In the software world, SAP does the same thing. They are very specific about what hardware, system software and middleware can be used with their ERP products. This is a real pain, until you have a problem that needs fixing. With a certified installation, they have the test fixtures for all valid combinations and can run in the same environment that you have. It allows them to give a very high SLA.
Not just a great example of patient and methodical troubleshooting - but also an example of how you can combine your areas of interest in your profession. While I have been a test engineer for years, I also have a passion for horses. I have a small business where my husband and I develop portable trail obstacles for horses. We often combine our mechanical engineering skills to solve problems with our obstacles and are currently developing some obstacles that are PIC controlled. We have a water obstacle that we eventually plan to have activated by a motion sensor. That's the awesome thing about engineering - you can bring it into so many different areas and work on those that specifically interest you - just as the author of this very interesting article has shown...
Good point, Naperlou, One thing a really like about this solution is how those who built the pipe organ worked to replicate the problem 600 miles away. This is reminiscent of how the Apollo 13 problem was solved. Those in Houston tried to replicate the materials those in the spacecraft has so they could use those materials to solve the problem.
Beth, I agree with you. That was an interesting story and a very interesting problem. There is no way to teach such skills. You just have to work with the equipment and understand it at many levels to find a solution.
Nice story and an on-going lesson for up-and-coming engineers that despite the complexities of today's products and tool platforms, patience and persistence as well as a thirst for curiousity and an eye for creative problem solving are still the tried and true foundational skills for good engineers. Thanks for sharing.
Andrew Morris designed a circuit that could detect a stroke victim's groan and convert the sound into a signal so caregivers would know when help was needed.
New disc magnet motors fit into the design trend of stepping up to closed loop performance while maintaining the cost advantage of stepper motor technology.
At the Design News webinar on June 27, learn all about aluminum extrusion: designing the right shape so it costs the least, is simplest to manufacture, and best fits the application's structural requirements.
On April 21, NASA launched a novel project, putting into orbit three satellites that employ an off-the-shelf commercial smartphone as the control system.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 5
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
For industrial control applications, or even a simple assembly line, that machine can go almost 24/7 without a break. But what happens when the task is a little more complex? That’s where the “smart” machine would come in. The smart machine is one that has some simple (or complex in some cases) processing capability to be able to adapt to changing conditions. Such machines are suited for a host of applications, including automotive, aerospace, defense, medical, computers and electronics, telecommunications, consumer goods, and so on. This radio show will show what’s possible with smart machines, and what tradeoffs need to be made to implement such a solution.
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