Having Steve Sandler in this episode is such a treat! He talks about his presentations at the upcoming DesignCon 2023 in Santa Clara. He gives us a deep dive into some very complex engineering topics, including measuring the PDN Flatness and the state space model.
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Show Highlights:
Steve Sandler is in the running for Engineering of the Year along with Ken Wyatt
Steve is doing a two-and-a-half-hour tutorial on PSMR, PSOR, and PSMR testing at the DesignCon. Molex and Tektronix are both participating in the live demonstration
He s also doing a presentation with Heidi Barnes, Bandanin, and Ben Denon


A lot of conferences are going virtual. The reach is undeniably great, however, what are the pros and the cons? What is valuable to who?
Steve talks about the conception of Picotest in the US
Picotest made the very first water-cooled probe which he will be showing at the DesignCon
Innovative solutions can take decades from conception to fruition, Steve shares his PdD thesis from 2011 that got him ahead of the curve
Steve deeps dive into the water-cooled probe, how it works, and the problems it eliminates
21:34 Power supply stability is critical in space, 
23:28 What does it mean to quantify the flatness of the PDN? Steve co-authored a paper with Scott Witcher which will be presented at the DesignCon
26:25 Steve Sandler wrote a paper in 2015: Target Impedance Limitations and Rogue Wave Assessments on PDN Performance
31:29 FACTS! Computers in Space Station are being reset every 40 minutes
33:13 Steve stresses the importance of simulation and gives engineers a tip: “Start out with proven models and you'll get there. Get enough confidence.“
34:39 Steve explains why it is necessary to find the “Q” to measure PDN Flatness
43:19 Innovation could have happened earlier, Steve talks about the typical economic problems that could be hindering technological advancements
47:51 Steve gives us a brief deep dive into the “state space model” and what it’s attempting to quantify

Links and Resources:
Connect with Steve Sandler on LinkedIn
Visit Picotest website
Check out Steve Sandler's Books
Register to DesignCon 2023