A Conversation with Dr. Zach Peterson about Board Design Best Practices
In today’s increasingly connected and digital world, PCBs are the unsung heroes that power our devices, from smartphones to spacecraft. Yet, the art and science of designing these crucial components often go unnoticed. That’s where this episode comes in.
Today, I hope to shine a spotlight on the critical role PCBs play in modern technology and explore the best practices that drive innovation and reliability.
In this episode, I hope to unravel the mysteries of PCB design, tackle complex challenges, and unlock the secrets to creating high-performance, efficient, and reliable circuit boards. Whether you’re a seasoned PCB designer looking to sharpen your skills, a budding engineer eager to learn the ropes, or simply a tech enthusiast curious about the technology that shapes our lives, this episode has something for everyone.
Today, I will be joined by Dr. Zach Peterson. Zach is a well-known researcher and electronics designer. In 2017, he founded Northwest Engineering Solutions as a technology consultancy and has since grown the company into an innovative design and manufacturing house for advanced electronic products.
He conducted his Applied Physics Ph.D. research in ZnO random laser theory and stability and his M.Sc. Physics research in chemisorptive sensors for environmental monitoring at Portland State University. He also received his MBA (Leadership & Finance) from Adams State University.
His work has been published in over a dozen peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings, and he has written 2500+ technical articles on PCB design for a number of companies.
He is a member of IEEE Photonics Society, IEEE Electronics Packaging Society, American Physical Society, and the Printed Circuit Engineering Association (PCEA). He previously served as a voting member on the INCITS Quantum Computing Technical Advisory Committee working on technical standards for quantum electronics, and he currently serves on the IEEE P31-86 Working Group focused on Port Interface Representing Photonic Signals Using SPICE-class Circuit Simulators.
If Zack looks familiar, you may recognize him from the Altium On-Track and Altium Academy video series and Podcasts.
Zach’s Contact Information:
Zachariah Peterson
contact@nwengineeringllc.com
https://www.nwengineeringllc.com/
I’ve been shouting this for years! Design departments have been guilty of accepting inferior PCBs for years: no common minimum standards, no bareboard testing…….then they’re populated with high-end components, only to fail functional tests. And they ask why!
David,
One issue is that the electronic assembly industry lives in silos. It is a segmented industry with little understanding between segments. Board designers would benefit from spending time on the assembly floor. Assemblers with benefit from spending time with designers and board fabrication shops. Building bridges between these silos will add greatly to DFM!