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
IT TURNS OUT THAT EMC IS NOT BLACK MAGIC
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
WHEN BRAINSTORMING FAILS, THROW AN IMAGINARY CAT
This past month, I was asked to speak on the topic of concept generation, also known as ideation, at Professor Larry Leifer’s 3D Printing and Design course – ME137/237 –… Read More
FIVE TIPS FOR MECHATRONIC SYSTEM INTEGRATION
In part two of my three-part mechatronics discussion I provided tips for the design of high volume mechatronic systems. In this final entry of the series, I’ll discuss five additional tips… Read More
THREE TIPS FOR DESIGNING HIGH VOLUME MECHATRONIC PRODUCTS
As I discussed in part one of my three-part mechatronics discussion, there are many, many types of mechatronics systems in the world. In industry, the largest market segment that would clearly identify… Read More
WHAT IS MECHATRONICS?
The word “mechatronics” was first coined in Japan in the late 1960’s to refer to the synergistic blend of mechanics and electronics. The word has evolved to describe products and… Read More
IF I COULD ONLY DO 3 THINGS TO SIMPLIFY A DESIGN, WHAT SHOULD THEY BE?
People are often curious about what our secret sauce is for achieving such simple designs for complex products. While I could get into all the details — things like hiring… Read More
Software: Design Complete
Hardware: Pre-production units for design verification
MFG. Readiness: CM schedule and budget, Unit build tracking