IPC Designers Council Chapter Reports
March 1999

ATLANTA
The chapter met Feb. 24 to kick off the schedule for 1999. The meeting again
was graciously hosted by American Megatrends in Norcross. A presentation--"How
to Build a Circuit Board" was given by Hadco Corp.

Activities for 1999 include technical presentations on microvias, the latest
design for manufacturing rules, and design for testability. Potential host
presenters include Valor and Cadence. A tour of the Scientific Atlanta
manufacturing site is also being discussed.

Plan now to attend and join the Atlanta chapter. The education and
certification committee needs help.

A/HOT (Austin)
Next meeting: April 6
Topic: Hot buttons for PWB assembly
Location: XeTel Corp.

Our upcoming meeting topic is Hot Buttons for PWB Assembly. There will be
three guest speakers, Kermit Aguayo of XeTel, Brad Heath of TMD, and Michael
Davis of EMI. Come and enjoy pizza at 6:30, followed by the presentation and
business meeting from 7 to 8:30.

XeTel is located at 2105 Gracy Farms Lane. A/HOT's next meeting will be held
June 1, also at XeTel. The topic will be Engineering Expectations for the PCB
Designer.

AUSTRALASIAN
The February meeting in Adelaide went well with an attendance of 24. Thanks to
David Muscat of Arqtek Design, one of our Melbourne members, who traveled to
Adelaide and presented two papers--Fine Pitch Stencils and Design
Considerations, and Design for EMC. The meeting was hosted by Integrated
Electronic Solutions, and special thanks to John Simpson for making the
arrangements. David will also present March 10 at the next Sydney meeting.

The High Speed PCB and System Design workshops to be conducted in April by
3COM Corp.'s Lee Ritchey have proven a bit hit with designers down under: The
Sydney course is completely filled, Melbourne is close to full, and we are now
scheduling a third course for Christchurch, New Zealand. Dates for the
Melbourne workshop are April 12 and 13. Obtain details from Andrew Pollock.

It was good to see the coverage on the Australian scene in the February Route.
The SMCBA introduced IPC standards to Australia a decade ago and the
acceptance by SMCBA and Designers Council members in this region is
gratifying. Our chapter members would like our international counterparts to
know, however, that they are now using the IPC-2220 series, which is replacing
IPC-D-275 (it might be that our lifestyle is a few steps slower than that in
the US, but we do try and keep up with the latest!).

The Melbourne members have set an ambitious set of topics for discussion at
the next meeting, which looks like it will go well into the night: Excel
checklist; design engineers and responsibilities; PCB finishes vs. the
technology (shorts, opens etc.); where is the Industry heading for designers,
and does it require a greater engineering and application ability?; stencils
and stencil designs; library footprints; points of origin--where should they
be?; Y2K bug--will it affect us (do we resurrect Exacto blades and blow the
dust off the Bishop Graphics catalog?); backup and archiving--what are the
best methods of how often and what medium to use?

A designers interactive page will be up and running shortly on the SMCBA Web
site (www.smcba.asn) and will take a similar format to the SMCBA Q&A forum.
The links to IPC's TechNet and land pattern calculator from the Designers page
are now established and in perfect working order; designers will be able to
post questions and wait for the replies.

Dates for monthly meetings in Melbourne will now alternate between Wednesday
(odd months) and Thursday (even months) at 6:30 p.m. at the SMCBA offices.

CENTRAL OHIO
Next meeting: March 17

Place and topic are to be determined.

GREATER BOSTON
Next meeting: March 10
Topic: GenCAM
Location: Holiday Inn (Newton)

On March 10 is a joint meeting with NEDDMA. The presentation is GenCAM, the
New Manufacturing Data Standard, with Harry Parkinson of Compaq Computer. The
meeting will be held at the Holiday Inn, Newton. We'll have a $25 buffet
dinner. An RSVP to [log in to unmask] is required for all IPC DC
attendees.

Thanks go to Istvan Novak of Sun Microsystems for the February presentation of
Power Distribution and Power System Performance.

The steering committee meets the second Tuesday of each month at the
Victoria's Station Restaurant, Burlington (across from the Burlington Mall on
Middlesex Turnpike), at 6 p.m.

