Overview: Engineering design tools:

-Brainstorming √

-Engineer’s Logbook: Documentation

-Estimation

-Prototyping

-Reverse Engineering

Documentation: the Importance of Keeping careful records

Goals	Tasks
Passing info on to	Engineering Mark
● Yourself	● Keep accurate, neat, up-to-date records
● Colleagues	● Organize these records, easy to find
● Successors	● Keep dual back-up folders
● Patent office
● Manufacturers

The Engineer’s Logbook
Definitions	Properties
● Design tool	● Includes what did not work
● Permanent records of ideas, calculations, innovations, test results	● Permanently bound (no loose pages), permanent ink, numbered pages
● Evidence of inventorship
How to make one
1.- Individual, stored in designated places
2.- All entries dated and written in ink
3.- Facts only, no subjective opinions
4.- Will be read by boss, personnel committee
5.- Concluding page should be signed and dated, witnessed
6.- No blank pages
7.- Attach computer plots
8.- No correction fluids, just cross it out (legal evidence)

The Logbook example

Preliminary sketch of basic concept for Peak Performance Design Competition (From Horenstein)

Estimation of battery drain

List of materials/parts to be purchased

Dimensions and Tolerance

Tight tolerance → expensive machining equipment, more time

Significant Figures: accuracy; combined accuracy=least accurate #

Technical Reports

Schematics and Drawings

Software Documentation: adding comment lines