Frequently Asked SI/EMC JumpStart & Questions.

Is this a EMI or an SI course?

Why is Mentor Graphics Sponsoring SI/EMC JumpStart?

Why should we come as a team?? ie both Layout Designer and Engineer

If I learn the right way to do it, how do I get my manager on board??

Will Mentor AE's be giving a Tool Demonstration??

I don't see a class scheduled in my area. Are there classes that are not listed?

How have your past students rated the 1 day SI/EMC JumpStart class?

Do you have Advanced Classes or On Site Company Specific Classes?

Do you award a certificate to those who attend?

What is the difference between the original SI/EMC JumpStart and version 3.0?

What is the cancellation policy?

Is this a Signal Integrity, or an EMI control class?

Actually it is both. If you are in the camp that solves all problems with metal cans and filters, you can contain some really messy circuits. However it is expensive, heavy, and a pain to manufacture. If you are careful about Signal Integrity and Power Integrity issues, you can produce an amazingly quiet system with very little filtering and generally no shielding.

Why is Mentor Graphics Sponsoring SI/EMC JumpStart?

Mentor Graphics owns about 70% of the Signal Integrity tools market. In an effort to get more business, they have decided to sponsor SI EMC JumpStart classes around the US and Canada. The logic is fairly simple. If you want to sell more pianos, you can either fight for the remaining 30% or you can sponsor piano lessons to help create more piano players. That is what they are doing here. They are subsidizing generic SI EMC training.

SI/EMC JumpStart is a High Speed System Design class...not a tool class or a Mentor tools infomercial. However, with Mentor's sponsorship, my costs are reduced so I pass that savings on to you in the form of a lower tuition. Hence the normal $795 tuition has been reduced to $695 in Q3 & Q4 of 2009.

Remember the lower tuition only applies if you make your reservation two weeks in advance of the class and confirmed with a Credit Card, PO or Check a week in advance of the class. We need to order food and adequate computers for the labs..and that takes time

Why should we come as a team?? ie both Layout Designer and Engineer
Both the Layout Designer and the Engineer need to be on board if you are going to get a good design on the first pass. The notion that you can throw something over the wall and get good results, is simply not true. The detailed work is done by the layout designer. the layout designer will see things the engineer will never see regardless of the time spent reviewing the design. If the layout designer knows what to look for, it not only saves the engineer a tremendous amount of time, but it also guarantees a much better final result.


If I learn right way to do it, how do I get my manager on board??
The best solution short of getting me on the telephone with him is to have him view the introduction chapter in the pre-class home work.

Will Mentor AE's be giving a Tool Demonstration??
Mentor tools AE's will probably not be available to give product demonstrations. If you want a tool demonstration rather than a "SI EMC how to class," call your local Mentor office and they will be happy to accommodate you.


I don't see a class scheduled in my area. Are there classes that are not listed??
Yes, many of our classes are not listed. We are setting up classes all of the time. We only list the ones that are finalized. If you would like to effect our scheduling, sign up on our class registration and specify the next class closest to your location.


How did your past students rate the 1 day SI EMC JumpStart class?

The post class evaluation form had the following questions. Not everyone filled out all of he answers. This is a compilation of the answers that were entered as of December 2005....

Did the class cover the advertised material to your satisfaction? 98% Yes

Was the material applicable to the tasks you face in real life? 95% Yes

What was your overall rating for the class? 25% Excellent, 42% Very Good, 21% Good, 12% Did not respond, 0% Needs Work.

Would you recommend this class to others? 83% would recommend this class to FPGA Designers, 76% would recommend it to CAD Layout Designers, 45% would recommend this to Engineering Managers.

What do we need to improve? 9%...need more stack up and design rule examples, 8%...need more information on high speed differential signaling, 6% need more information on Susceptibility, 6%...need more information on power delivery design, 3% more information on background theory, cables & connectors, and using the simulator to get answers.

Most interesting comment.."I learned so much in one day that I think my head hurts....GREAT CLASS"

If you take our test and pass it, we will issue a certificate of achievement. Anyone who comprehends the material will have no problem taking the test. You must simply regurgitate the key topics in-order to pass it. Of those who have taken the test all have passed with flying colors. However only a small minority of our students opt to take the test.

What is the difference between the original SI/EMC JumpStart, version 2.0, and version 3.0?

SI/EMC JumpStart was originally (version 1) configured as a one day hands on lab class that would teach a proven methodology that results in guaranteed "right the first time" designs. Although well over 90% of the students had glowing reviews about the class, there were some short comings. First, there was material at the beginning of the class that was necessary for context, but to the more experienced students it was not really hot material. To them, it was a waste of valuable class time. Although I could agree with them, I did not have a solution at that time. With Jump Start 2.0 I have moved that material into a video that the students down load and view prior to the class. The video is available to anyone whether or not they attend the class. I just need a solid starting place to begin teaching the class. Moving 1.5-2.0 hours of material from live class time to pre-class study time allows me to add more material to the class. Second, I did a complete re-write of the material to make it more "crisp." Again this saved more class time. Third, I have added material in two key places. I expanded Power System Design examples and have include a module on controlling Power Deliver Anti Resonance (impedance poles).

The change to version 3.0 was a complete rewrite of version 2.0. Version 2.0 classes were always too tight for time. JumpStart 3 follows a new paradigm. First put the bulk of the basic Signal Integrity 101 material into a down loadable pre-class homework video book. Second explain the Jump Start Method independent of the details of implementation. Third work through examples of that implementation on 8 or 8+ layer boards, then 6 layer boards, then 4 layer boards finally on 2 layer boards. The heart of the issue is how do you make 2, 4, 6, 8 or 8+ layer designs work correctly the first time. Of course the first corollary to this in having a rational scheme to decide when a particular board stack up is simply in adequate for a particular clock speed / rise time combination.

The breakthrough in JumpStart 3 was a new Power Impedance and Ground Bounce Calculator that includes the effect of a capacitor's radial distance from the power delivery or signal via being analyzed. This resulted in a rational closed form analysis technique for boards that do not have a power ground sandwich spaced 10 mills or closer.

I have also recorded a number in class demonstrations that can be downloaded and viewed later for review or simply to save time in class.

The final measure of this class is how much useful material the student learns. I will continue to rework it as I discover ways to make the material easier to digest in a shorter period of time.

Click here to download the 30Mb ZIP file containing the SIEMC JumpStart 3 Pre-Class Homework video book. Unzip the file into any directory and click the purple ball to view the table of contents. This video includes a description of the JumpStart Method as well as a detailed in class agenda.

Do you have Advanced and Company specific classes??
We offer both Advanced Classes and Company specific on-site classes.

Please call Terry Fox directly for more information.

Office 425 391-8696

Email tfox@siemc.com

Cancellation Policy... Cancel 10 days or greater in advance of the class...full refund.

Cancel less than 10 days but greater than 7 days 75% refund.

Cancel less than 7 days...no refund, but you may schedule for a future class at no charge.