innovative and equitable systems. She received her BS in Materials Science and Engineering from Northwestern University and her MS and PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.
Yakira and Dianna talk about
- how social dynamics, cognitive biases, and power structures can influence engineering design reviews and decision-making processes.
- recommendations for improving design review meetings through clear communication, inclusive facilitation techniques, and a focus on giving and receiving constructive feedback.
- the need for engineers to develop self-awareness, particularly regarding their own biases and how their identities shape their interactions within teams.
- how to effectively navigate feedback, especially from superiors, and the importance of justifying design decisions using evidence, requirements, and user needs.
- the importance of democratic and inclusive design processes that value the diverse perspectives of all team members, including end users, and recognize the influence of power dynamics.
Yakira’s suggestions involve awareness and evaluating our decision making, including stopping to consider if the feedback we want to accept really links back to the objective results of our projects.
Fundamentals of Ongoing Reliability Testing
Fundamentals of Ongoing Reliability Testing
podcast episode with speaker Fred Schenkelberg
Ongoing Reliability Testing (ORT) is a class of product testing that aims to identify potential field reliability issues after product launch and before customers experience failures. Typically, done using a rotation of samples directly from production and using expected use conditions/stresses, the testing balances many factors to be of value.
ORT works well to monitor an ongoing production process subject to variation. If that variation impacts reliable performance, then a well-designed and implemented ORT should identify the issue.
Let’s explore the range of considerations when designing an ORT to optimize the ORT’s ability to identify field problems efficiently. We will also discuss the various tradeoffs that impact sample size, the use of accelerating stresses, and more.
RM 158: The New Kids in Town – The Cast of the D-Code Podcast
The New Kids in Town – The Cast of the D-Code Podcast
Today, I’m excited to introduce the hosts of the D-Code podcast, a dynamic trio of young professionals making waves in the electronics manufacturing industry.
With experience rooted in contract manufacturing and stencil fabrication for electronic assemblies, they bring a fresh perspective to the table. Although they’re at the start of their podcasting journey, D-Code has already begun to attract attention, tackling industry insights with a unique lens that up-and-coming voices can uniquely offer.
My guests today are Daniel Stanphill, SMT Process Engineer at Aurora Boardworks, a contract assembler located in Aurora, Nebraska, Sean Kincaid, President of K & F Electronics, located in Fraser Michigan, also a contract manufacturer, and Elias Malfavon, President of Metal Etch Services, a SMT stencil fabricator located in San Marcos California.
I’ll ask them about their experiences, challenges, and how they’re setting out to decode the world of electronics manufacturing.
Contact Information:
The D-Code Podcast
https://www.youtube.com/@The-D-Code
Daniel Stanphill
Aurora Boardworks
daniel.stanphill@auroraboardworks.com
https://auroraboardworks.com
Sean Kincaid
K & F Electronics
sean@the-d-code.com
https://www.circuitboards.com
Elias Malfavon
Metal Etch Services
elias@the-d-code.com
SOR 1025 Getting Started with Vibration Testing
Getting Started with Vibration Testing
Abstract
Chris and Fred discuss how we get started with vibration testing. We are often told (or feel like) we need to conduct vibration testing on new products and components. But what does that mean? Where do we start?
ᐅ Play Episode
SOR 1024 MTBF and an Indicator
MTBF and an Indicator
Abstract
Chris and Fred discuss this thing called the MTBF … and how it (perhaps!) can be used in some reliability engineering applications … sometimes!
ᐅ Play Episode
SOR 1023 What Counts
What Counts
Abstract
Carl and Fred discuss a listener question about what type of field or test issues to count when assessing or estimating reliability in a project.
ᐅ Play Episode
SOR 1022 Facilitator and Deep Understanding
Facilitator and Deep Understanding
Abstract
Carl and Fred discuss an Inside FMEA reader question: “does a facilitator have to have a deep understanding of the subject matter they are facilitating?”
ᐅ Play Episode
QDD 157 How Engineers Changed Thanksgiving
How Engineers Changed Thanksgiving
Have you ever stopped to consider the engineering marvels that make festive meals like Thanksgiving possible? Engineering has played a crucial role in ensuring we can enjoy fresh-tasting vegetables and perfectly preserved foods all year round.
Beyond the realm of food preservation, this episode serves as a tribute to the unsung heroes of our holiday tables: engineers. These individuals are responsible for the seamless functioning of everyday items that enhance our lives. By shedding light on these engineering feats, we hope to inspire a greater appreciation for the engineering community’s contributions to making life safer, easier, and more enjoyable.
As a fellow engineer, I am proud to be part of a profession that has such a profound impact on the world. By sharing stories of innovation and success, we can foster a deeper understanding of the vital role engineers play in shaping our daily experiences. Whether it’s through the development of new technologies or the improvement of existing processes, engineers continue to push the boundaries of what is possible, ensuring that our holiday feasts are as delicious, healthy, and convenient as ever.
