Sorry, Ray (Anderson), but I can't let this one slide. Ding me if you must.
******
My earlier E-mail (only to Chris Cheng):
> Sent: Wednesday, November 28, 2001 6:50 PM
> To: chris.cheng@xxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Belated response
>
> Chris:
>
> Sorry for the inadequate response on my part. I did an "automatic mail'"
> download and it immediately sent my incomplete E-mail that I had started
> hours earlier when I had to leave the office. I have completed my comments
> and sent a followup E-mail to the SI List.
>
> Lest you misunderstand my comments, I sense you have design knowledge
> beyond the average SI List member, but sometimes you only give a criptic
> comment to a thread under discussion. More in-depth commentary from you
> would benefit many List members.
>
> Mike
> *******
Chris Cheng's response of 11/29/01:
Why does old frats like you always take cheap shoots at me but never back
youself
up with facts ? Can't you do better than just hide behind others "paper" or
your own
junk science experiment ?
*****
"Old," well you got me there. But "cheap shoots" are something I never
intentionally do. The "facts" and "hide behind others" and "junk science
experiment" comments would disturb the less stout at heart, but not me.
As a matter of fact (no pun intended), I ALWAYS question "facts" (as I hope
all SI colleagues do ) to ascertain their substance AND their applicability
to the specific design problem at hand. The 20H Rule, guard rings, split
planes, and other techniques all have their place, but are certainly not
universal in their applicability.
Since I like to always be at the forefront of new technology, I never "hide
behind others." Instead, I prefer to challenge the envelope, and have
successfully pushed it multiple times. If interested how, see "Diatribe"
below.
The "junk science experiment" is an interesting commentary on a major
investigation by Unisys and Zycon to help investigate, bound, and
characterize the benefits of buried capacitance technology (circa 1989).
Excuse me, but anyone that thinks you should not minimize the variables in a
scientific investigation to get at core truths is clearly not a scientist or
researcher searching for a true understanding of any given phenomenon.
Multiple investigations and intelligent integration of those investigations
(and their interdependencies) is mandatory to fully understand and
(ultimately) to push the design knowledge envelope. My earlier commentary was
an independent test investigation over the work that had gone before on the
same PCB samples.
Diatribe: (Read at your own risk of boredom.)
FYI, I designed transmitters, antennas, and receivers to establish the
feasibility of tagging and radio-tracking animals (initially, Grizzly bears
in Yellowstone National Park) back in 1961 (probably before you were born).
An entire industry has grown out of that endeavor. Check National Geographic
Magazine that published the joint effort with the University of Montana if
you have doubts. I designed electronic countermeasures for our missile
cruisers that extended the threat detection range by over a factor of two
back in 1963. I also designed a PCB-based variable frequency transmitter and
receiver for detection of plastic (C-4) mines using L-band frequencies back
in 1963 (which are still in use with minor upgrades). Oh, and in 1961 I
designed an S-band (2.4 GHz) integrated RF amplifier, mixer, and IF amplifier
in a teflon loaded, folded cavity receiver that achieved 1.2 dB noise figure
for the US Air Force. It employed a Gallium-Arsinide Esaki diode operated at
0.3 Vdc and 0.7 mA. The full package was one-inch square and <1/8-inch thick.
The next twenty years included managing all electronic R&D for a division of
United Technologies Corporation, creating and supporting five different
interdivisional technology committees for synnergism of complimentary
technologies, two years as Electrical Systems Manager at Cape Canaveral for
the first 12 launches of the Titan IIIC space booster, and finally as Science
Advisor to the head of a division of United Technologies. Then as Engineering
Manager over 56 System engineers at Applied Research, I guided the system
integration effort for the Data System Modernization program (IBM was the
prime to the US Air Force) to govern the worldwide sattelite communications
upgrade and establish manning requirements and associated skills to control
and integrate military and NASA space activities. Some astronaut training
(both American and foreign) was involved as well. Then I started consulting
independently as Mikon Consulting in August of 1984.
From the inception of my full-time consulting practice, I have chosen to stay
at the cutting edge in all facets of electronic design and packaging. This
includes physics, electonics, material and thermal propeties, mathematics,
modeling and simulation, design-for-cost, and design-for-manufacturing
principles and disciplines. This approach has led to generation and
presentation of high-speed digital design tutorials worldwide, and multiple
invitations to present from major corporations (IBM, Hewlett-Packard,
Motorola, Advanced Micro Devices, and others). My detailed design projects
have included deep-space communications methods, reliability analyses of
electronic countermeasures systems (up to 22 GHz), design of three
generations of modems, design of two separate space booster moveable nozzle
control systems, design modeling/analysis/corrective action on advanced
cruise missile control systems, modeling and analysis/recreation of on-orbit
satellite failures, redesign of thermal controllers for the Space Shuttle
Orbiter, upgrade design of deployment actuator controls for the Orbiter bay
Aft Frame Tilt Actuator, design of sub-microsecond 400 Vdc/15 Amp circuit
breaker (for hi-rel aerospace use, not commercial), and hundreds of
individual high-speed PCB designs.
If anyone wants to hear more (and there actually is), contact me separately
from the list, as this diatribe has got to bore many of you.
Respectfully,
Mike
Michael L. Conn
Owner/Principal Consultant
Mikon Consulting
Cell: (408)821-9843
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