Month: April 2020

A quick search for open positions available for electronic engineers will reveal enormous demand for such skills in the San Jose and Silicon Valley area. Electronic product development clamors for talent in many areas of the industry:

• Medical products
• Automotive applications
• Electronic products for consumers and manufacturing
• Wireless and communications product development

Given the advancements in electronics as well as emerging technologies, skilled electronics engineers are assured access to various challenging career options. The Internet of Things (IoT) has opened doors for new product development that enables consumers and businesses to incorporate technology in areas not even thought of a few years ago.

Medical Products and Applications

Taking even a cursory look through a physician’s office, emergency room, or hospital will reveal an array of electronic products used daily:

• Wireless computers on mobile carts – utilized for everything from patient records and test results to billing and insurance claims.
• Electrocardiogram equipment – essential for patient monitoring and diagnosis.
• CT Scan and MRI diagnostic equipment – complex electronic equipment that is constantly being updated to provide enhanced image quality and improve patient care.

Medical product development relies on sophisticated electronic components that provide information to medical teams accurately, quickly, and consistently. The demand for diagnostic services and devices that improve the quality of life for patients have in turn skyrocketed the need for electronic engineering services in Silicon Valley and the San Jose area.

Product demand has jumped at a double-digit rate over the last several years, including the need for improved implantable devices such as the following:

• Implants for hearing improvement
• Pacemakers
• Defibrillators
• Spinal cord stimulators for neurological treatments
• Implanted medication dispensing units
• Brain stimulation

Medical electronic product development calls for incredible quality control and sustainability. If devices fail, the result could be loss of life. In such critical cases, devices such as pacemakers can generate alerts to patients or physicians when imminent failure or low battery power is detected. This allows the patient to resolve problems before emergency actions are required.

Miniaturization is especially important for implanted medical products to provide for small, lightweight devices that are undetectable in many cases. Electronic engineers consider all factors when designing for medical product development:

• Reliability – obviously important to patients using the products.
• Safety – product development must allow for conditions present in the human body – heat, fluids, and motion.
• Security – being wireless, precaution against hackers who may disable or otherwise compromise electronics is critical.
• Durability – avoid the need for repeated adjustment or replacement of implanted equipment.

Medical teams have similar requirements for clinical and physicians’ office medical electronics. They rely on their equipment to assist in accurately diagnosing and monitoring patients at all times.

Advancements in Automotive Electronic Development

Even the most economic vehicles available today are filled with sophisticated electronics that provide:

• Occupant comfort with heating and cooling sensors and controls
• Safety features that include rear-view cameras and proximity sensors
• Entertainment equipment that synchs with personal devices such as Bluetooth-capable smartphones

Taking automotive electronics to the next level provides additional safety features as well as more convenience and communications capabilities:

• Complete navigational aids including traffic alerts and alternate routings.
• Heads-up displays that provide current speed and other driver information on the windshield, reducing the need to move focus away from the road ahead.
• Wi-Fi hotspot communications that provide internet access to occupants.
• On-board trip computers that track mileage, fuel efficiency, estimated arrival times, and more.
• Safety warnings such as blind-spot monitoring and lane deviation warnings, keeping drivers safe and alert.

All-electric vehicles (EVs) are packed with all these features, with the notable addition of all-electric motors and batteries that utilize technology to replace internal-combustion engines entirely.

Emerging technology in automotive electronic product development is also at the forefront in the creation of driverless vehicles. Integrated electronics in today’s vehicles capture enormous amounts of data that can be utilized for many purposes:

• Analysis of driving habits and fuel consumption
• Steering and braking patterns to determine the efficiency of both the vehicle and the driver
• Alerting drivers to points of interest in the area
• Managing vehicle maintenance through communication to the driver as well as the manufacturer

The complexity of automotive product development is limited only by the imagination of electronic engineers and vehicle manufacturers.

Wireless Electronics Are Taking Over

San Jose electronic engineers are deeply involved in wireless product development. Technology is leading the way for new services such as drone product delivery. Amazon is leading the way with drone delivery, powered by miniaturized control modules and electronic sensors that can react to everything from dogs to clotheslines in their path.

IoT is enabling industry to communicate directly with plant equipment. This is accomplished by using integrated sensors and wireless communications with maintenance personnel to make operations and employees more efficient.

