(trip included attending Arlington Park's Opening Day Races)
How It All Happened
I was working as a Component Engineer at Telect in Liberty Lake, WA when I got an email in May from an Omron products manufacturing rep in our area asking if I would speak at this tech event. I really didn't want to do it. I tried to pass it off to someone else, but everyone said that I would be the best pick for this. And so I decided to go ahead and do it.
Telect gave me the ok to get involved and they helped with puting things together (PowerPoint slides and content approval). I created the topic and what to speak about.
The whole process and presentation at the event was a lot of fun, a good trip...turning out better than I expected. I stayed at a rather nice place, had a chauffeur at my calling, dinner at Timpano Restaurant (named as the area's best restaurant by the Daily Herald newspaper in Schaumburg, Ill), and I got to be in a suite at Arlington Park to watch the opening of the races, talk with horse owners and eat fabulous food...I've never had such huge prawns like that in my whole life. The experience was awesome all the way around.
Introduction
This presentation would be the attempt to give component designers other factors, besides the typical physical, electrical and material specifications, to consider for their future component designs that would best help system designers to consider components they wish to use in their product designs.
I would be speaking as an expert on future trends and issues shaping the design of electronic components. The audience was made up of Omron managers and over 30 trade magazine editors serving the electronics marketplace (one of which wrote about my presentation in an article that was picked up by Electronic Buyer's News and Comms Design).
There were five areas for experts to speak on:
- Wireless - Today, Tomorrow and Beyond
- New Component Products
- New Industrial Automation Products
- Designing for the 21st Century (this was my topic)
- The Impact of New 42V Electrical Systems in Automobiles
1. Five ways component design can help system designers
2. Top ten considerations system designers make during the development of a system.
3. Five types of major pieces of information needed to qualify and select a component.
4. Examples of each of the five ways component design can help system designers.
Five Ways Component Design Can Help System Designers
1. Multiple Application Targets
These include: Medical, Telecommunications (coax, CATV, Internet, Wireless, Telephone, Modem, Fiber Optic), Aerospace / Satellite, Consumer electronics, Military and Defense, Computers and Networks,Scientific, Monitoring, Sensor and Instrumentation (includes Automation and Process Control).
2. Packaging Options
Create a number of packages to address a number of design needs per manufacturer.
3. Standards, Testing, Qualification
To fit electrical, physical design, safety standards that can be tested by agency testing and qualification houses. US and other country standards need to be considered pending end-use locations.
4. Reduction of Lead Times
Achieve this by simplifying the manufacturing of components and having samples readily available. If the components are custom or semi-custom...suggest that they be designed such that they can be easily modified if certain variables arise....to cut redesign costs.
5. Smart Product Variations and Features
Consider more than part functions to fit use....consider designing to fit manufacturing of a specific system. Design to reduce failure.
Top Ten Considerations
Because the following considerations are key to new product development....it is critically important component designers consider them in the design of their own components....it is the target market they will be sold into....so best they fit the needs of those markets rather than hoping OEMs will find uses for them (as if influenced by component designers...which is rarely the case).
Component designers need to know and understand the kinds of products OEMs are developing so they can be ready to best provide the kinds of components they will need. I strongly recommend component designers stay in close touch with OEMs during their design phases and commit to designing components to fit their needs, but to balance those designs to be adaptable to the needs of other OEM new product designs. It is critically important that component designers create products that help OEMs to reduce part costs, shorten lead times, add value and speed time to market.
1. Fit Design and Aesthetics of System
Attributes might include, for example, that which is clean, flush, looks industrial, looks like European design, has that "WOW" effect, etc.
2. Best Match the Company's Ability to Meet Time-to-Market Schedules
The goal of system designers are to lower risks. Some of those may include:
- Is the part single sourced?
- Is the part of a unique and proprietary design?
- Does the proprietary design lock out the use of an alternative?
- Is the component manufacturer a stable and sustainable company?
- Will the component selection soon be obsolete?
- Is the part non-cancellable non-returnable?
- Will purchasing the part require participation in an allocation program?
- Are field engineers, service and technical support available?
- Are variations of this part hard to get?
- Was this component selected actually designed for a specific customer such that if that customer doesn't order it anymore that it would be obsoleted?
- Is the component selected used by a larger market segment then that of the OEM such that these larger OEMs could lock up availability?
