标签: engineering

In business school, they use case studies to see what clicks and what doesn't. In law school, they study old court arguments. But it's not often that an engineering school uses failure as a teaching tool.   I had this point brought home to me when speaking with Dave Nadler, a consulting engineer whose presentation, How NOT To Do Embedded Development! Practical Lessons From Real Projects That Almost Went Off A Cliff is scheduled for May 7 at ESC Boston. "In any of a number of professions," Dave told me, "you study failures to learn how to recognize impending disaster and avoid it. But in engineering we don't. That's a peculiar thing to our field." Yet in his experience most engineering projects that are trying to do something original don't end up well, for very unoriginal reasons.   Reflecting back on my own engineering schooling I can see his point. I have had dozens of courses on engineering theory, a few involving hands-on design, and only one that even touched on the topic of learning from past failures. It was the one-credit "Introduction to Engineering" course my freshman year at Virginia Tech, and in one of the lectures the instructor showed us a video of " Galloping Gertie ," the suspension bridge over the Tacoma Narrows in Washington that failed months after its completion. That was followed by some discussion of resonance, and then we went on to other things. There was never any kind of "post mortem" discussion of design projects (successful or failed) to learn from by example.   Dave's presentation seeks to correct this educational deficiency through a group exploration of various design efforts, from automatic toll collectors to aircraft anti-collision systems, where he was called in to help rescue a failing project. But Dave's not a wisdom-from-Olympus kind of guy. He doesn't lecture, but instead follows a Socratic discussion approach. He gives the symptoms, and then invites the attendees to respond with their thoughts and ideas.   "How NOT to do..." is a serious effort at learning from past mistakes, but not a grim one. "There are some comical interludes," he promises, "as well as a way-too exciting video of what happens without collision avoidance." Attendees can expect to walk away with some valuable insights, and perhaps a smile.   Rich Quinnell EE Times

Several days ago, I had coffee with my dear friends M— and S— (they can identify themselves in the comments if they wish) and we talked about the importance of role models early in our careers. The three of us enjoy some success in our working lives and it’s interesting to consider what contributed to our journeys.   For me, when I got out of the Air Force, I landed a job at a small avionics company and it was owned by a strong-willed man named Lee Pratt. Lee was a nice person, wicked-smart and very warm-hearted, but he was unbending when it came to doing the right thing. There was simply no question about it, whatever the cost, things were going to be done his way with impeccable honor and high ethics.   When your working personality is formed and set, a mentor or leader like this is irreplaceable. What could possibly substitute for this type of role model? What would happen in troubling situations without examples to look back on, examples that provide practical, real-world guidance? It would be very difficult to invent a code of ethics and the will to stubbornly cling to an immovable sense of right and wrong.   With the bustle of our daily work, it’s easy to lose sight of the big picture. The work we do is important. If you test something, it should be done thoroughly. If you are designing a circuit, it should be done rigorously. If you are writing code, it should be done responsibly—elegantly and efficiently.   In many ways, we worship the wrong people. Sports stars? Phooey. Rappers? Blah. Politicians? OMG. Look around. What is integral to the fabric of our modern world? It’s technology, of course, and we’re at the very beginning of biotech and robotics revolutions. Our gadgets, widgets, toys, communication equipment, computers, conveyances, appliances and lighting are all the fruits of engineering and design intellect and labor. The way we implement and execute will be more important, not less.   How do you know what to fight for and what to let go? Are these decisions influenced by honorable people who helped you in your formative years?   What are your thoughts? Set me straight in the comment section.   This blog is dedicated to Lee M. Pratt, 1918-2014, founder of Pacific Electro Dynamics, RIP.   Ken Coffman Field Applications Engineer Member of Technical Staff Fairchild Semiconductor  

