"At the very beginning."

Spec's of the board should always be obtained before you start.
Perhaps giving the engineer/customer a spec prompt sheet asking
them specific questions can often help prompt them into identifying
the spec of the board.

I am just a mere "PCB layout guy", not a hallowed "engineer" and insist that
the engineers give me a spec of what they want from the board.
I have found that I have needed to teach several of them what is critical
about
that Green board that makes their project work and how important a spec is
in making
sure that the board works first time.

Unfortunately I don't always get them. The boards that I don't generally go
through several redesigns. Not because I have laid it out badly, but because
in not having a specification, design options are not thought of and get
missed out.

Luckily we don't do much in the way of high speed nor need impedance matched
boards etc.
But if we did need to I would be damn sure to insist that anything that was
critical was identified at the very beginning.

Too often something critical does not get thought of until the board is half
way through design (or even has just been Gerbered!). When changes are made
that are not to spec delays happen. delays that make you look bad not the
engineer, because its you thats doing the board.

Although I am an salaried employee and only do boards for one company, I
know that if you are working for others you should  ask for a spec at the
start, you should also make the customer aware that deviations from the spec
and major rebuilds due to the designers thinking of something new overnight
(as they do) will cost them more $$.

Or did you mean some other sort of specification?

Matthew Lamkin.
UK PCB chap.

-----Original Message-----
From: Roger Gathright [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 09 June 2003 21:29
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [DC] When to request specifications? When not provided up
front!


Hi everyone....

I was wondering at what point in the design cycle for a board layout
is it appropriate to request specifications?
<snip>

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