- Is the purchasing of the component only available in high quantities? If so....such quantities may be larger than the total number needed for the life of the system design.
4. Reduce Competition by Contributing to the Uniqueness of the Product and its Features
5. Maximize Profit of Product
Considering A, B and C component costs levels on a BOM....the questions are:
- What components fit into those cost categories?
- What percentage of the components I want to use will fit in the B and C categories to reduce A cost items?
- What components will be cost prohibitive?
- Which components are likely to have long lead times?
6. Assure Availability, Short Lead Times, and Low Costs
The key is to keep within the new development budget and within the expected milestones of the schedule. Engineers need to design with components that fit the kind of support that production will be expected to assemble....so if the production is high volume, for example, then it is best to select components that can be built to fit high volume quantities...same idea with low volume. Questions are:
- Are the components under considerations available only in high quantities?
- Can I get these components in smaller quantities?
- Can I depend on the component manufacturer to assist me in the development of my design and have parts available when my company is ready to make a purchase?
7. Fit innovation, DFM and Package Design Needs
8. Offer Smart Product Variations and Features
Engineers are encouraged to create clever designs with the least redesign costs should certain component packages not be available....such as having one pad size to fit, for example, different inductor sizes. Another example is to design a PCB for future options....leaving space on the board to incorporate those options.
9. Adapt to Domestic, Global and Contract Manufacturer's Assembly and Test Capabilities
CMs are best working with components that best fit their manufacturing methods, solder bath and infrared machines, assembly operations, and testing methods. Engineers need to consider parts that come on reels, part orientation for production lines, handling of bulk parts, quality verification and inspection methods, etc.
10. Fit Quality Standards
These may include: Baldridge, Deming, ISO-9000, QS-9000, TL-9000, TQM, SPC, JIT, Mil-STDs, COTS, etc....including test requirements.
Five Types of Major Pieces of Information to Qualify and Select a Component
1. Component Specifications and their CAD Drawings
These may include:
- Datasheets, brochures and other information about the component.
- Online documentation...preferably in PDF format.
- Circuit design and pin-out drawings, symbols libraries for CAD and PCB design.
- Part number breakdown with options.
- Mechanical CAD drawings with physical dimensions and applicable symbols.
- White papers, application notes, full feature descriptions.
- Performance graphs, environmental data, other engineering data and test results.
Examples of standards committees include: Telcordia/Bellcore, UL, CE, FCC, EIA, ANSI, CSA, TUV, VDE and NEBS (Network Equipment Building Systems (GR-CORE-63))
- GR-326 - fiber optic connectors
- GR-78 - physical design of telecom products
- TR-NWT-0357 - reliability of components used in telecom applications
- GR-63 (NEBS) - telecom equipment, central offics (COs) and other environmentally-controlled telephone equipment spaces
- GR-409 - fiber optic cables
- UL-94V0, HB, V-1, V-2, V-5, VW-1 - flammability ratings used to establish if equipment will contribute to a fire such as in a rack
- EN60950, UL1950 - electrical and mechanical safety of telecom equipment
- GR-1089 - electro-magnetic safety, EMI, of telecom equipment
- IEC 825-1, CE EN60825-1 - healthy LED light emissions safety (dazzles or not) (if looked at for 1 minute and 40 seconds) other than laser diodes.
- Expected results
- Actual results
- Pass range fitting to the standard the test followed
- What test apparatus was used to perform each test
- What instrumentation was used for each test
- Declaration of Compliance - pertaining to each agency - usually for CE and IEC, often called Statement of Conformance.
- CDRH Reports (Center for Device and Radiological Health of the Food and Drug Administration) - they also offer reports on the health safety of electronic components.
- CBT Reports (Certified Body Testing) - a preliminary test report towards a Declaration of Compliance or Statement performed by a CBTL (Certified Body Testing Laboratory). When UL or other standards are not obtainable....the CBT report will often be acceptable.
- Letters from standards agencies and Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories (NRTL) can suffice as a due diligence effort toward obtaining declarations and statements...tho should not be construed that a component meets the standards and tests....just that the letter confirms the testing is in progress.
