What is a Motion Control System? At the most fundamental level, a motion control system is any system that controls energy flow to generate mechanical motion with some desired properties…. Read More
WHAT IS A MOTION CONTROL SYSTEM?
THE TOP 10 QUESTIONS TO ASK A PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT FIRM
If you’re trying to decide whether to hire a product development firm, or determine which one is best for your needs, here are the top 10 questions that you should… Read More
THE POTENTIAL OF THE APPLE AIRPODS TO DISRUPT A WHOLE INDUSTRY
When I worked at Oticon, one of the world’s largest hearing aid manufacturers, we were acutely aware of the strong negative connotations associated with hearing aid use, especially among baby… Read More
HOW TO USE OPEN SOURCE HARDWARE IN PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
There are many amazing open source hardware (OSHW) printed circuit assembly (PCA) projects available today. Arduino®, BeagleBone®, Rasperry Pi®, OpenPilot®, and RepRap® are a few of the bigger names, but… Read More
WHAT IS THE MECH IN MECHATRONICS?
Mechatronics is not only about the motor, but rather getting the most out of the motors you have. To do that you have to step back and look at the… Read More
3 TIPS FOR IOT PRODUCT SUCCESS
Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and the rest of the crowd sourcing world are overrun with product ideas for connecting different things to the internet. Much like the dot com and mobile app… Read More
WHEN SHOULD I START DESIGNING FOR HIGH-VOLUME MANUFACTURING?
On more than one occasion, a company has approached Simplexity to ask if we can “look at this prototype, work out any bugs, and release it for high-volume manufacturing.” While… Read More
DESIGNING A 3D PRINTER FOR THE HOME
The market for 3D printers has exploded over the last few years. There have been great advances in printer hardware, materials, and the software ecosystem required to allow 3D printers… Read More
IT TURNS OUT THAT EMC IS NOT BLACK MAGIC
In April I had the privilege of attending a three-day course on Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Engineering taught by Henry Ott, the author of the book on the subject with the same title…. Read More
SELECTING THE CORRECT MOTOR TYPE AND SIZE
What is the correct (or best) motor to use in a motion control application? Given the myriad choices of type, size and performance it should not be surprising that there… Read More
Software: Design Complete
Hardware: Pre-production units for design verification
MFG. Readiness: CM schedule and budget, Unit build tracking