For those that believe computational analysis one key to successful design engineering, allow me to play “devil’s advocate” and say experience is better than simulation. As a manager, if you had to hire an engineer for a specialized task would you prefer a senior level person with years of experience and whom has probably never performed a simulation in their life, or a junior engineer who knows how to use simulation tools with minimal hand-on experience in design engineering? There are many who believe that if you do not perform simulations during the design cycle or extensive computational analysis, you are “not doing the job of being a competent electrical engineer”. What about the thousands of companies and engineers worldwide that have never simulated any design (printed circuit board or system level), nor ever will because they do not have expertise or money to purchase software tools but produce incredibly fantastic products using old school design experience? This is a question to those who believe that simulation will solve everything. “What are you going to simulate-a schematic prior to layout without knowing what parasitics exist in the printed circuit board’s constructional material, or post layout analysis that may take days to perform especially if one does not have accurate SPICE or IBIS models? If simulation shows an RF field is present, exactly what specific component or element caused this RF field to be created? Frequency domain tools tell us a field is present but not the “actual source or cause of the radiated field”. For high-technology products of the future, one must simulate a design to ensure functionality in the time domain but does frequency domain analysis provide any real value? How many hours or day will it take to validate assumptions when there is no time left to put the system into production? Any experienced EMC engineer may say “Do the design in a manner that I provide guidance on because it will work based on sound engineering knowledge and years of experience, or do you feel luck and trust the results of you simulation? Maxwell is never wrong”. Simulation does not always identify design problems but greatly enhances one ability to visualize a potential design flaw and make enhancements that should allow for first time compliance.
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