Preparation for Robust Electronic Design

2.1 Preparation for Robust Electronic Design

To design great products or equipment, we must know our options for:

• Partitioning designs between mechanical, electrical, electronic, software, and other technologies.

• Parts.

• Materials.

• Development processes and techniques.

• Manufacturing processes and techniques.

Electronics is changing so rapidly, that in five years about half of our current knowledge becomes obsolete. At the same time we are pushed to develop better products faster, to meet shrinking market windows and beat out the competition. So we can not afford to wait until we are assigned to a project, and then learn what we need to know. Instead we must:

• Stay up-to-date with all the areas of technology that we use in our jobs.

• Be familiar with areas of technology that we may use or interface to in the future.

• Know where to find pertinent information in many other areas.

Lessons that we learn from our own mistakes stick with us best. But they also tend to blow our budgets and...