HOUSTON
Next meeting: March 9
Topic: Results of implementing techniques from the high speed design seminar
Location: Baker Atlas

Chapter directors met Feb. 2 and conducted elections of officers. Taking the
reins as president for 1999-2000 is Randy Collins. Randy is a staff engineer
for Baker Atlas in Houston and has been in the electronics industry for 19+
years. He currently manages the PCB design group at Baker Atlas. Former
president Raul Perez (Compaq Computer Corp.) has taken on the treasurer
position, Paul Danna (Compaq) has been elected secretary and Judy Millstid
(Chem-Lab) remains vice president. The board also created three new
committees: Web page committee, Raul Perez; programs committee, Randy Collins;
and publications committee, Paul Danna.

At the upcoming meeting Randy Collins will present a technical presentation on
"realities of applying the high speed logic course information" received in
Rick Hartley's recent seminar. The meeting will be hosted by Baker Atlas,
10205 Westheimer, Houston. Preceding the meeting will be a social hour and
dinner catered by Big Daddy's BBQ for $5 starting at 6:30. Please RSVP by 5
p.m. March 8 to Mandy Moreno at Chem-Lab (281-240-2454). Cancellations will be
accepted until 12 noon March 9.

Upcoming events: A free, one-day technical class, for paid Designers Council
members, will be presented in May by Randy. The topic, Electronic Principles,
will be geared to give designers better understanding of how to take a
theoretical design and apply it to the physical creation of a PWB. For more
information contact Paul (281-518-6735).

MIDWEST (Minneapolis)
Next meeting: March 2
Topic: High density interconnect structures--microvia technology
Location: Old Country Buffet (Eden Prairie)

Our speaker in March is David Wolf of Hadco. Dave has worked for over 23 years
(the past 11 years for Hadco) in the aerospace and electronics industries,
serving both the military and commercial market segments. He has served in
both product management and technical sales support (field application
engineer) roles. Dave has degrees in mechanical engineering and business
management (MBA). He has presented papers addressing PWB process technology
development efforts and PWB producibility considerations at Surface Mount
International and Midwest Electronics Expo, and at local chapter meetings.

Topics covered include: what microvia technology is and its advantages; the
need for HDI; mass microvia creation; microvia structures; hole creation
processes; design considerations and changes. Meeting time is 6:30 - 8 p.m.

We have changed our name to the Midwest chapter, and are welcoming members
from Wisconsin, Iowa, and the Dakotas. We are also developing a chapter home
page.

In February, Dave Tikal spoke on design for test. Dave, a 30-year veteran of
board engineering and electrical test, is president of Minneapolis-based Sail
Systems Inc., serving selected clients in the fields of test software and test
fixture development.

Todd Linker has been named president, with Steve Bakke vice president, and
Carl Lokowich secretary/treasurer. We will have a revolving board of officers:
Each January the president will step down, the vice president will become
president, the secretary/treasurer will become vice president, and an election
will be held for the next secretary/treasurer.

NORTH ALABAMA
Help us get the chapter up and running again, and feel free to invite anyone
who is interested.

NORTHEAST OHIO
Next meeting: April 7

Meeting time is 4 to 6 p.m. Subject and location to be determined. We'll host
an IPC designer certification exam/workshop in April.

NORTHERN ILLINOIS

Our February meeting covered ball grid array trends. Tom Ruberto of 3COM
discussed packages, assembly, test, design considerations, connect methodology
(microvias), routing, fabrication materials, and
board construction.

PACIFIC NORTHWEST (Portland)
Next meeting: March 17
Topic: Overview of fabrication and PCB materials standards
Location: Tektronix Inc. (Beaverton)

The meeting is from 6 to 8. Tektronix is located at Building 39 (use the
southwest corner entrance). The nearest cross streets to the campus are Murray
Blvd. and Jenkins Rd. For directions: 503-627-3939;
www.tek.com/about/bv_map.html. RSVP [log in to unmask] by March 15.
We will try to cover the IPC fabrication (IPC-601X series) and materials
(IPC-4101) standards and contrast the new information with the old so you know
how to make the best use of them. Speaking will be Chaye Bookey of Praegitzer
Industries Inc. and Roxanne Jones of Tektronix or Jim Yohe.

Assumptions made through incorrect use of standards results in errors in
finished boards or the construction or performance falling short of what is
expected. Please come with questions and examples of how you've implemented
IPC specs into fab drawings. We won't put you on the spot but would appreciate
hearing how different companies utilize drawing and material standards.

