Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Design for Excellence (DfX) West is almost here!

The five-day seminar will be held in San Jose, California, on April 19-23, 2010. This one-of-a-kind collaborative effort will provide designers, reliability personnel, and engineering management with tools on how to meet time-to-market deadlines and reduce warranty issues.

Two tracks are available; however, each course is priced individually to allow attendees to register for the specific courses which best fit their individual needs. Feel free to mix-and-match. If you can't attend for the entire week, select the course(s) most valuable to you.

Cost: Two day = $1195, One day = $695, Half day = $395. Webinar costs are 25% less.

Track 1: DfX
Monday: Design for Reliability (1 day)
Tuesday: Design for Environment (1 day)
Wednesday: Design for Manufacturability (1 day)
Thursday: Design for Testability (1 day)
Friday: Software Design for Reliability (1/2 day) and Design for Warranty (1/2 day)

Track 2: ALT/RCA
Monday & Tuesday: Best Accelerated Life Tests (2 days)
Wednesday & Thursday: Root Cause Analysis (2 days)
Friday: Design for Mechanical Reliability (1 day)

Click here to view the Introduction to DfX Concepts webinar from Qualmark's Ask the Experts series. For more information, or to register, please click here or e-mail tsmittenaar@dfrsolutions.com.

Monday, March 29, 2010

Think You Don't Need to Worry About PCB Cleanliness? We Do!

Testing for circuit board cleanliness using ion chromatography (IC) was once the domain of high reliability applications. The continued miniaturization of today's electronic products; including the fine pitch and low standoff (and QFN is the worst of both), has made this type of testing increasingly mainstream. This white paper details the process of IC and provides the reader a clear understanding of best-in-class pass/fail criteria for ionic contaminants. For more information, contact Seth Binfield, sbinfield@dfrsolutions.com.

Sunday, March 28, 2010

MIL-HDBK-217 now moving in the direction of Physics of Failure (PoF)

The Defense Standardization Program Office (DSPO) of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has initiated a multi-phase effort to update MIL-HDBK-217, the military's often imitated and frequently criticized reliability prediction bible for electronics equipment. In this paper, DfR reviews the reason for the revival and update of MIL-HDBK-217 along with the concerns over its shortcomings. For more information on how DfR is the industry leader in PoF, contact Jim McLeish, jmcleish@dfrsolutions.com.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Power Supply Design: The Influence of Slow Body Diode Behavior

Performing forensic engineering on power supply failures is one of the most challenging tasks in the failure analysis community. In this case study, DfR explains how focusing on voltage derating can mask critical FET parameters, such as slow body diode behavior. For more information, please contact Nathan Blattau,nblattau@dfrsolutions.com.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Sulfur and Silver - a Match made in H..

The issue of silver corrosion on printed circuit boards continues to rear its ugly head. In responding to the need for quick and relatively inexpensive testing approaches, Randy Schueller at DfR developed a unique, low cost methodology for creating a realistic, high sulfur environment. DfR has performed this test for numerous customers and has trained other organizations. For more information on how this test is important for your application, please contact Randy Schueller,rschueller@dfrsolutions.com.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

DfX Seminar - San Jose, California

DfR Solutions, in association with Ops a La Carte and Value Engrafting, is proud to announce that the Design for Excellence training session is back!

There was such a high demand for the DfX course in Maryland in October 2009 that we are holding an expanded seminar in San Jose, California, April 19-23, 2010. This one-of-a-kind collaborative effort will provide designers, reliability personnel, and engineering management with tools on how to meet time-to-market deadlines and reduce warranty issues.

Two tracks are available. Attendees may elect to register for an entire track or pick and choose the specific courses which best fit their individual needs.

Track 1: DfX
Monday: Design for Reliability
Tuesday: Design for Environment
Wednesday: Design for Manufacturability
Thursday: Design for Testability
Friday: Software Design for Reliability and Design for Warranty

Track 2: ALT/RCA
Monday & Tuesday: Best Accelerated Life Tests
Wednesday & Thursday: Root Cause Analysis
Friday: Design for Mechanical Reliability

All courses will be available both in the classroom and via webinar. We are also offering a Group Discount: Every 5th registrant from the same company registering together is FREE!

For more information, or to register, please click here or send an e-mail to tsmittenaar@dfrsolutions.com.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Design for Excellence (DfX) Bay Area is Coming! April 19-23 (San Jose, CA)

The electronics industry is demanding Excellence! Can you deliver? Learn how at DfR Solutions' upcoming DfX training in San Jose, CA. In collaboration with IPC, Ops Ala Carte, and Value Engrafting, DfR is providing training on all the DfX tools (DfR, DfM, DfT, DfE, DfW) as well as Accelerated Life Testing and Root-Cause Analysis. To register, please click here or contact Tammy Smittenaar, tsmitteraar@dfrsolutions.com.

Friday, March 12, 2010

Wayne Tustin at DfR Solutions in College Park, MD: April 5-7, 2010

Wayne Tustin will teach his popular short course "Random Vibration and Shock Testing, ESS, HALT & HASS" at DfR Solutions, College Park, MD. For complete details and reservations, please click here.

Course Description:
Discussion, supported by projected visuals and video clips. Commencing with a review of basic vibrations, sources and causes, we will explore vibration measurements, analysis and calibration. We’ll compare sinusoidal vs. random vibration testing systems, specifications, standards and procedures. We will discuss ESS, HALT and HASS. We’ll emphasize vibration and shock test fixture design, fabrication, experimental evaluation and usage. Also shock measurement, shock response spectrum (SRS) and shock testing. Review of modal testing. We emphasize topics you will use immediately.

Objectives:
Today and in the near future we protectively install commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) equipment in our flight, land vehicles and shipboard locations where vibration and shock can be severe. We laboratory test the protected equipment (1) to assure twenty years equipment survival and possible combat, also (2) to meet commercial test standards, IEC documents, military standards such as STANAG or MIL-STD-810G, etc. Few if any engineering schools teach about such protection or such testing. Hence this specialized course. After this short course, you will be able to:

measure vibration and shock,
calibrate vibration and shock measurement systems,
convert field measured data into a test program,
interpret vibration and shock test requirements,
supervise vibration and shock tests,
specify and experimentally evaluate vibration and shock test fixtures,
perform ESS, HALT and HASS.

When you visit a lab or review a test program, you will have a good understanding of the requirements and execution of a dynamics test and so be able to ask meaningful questions and understand the lab’s responses.

Friday, March 5, 2010

Charged Board Events (CBE) Often Mistaken for Electrical Overstress (EOS)

I attended this CenTex ESDA presentation several weeks ago and found the presentation very eye opening.

"The speaker was Terry Welsher who explained his company's philosophy, reviewed ESD test procedures, provided a background of "Charged Board Events" (CBE), and explained how CBE is often mistaken for Electrical Over Stress. He showed how a CBE waveform is similar to the ESD Charged Device Model waveform, presented the CBE test results and damage, leading to the Industrial Standard/Best Practices status. His presentation generated intriguing discussion among the attendees. "

A link to Dangelmayer's publicly available version of the material can be reviewed here.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

DfR Solutions in Phoenix, AZ March 10

Dr. Nathan Blattau will be visiting companies in Phoenix, Arizona in mid-March. If you and your associates are interested in an onsite visit and/or presentation, please contact Carrie Sharik-Ernest, csharik@dfrsolutions.com