How to deal with nuances in PCB design and manufacturing? In today’s episode, Dave Young the owner of Young Circuits Design and founder of BlueStamp Engineering, and I will discuss mitigating risk factors early in the stage of electronic design.
Dave will also tell a story about his path to entrepreneurship as an engineer and his inspiration behind founding BlueStamp Engineering, a hands-on engineering program for high school students to design and create technology projects that they get to keep, from scratch!
Listen, watch enjoy, and make sure to check the additional resources below.
Show Highlights:
Dave’s background, and the early days of his now 12-year designing firm
He learned most of his skills from his previous position as a Senior Design Engineer at Keithley Instruments


The world of innovative electronic design and hardware – the software, firmware, and hardware
Expectations vs. reality in manufacturing
Designers must know what’s going on in PCB manufacturing, know what’s reasonable to ask your manufacturer


How to deal with nuances in PCB design and manufacturing? Not only identifying risks but also mitigating all the risks
How to deal with hardware level risk?
Dave’s insight on the extent a manufacturer could step up and modify the design to make it manufacturable


Zach recalls his conversation with Kelly Dack regarding the solder mask being modified by the manufacturer to ensure accurate assembly
An electrical engineer’s path to entrepreneurship
Dave shares that he found his happy place working with small teams


Career challenges for engineers coming from academia
Zach emphasized the focus on the “value you can create” as an engineer
Is freelancing the classic route to enter the PCB design industry
The best path to entrepreneurship – start doing it!


A risk mitigating tip in PCB design – review all parts and address where you messed up (right away)
There is no fool-proof footprint


Challenges of CM (contact manufacturer) overseas
What should be manufactured domestically?


Educational programs such as BlueStamp Engineering could help address the workforce shortage in the Electrical Engineer Industry
How do engage the next generation of engineers to become more involved and interested in innovation and creating new things?


Firmware vs. software engineering – the good, the bad, and the headaches

Links and Resources:
Connect with Dave Young on LinkedIn
Visit Young Circuit Designs Website
Learn more about the BlueStamp Engineering programs
Related podcast with Kelly Dack: How to Panelize Your PCB Design with EMS Expert Kelly Dack 
 
Full OnTrack Podcast Library
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