- UL "yellow" Cards from component manufacturers to check if their components are UL Recognized. Best to get this from the component manufacturer as it is a more detailed report than had from UL. It can also be checked against the UL report. If a yellow card has not been had yet ....a letter on the component manufacturer's letterhead showing they are working on it or making necessary changes to a current one will often suffice at least to show due diligence. It's also good to check the UL Guide Information on specific UL "E" numbers to verify which applications are approved by UL.
- Material Datasheets and Specifications (not to be MSDS safety information) showing compliance of materials (to certain standards) used in the component before the part was made. Tho the suggestion is to also seek standards compliance after the part is made since part manufacturing can change the properties of the materials.
Show that a component addresses certain problems rather than which product groups or with what type of system products they can be used in.
4. Easy to Find Online (Internet) Information
Component specifications, app notes, sales, applications engineers, FAE contacts....all this should be extremely easy to find on websites with as few hoops to go through to get to the information. Remember that system designers have little time to search for this information and if it's not easy to find....they'll pick other sites where the information is easier to find.
5. CAD Drawings and Symbols to Import
System designers are seeking easy to download drawings and symbols for use in their PCB design and other applicable areas of their design. While libraries of this information can be built from a number of sources....using the right CAD and other symbols is key for the best support from second operations to easily understand drawings with the least number of questions. Good and useful drawings and symbols helps keep costs low and design development within schedules.
Examples of Each of the Five Ways Component Design Can Help System Designers
1. Offer Components Designed for Multiple Application Targets
Stacked Capacitor
I worked for an aerospace company that designed in stacked ceramic capacitors of a non-standard height into eight products. Why? It was the component that appeared in a databook that engineers wanted to use. So what happened? When they were ready to release these eight products to product....the caps selected were no longer available. Why? Because the manufacturer had built them for a specific customer and made the judgment err to include them in their databook as if they were available for other customers. However, what happened here was that the specific customer dropped their massive order and the manufacturer than obsoleted that line of caps....but didn't relay that to any of its reps and suppliers.
Hole Plug as EMI Shield
I worked for a CATV amplifier manufacturer. We needed a fast turn EMI shield to use on a printed circuit board. Since I couldn't find one....i opted to try a plated cold-rolled steel hole plug from Seastrom small enough to cover the electronics in need of a shield and that could be soldered down. I had also considered using deep drawn enclosures.Amazingly, the hole plug worked...well almost...the test specs were a little off. Tho had Seastrom designers considered alternate uses of its components....we might have been able to use it.
2. Offer Components Designed With More Packaging Options
Low Signal Relays
At one company we needed low signal relays for 24V and 48V applications, but the manufacturers of those relays started moving toward smaller packages which reduced the 2 amp current ratings by half. This caused our engineers to have to redesign applicable products and drop some products in the lineup. In addition...two major companies building networking product lines bought up to two years worth of inventory and capacity of production lines giving them a competitive edge, but locking out the needs of our company.
Circuit Breaker
At another company the lead times of a circuit breaker impacted our production schedules and we were forced to look for compatible second sources. What we found was that the mounting option we needed meant a custom design in order to fit our product design.
Designing Out of the Box - Vicor
Vicor, a dc-dc converter and ac-dc power block company, stepped out of the box and created long, narrow, low height converters taking up less space on PCBs than previous and conventional designs. This is the kind of optional packaging system designers look to consider for their designs.
3. Design Components to Fit Electrical, Physical Design, and Safety Standards of Concern by the Application Groups That Want to Use Those Components, and Would Likely Be Tested Successfully By Agency Testing and Qualification Houses
Key questions component designers needs to ask themselves are:
1. Could any of the components I make help this system designer?
2. Where and how might my components fit into their designs?
3. How might they best use them?
4. What value could they add?
5. How could my components help this company reduce costs and speed their products into their intended marketplace?
UL Flammability Ratings
Use materials in components that meet with the applicable UL94-V0 flammability ratings (or UL94-VW1 for cable jackets) wherever plastics are used such as in connectors, relays, switches, enclosures, labels, fiber optic devices, circuit breakers, fuse holders, card ejectors, etc.