Many homeowners have abandoned previous home entertainment options by turning to online streaming services for television viewing, internet browsing, electronic gaming, movies, and more. When it’s time to dim the lights to enjoy a movie on demand, a few voice commands set the mood and start the show. Now, all that’s needed is a command that delivers the popcorn – could that be far behind?

These changes in wireless technology product development are enabled through the efforts of electronic engineering services such as those found in San Jose.

Everything from drones to toys to space vehicles relies on printed circuit boards today. These integrated electronic components that were once the domain of computers, large appliances, and aerospace industries, are now critical components of everyday life:

• GPS navigation systems
• Automotive vehicles of every type – even more so in electronic vehicles (EVs)
• Voice-response assistants that make life easier
• Industrial automation and robotics
• Communications equipment from smartphones to IoT doorbells and home security systems

With the enormous demand for printed circuit board (PCB) design and manufacturing, Silicon Valley and San Jose have emerged as proven leaders in the industry, focused on advanced design that supports new technologies.

San Jose PCB design services and electronic engineering have adopted strategic methodologies and best practices that provide customers with reliable designs and consistent functionality.

1. Collaboration

Board level design in San Jose engineering facilities begins with effective communication with clients to obtain an accurate understanding of requirements.

Utilizing online tools to review designs and test results ensures that the end product is developed as a joint effort, with questions answered quickly and efficiently before the manufacturing process begins.

This saves both time and expense in development and testing, speeding the entire product development cycle and ensuring quality results. Effective communication gets design projects started quickly. Collaboration keeps the project flowing smoothly.

2. PCB Design Services – Continuous Advancements

San Jose electronic engineers keep abreast of emerging technologies to provide circuit designs and PCB layout that adhere to best practices and use quality, approved components.

Technologically advanced products such as foldable laptops are only made possible through the efforts of skilled engineers who combine creativity with expertise in electronics. PCB design is continuously evolving with such technologies as:

• Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) technology
• Multi-layer PCBs with increasing complexity in the number of layers and manufacturing processes
• Narrow-band IoT (NB-IoT) adoption in devices such as industrial controls, medical devices, and home security systems

As new technologies expand, PCB layout and PCB design services must allow for growing concerns related to security, battery life, weight, and cost.

3. Technical Methodologies

San Jose PCB design engineers utilize the latest available technology in designing and developing PCB prototypes and finished boards. Methodologies such as laser-drilled microvias, new substrate materials, available miniaturized components, and PCB manufacturing processes are critical factors in the design and construction of complex PCBs.

Efficient printed circuit board projects require following a set of standards in every phase of engineering and development:

• Initial definition of requirements
• Solving PCB layout challenges
• Setting test conditions and acceptance levels
• Building the initial prototype
• Ensuring electrical and signal integrity
• Complete testing and evaluation
• Validate design for manufacturing adherence
• Delivery and acceptance of the end PCB product

4. Focus on PCB Quality and Reliability

IoT and technologies such as narrowband communications call for unique testing and validation procedures. Meeting quality standards and providing consistent performance require multiple test iterations under a multitude of conditions:

• Temperature variations
• Electrical interference
• Vibration impact and tolerance

Each of these variables means PCB design engineers must consider all these factors during initial design, creation of PCB prototypes, and manufacturing.

5. Design for Manufacturing

The most immaculate and impressive PCB design that functions perfectly as a prototype may prove worthless if the final PCB layout or components are difficult or cost-prohibitive to manufacture. Board level design in San Jose includes close attention to manufacturability and cost constraints for clients.

Design for Manufacturing (DFM) ensures that initial design and prototypes will be suitable for manufacturing, whether in small volumes at specialized facilities or in large quantities.

Utilizing sophisticated software tools and best practices in PCB design significantly reduces the potential for costly redesigns, budget overages, or manufacturing defects caused by overly complex PCB design.

State-of-the-art CAD systems go a long way toward eliminating such issues late in the project, through the use of design for manufacturing (DFM) technology. The earlier in the PCB design process that such problems are discovered, the less costly it is to resolve them.

6. Services

Development of printed circuit boards in San Jose includes providing a full range of PCB services:

• Concept review
• PCB design services and architecture
• PCB development and prototyping service
• Software and firmware development

Silicon Valley and San Jose offer full-service engineering, effective teamwork, and innovative product design. From concept to finished product, technical engineers work with clients in many industries from toy manufacturers to defense contractors.

