The highest level of the Zertifizierter Elektronik-Designer (ZED), the certified electronics designer programme of the FED (Fachverband Elektronik-Design e.V., the German electronics design association), completed 2022 to 2024: quality in the design process, HDI and microvias, modern PCB assembly, EMC-compliant assembly design. 89 graduates worldwide (as of March 2025). ZED II dates from 2017, ZED III from 2020.
About MHD
The person behind the layouts
MHD is Dr Marco Häuser: an electronics technician from series production, a physicist with a doctorate from scientific instrumentation and, since 2011, a PCB designer for electronics that have to work first time.
Profile
Dr Marco Häuser
It began with an apprenticeship as an electronics technician at one of Bavaria's large EMS providers; a doctorate in physics at LMU Munich followed in 2019. In between lies the path from the repair bench via measurement electronics into scientific instrumentation: electronics for large telescopes and laboratory instruments, in a vacuum and at temperatures down to −200 °C.
From manufacturing comes the eye for assemblability and readiness for series production; from research, the care for instrumentation and sensitive signals. Both go into every layout MHD delivers.
Career
- to 2006: apprenticeship as an electronics technician specialising in radio technology, with a focus on EMS services; journeyman years focused on consumer electronics
- to 2011: measurement electronics development, circuit and PCB design in Eagle
- 2011 to 2019: degree in physics at LMU Munich: bachelor's 2011, master's in astrophysics 2013 (LMU and University of Texas at Austin), doctorate 2019
- since 2011: instrument design in Altium, plus PLC hardware and software development and software in Python and C
Four certifications
Every MHD design rests on national and international training courses with examinations. These are the four most important.
Advanced Certified Interconnect Designer, the IPC's highest designer certification, taught and examined to IPC requirements by the FED: base materials, manufacturing technologies, assembly, IPC classes, documentation.
EMC training with the VDI (Association of German Engineers): measurement techniques for emissions and immunity (ESD, Surge, Burst), field calculation methods and the EMC Directive including CE marking.
The tool behind every MHD layout. The certification covers library management, hierarchical multi-sheet design, multi-bus routing with length matching and impedance control, differential pairs, variants and version control.
From high-volume production to one-offs
- Series production: high-volume consumer electronics at an EMS provider, including feeder optimisation, AOI-compatible design and debug applications for accelerated product development
- Scientific instrumentation: electronics for large telescopes and laboratory instruments, vacuum and cryogenic applications down to −200 °C
- Passing on knowledge: speaker at technical conferences and lecturer at technical colleges. More under Speaker and Training
FAQ
About MHD
The questions about the person and working method that come up most often in initial consultations.
Is MHD a one-person business?
MHD is the self-employed business of Dr Marco Häuser, formerly under the trading name ‘MHD Elektronik-Layouts’. Behind it stands a selected partner network of electronics specialists. Responsibility and the point of contact remain with him; the network joins in for peak loads and specialist fields.
Do you work on site or remotely?
Both. Being based in Munich allows in-person meetings in Bavaria and the surrounding region; by video conference, MHD supports projects across Europe, in German and English.
What do the certifications mean in practice?
They make experience verifiable: CID+ and ZED IV cover the entire design process from materials to documentation, the EMC training covers low-noise design, and the Altium certification covers command of the tool. Your layout is therefore produced to an examined state of the art.
Do you also review third-party layouts?
Yes: independent reviews and expert reports on PCB and electronics design, documented to a depth that satisfies purchasing, quality assurance and audit.
Let's talk about your project.
For an initial assessment, details of task, quantity and deadline are enough.