Being On Standards Committees to Gain Compliance: Laser Safety
When IEC and CENELEC release their 825-1/EN60825 standards for concerns about the safety guidelines on the exposure of LED light and placing LEDS into two classes of emission limits (AELs)....telecom system designers were suddenly faced with the possibility of redesign of their cross-connect DSX panels and whether or not test houses could qualify LEDs into the proper classes or prove LED light had the 'dazzle' characteristics similar to laser diodes. Product marketers had to consider if their products were worth selling to Europe. As it turned out LEDs used in DSX panels did not provide 'dazzling' light and consequently no changes needed to be made. But if component designers would have been part of these standards committees....the system designers would have the chance from the beginning of their design efforts to select applicable components in accordance with those standards. It's important component manufacturers provide, for example: UL yellow cards, reliability data, agency test data, UL flammability data....all to help system designers obtain, for example, a UL listing and pass NEBS testing in their first go around testing and qualification.
Considering Safety: Cable Jacket Materials Cable manufacturers need to provide different jacket materials that meet with the country requirements of different standards where, for example, PVC is acceptable, LSZH (low smoke zero halogen) or ZSZH (zero smoke zero halogen) requirements are necessary such as for power and fiber optic cables used in riser or plenum spaces where safety is critical: UL flammability, vertical flame tests, for example....to reduce the possibility for fire in buildings and skyscrapers from the effects of smoldering cables.
4. Simplify the Manufacturing of Components to Reduce Lead Times of Samples and Production Quantities
Long lead times usually result in system designers selecting components with shorter lead times. To lower lead times....component manufacturers need to:
- change their manufacturing methods
- modularize their assembly parts of their components
- have production lines for high and low volume available
- find ways to provide a wider variety of variations that are easy to put together
- market their component variations to certain application groups by expressing what sizes, for instance, are best to use with what applications such that they don't inhibit time to market in other application groups. For example, component designers now provide fuses specific to certain telecom applications.
A smaller crystals and oscillators manufacturer was able to produce both sample and production quantities of SMT crystals in a shorter lead time than larger companies who couldn't do any better than twice the lead time. It would have been cost prohibitive to go with the large manufacturer and outside of our production schedules.
Tantalum Capacitors
One one point it tantalum capacitors had nearly a 50 week lead time from authorized distributor channels. We were forced to go to overstock and gray market companies to find them fitting to our schedules. The parts were often more expensive. Had component designers simplified their assembly of their components, had planned for more production lines to meet increased demands likely from larger high volume system OEMs...systems designers would have had a more steady supply of trusted components fitting also with development and production schedules.
Fuses
Schurter and Teccor both setup production lines to fit niche markets. This strategy allowed niche companies to acquire their fuses that met with their applications and time-to-market schedules without having to compete with larger market sizes.
Relays
Relays designed with your choice of built-in transistors, MOS IC, logic, processor/controller interface electronics - or that a list of recommendations provided for the system designer to choose from. This helps to take the guesswork out of the design process and decreases the time to market.
There is a need for more 'make-before-break' switches for loop-back circuitry so, in the case of telecom applications, cables do not have to be removed from BNC connectors.
Relays need graphical displays showing position of contacts, contact wear, if energized properly, what function the relay controls.
Relays need to offer in-circuit reprogramming, multiple settings, incorporate test switches whereby power lines from the system board are automatically cut so that only the relay is tested (draws power from the board, but relay is not activated in-circuit), and indicators for testing purposes.
Touch Switches with Displays
Provide touch switches that work like touch screens with on/off indicators as opposed to having a tactile feel.
SMT Device Sizes That Can Fit A Single Pad Size
Design SMT devices with pad layouts close to the competition's parts so that PCB layout designers can incorporate pads that accommodate components from several manufacturers. For example, 47uF inductor at a virtual reality and heads-up display company where five manufacturer's parts could fit to a 'universal' pad design on a PCB.
Make Wider Temp Range Parts the Norm
Design modular components with operating temperatures of -40 to +85 degrees C. Make those the norm rather than the typical of 0 to +70 degrees C.
Design to Reduce Failure
Connectors
Improve connector design to eliminate pin-to-pin arching by designing in blades between pins.
Design SMT Components to Repel Water Sticking to Them
Design SMT chip components where water from cleaning process (after board assembly) doesn't result in cracked terminations or cracks to material between terminations during the drying process because high heat boiled the part. For example, ceramic capacitors often end up with water under them in the 1206 or higher SMT sizes that cause such cracks.
Thank You for taking the time to read this. I had a great deal of fun putting it together and presenting it at the event.
