May 8, 1997

Simpler is better for Design Idea
Grand Prize winner

"Hey, I could do that with just a voltage reference." That's what Kerry Lacanette, an application manager at National Semiconductor, thought when a customer came in looking for a circuit that protects systems from overvoltages. Little did he know that his idea would win him EDN's annual grand prize of Best Design Idea of 1996 ("Circuit detects and disconnects overvoltages," April 25, 1996, pg 124). Even more surprising to Lacanette was that the idea won despite its simplicity.

Kerry Lacanette

"It was the simplest design I've ever done," says Lacanette. He came up with the idea five minutes after the customer asked the question. Further proving the circuit's simplicity, Lacanette had the design finished in 20 minutes. The idea was so simple he thought that it may be too basic for people to get any practical use from it, but he submitted it anyway.

"I've submitted many ideas--both to EDN and other publications--over the years, and this is the simplest idea I've ever done," says Lacanette, who has worked at National Semiconductor's Products Group (Tucson, AZ) for 19 years. But simpler is better, according to Lacanette.

"I've seen and done a lot of complicated circuits, but I always end up liking simpler designs better," he says. What's more, he has received some positive feedback about the design. People have called to tell him that it really works.

Lacanette, 43, hasn't decided what he'll do with his $1500 cash prize, but he may use it in pursuing his many interests, including music, writing, and reading, as well as hiking and camping with his wife and two children.

--by Fran Granville e for their favorite Design Idea. Winners receive

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