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2012 IMS: Trending with the Trendy in Social Media?

June 13, 2012
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A couple of years ago, if you had asked me if I would ever consider using Twitter as a business tool, I would have  told you yes, right after I got a Harley Davidson tattoo—or when pigs fly—whichever came first.  My opinion of Facebook pages for business wasn’t much better. I believed they were only for retail industries and big brands (B2C) and had zero relevance for the technology (B2B) industries.  In fact, my perception about almost all social media was that it was designed and largely used by self-absorbed teenagers and Hollywood types.  Honestly, my ignorance was profound! I had a Linked in account, but I never used it.
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"Can you hear me now?"

June 6, 2012
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In my last post, I left you with a rather long list of comments from RF/MW PCB designers about what they liked and disliked about working with PCB suppliers. I pointed out that at least 70% of those comments had to do with communication….real communication. Not just a barrage of emails that fly back and forth between customer and supplier. I meant communication which delves deep into a customer’s needs and prevailing issues with a mind to partner and problem solve.
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“…And May the Odds Be Ever in Your Favor!”

(Effie Trinket, The Hunger Games)
May 21, 2012
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As promised in my last post, I want to share with you some of the feedback I got through Linked In groups and from a dozen or so folks that recently attended a talk I gave at the Del Mar Electronics and Design show entitled How to Fall in Love with your PCB Supplier.
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Future Shock in Modern Times

May 14, 2012
By the time we round the corner into 2013, I will enter my 20thyear in the PCB and Electronics Industry.  I find myself often gravitating to other’s like me (50 years and older) to swap nostalgic war stories of days gone by.  My journey in the industry, unlike my cronies, is marked by a 12 year hiatus that began around 1998 when I made the decision to stay home and raise my two young daughters full time. I resurfaced in 2010, with nearly grown kids, totally clueless about the state of an industry that I had all but forgotten.
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Postcards from the Ledge

2012 Tradeshow Season in Full Swing
April 13, 2012

The spring thaw is well underway, and that means tradeshow season is in full swing. It is an exciting time and also a time when I start feeling like I am precariously scooting along the narrowing ledge of my physical and mental limits as the season marches forward. For this reason, I have become far more intentional and strategic about how I use my time during the Spring and early Summer tradeshows. With age (hopefully) comes wisdom and I thought I might share some things I've learned along the way to make this time of year more focused, effective and less harrowing. I am speaking mostly to attendees here, but exhibitors might pick up a trick or two as well!


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Keepin' it Smooth: How Surface Roughness Impacts High Performance PCBs

March 9, 2012
I have been discussing surface finishes for the last couple of posts, and I would be remiss if I didn’t cover the crucial topic of copper surface roughness and how it specifically impacts high performance PCBs. Most substrates are copper clad with either Rolled Annealed (RA) copper, Electro deposited Copper (ED) or Reverse Treated copper (RT). I have put some links below should you want to learn more about each type of copper and the resulting surface roughness of each.
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Off to the Races: Creating Winning Finishes

February 8, 2012
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As promised, we are off to the races, untangling the convoluted subject of PCB surface finishes.  This is a complicated subject, so bear with me as I try to break it down into bite-sized, manageable portions! This week I will discuss each available surface finish and the pros and cons of each one.
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Getting the right Finish before you Start

January 11, 2012
Microwave Journal
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If you are a fan of John Wooden, the celebrated UCLA coach, you will know that he had more than his share of clever sayings.  My husband who played basketball all his life, and who went to college on a full-ride scholarship—nearly worships Coach Wooden.  For this reason, I have heard many of these wise and witty Wooden-isms over the years.  One that comes to mind is: “Be quick, but don’t hurry.”   With the speed of advancing technologies, we all have to be quick, but we cannot afford to hurry—or be hasty—putting revenue and market share opportunities at stake....
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Simulations That Don't Add Up

November 23, 2011
Microwave Journal
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Before I begin my blog-rant, let me wish you and yours a very happy and healthy Thanksgiving!  While I hope you enjoy your holiday, and stuffing yourself with turkey, I wouldn’t want you to look like a turkey at work.  So, I thought I would share a bit of insight offered to me recently.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, my friend Michael Ingham of Spectrum Integrity and I recently spoke at PCB West, and co-authored a paper to discuss some of the challenges of RF/MW PCB Design and Fabrication.  Michael helped me to understand one of the...
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Signal Loss: A Big Picture Approach to RF/MW PCB Design

October 20, 2011
Microwave Journal
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A few weeks back, I had the opportunity and pleasure to co-present a talk at PCB West in Santa Clara, CA. The topic we chose was: Navigating the Pitfalls of RF/MW and High Perfomance PCB Design and Fabrication. My co-presenter was Michael Ingham, of Spectrum Integrity, whose design firm is highly focused on challenging RF/MW and High Performance PCBs.
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