February 2010

Thumbnail image for 507 Mechanical Movements PDF: another great mechanism resource

507 Mechanical Movements PDF: another great mechanism resource

Not too long ago I told you about three great mechanism references, one of which was the not-so-cheap Mechanical Devices Sourcebook. Well times are tough, and I’ve been reminded of the Sourcebook’s Grand-daddy: 507 Mechanical Movements. The link is a free PDF (507 has long since crawled out from under copyright protection) and there is no [...]

Tagged as: 507 mechanisms, mechanism design, mechanisms and devices, mechanisms and mechanical devices sourcebook, references

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Thumbnail image for Dear SolidWorks and Pro|Engineer:fix these problems

Dear SolidWorks and Pro|Engineer:fix these problems

Everyone has their preferred CAD package, and most look down their nose at all the others. The Solidworks guys rag on the Pro|Engineer guys, a few yucks are had, and you go back to work. But isn’t what we really want for one of these CAD programs to really get their act together?  To decimate [...]

Tagged as: CAD, Pro Engineer, SolidWorks

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Thumbnail image for CAD job trends: or why I pity students that learn Unigraphics

CAD job trends: or why I pity students that learn Unigraphics

There is an interesting thread over at eng-tips regarding current CAD job trends. The content itself isn’t so groundbreaking, but the recommendation of Indeed.com’s Job Trends tool made it worth the read. “Finally!” I thought. “Some objective data to prove that Unigraphics is dying!” I wasn’t disappointed: (note: I think the “inventor” is inflated, as job [...]

Tagged as: CAD, Pro Engineer, SolidWorks, Unigraphics

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Thumbnail image for patent agent vs patent attorney

patent agent vs patent attorney

I’m studying to become a patent agent, and whenever I mention it to anybody  I get the same response. “A patent agent? What the hell of that.  Is it like a patent attorney?” Kind of. Here’s how the USPTO breaks it down. why patent agents exist There is no law that says you need to [...]

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Thumbnail image for are attractive designs really more usable?

are attractive designs really more usable?

There has long been a precedent that users find attractive designs to be more usable. About a decade ago, a study  found that users perceive attractive ATM’s as more usable.  Recently, Rob Tannen noted a similar study on the effect aesthetics has on the perceived usability of cell phones. Now I’ve long since been sold on [...]

Tagged as: aesthetics, usability

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Thumbnail image for best practices in usability testing

best practices in usability testing

Beth Loring wrote  a great post over at Farm on best practices in moderating usability tests. Her  webinar presentation below touches on bias in user research, how much to interact, and dealing with failure. It’s a solid, high-level resource on a topic that isn’t as well-represented on the interweb as I’d like, and definitely worth [...]

Tagged as: bias, moderating, usability

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Thumbnail image for a quick tip for preventing PCB-induced stress

a quick tip for preventing PCB-induced stress

Most of the products we design have at least one Printed Circuit Board. The design process usually goes something  like this: Specifiy the components (sensors, batteries, switches, etc.) required for the device to perform it’s desired function. CAD-up the components per their respective spec sheets. Drop them into the CAD assembly to see how much [...]

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Thumbnail image for three great mechanism references

three great mechanism references

Mechanisms are awesome, but they don’t seem to get much love in the search engine world. All told, these are the three best references I’ve seen that actually help in mechanism design. Flying Pigs Paper Animation has some nice flash of your standard mechanisms. Boston’s Museum of Science has a wall of mechanisms, so be [...]

Tagged as: mechanism design, mechanisms and mechanical devices sourcebook, references

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