Our upcoming schedule:
May 19: Overview of New Design Standards (222X series), by Ruth Delker.
Location: Tektronix B39.
July 21: PCB Design Certification Review
July 21-23 IPC Designer Certification Training & Testing/CAD Vendor
Roundtable. Location: Holiday Inn (Kent, WA).
Sept. 15: High-Speed Design Workshop
Nov. 17 Routing Topologies

A recent chapter survey indicated the top nine topic areas for future
meetings. Followup will be conducted to see who knows about presenters for the
topics. A review of board members' responsibilities resulted in minor changes
to language for all positions. A code of ethics and text regarding dissolution
of the chapter were added. Finally, a list of suggested items to add to the
web site: committee activities, updates to IPC standards, on-line surveys, and
hot links to other sites.

SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND
Next meeting: April 14
Topic: Simulation tools for today's designer
Location: Connie's (Derby

Our meeting topic, GenCAM, the new data format solution, attracted many of our
members as well as a number of potential new members to our February meeting.
Details of what is available, how it compares with other formats, and where
the format is heading, were discussed with much interest by the attendees. A
number expressed a desire to attend the March 10 Greater Boston chapter
meeting where a live demonstration of the format will be given. Anyone wishing
to be part of the carpool should contact Gary Ferrari.

We thank our host Veribest for demonstrations given before and after the
meeting, as well as the door prizes.

Bob Wolfe of Executone Information Systems is leading a designer certification
study group for interested members. The group meets every other week in
preparation for an on-site examination to be given in the May/June timeframe.
Anyone interested should contact Bob directly.

Our next meeting will be held April 14. As our industry matures, it has become
evident that tomorrow's designer will be required to understand and perform a
number of design simulations such as thermal analysis, crosstalk, etc. The
presentation will discuss the various types of simulation tools available and
how the designer may use them. The presentation and meeting host will be by
Summit Solutions Inc.

SPACE COAST (Melbourne, FL)
Next meeting: March 18
Topic: Board testing
Location: Harris (Palm Bay)

Our February meeting featured an interesting technical presentation on solid
solder deposition, by Dan Hench of APM Associates, representing Midwest
Printed Circuits Services. Dan very generously sponsored the meeting,
including a terrific BBQ lunch. We had a full room, with over 40 PWB
professionals in attendance.

We gave out two door prizes to paid members: a coffee mug from Advanced Design
Services, to Steve Gong of Harris, and a gift certificate to Pedro Gonzalez of
ADS.

A local Certification Study group was formed in January, with 15 Harris
employees participating, including three chapter members. The group meets
weekly and plans to be ready to take the exam sometime in April.

Our next chapter meeting is scheduled for March 18 at 11:30 a.m., at the
Harris ESS building 2 Auditorium on Palm Bay Road, in Palm Bay. The tentative
subject is testing and the speaker has been firmed up as of this date.

SUSQUEHANNA REGION
Our chapter hosts a study group to discuss the requirements and help us
prepare for the IPC PWB designer certification exam. We meet Monday nights,
from 6:30 to 8 p.m., at RPA Electronics Design LLC, 1285 Chenango St.,
Binghamton. Please reply to Mark Radley (607-771-0393; [log in to unmask]) to
confirm your interest and ability to attend and any other comments. If
dates/times are a problem please let us know. Sally Meyers of Celestica,
president of the Susquehanna chapter and a certified designer, will be on hand
at many of our meetings to keep us on the right track in our studies and
discussions.

SYRACUSE
The PCB Design department at Philips Broadband Networks Inc. is interested in
forming a local chapter to expand our skills and knowledge. The group is also
in the early stages of obtaining IPC designer certification.Contact John Tafe
at Philips (315-682-9105 ext. 2470; [log in to unmask]).

################################################################
DesignerCouncil E-Mail Forum provided as a free service by IPC using LISTSERV 1.8c
################################################################
To subscribe/unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with following text in the body:
To subscribe:   SUBSCRIBE DesignerCouncil <your full name>
To unsubscribe:   SIGNOFF DesignerCouncil 
################################################################
Please visit IPC's web site (http://www.ipc.org) "On-Line Services" section for additional information.
For technical support contact Hugo Scaramuzza at [log in to unmask] or 847-509-9700 ext.312
################################################################