Hi,

I'm trying to find out the procedure circuit designers use to take an idea from concept to final product. Can anyone suggest a procedure or point me to a website please?

 

I don't think there is such a thing besides knowledge, experience, creativity and brain-storming.

Or maybe:

concept - design - simulation - prototyping - testing - pcb fabrication - testing - final product

 

I searched the web and found a book called
Hardware Design Verification: Simulation and Formal Method-Based Approaches

but I cant see whats in it.


I'll keep searching.

 

I don't think there is such a thing besides knowledge, experience, creativity and brain-storming.

And going back in circles again and again through the concept -> product process until everything is allright. The knowledge and expirience then determines how many revisions you need to get it right.

 

1. The idea.

2. You think how to approach it. This requires experience and knowledge, which you get by reading, lots of reading.

3. You draw it. Schematics are the language of electronics. Nowdays people also simulate the drawing, but it is not required. I do most of mine in my head.

4. You build it, also called prototyping. Protoboards are good tools for this. It also goes to simulating it also, but in some cases the simulation will fall short, reality has a way of pointing out mistakes.

4a. If it doesn't work, you analyze and trouble shoot it. Establish why it is working the way it is, and how this varies from your original concept.

5. If this is something you plan on sharing, you document it. I was surprised to find this step is one where engineers fail at many times.

6. Having assimilated lessons learned (there will always be something), start the next project. A good friend that is gone now once said a real hobbiest or engineer always has several project going on at once.


You have a tool I didn't have when I was just starting. That is the internet, specifically, this site. We have everything from fellow students to grunt techs like me with 40 years under their belt to professors and PhDs. There are no stupid questions at this site, and while it may take a couple of days you will usually get help with intractable problems.

 

The engineering design process:

 

You forgot the Search for the Guilty and Punishment of the Innocent phases. A common corporate philosophy.

 

Everybody has left out the "block diagram" stage. It belongs between 6 and 7 in DerStrom's post. After you have defined the goal and listed the limitations, you should make a block diagram. It can be as simple as [power supply] or more specific, like, [transformer, rectifier, filter, regulator]. Then you might break down the regulator to [voltage limit, overcurrent protection, feedback time constants].

Just my 2 cents.