DesignCon Announces 2014 Chiphead Theater Program and Open Nomination Period for DesignVision Awards

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- UBM Tech, the daily source of essential business and technical information for decision makers in the electronics industry, has announced the Chiphead Theater program for DesignCon 2014, which will take place in Santa Clara, California on January 28 – 31, 2014.  Free and open to all conference and expo attendees, the Chiphead Theater will host a variety of in-depth and entertaining educational and training sessions designed specifically for chip, board and systems design engineers focused on signal integrity for all levels of electronic design.  It will also host the award ceremony for the 2014 Best-in-Test Awards, the finalists for which may now be voted upon at EDN.com.  Additionally, UBM Tech is currently accepting nominations for its annual DesignVision Awards, which will be presented in the Mission City Ballroom on Wednesday, January 29.

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The Chiphead Theater's rapidly expanding schedule, which is comprised of panel discussions, product teardowns, speed-training opportunities, prizes and giveaways, in addition to a multitude of other exciting events, includes a much-anticipated product teardown session dedicated to exploring every design detail of Gabotronics' Oscilloscope Watch, as well as several dynamic speakers and presentations, including:

• The Most Important Signal Integrity Principles Every Engineer Should Know – Author and Signal Integrity Evangelist, Dr. Eric Botagin of Botagin Enterprises will discuss the controversy concerning inaccuracies currently being taught in schools about signals and how they behave on interconnects, illustrate discussed principles using live measurements, and introduce a free simulation tool used to analyze signals on interconnects.
  • Thursday, January 30 (1:00 – 1:40pm)

• SI and EMI are Related: Get Used to It – Dovetailing with the DesignCon 2014 Technical Program track on EMI, this special panel session will look at the practical aspects of how to solve SI and EMI problems, often at the same time.  With data rates running well above 10Gbps, the signals running around ICs, boards and systems have frequencies well into the multi-gigahertz range and can also radiate energy from traces, interconnects, cables, connectors and enclosure openings.  Panelists include: Martin Rowe (Senior Technical Editor, UBM Tech), Bruce Archambeault (Distinguished Engineer, IBM), Kenneth Wyatt (EMC Specialist, Wyatt Technical Services, LLC), Istvan Novak (Senior Principal Hardware Engineer, Oracle Corporation), Lee Ritchey (President & Founder, Speeding Edge), Steve Weir (Chief Technology Officer, IPBlox, LLC), and Jun Fan (Associate Professor, Missouri University of Science and Technology).
  • Thursday, January 30 (2:00 – 2:40pm)

• Signal Integrity Analysis of DDR3 High-Speed Memory Interface using HSPICE and Zuken CR-8000 Design Solution – Featuring speakers Hany Elhak, product marketing manager at Synopsys, Inc. and Griff Derryberry, Applications Engineer at Zuken USA, Inc., this presentation and live demo will illustrate the process of analyzing the signal integrity of critical traces in board layout, incorporate board parasitics, and define design constraints to eliminate timing violations. The timing characteristics of a real DDR3 SDRAM design will also be examined to demonstrate how to analyze eye diagrams, automatically report setup/hold time, derating, tVAC and ringback violations and then use this information to optimize the board layout.
  • Thursday, January 30 (2:50 – 3:30pm)

The theater will also host the award ceremony for the 2014 Best-in-Test Awards, which recognize the best test engineer of the year and the best-in-test products in each of the following 10 categories: 

• Manufacturing Test / ATE
• Data Acquisition
• Handheld / Portable Test
• Machine Vision / Inspection
• Network Test (Wired, Wireless, Hybrid, Optical)
• Test Support: Programmable Power Supplies, Signal Generators, Etc.
• RF / MW Test
• Semiconductor Test
• Signal Integrity / High-Speed Test
• Software / Embedded Test

EDN editors have recently selected the 2014 finalists and online voting is open to all members of the electronics industry until December 31, 2013.  To view the finalists and cast your vote, please visit: http://www.edn.com/design/test-and-measurement/4425367/Vote-for-the-top-engineer-and-products. 

The annual DesignVision Awards, which will be presented in the Mission City Ballroom at 12:00pm on Wednesday, January 29, 2014, celebrate the most innovative achievements that support customer needs to improve and simplify the design process in each of the following eight categories:

• Design Verification Tools
• IC Design Tools
• Interconnect Technologies & Components
• PCB Design Tools
• Semiconductor & IP
• Semiconductor Components and ICs
• System Modeling & Simulation
• Test & Measurement Equipment

Winners are selected based on three criteria: how well the product meets the market's vision and offers unique insight into customer needs; the originality of the solution and if it provides a new approach to meeting market needs; and the quality of the implementation and how well it fits the market requirements.  Nominations for the DesignVision Awards are being accepted now through Monday, January 6, 2014.  To submit an entry, please visit: http://www.designcon.com/santaclara/expo/designvision-awards.php.

Additionally, to stay up-to-date on the latest DesignCon 2014 program additions and news, please visit http://www.designcon.com/santaclara/ and follow DesignCon online via:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DesignCon 
• Twitter: @UBMDesignCon 
• LinkedIn: http://linkd.in/1gfaxOU 
• DesignCon Blog: http://blog.designcon.com/

About UBM Tech
UBM Tech is a global media business that brings together the world's technology communities through live events, online properties and custom services. UBM Tech's community-focused approach provides its users and clients with expertly curated research, education, training, community advocacy, user-generated content and peer-to-peer engagement opportunities that serve the Electronics, Security, Enterprise Communications, Network Infrastructure and Applications, Game and App Developers, and Tech Marketing communities. UBM Tech's brands include Black Hat, DesignCon, EE Times, Enterprise Connect, Game Developers Conference (GDC), HDI, InformationWeek, Interop and Light Reading. Create, a UBM Tech full range marketing services division, includes custom events, content marketing solutions, community development and demand generation programs based on its content and technology market expertise. UBM Tech is a part of UBM (UBM.L), a global provider of media and information services with a market capitalization of more than $2.5 billion. For more information, go to tech.ubm.com; follow us on Twitter at @UBMTech.

For more information on DesignCon or UBM Tech please contact:
Christine Stieglitz, BtB Marketing Communications
919-872-8172 | [email protected]

Linda Uslaner, UBM Tech
516-562-5843 | [email protected].

SOURCE UBM Tech