Let me start with a story about peas -- more specifically, canned baby peas. While working for a semiconductor company in the 1970s, I had the opportunity to support a customer who developed industrial control systems for automating processing plants. He had a problem with one of our single-board computers used in a food processing factory.   We solved the problem, but in the process, I had the opportunity to tour the packaging line. Peas and liquid were metered into cans, which were then sealed and loaded into a giant retort canner. At the end of the cooking time, the cooled cans were sent through a labeling machine that applied product labels to the cans. I was shocked to see that the same peas, from the same process run, were having two different labels applied. One label was plain white paper with a cartoonish figure and the words "baby peas." The other was a beautiful silver foil with embossed letters that said "petit baby peas."   Now, I had often purchased the foil-labeled peas in the past. They were literally right next to the baby peas with the white paper label at my supermarket. What was the difference? Why were my peas priced double the other peas?   The answer was profound. I wasn't buying peas. I was buying a mental image of who I was and how I fit into society. The silver foil-labeled peas were man's peas. The white paper-labeled peas were for kids.   So marketing tells lies -- falsehoods -- things that serve to convey a false impression. Those are pretty strong sentiments that seem to damn marketing professionals.     Before my marketing friends hang me in effigy, however, we should note that, during the specification of an engineering product, a company's marketing team often finds itself in the role of a conduit for misleading or just plain false information to make its way from prospects to the engineering group. Some companies' marketing departments interpret prospect data to arrive at product requirements -- both positive and negative requirements. The question: How do we tell the essential truth from the "mushware" that inevitably comes along for the ride?   Like a great many things in engineering life, sorting the information into bins is the first step. But there is an important message that goes with this sorting: Don't drink your own Kool-Aid. Another way to look at this is to break everything down into objective measures. It may be easier to get to the essence of discerning fact from fiction by listing a few commonly used phrases.   I'll bet that you have heard this one: "Our products are ." When it comes to tangible qualities, this is mushware, pure and simple. Every person who hears this platitude should ask, "As measured by what?" Absent a statement that provides a quantifiable measure, statements like this should be approached cautiously (if at all). What they actually mean to me is "This product isn't actually ready for prime time, and we really hope you'll debug it for us." This may seem harsh, but it's all too real. A favorite tool for me is a red marker. I'll go through a product description and mark through all similar statements that are not backed up by objective measures. The more red, the more problems.   Then there are statements like "We developed our product with your business in mind." Another dose of mushware. How would you determine whether or not the person making this statement is telling the truth? And what is the truth?   These two examples may seem overly simplistic, but they illustrate the sort of mistruths that are propagated, sometimes by accident and sometimes by an inability to accept truths that create cognitive dissonance. It is your marketing team's job to figure out who the customers are (and will be), how to convey product information, and how to stake out a position in the prospects' minds.   Quantifiable, verifiable, and intrinsically fair -- these need to be the objectives of getting at the true facts used to drive engineering development. The way to get there is by using engineering principles. Now, marketing professionals are just that -- professionals. As engineers, we can work with marketing to ensure that the right followup questions are asked to guide us during the product specification and development phases. The purpose of our questions is to ensure that the product meets the customer needs. Marketing's purpose is gain answers for us in addition to determining how the product will be branded, positioned, and sold.   My past experience tells me that working with marketing to define a useful product and to then use that product specification to steer marketing interaction minimizes risk. The hard part is maintaining an objective viewpoint -- especially as an inventor or developer. Nevertheless, your company's future and your continued employment may well depend on your ability to remain fact-based.   Henry Davis is an independent contractor.

