A big topic in the last few years has been the occurrence of (and the damage caused by) the growth of tin whiskers in high-profile and high-reliability products.  Elusive, often misunderstood, and difficult to prevent; tin whiskers have posed significant problems.  In fact, even just two weeks ago TechEye.net was speculating that tin whiskers may be behind the massive Toyota recalls. Whether the whiskers are out to race cars, or are turning into conductive plasma arcs capable of carrying hundreds of amps, it is clear that they are a force …

Do you think you have what it takes to make a mark in the field of Printed Circuit Board (PCB) design?  For the engineering minded and artistically oriented, PCB design is a fascinating field where you can achieve both financial success and fulfillment in doing something that you love.  Whether you’re just dipping your toes for the first time, or you are a seasoned veteran; I hope to provide some insight and encouragement.  A few accomplished men were gracious enough to speak with me and share their thoughts, stories, and …

by Liam Morris
I have been blessed with the opportunity to speak during the afternoon sessions at PCB Atlanta on October 22.  UP Media has always been very kind to us and have now provided me with this opportunity.
The seminar I will be teaching will be on the topic of marketing yourself using the social media and online tools that are currently available online.  Below is the abstract I submitted when I approached them with the idea.
Are you trying to find a way to stand out among the crowd?  The field …

We at HotPCB would like to invite a few individuals/organizations to contribute to HotPCB.com.  This blog seeks to serve individuals in the Printed Circuit Board design, fabrication and assembly industries. It is meant to be a place where interested readers can find articles that pertain to them, although the articles are not always technical in nature.
The more authors we have, the more dynamic and informative the site will be.  I hope that over time we will have about 15 independent contributors who are able to provide a short 250-500 word …

When a Tweeter becomes a Twiddler
Effectively Managing the Time Spent on your Social Media Marketing Campaign
We have all experienced that moment where we open our email again even though we just minimized it and there was nothing new.  Or we have refreshed our facebook/twitter to see if anything new has popped up.  Or we’ve closed a browser and out of habit opened it up again even though there is no need.  Or you end up staring aimlessly at your monitor wondering “what can I do?”
You have become a twiddler – …

This is an article designed to be a guide for how to maximize your time at a trade show.  Read the Introductory article here. Since IMS 2009 (International Microwave Symposium) is the next significant conference I will be a part of, it will be the example used throughout these short articles.
For the attendee, there are three distinct aspects of the Symposium that ought to be taken advantage of.  The first is Networking, the second Vendor Qualification, and the third Education.   This first short installment is designed to give you some …

This coming June 7-12 is the International Microwave symposium and Radio & Wireless Symposium in Boston.  A large number of exhibitors will be present and it promises to be a great chance to interact with hundreds of vendors and professionals.  It is likely that I will attend and the hope is to take advantage of the Symposium in the fullest.  In response to my reflection on PCB East, Don Lafferty made a few excellent points concerning the history of trade shows within this industry and the failure of many to …

Just as a boy becomes a man when he picks up his first BB Gun, so too have I entered the EMS Industry with the arrival of my first trade magazine addressed to my name.  Of course, I live by the motto of “go big or go home” and so it was only fitting that two would arrive, and that they would be the extent of today’s mail.
A little over a  month ago I applied for membership with IEEE and joined a variety of societies pertaining to my line of …

It’s  unfortunate how negative news often overshadows the positive trends which are occuring.  Every day I recieve an email newsletter from UP Media (subscribe to PCB Update here if you wish).  As an exercise in positive thinking, I have cut and pasted the most positive stories from the past week or so.  Hope you are encouraged!

PWB fabricator Eltek reported 2008 revenues rose 15% to $43.1 million. PCD&F >>>

Sanmina-SCI plans to expand its Ottawa assembly plant and add up to 90 workers by year-end. Circuits Assembly >>>
Phoenix Precision Technology and Nan …

Working in a business development role means that I spend a lot of time working my way into various communities and developing mutual beneficial relationships with potential customers and affiliates. One of the tools I use is LinkedIn – “facebook for professionals” is how I often describe it to those who have yet to hear of it. I find the ability to search for professionals worldwide very beneficial, although I spend a lot of time filtering out irrelevant content and have a fairly low reply rate to my personal messages that I send to fellow group members. Industry groups are a fantastic tool for any professional, but some are better that others. Below I outline a few groups that I am a member of that pertain to the industry.