#718 – Layout Review with Zachariah Peterson

Welcome Zachariah Peterson of Northwest Engineering Solutions!

• Zach listed the various places people can find his work, including
  • The Altium YouTube channel
  • Zach’s YouTube channel
  • His personal technical blog
  • The Altium Blog
  • various industry conferences like PCB West 01:10
• Zach mentions that he has been creating video content and seminars for several years, traveling to places like Denmark to teach high-speed design. 01:10
• They discuss the recent acquisition of Altium by Renesas and how the company is trying to balance enterprise features with the needs of individual users. 03:15
• He notes that the pricing for professional design software has recently become more accessible for freelancers and consultants. 11:15
• He suggests that learning the fundamentals of EMC is one of the best ways for an engineer to become more valuable in the industry. 14:00
• He warns against relying solely on semiconductor data sheets for EMC guidance because they often contain outdated or incorrect information. 18:45
• They talk about the massive costs and delays that happen when a product fails its initial testing runs in a lab. 21:00
• Zach shares how his background in applied physics and lasers made it easier for him to transition into high-speed RF and digital design. 25:15
• He explains that he relies on mental models and specialized software tools more than solving complex equations by hand on a daily basis. 27:00
• He stresses the importance of understanding the physical manufacturing process, such as how circuit boards are pressed and laminated. 30:00
• They discuss the common problem of engineers over-specifying expensive materials when a cheaper option would work perfectly fine. 32:45
• Zach predicts that the most useful AI tools will eventually be built directly into existing PCB design software rather than living in separate browser tabs. 35:30
• He shares how he uses AI to quickly find generic part numbers, which saves him a lot of tedious manual searching. 42:00
• He compares different AI design tools, noting that some generate schematics from data sheets while others use proven building blocks. 46:30
• He describes an internal tool he is building to help him search through and reuse circuitry from his own past projects. 49:30
• He admits he isn’t a fan of code-based schematics because he prefers graphical tools and doesn’t consider himself a professional coder. 51:00
• He tells the story of how his popular one-minute design reviews started as a spontaneous way to manage the many requests he receives on LinkedIn. 54:00
• He points out that many designers fail to use their software’s built-in design rule checks, leading to thousands of avoidable errors. 58:45
• They talk about the decline of mentorship in the industry and the risk of companies losing important tribal knowledge as senior engineers retire. 61:15
• Zach shares his goals for the coming year, including a deeper focus on manufacturing nuances and advanced EMC testing standards. 66:00
• He encourages engineers of all levels to attend industry conferences like PCB West and DesignCon to learn directly from experts. 70:00
• They conclude the episode by sharing where listeners can find more of his technical articles and videos online. 1:02:30