Have you ever considered becoming a consultant but then wonder "How do I start? How do I get clients? How much should I charge?"   Stick around here, and in this series I will share advice and lessons learned in my 30+ years as a consulting engineer (with the battle scars to show for it).   First off, just what is a consultant, anyway? If I asked 50 people this question, I'd probably get 50 or more answers, and they would all be good.   Webster defines a consultant as “an expert who is called on for professional or technical advice or opinions.” This is a traditional view, and encompasses professionals such as doctors, lawyers, accountants, engineers, architects... and so on.   This definition can also include business specialties (often considered staff positions) such as marketing, public relations, human resources, advertising, finance, regulations, operations, and more. These business areas are often the realm of “management consulting” firms.   But my focus here is going to be on small independent consultants, and how to become one.   Small firms often specialize and operate in one or more niches. For example: - A marketing consultant might specialize in market research, web design/implementation, direct mail, or writing whitepapers - A financial consultant might specialize in estate planning - An engineering consultant might focus on power electronics or analog design - A legal consultant might specialize in bankruptcies, divorces, or taxes   Independent consultants also often specialize in markets, such as medical, computers, financial, etc. This makes it easier to both establish credibility and to target potential clients.   As a small firm, it is very difficult to be everything to everyone. If you are thinking about making a jump to consulting, you might begin with two simple questions, which might seem very obvious. But in fact, time and time again people hang their consulting signs up without having given much thought to either: - What special skills and experience can I sell? - Who would pay for those skills and experience?   It's OK to have more than one niche or serve more than one market. But when you are small, you can’t be everything to everyone. By narrowing your focus you can concentrate your marketing efforts and deliver a highly targeted message.   Finally, remember that consulting is a business! This means providing something of value to a client and getting paid for it.   Unfortunately, the term “consultant” has been bastardized. For example, many sales people refer to themselves as consultants, when they are really pitching products or services, not offering unbiased advice. And since anyone can call himself a consultant, one may actually be neither an expert nor a professional in his field.   By the way, there is nothing wrong with being in sales. I spent several years as a sales engineer, and I have high regard for sales professionals. But if you are selling something other than your own advice and expertise, you are not a consultant in my book.   Another common use of the term is for professionals who are between full-time jobs. In the engineering world, we often joke that a “consultant” is just an unemployed engineer. It turns out that unemployment often leads to permanent consulting. I’ve known several consultants who went that route, and have become quite successful at it.   What about variations on consultants, such as “coaches” or “counselors?” Yes, I consider them consultants, too -- often a special breed with special skills that focus on personal improvement. In a future post, I’ll address what I see as the subtle distinctions among these categories of consulting.   Daryl Gerke, PE, h as been a full-time consulting engineer since 1987. He is a founding partner of Kimmel Gerke Associates Ltd., an EMI/EMC consulting and training firm. The goal of this blog is to help you learn how to start, build, and operate a small professional consulting practice. For more information on consulting, visit his blog .

Liitle kids aren't yet at the stage where they can solder a circuit board or code a subroutine. Nevertheless, as is the case with many subjects, many educators and parents feel that, the earlier engineering is introduced, the better.   Here are a number of reasons why. Little humans are programmed to question, build, and create. It's in their nature to ask and explore how things work and how they're made. Just ask any parent who's had to reassemble something taken apart by curious young hands. Catching their interest and introducing key concepts while they're still fun and interesting can establish a solid foundation. As we move up to higher levels of education, we're told to specialize and to separate one subject area from another. As children, however, engineering concepts blend into all sorts of other types of learning. A young child doesn't have to be specifically interested in engineering to be taught key ideas. They can learn them through art projects, storytelling, music, or even physical education. The skills learned through early engineering education, including problem solving and analysis, can be applied throughout a child's education. Technological literacy, or the awareness of how technology impacts one's way of thinking and living, is a key 21st-century skill. The sooner a child begins to develop this skill, the better able he or she can make technology work, regardless of whether the child eventually chooses engineering as a career. Early engineering education also helps to break gender barriers. The younger the child, the less he or she tend to think of specific activities or subjects as being for boys or girls. Studies have shown that female participation in engineering tends to dwindle as children get older. A concerted effort not only to make engineering available to little girls, but also to keep it appealing as they get older, is necessary. So how are engineering concepts being introduced to learners as young as three or four? - There's no shortage of toys and educational tools available to teach engineering concepts, even to very young learners. Lego WeDo , for example, allows early elementary-level students to build and program robots. As kits like GoldieBlox demonstrate, efforts are being made to market engineering toys to both boys and girls. - Early engineering is being included as a subject area as early as preschool, and the learning objectives are being formally written into the curriculum. What's more, a hands-on, project-based approach is being employed, ensuring that learners know the practical applications for the theory being introduced. - Extracurricular activities, clubs, and competitions surrounding engineering are becoming wildly popular. Just look at the success of Junior First Lego League , which invites competitors as young as six or seven. It's even possible to have an engineering-themed birthday party - Most children's museums feature exhibits that teach early engineering concepts. Young visitors are invited to peek inside complex machines , experiment with light and motion, and build and test structures. - Educators have come to realize that areas of engineering previously thought to be beyond the reach of child learners, such as coding, are not only within their grasp but also of great interest to them. Whether efforts to introduce engineering to a younger crowd will result in more students entering the field remains to be seen. What is known is that exposing young children to any new idea at an early age tends to result in a great appreciation of it as they grow. At the very least, more young learners will be familiar with the positive impact that smart design and execution can have on their daily lives. Amy Leask, VP and co-founder, Enable Education