Electronic engineering encompasses a broad range of services and technologies – and the field is constantly expanding. Nearly every industry relies on technology to some extent:

• Automotive – from diagnostic sensors and on-board computers to manufacturing technology.
• Medical devices – test equipment, monitors, and even implant devices.
• Mobile devices – smartphones, laptops, GPS systems.

The Internet of Things (IoT) has taken over in applications that were inconceivable about a few short years ago:

• Manufacturing equipment that summons maintenance teams when problems arise – or even in advance.
• Doorbells that not only monitor visitors but also provide crystal-clear video images across the internet.
• Self-driving vehicles, powered by sophisticated electronics and software.

San Jose and Silicon Valley are renowned for advancements and development in electronic engineering and software integration. Emerging technologies across multiple industries have earned the region accolades for its contributions to quality engineering and career opportunities.

How Electronic Engineering in San Jose Advances Technology

Electronic engineering is what has made many modern advancements and product development possible:

• Voice-response devices that are now in use in many homes for controlling HVAC equipment, lighting, and entertainment systems.
• Smartphones, tablets, and wireless laptop computers.
• Advances in aeronautics, including drone-based applications.

Each of these devices and their capabilities require increasing levels of sophistication in electronic components and skilled technicians to design the circuits that power them.

In the San Jose area, there are hundreds – even thousands – of positions available for a wide variety of electronic engineering talents. This demand demonstrates the value that professionals in this field offer for customers and the technology industry.

Circuit Design – A Critical Element in Electronic Engineering

San Jose electronic engineers apply the latest technology and software tools in designing and manufacturing reliable electronic circuits. This means continuous updating of skills and the use of the latest tools to provide reliable, leading-edge products.

CAD tools to design and test circuits before they’re manufactured now offer many advantages:

• Faster turnaround from concept to design and prototyping
• Speed time to market
• Ensure reliability
• Reveal any potential manufacturing issues (design for manufacturing)
• Enable collaboration between engineers and customers
• Reduced cost

Circuit design is a critical factor in providing quality electronic devices that are efficient, reliable, and meet all functional requirements.

San Jose is a Leader in FPGA Design Services

Flexibility is a key factor in the development of many electronic devices. Diagnostic equipment, heating and cooling equipment, and monitoring technologies, for example, must be capable of being reconfigured dynamically to respond to varying requirements.

Field-programmable gate array (FPGA) design satisfies such demanding electronic functionality through its inherent properties that permit customization in the field. FPGA integrated circuits provide the capability for designers or end users to modify configurations when desired.

Architecture of FPGA Circuits

FPGA design includes multiple programmable elements:

• Logic blocks – consisting of thousands or even millions of transistors, logic blocks perform the logic functions of the circuit design.
• I/O blocks – these connect the logic blocks of the circuit using external components
• Interconnections – routing paths between programmable logic blocks utilizing electronically programmable switches

There are several types of FPGAs, with different properties such that some can only be programmed once, and others can be reprogrammed as needed, or a limited number of times.

FPGA circuits are becoming a more frequently utilized technology, but they still require specialized training and skillsets.

FPGA design services in San Jose offer such development as high-speed circuits that increase computing, networking, and sensor processing capabilities.

Where demand for continuously faster throughput was previously addressed with additional CPU power, FPGA-based electronic accelerator cards can improve storage performance and other processing as much as 10-100 times.

San Jose electronic engineering services are the source of many significant advances in the application of FPGA designs.

Wireless Design Services in San Jose

IoT and today’s mobile workforces rely on effective, high-performance wireless devices that take advantage of miniaturized components and printed circuit boards. Powerful smartphones, GPS systems, and appliances such as smart TVs and home security systems rely on light-weight, durable wireless designs. Additional factors that impact wireless designs include:

• Flexibility to support new technology such as 4G or 5G cell integration
• Compatibility with a wide range of WiFi or Bluetooth connectivity
• Battery life – designs must consider the useful life of the devices based on power consumption
• Security against unauthorized access or hackers

Security issues are emphasized where wireless vulnerabilities have been uncovered that could impact medical devices such as implanted pacemakers. Associated with Bluetooth Low Energy technology, this gap in security could allow hackers to pause or even disable pacemakers or glucose monitoring units.

These are issues that further emphasize the requirement for knowledgeable and efficient electronic design for wireless devices.