Valley Services Electronics

One of the best lessons I’ve learned in my career in PCB design is realizing when I’ve gone too far. It’s easy to miss the forest for the trees when you’re in the weeds of placement, layout, routing, and other core tasks, but sometimes it’s necessary to take a moment to reflect on your work. Sometimes I’ll find I’ve overlooked some crucial element in the design documents or strayed from the engineer’s intent. In this case, saving the work I think is worthwhile, and undoing the rest with a backup file can seem like an easy fix.

I’m extremely prone to moments of forgetfulness. Whether I’m working at the house or out on backcountry trails, it’s very easy for my head to get lost in the literal or figurative clouds. Regardless if I’ve set my phone (or my keys, or my wallet) somewhere I can’t remember or I’ve wandered past a junction onto trails unknown, I’ve learned to accept and adapt: I’ve mastered the art of retracing my steps.

Several summers ago, I took up jogging to break up the monotony of my current cardio exercises. I love cycling, but jogging offered something more personal: an ability to explore the outdoors leisurely, without any tool or gear beyond clothing. I quickly discovered a favorite route and began to relish the feeling of the sun on my skin and breeze through my hair. Unfortunately, as I continued my daily routine, I failed to account for the intensifying weather of the season and was left with a nasty sunburn.

During the COVID-19 lockdown, I attempted to make pizza several times. It was fascinating how much thought went into the baking process itself. As I consider myself more of an intuitive cook than a baker, the science of yeasted dough was difficult.

When I’m packing for vacations, I tend to overpack. Especially when camping, I like to make sure I have any tool I could need. Unfortunately, I built up my gear by purchasing items that serve one purpose instead of a multi-use functionality. While I have the tools to perform the tasks I need, my bags can get heavy with so many single-use tools. Lately, I’ve learned to lighten my load with multi-use tools.

A competitive PCB software market benefits end-users, but getting started picking software may be daunting. As with most things in the consumer world, users are saturated with choice. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it deters beginners or startup companies looking to prepare their designs for manufacturing. Professional PCB software licenses are not cheap. These design suites are packed with more tools and functions than even the most expert designer will use, along with many features that appeal to a wide range of users.