Picotest’s Water-Cooled Probe

Having Steve Sandler in this episode is such a treat! He talks about his presentations at the upcoming DesignCon 2023 in Santa Clara. He gives us a deep dive into some very complex engineering topics, including measuring the PDN Flatness and the state space model.

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Show Highlights:

• Steve Sandler is in the running for Engineering of the Year along with Ken Wyatt
• Steve is doing a two-and-a-half-hour tutorial on PSMR, PSOR, and PSMR testing at the DesignCon. Molex and Tektronix are both participating in the live demonstration
  • He s also doing a presentation with Heidi Barnes, Bandanin, and Ben Denon
• A lot of conferences are going virtual. The reach is undeniably great, however, what are the pros and the cons? What is valuable to who?
• Steve talks about the conception of Picotest in the US
• Picotest made the very first water-cooled probe which he will be showing at the DesignCon
• Innovative solutions can take decades from conception to fruition, Steve shares his PdD thesis from 2011 that got him ahead of the curve
• Steve deeps dive into the water-cooled probe, how it works, and the problems it eliminates
• 21:34 Power supply stability is critical in space, 
• 23:28 What does it mean to quantify the flatness of the PDN? Steve co-authored a paper with Scott Witcher which will be presented at the DesignCon
• 26:25 Steve Sandler wrote a paper in 2015: Target Impedance Limitations and Rogue Wave Assessments on PDN Performance
• 31:29 FACTS! Computers in Space Station are being reset every 40 minutes
• 33:13 Steve stresses the importance of simulation and gives engineers a tip: “Start out with proven models and you'll get there. Get enough confidence.“
• 34:39 Steve explains why it is necessary to find the “Q” to measure PDN Flatness
• 43:19 Innovation could have happened earlier, Steve talks about the typical economic problems that could be hindering technological advancements
• 47:51 Steve gives us a brief deep dive into the “state space model” and what it’s attempting to quantify

Links and Resources:

• Connect with Steve Sandler on LinkedIn
• Visit Picotest website
• Check out Steve Sandler's Books
• Register to DesignCon 2023